CHAPTER 50: CHAPTER 50 LACKING MONEY

"Tang Yue didn’t hide her thoughts, saying, ’My dad is very good at cooking, and his fried rice noodles are delicious.’"

"The family is poor, but Tang Zhengde would still make fried rice noodles a few times each year, only adding green zucchini, a few dried shiitake mushrooms, and some green pepper strips. Even though she initially disliked Tang Zhengde, she had to admit that his skills in making fried rice noodles were exceptionally good."

"Is that a breakfast shop?"

Zhang Tingyu thought for a bit before saying, "Xiao Yue, actually, we have an old flat house next to the station. The front can be used as a shop, and there are two rooms in the back where people can live."

"Next to the station?" Tang Yue’s eyes immediately lit up and asked, "Tingyu, did your mom mention how much she wants for rent?"

The large flow of people near the station, a tasty breakfast, plus serving fast food for lunch and dinner, would definitely make money.

With Tang Zhengde’s culinary skills, Tang Yue could almost foresee how booming the business would be once it opened.

"Last time I heard my mom mention it briefly, it seemed she wants US$ 100 for a year, including the house," Zhang Tingyu said worriedly, fearing the price might be too high. "It’s because the shop comes with the house, and also, our family has furniture there. Beds, cabinets, and sofas are all available, albeit they are about fifty to sixty percent new, so the price is a bit higher."

US$ 100 a year, with two rooms and a shop!

Tang Yue’s eyes immediately lit up. In the future and in Jing City, those two rooms and a shop wouldn’t be rentable even at US$ 100 a day, let alone a year.

"What do you think? Interested? The station is very close to the school. Later, you can also move there. Of course, I’ll talk to my mom and try to reduce the price by several dollars," Zhang Tingyu earnestly treated Tang Yue as a friend. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be this enthusiastic.

Tang Yue was worried about money and suddenly thought, "When we return to the county, could I go with you to see it first?"

The location is really good. If the house is nice, US$ 100 a year for rent is like picking up a huge bargain.

"Of course," Zhang Tingyu replied with a smile, readily agreeing. She felt helpless about Tang Yue’s financial situation. She thought about delaying the payment, but her mom at home might not agree.

At night, Tang Yue had trouble sleeping in a strange bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep until it was almost dawn.

The next day’s competition, for someone like Tang Yue who had ’died once’, was a big event, but she wasn’t nervous at all. When she received the exam papers, she worked hard to complete all the questions, then laid her head down on the desk to catch up on sleep.

Until the bell rang, Zhang Tingyu came to Tang Yue’s desk and asked, "Xiao Yue, are you alright? Why did you fall asleep on the desk later? Feeling unwell?"

"Not at all, just sleepy," Tang rubbed her eyes and yawned hugely, saying, "Let’s go."

After half an hour of napping, Tang Yue felt much more refreshed.

Until they were discussing the answers, Tang Yue and Zhang Tingyu’s solutions were the same except for the last question.

Zhang Tingyu pursed her lips and said, "Xiao Yue, you finished half an hour earlier than me."

Being usually competitive, she had to admit that in this competition, Tang Yue was definitely better.

The last part of the test felt quite difficult for her.

But while she was still struggling with the questions, Tang Yue had already finished and was soundly asleep, most importantly, she had completed all her questions.

On the way back, Zhang Tingyu kept talking, wondering aloud how Tang Yue could think so quickly.

Usually, she was the fastest and the best, but compared to Tang Yue, she suddenly felt at a disadvantage, which only fueled her competitive spirit.

"Maybe because I was sleepy and wanted to finish quickly and go to sleep," Tang Yue chuckled.

Back in Wangjiang County, Tang Yue immediately followed Zhang Tingyu to her former home.

Near the station, the old flat house, there were one or two breakfast shops nearby, but this old flat house was not directly on the main street but in an alley one street away from the station.

In the alley, scattered around, were various food stalls.

Tang Yue remembered that in the future, this area became a street famous for food, with many Wangjiang delicacies concentrated here; although other places also had these foods, they weren’t as authentic as those found here.

Although it was an alley, it was still the necessary pathway from the station to the market.

For instance, if they came from the town to Wangjiang County and got off at the station and wanted to go to the market, this alley was the quickest route.

The location was very good. This old flat house would be demolished in the future and replaced with new buildings next to the new station, which would be very expensive.

Tang Yue was very satisfied, but at the same time, she faced a problem.

She had no money!

She had US$ 100, but just paying the rent wasn’t enough, the place needed some renovation, and she needed to buy bowls, tables, and stools, which all cost money.

Tang Yue asked, "Tingyu, this house of your family, it won’t be rented out soon, right?"

"No, it’s been half a month already, and people think it’s too expensive. They are only willing to rent the shop, not interested in the rooms in the back," Zhang Tingyu shrugged and said, "You saw it, the house is a bit old, but with some tidying up, it’s still livable."

"Alright, I’ll ask my parents at home," Tang Yue didn’t agree right away.

Zhang Tingyu said, "Okay, I’ll also talk to my mom when I get home."

At night, Zhang Tingyu returned home and told Mrs. Zhang, "Mom, my classmate, the one who went with me to the Provincial City for the competition, Tang Yue, her family wants to open a shop, so I showed her our old house and even took her to see it. The price mentioned was US$ 100."

"Your classmate, huh?" Mrs. Zhang listened while wiping the table and responded, "That’s fine, renting it to anyone else would still be renting, collecting US$ 100 from others, but just US$ 95 for your classmate."

"Mom, can you reduce it a bit more?" Zhang Tingyu coaxed while standing next to Mrs. Zhang, "I really like Tang Yue. Although her family isn’t very wealthy, she is very positive and bright, and her grades are also good."

"My dear daughter, renting it to someone else, I would charge at least US$ 110 or US$ 120. Your classmate is already getting a very decent price," Mrs. Zhang said softly, "It’s our old house, and I don’t want to rent it to untidy people who create a mess. Otherwise, even if it’s a bit more expensive, the shop would have been rented out long ago."

"Mom, Tang Yue is very clean, and her family is definitely also clean," Zhang Tingyu immediately guaranteed.