Chapter 39

After leaving, Li Mu called the landlord, and a woman answered the phone.

"Hello, who is this?"

"Hello, have you rented out the shop near the West Gate yet?"

"Oh, not yet." The other party suddenly became much more enthusiastic and said, "Are you interested? Let me tell you, my lease is almost up in a few days, and there have been a lot of inquiries recently!"

Li Mu smiled slightly, "What's the price?"

"It depends on how you want to rent it." The other party laughed, "The market is good this year. Look at the Ban Niu Lu store not far from ours; it's said to make tens of thousands of yuan a month. My shop is much larger and wider, perfect for a grand entrance, very impressive."

Li Mu said, "Just tell me directly, how to rent it and at what price?"

The other party hesitated for a moment and said, "If you pay annually, it's 88,000 yuan a year. I originally wanted 90,000, for good luck, which is about 7,300 yuan a month."

"How long is the contract?"

"I think a one-year contract is best, or a two-year contract. As you know, the market is constantly changing, so it's not wise to sign a long-term contract."

"Ma'am," Li Mu smiled faintly and said, "You're overestimating the economic level of our Haizhou people. You say Ban Niu Lu makes tens of thousands a month, but who knows if that's true? You can't show their sales records to others, so how can they rent at your price?"

Li Mu's words hit the nail on the head.

The landlord herself thought that since the Ban Niu Lu store was so profitable, the rent for this shop should naturally increase. However, the entire Haizhou had not yet formed a large-scale perception that the clothing market would develop rapidly. So, the landlord's foresight was useless without the investors' foresight. Otherwise, a high price would result in no one renting it.

She had also been spreading the word through others, and the feedback she received mentioned that some people were considering opening a specialty store but were still hesitant. After all, the cost of joining a specialty store was significant, including renovation, inventory, and hiring staff. The rent was a small part; the other expenses were the main concern, so they were hesitant to act.

Therefore, most of the feedback she received was about the high price, which troubled her. Her lease would expire in three days, and she could then reclaim the property. If it remained vacant, she would lose 200 to 300 yuan per day.

"Are you planning to open a specialty store?" the woman on the phone asked tentatively.

"Not sure yet." Li Mu sighed, "I want to, but the other expenses are too high. The cost is also high. These days, even hiring a salesperson costs 500 to 600 yuan. You say Ban Niu Lu makes tens of thousands a month, but their costs are also high. Opening a specialty store would cost at least 400,000 to 500,000 yuan."

The other party sucked in a breath, "So, how do you want to rent it?"

Li Mu thought for a moment, "A two-year contract is impossible. If I open a specialty store, the renovation alone will cost over 100,000 yuan. If you decide not to rent after two years, what can I do?"

"Then tell me, how do you want to rent it specifically?"

Li Mu said, "Let's do this. I won't haggle. 88,000 yuan it is, but the contract will be for five years, with no price increase during that period. After five years, the rent will be based on market prices, and I have the right to renew the lease. The rent will be paid annually, and I will pay for the first year. The right to sublet also belongs to me."

Actually, before this, the shop's annual rent was around 60,000 yuan. The landlord wanted to raise it to 88,000, but she knew it was unlikely to reach that price. However, she also believed that the rent would continue to rise in the coming years, but she had no idea by how much. She estimated that in five years, it might reach 100,000 yuan a year.

But who could say? 88,000 yuan for five years with no price increase seemed like a good deal, at least it was stable. What if the economy took a downturn? It would be stuck in her hands.

After a minute of consideration, the other party said, "Okay, let's do it your way, but you need to pay a deposit, 12,000 yuan, to make it a round 100,000 yuan."

"Alright."

"When do you want to sign the contract?"

"Whenever is convenient for you." Li Mu smiled, "I'm in Haizhou. I can transfer the money to you before the bank closes after we sign the contract."

"Then tell me a place, and I'll come to you. We'll find a print shop to print the contract and then go to the bank!"

Li Mu thought for a moment. There was a print shop and a Construction Bank near the entrance of No. 1 High School, so he said, "Come to the print shop at the entrance of No. 1 High School. Bring your ID, property certificate, and your Construction Bank card. Do you have all of these?"

"Yes, my card is a Construction Bank Long Card."

"Alright, I have my ID and card with me. Come over."

Li Mu knew he had a chance to negotiate a lower price, but he could tell the landlord didn't want to sign a long-term contract in case the rent increased significantly in the future. However, after some probing, it seemed she wasn't sure how much it would increase.

So, regardless of whether this was the lowest price, he knew it was a good deal, and a very good deal.

Five years was a long enough period. By then, his parents would be ready to enjoy their retirement, even though they would be in their early fifties.

Li Mu went directly to the print shop at the entrance of No. 1 High School. The landlord hadn't arrived yet, so he asked the shop assistant to print a contract template. He dictated, and the assistant printed.

Fortunately, there was a simple and popular lease contract template available, so Li Mu made some modifications, specifying the price, deposit, payment method, contract duration, and adding a clause that the rent could not be increased during the contract period. He also added a clause for the right to renew the lease at market prices and the right to sublet.

The market price would be determined by the average of the lease prices of the shops on either side.

When the contract was almost ready, a middle-aged woman on a motorcycle arrived at the print shop. She looked to be around 35 or 36 years old and was slightly overweight.

She looked around the shop and saw two people at the computer, one typing and a young man learning to type. She took out her phone to call Li Mu.

Li Mu didn't rush to identify himself. When his phone rang and the woman looked at him again, he waved his phone, "Hello, are you the landlord?"

The middle-aged woman looked at Li Mu in surprise, "You're only about 20 years old, right?"

Li Mu thought about it. Since he would need to show his ID to sign the contract, there was no need to hide it, "I just turned 18."

"Aren't you just teasing me?" The middle-aged woman was a bit annoyed but didn't get angry. She turned to leave.

Li Mu called out to her, "Wait a minute. The contract template is almost ready. Take a look at it. The Construction Bank is just 200 meters away. After we sign the contract, we can go to the bank to transfer the money. I may be young, but I don't have time for games. If I wanted to tease you, I wouldn't have shown up."

The middle-aged woman turned around and looked at Li Mu. Seeing his clean and handsome appearance and his composed manner, she put aside her initial disdain.

She thought about it. If the young man really wanted to tease her, wouldn't it be more effective not to show up at all?

At that moment, the printer made a whirring sound and quickly spat out six sheets of paper.

The contract was in duplicate.

Li Mu handed one copy to the other party and said, "This is a standard template. I added a few details we discussed on the phone. The bold parts are the ones we agreed on. Take a look."

The other party nodded and read it carefully.

A few minutes later, after reading through the contract, she nodded at Li Mu, "Everything we discussed, no problem."

Li Mu said, "If there are no problems, let's sign it and then go to the bank to transfer the money."

"Alright." The woman took out her ID and property certificate, still wondering what an 18-year-old would do with an 88,000 yuan annual rent.

Li Mu filled in his identity information, signed, and stamped his fingerprint. The other party did the same. Then they exchanged the contracts and signed and stamped again.

Seeing the name "Lu Xueping" on the contract, Li Mu politely said, "Sister Lu, could you please give me a copy of your ID and property certificate?"

The woman, now more respectful, nodded and handed over the documents.