0p0 Chapter 176 The shop has started to be renovated
Chapter 176 The shop has started to be renovated
When Shen Yu heard footsteps, he turned around and saw that it was Zhou Dalang with a cloth still wrapped around his head.
Zhou Dalang no longer had the bitter and resentful expression he always had on his face. He now looked relaxed and comfortable with a slight smile on his face.
He came in with a broom and dustpan in his hands, and greeted everyone, "Madam, Miss Shen, you are here."
When Shen Yu saw him, he remembered that after closing the shop, Zhou Dalang would have no place to live.
He asked with concern: "Zhou Dalang, your parents have moved away, so where do you three live now?"
Zhou Dalang put down his broom and dustpan and quickly replied, "I have been looking for a house these days. I want to find one close to the store so that it will be more convenient for me to go home after work in the evening."
"I just haven't found a suitable one yet, so I'm staying at a good friend's house right now."
Li said, "Once the shop is cleaned up, we will move in. Do you think the small courtyard I'm renting is suitable for your family of three? It's just that there is no well, so it's a bit inconvenient to use water."
Zhou Dalang had been to the small courtyard where Shen Yu rented a house. He was overjoyed and said, "I don't know how much the rent is. It's because I looked for several houses and the rent was too high that I couldn't find a suitable house to live in."
Li enthusiastically introduced: "When we rented the house, we agreed with the landlord Mrs. Liu that the rent was 700 coins per month, and the rent for the next month would be paid on the tenth day of each month."
"Mrs. Liu is a nice person. Her family sells fruit at the market entrance. I think you should have seen her. If you think it's appropriate, I'll talk to Mrs. Liu when I go back today."
Zhou Dalang hurriedly bowed and thanked him: "Thank you, madam. Please go and talk to the landlord. When you move out, we will move in."
Shen Yu originally did not plan to move the entire family in, but wanted to use the house in the backyard of the store as a big kitchen.
Just like Yuelai Restaurant, all the shops in the front are used for dine-in services.
But after seeing the yard yesterday, he felt that the house would be big enough even if the whole family moved in, so he let Li recommend the house in Liushu Lane to Zhou Dalang, while he looked at the shop carefully.
The shop front is not big, but the interior is deep enough to accommodate at least six tables and chairs, and a kitchen can be partitioned off at the back.
The original bakery was filled with baking ovens, so there was no dedicated kitchen. Instead, most of the shop was occupied by ovens, and there were traces of tables and chairs on the ground outside.
Shen Yu asked Zhou Dalang: "This shop is not small. Can't we eat in the shop? Why are there only two sets of tables and chairs in the shop?"
Zhou Dalang said helplessly: "My mother hates those people eating cakes here and sitting here without leaving. She has to clean up after they leave."
"She relied on the fact that this was the only bakery on the street and that people nearby who wanted to eat bakery had to come to the store to buy them, so she didn't want customers to dine in."
Shen Yu asked, "Did many guests like to eat here at noon in the past?"
Zhou Dalang nodded: "When the weather is cold, if we can dine in and sell some soup, business will still be good."
"Customers want to eat warm food before leaving. If they buy cakes and take them home to eat, they will be cold. For fire prevention purposes, open flames are prohibited in stores in this market."
Shen Yu had a plan in mind and smiled, "I see. Thank you for telling me this."
Li said, "This old woman Hu really wants to make money and save trouble at the same time. There is no such good thing in the world."
Shen Yu wrapped her headscarf and tied her apron, and said with a smile: "If it weren't for this, the business of this store wouldn't be so bad, and we wouldn't be able to buy this store."
"Hurry up and start cleaning up. The sooner you clean it up, the better chance you have for opening."
It's easier said than done, but it will take more than a day or two to tidy up the store.
Except for setting up the stall in the morning and delivering meals at noon, the whole family is involved in the rest of the time, including Zhou Dalang who comes on time every day, and Qixi who comes whenever he has free time.
It took five adults and three children in their teens two whole days to clear all the broken dirt from the store.
On the morning of the third day, after sweeping away the dirt, the blue brick floor of the shop was finally revealed.
Shen Yu couldn't help but frowning as he looked at the ground. Not only were the bricks greasy, but many of them were broken, making it look tattered and dirty.
How can you open a restaurant like this?
Shen Yu discussed with Li: "The floor is too dirty. Even if we shovel it all over, it's still dirty and greasy. The bakery has been open for many years, and the greasy mud on the floor is so thick. We should replace it all."
Li thought the floor tiles were indeed not very good, but as the shop was quite deep, he roughly counted and estimated that it would take several hundred bricks to replace the entire room.
Li was a little hesitant: "I wonder how much silver each brick and stone here costs, plus I need to find someone to lay it. It will cost a lot of silver to replace the whole house."
Qi Xi said enthusiastically, "I know this. The county government renovated the prison cells a few days ago and used large bricks."
"Our young master said when he was helping Mr. Lu with the account book a few days ago that a large brick here costs 20 wen a piece, a small brick costs 7 wen a piece, and the daily wages for the craftsmen are 300 wen, including a lunch."
Qixi looked at the floor and said, "This is a small food store. You don't need to use big bricks. Big bricks break easily when fired and are expensive. Just use small bricks in the store."
"The original bricks were small, and if the craftsman had good skills, they would be laid out smoothly and elegantly."
Shen Yu lowered his head and counted the number of bricks in a row. He estimated that a room like this would require about four hundred bricks and could be paved in one day.
Including the craftsman's wages, the total cost of replacing the floor tiles is 3,300 coins, which is not bad.
Shen Yu reported the price to Li. Although Li felt sorry for the money, she also knew that it had to be spent.
Li complained, "Then let's change it. The floor is really too greasy and sticky. If I were in your shoes, I wouldn't want to dine in here."
Shen Yu asked Qixi: "Where can I buy bricks and stones?"
Qi Xi shook his head in bewilderment: "I don't know about this. These things were all done by Master Lu. Why don't I go back and ask."
Zhou Dalang said, "I know where to buy bricks and stones, but I don't know if the price will be lower if I sell them to the county government."
Qi Xi chuckled and said, "That's easy. Just say that the fourth son of the county master's family wants to use it, isn't that enough?"
Shen Yu quickly said, "That won't work. Just tell them that the restaurant here needs it."
After saying that, he asked Zhou Dalang to go and ask about the price, and also to find the craftsman, ask him to take a look at the size of the house, and quote the labor fee.
Zhou Dalang responded and went over. Not long after, he brought two people over. One of them looked like a shop assistant and the other was a craftsman.
The shop clerk was a very honest man. He pushed seven or eight square bricks of different sizes and colors over on a wheelbarrow so that Shen Yu could choose easily.