Lanzhi unwrapped a candy for the little fellow and let him hold it and lick it himself.
Holding his candy, the little fellow ate as he watched the people across from him. After looking them over, he tightened his grip on the candy, afraid someone would snatch it away, making them all chuckle.
Just then, the sound of a key unlocking the door came from the entrance. Lanzhi looked up. "That should be his dad."
No sooner had she spoken than a square-faced man walked in. Seeing several extra people in the room, he looked at them in surprise. "You are?"
"Hello, Brother Hong. We came to ask you about some renovations." Shen Tao stood up and shook his hand.
Shen Moxi and the others also stood up and greeted him with smiles. "Hello, Brother Hong."
"Oh, I see. Have a seat." Hong Jin'an smiled and returned the handshake, waving for them to sit down.
He handed the liquor bottle to Lanzhi and sat down. Lanzhi took it and got up to put it in the cabinet.
"What sort of place are you renovating?" Hong Jin'an pulled up a stool and sat beside them.
"We rented a shop to start a business and want to renovate it. We heard you do the best work around, so we came to see you," Shen Tao replied.
"Mm, sure. I'll go over with you in a bit and take a look. We just finished a project a few days ago, and I gave the men a couple of days off. I'll contact them after I've seen the place." Hong Jin'an nodded.
"All right. Sorry for the trouble, Brother Hong." Shen Tao smiled and nodded.
Lanzhi came over and pointed at the things beside the table. "A Hong, these gentlemen brought these for you. I wouldn't accept them, but they insisted on leaving them."
Hong Jin'an had not noticed the things beside the table. Only when Lanzhi mentioned them did he look over, and his eyelid twitched at the sight. Good heavens, what kind of shop are they renovating, to be this generous?
Outwardly, he laughed. "Brother, there's no need to stand on ceremony. Don't bring anything next time. Let's keep the two matters separate."
Shen Tao smiled and nodded. "All right. It's our first visit, so this is just a small token for you. We'd also like to make friends with you, Brother Hong."
"No problem. I love making friends. Come on, take me over for a look first. If everything's fine, we'll start getting ready to work this afternoon." Hong Jin'an laughed, patted his shoulder, and stood up.
"All right." They stood up and said goodbye to Lanzhi. "We'll be off, then, Sister-in-law. We'll visit again when we have time."
"All right." Lanzhi nodded, and Xiaobao beside her nodded along. "All right."
Everyone burst out laughing, then followed Hong Jin'an downstairs.
Song Qi rode ahead on his bicycle with Shen Moxi, leading the way, while the others followed behind. They arrived a little over ten minutes later.
At the sight of the shop, Hong Jin'an understood. "So it's this place. I heard people say the rent here was very expensive. You actually rented it."
"Yes, it's in a good location, and there's plenty of space. The rent is a little steep, but it's worth it." Looking at the place, Shen Tao was very satisfied too.
"Which of you has the key? Open the door so we can go in and have a look," Hong Jin'an said to them.
"I have it." Shen Moxi took the key out of her shoulder bag and went forward to unlock the door.
They went inside and looked around. It really was spacious, with two floors at that, and was indeed a good place for a business.
"Brother, how are you planning to renovate it? Do you have anything in mind?" After looking around both floors, Hong Jin'an came downstairs and asked Shen Tao.
"My younger sister has drawn up the plans. Let him show you. She's the one who rented this shop. The two of us are here to help her." With that, Shen Tao called Shen Moxi over from nearby.
Shen Moxi walked over, and Shen Tao beckoned to her. "Brother Hong asked how we want to renovate it. You've already worked it out, haven't you? Show him so you two can discuss it."
"Yes, I've drawn up the plans." Shen Moxi opened her shoulder bag, took out the drawings she had finished the night before, and handed them to Hong Jin'an. "Have a look, Brother Hong."
Hong Jin'an took them and studied them closely. The drawings were detailed, and the annotations were meticulous too, far better than those for the jobs he had taken before. Just looking at them, he could tell how upscale the finished place would be.
Hong Jin'an looked at Shen Moxi. "Young lady, you've got real drawing skills. These are excellent. One look tells you how upscale it'll be once it's finished."
"You flatter me, Brother Hong. I just read a lot when I was in school, so I learned a little more." Shen Moxi smiled.
"A heroine among women! There are hardly any girls who would rent a place for six months in one go and get straight to work like this. You've got guts. You're someone who'll accomplish great things." Hong Jin'an gave her a thumbs-up.
"Haha, my little sister is the best. She even skipped grades in school and graduated from university at nineteen," Shen Yuan said proudly.
"Really? I never would have guessed. You truly are a woman who's every bit a match for any man. You have my admiration." With that, he even made an exaggerated bow with his hands clasped.
Everyone laughed, leaving Shen Moxi embarrassed.
"I've looked over the shop, and there aren't any problems. You've got the design plans ready too. There's just one issue: we can't get these lights here. We don't have anything this high-end." Hong Jin'an looked at Shen Moxi and scratched his head.
"I'll bring those over in a few days. You can work on the other things first. I've asked a friend to look for them." Hearing that, Shen Moxi realized she had nearly forgotten about it.
"Then there's no problem. We won't need those until later, so there's no rush." Hong Jin'an folded the plans and put them in his pocket.
"All right. My eldest and second brothers will be here with you during the renovations. If anything comes up, just tell them. My husband and I will keep running our stall nearby over the next few days. Once the renovations are finished, we'll officially open for business." Shen Moxi nodded.
"All right. When I head back at noon, I'll notify my men, and we'll start work this afternoon. As for wages, we can just go by the market rate." Hong Jin'an looked at them.
"All right. A Yuan and I will have something to eat nearby and come straight back. Little sister, you and your husband should head home," Shen Tao said, looking at Shen Moxi.
"All right, Eldest Brother. Thank you for the hard work. We'll head home, then." Shen Moxi walked over and pressed four hundred yuan into his hands. "Eldest Brother, you and Second Brother take this money. Don't skimp on food these next few days and wear yourselves out."
Seeing it, Shen Tao hurriedly pushed it back into her hands. "Little sister, what are you doing? Take it back. Your second brother and I count as shareholders too, don't we? The renovations are our responsibility too. What's so hard about it? Keep this up, and I really will get angry."
Shen Moxi smiled helplessly at his words. "Eldest Brother, that's not what I meant..."
"Whatever you meant, I won't take it. Put it away. I know you two don't have much money left. We still have plenty, so don't worry about us. Once we're making money and getting dividends, I certainly won't turn those down." Shen Tao smiled and stroked her hair.
Shen Moxi put the money away and hugged him. "I understand, Eldest Brother. Then let's have a meal together before we go home. This meal is on me, and you're not allowed to turn me down again."
"All right, all right. Let's go." Shen Tao locked the door, and they found a small restaurant nearby to have lunch.