Chapter 4

"Here he comes," a slightly limping, overweight man with a warm smile walked out from the inner room.

"Hey, isn't that Yuan Zhou? What brings you here, kid?" The limping, overweight man was Boss Wang, who immediately asked in a friendly tone when he saw Yuan Zhou standing in the outer room.

"I want to reopen the shop and need you to check the sewer and gas pipes, and install a better double stove," Yuan Zhou, seeing Boss Wang's friendly demeanor, didn't hesitate and directly stated his request.

"You've learned something, huh? Alright, I'll grab my tools and head over in a bit," Boss Wang, being easy to talk to, turned around and went back to the inner room to get his tools.

Yuan Zhou knew that although Boss Wang seemed friendly, his prices were quite high. The quality of his work was good, but he didn't want to be overcharged. After a fierce negotiation on the way, they finally agreed on a price of 1,500 yuan for the stove, pipes, and gas lines.

Although the price was a bit high, it came with a lifetime warranty... Any issues could be addressed at any time. Having achieved his goal, Yuan Zhou didn't say much more and led Boss Wang to his shop.

"Yuan Zhou is back, but that guy hasn't arrived yet... Is that Boss Wang?" Boss Tong, seeing Yuan Zhou and the overweight Boss Wang passing by his shop, poked his head out and greeted them.

"Boss Tong, your business is still thriving," the overweight Boss Wang replied with a smile.

"That's because I'm fair in my dealings," Boss Tong shot a glance at Boss Wang, his words tinged with sarcasm.

Boss Tong's shop had once had a broken water pipe, and he had directly called Boss Wang to fix it. The pipe was repaired, but the price was twice what it would have been elsewhere. Reluctantly, Boss Tong had to accept it, but ever since, he would always mock Boss Wang for being unfair in his business practices.

Now, seeing Yuan Zhou bringing Boss Wang over, Boss Tong knew he was probably there to help with repairs.

He took two steps out of his shop, pulled Yuan Zhou back a bit, and glanced at the smiling Boss Wang.

Boss Tong said with a hint of dissatisfaction, "This fatso is quite ruthless. Be careful if you hire him."

Yuan Zhou thanked Boss Tong with a smile and explained, "Don't worry, Boss Wang's work is excellent."

"Young people just don't understand the market. I can't help you with that," Boss Tong, seeing that Yuan Zhou wasn't listening, grumbled as he returned to his shop.

Seeing Boss Tong's dissatisfaction, Yuan Zhou didn't mind and turned to Boss Wang, "Boss Wang, shall we go check the pipes?"

"Sure."

Boss Wang still had a smile on his face, as if he hadn't noticed the criticism. In business, one had to have a thick skin.

Yuan Zhou led Boss Wang around the shop, carefully inspecting everything. He found that there was nothing that needed major repairs.

"Your parents had foresight. I installed the pipes back then, and as you can see, they're still in great condition after so long," Boss Wang's chubby face showed a sense of pride.

"Boss Wang's skills are top-notch. I'll trouble you for this," Yuan Zhou said.

Just as he was about to say more, he saw Boss Tong leading a plainly dressed middle-aged man standing at the door. He turned and quickly asked, "Is this the scrap collector?"

"This is Master Li, who offers the fairest prices and never shortchanges. Selling to him is the best choice," Boss Tong, annoyed by the smiling Boss Wang, couldn't help but make a veiled criticism.

"It's all thanks to Aunt Tong. Thank you, Master Li. The items are all here, take a look," Yuan Zhou greeted warmly, not minding Aunt Tong's sarcasm, as it wasn't directed at him.

"These things aren't worth much, young man," Master Li, with a simple and honest face, smiled as he sorted through the junk.

"How can that be? Look, these are all stainless steel, and this bucket is still in good condition. It's not worth much as new, but it's fine as second-hand," Yuan Zhou said, digging out chair legs and table legs from the junk and pointing to the stainless steel bucket.

"Stainless steel isn't worth much, and look at this..." Master Li, not easily fooled, broke a chair leg and showed it to Yuan Zhou.

Yuan Zhou then fully utilized the physics knowledge he learned in high school to prove what was iron, and finally successfully sold the items for 320 yuan.

Boss Tong watched in amazement, and Master Li, feeling a bit harassed, ended up helping to dispose of all the junk for free. Boss Wang, wiping the sweat from his forehead, felt he wasn't overcharging at all, seeing how Yuan Zhou could talk 318 yuan up to 320 yuan.

With the money in hand, Yuan Zhou felt refreshed and turned to Boss Wang, "Trouble you to check the shop. I'll go get the license first."

"No problem, go ahead. I'll be a while," Boss Wang quickly agreed, knowing that if he stayed, and the repairs were minimal, it might lead to more haggling.

Yuan Zhou went upstairs, grabbed the documents he had prepared, and left the shop.

It was Wednesday, and it was only about 9:30 in the morning. The small street was quiet, but once he stepped out onto the main street, it was bustling with traffic. Office workers in business attire, men in cheap suits who looked like insurance salesmen, and fashionable urban beauties hurried along the streets lined with tall buildings.

Yuan Zhou, wearing khaki pants, a white polo shirt, and sneakers, looked like a student who had just left school, except for his face, which looked like that of a mature man in his early thirties.

Of course, his attire today had a reason. Many discounts were available for recent college graduates, and although Yuan Zhou looked mature, he had graduated less than two years ago.

For a recent graduate starting a business, it was relatively easy to obtain a business license and health permit. As for the health certificate, it needed to be renewed every six months for those working in restaurants. His current one was issued just last month, so there was no issue.

After walking around, Yuan Zhou finally found the bus to the Business Administration Bureau. For him, taking the bus was the most cost-effective, as one swipe of the card allowed three free transfers, covering the entire city.

After just one transfer, Yuan Zhou arrived at the Business Administration Bureau by 10:30. However, when he started filling out the forms, he realized he had overlooked something—his shop's name.

"Tap tap tap"

Yuan Zhou subconsciously tapped the marble table and decisively wrote "Chef's Little Shop" in the shop name section. The rest of the form was filled out systematically.

He specifically took the documents and forms to the window for college graduate entrepreneurs. The staff member behind the counter looked at Yuan Zhou's diploma, then at him, and checked the graduation number on the Student Information Network before processing the business license for Yuan Zhou.

The Health Bureau was not far from the Business Administration Bureau, so Yuan Zhou managed to get the health permit before lunch. Although he didn't have time to eat, he felt a small sense of excitement looking at the two new certificates in his hands.

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