The Reborn Sidekick Rejected The Male Lead
Chapter 300 - 291: Fiscal Authority

Chapter 300: Chapter 291: Fiscal Authority

Luo Xinyue was shocked, "Over a hundred people?" After saying that, she looked at the rich beef soup in front of her and asked, "Then how much would a meal like the one we had today cost?"

Xue Jianian replied, "We put in a lot of beef, so it’s at least a standard of two yuan."

Luo Xinyue continued, "Do you think people would be willing to spend two yuan on a single meal?"

Lu Jingqiu smiled and nodded affirmatively, "There will be. But the location of the store is also very important. We must choose a place where people can afford this beef. However, I’ve been wandering around here recently and really haven’t found a suitable location for a store."

Xue Jianian said, "It doesn’t matter, we can take our time to look for it. This is not something urgent."

"Alright, keep calculating, let’s see how much money we will need," said Luo Xinyue.

Xue Jianian said, "Alright, rent, and then renovation. For renovation, let’s budget three hundred yuan, and then seating, another three hundred, and staff. We’ll need a receptionist and, initially, three waiters in the store. For the kitchen, we need about three people.

The receptionist and waiters, twenty yuan a month; for the kitchen staff, twenty-five yuan per month; and various dishes and utensils, let’s budget one thousand yuan initially. Of course, when paying rent, it’s not a monthly affair; we have to at least sign a contract for two to three months, or maybe half a year.

The standard I’m calculating with is similar to my current grain and oil storefront—an ideal two-story building. We should try to find a place that’s even larger. Our store should have at least ten tables."

"Finding a place larger than Jingqiu’s store really won’t be easy," Luo Xinyue commented.

"A larger place than my storefront will definitely mean higher rent. Initially, let’s budget two thousand yuan, and let’s distribute the shares like this: ten shares, some larger, some smaller, with the larger shareholder having management rights.

But let it be known, I will only contribute money, not involve myself in the management," Lu Jingqiu stated.

Seeing Lu Jingqiu say this, Luo Xinyue was quick to nod in agreement. She felt the same; she didn’t understand how to manage a store either.

"Alright, I’ll put in the lion’s share; you two just need to invest," said Xue Jianian, who had the same thought. It was not easy to open a store in West City, and Luo Xinyue and Lu Jingqiu had better connections there—more connections made things easier.

After some thought, Lu Jingqiu said, "Alright, Jianian, you take five shares, Xinyue and I will each take two and a half. Xinyue, what do you think?"

"That’s fine, I won’t feel too bad if we don’t make a profit, and if we do, as long as it can cover everyday expenses, that’s pretty good." At least she wouldn’t need to ask her family for money.

Xue Jianian shook her head, "I’ll take four shares, and you two can have three each. That’s fairer. Also, I am planning for our store to use supplies from my grain shop in the future. You taking two and a half shares would be a real bargain. Besides, I can assure you that once our store opens, it won’t lose money. As for living expenses, ha, Comrade Luo Xinyue, I wonder how much your living expenses are."

"Fifteen yuan, why? Can we really earn that much?"

Lu Jingqiu laughed, "If our store has good food and a good location, I guarantee you’ll be able to pocket twice fifteen."

"Wow, that sounds great," Luo Xinyue said, barely able to wait. "Then what are we hesitating for? Let’s get started on opening the place right away."

"We need to find a property first," Xue Jianian pointed out.

"Let’s start looking tomorrow."

"Jingqiu, draft a contract for us. The three of us will sign a note: I’ll take forty percent and contribute eight hundred yuan, while you two will put in six hundred each. If there are additional expenses in the future, we can increase our contributions accordingly."

"I have six hundred yuan," Luo Xinyue said. She received one thousand yuan as dowry from her parents, another thousand from her in-laws, and she had some money of her own, enough for the everyday life of two people, and even to buy a dress or two occasionally.

Shang Ze had saved up some money from working in the past few years. Seeing that the two were both in school, her parents insisted on giving them twenty yuan each month as living expenses.

Our own savings account had over four thousand yuan, so six hundred yuan was definitely manageable.

"Okay."

What was supposed to be an ordinary meal turned into a business opportunity created by three women, all bursting with enthusiasm.

Lu Jingqiu shared their ideas with Jiang Nanzhou that night, and thinking about how much money his wife now had, he didn’t stop her. He let her handle it and thought if she lost it, then so be it.

With her husband’s approval, the next morning, Lu Jingqiu planned out the location for the shop and looked for several places with a lot of people who could afford to spend.

First was not far from the city government, second was near the Urban Construction Bureau’s family quarters, third was their city’s largest steel factory, and fourth was the area around the textile factory.

After planning, Lu Jingqiu rode her bike around the four places. The area beside the city government was all walls, opposite was a grain and oil station, to the right was a residential area, and behind it was a printing factory. There were no suitable storefronts.

Near the Urban Construction Bureau, new buildings were being erected, also without any suitable options.

The steel factory was surrounded by walls, opposite were family buildings, with some facing the roadside, but those were low, small houses—the kind that couldn’t even fit a bed and were used as kitchens.

At the textile factory, the roads inside the family quarters were wide, with some family buildings on the first floor that faced the road and had small doors opened—some used as small grocery stores, others selling breakfast, but she didn’t find anything suitable.

Even if there was something suitable, being inside the family quarters wasn’t ideal; outsiders couldn’t easily enter, and even if they could, it wouldn’t be convenient.

After running around for so long, she hadn’t even managed to grab lunch and didn’t come up with any results, leaving Lu Jingqiu somewhat disappointed.

In the afternoon, she returned home, simply made herself some instant noodles, ate, then went to the study.

She began to draft the contract, which really didn’t have much to write about.

She wrote a few basic terms according to contracts from the future, in triplicate.

In the evening, she had Jiang Nanzhou look it over. After some additions and revisions, she transcribed it into three copies.

Jiang Nanzhou saw her serious demeanor and joked, "Making it so formal?"

Lu Jingqiu replied, "Of course, we’re very optimistic about this entrepreneurship. There’s even a chance we might open a second one if this takes off.

Of course, after Xinyue and I graduate, we’ll be assigned jobs, and private enterprises definitely won’t be allowed, so we’re only investing and sharing profits, not getting involved in the management."

Jiang Nanzhou thought for a moment and realized her business with her second cousin operated in a similar way. He then had a sudden realization that his wife was thinking long-term.

"Qiuqiu, from now on, you take control of the household finances, you’ll handle them," he said.

Lu Jingqiu raised an eyebrow, "Isn’t that what I’m doing now? What, you didn’t think that before?"

Jiang Nanzhou immediately realized he’d said something wrong and quickly said, "I just suddenly felt that my wife is very talented in investment, and our family’s money should be managed by you. I’m not good at it. Aside from my team’s salary, occasionally helping with translations, and other ways I can earn money, I’m clueless. Of course, there are other opportunities, like when the team has big competitions, or there are travel subsidies; these little amounts of money. Compared to my wife’s easy money-making methods, they are nothing. Don’t you agree, my wife?"

Lu Jingqiu saw his repentant and pleasing demeanor and couldn’t help but laugh; since when was her husband so glib?

She decided not to dwell on this matter any longer.