"Brother, look at this house. The front door faces the state-run department store. If we just knock down this wall, it'll be a prime shop."
Zhang Weiyang led Chen Yang to the house directly opposite the state-run department store first. Shopfronts were rare back then; they were all residential buildings.
"Old Li, I'm here again. You're not living in this room anymore, right?"
Zhang Weiyang had already figured things out yesterday, and the landlord was waiting inside.
"Not living here, not living here. My son got a dormitory at the Hongxing Machinery Factory, and I have to go look after my grandson."
"When this old house was built, the state-run department store hadn't moved in yet. I've lived here for over twenty years. If it weren't for looking after my grandson, I really wouldn't want to leave."
The landlord was an old man with white hair, and the house was also quite old.
"Uncle, if I rent this place, I'll have to tear down this wall."
After seeing this house, Chen Yang had no intention of looking at the other two. Directly facing the entrance of the state-run department store, there was no better location.
"If you don't rent it anymore, just restore it for me."
The landlord waved his hand. Renting out property was so rare back then; if Zhang Weiyang hadn't asked, he wouldn't have even thought about renting it out.
It was vacant anyway, so renting it out and earning some money was better than nothing.
"Alright, Uncle. If we rent it, it won't be for just a day or two. Even if we don't rent it later, we'll definitely restore it for you."
Chen Yang naturally wanted to secure such a good shop location. He knew very well that even if the supply and marketing cooperatives and state-run department stores were gradually eliminated by the market economy in the future, the current location of the shop would still be the most prosperous place in the entire Qinghe City.
If he rented it now, even if he didn't do business with used radios later, this shop could be used for other businesses.
It wouldn't be until more than a decade later, when the entire Qinghe urban area moved to the new district on the other side of the river, that this area would gradually decline.
"Okay, five yuan a month. I'll rent it to you."
The landlord, leaning on his fan, was overjoyed. Five yuan a month, plus a little more, could buy two cans of malted milk for his grandson and granddaughter.
His target price was actually around two or three yuan a month, but he had to quote a higher price to allow for bargaining.
"Uncle, agreed. Then let's sign a contract. I'll rent it for ten years first."
However, to his surprise, Chen Yang didn't bargain with him at all.
The happy old man forgot to fan himself. Well, he'd met a fool who didn't even bargain.
Ten years at five yuan a month, sixty yuan a year, six hundred yuan for ten years. That was enough to buy a "three turns and one ring" (bicycle, sewing machine, watch, and radio).
The old man suddenly felt like a landlord from the old days. Would he be paraded through the streets?
The landlord felt he had made a huge profit, but Chen Yang didn't feel he had lost out either. With the two waves of price increases in 1980 and 1985, renting such a shop for five yuan would be impossible; fifty yuan would be more like it.
Saving a few yuan or even ten or twenty yuan now was not enough to offset the increased rent later. It was better to let the old man have a taste of sweetness now, so he wouldn't regret it and cause trouble later.
"Uncle, I'll write a contract. You sign it and put your fingerprint, and this room will be officially mine."
Paper, pens, and ink were readily available. The state-run department store was opposite. Chen Yang asked Zhang Weiyang to buy paper, pens, and red ink, and then wrote a simple lease agreement.
Ten-year term, five yuan per month.
"I don't recognize many characters. This name was taught by a rusticated youth from the capital. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to rent this house today. And a fingerprint too."
The landlord, Old Man Luo Quanfu, was illiterate. He had only learned to write his name in recent years during the literacy classes organized for educated youth. He crookedly wrote down the characters Luo Quanfu and happily pressed his fingerprint.
After the contract was signed, Chen Yang paid sixty yuan directly.
"Uncle, I'll pay the rent for this year first. I'll arrange for people to start tearing down the wall later. If you have anything, hurry up and move it."
Chen Yang was direct. He planned to have the wall facing the supply and marketing cooperative torn down today. To be a shop, it had to be visible to people passing by on the street.
Then, he would get two glass display cabinets made like those at the state-run department store, put the radios inside, and the place would instantly be elevated.
"Tear it down, tear it down. I've already moved my things."
Luo Quanfu clutched the six large banknotes, feeling incredibly happy. He would have money for New Year's gifts for his grandchildren and could also help subsidize his son.
This way, he and his wife could hold their heads high at home, not feeling like they were freeloaders.
"Brother, how should we proceed?"
Zhang Weiyang looked at Chen Yang. He was now determined to go all out.
He wanted to make money quickly and then take his father to Shanghai to see a doctor for surgery as soon as possible, so his father could suffer less.
"Today, we'll have people tear down this wall. We'll make two rows of wooden doors, and then find someone to make a row of cabinets like the ones at the state-run department store."
"You should be able to find people who can do this at the factory, right? Try to get it done today."
Chen Yang glanced at Zhang Weiyang. Hongxing Machinery Factory was not a small factory; with so many workshops, it shouldn't be difficult to find some carpenters.
As for the glass and wood, as long as there was money, even without ration coupons, ways could be found.
"Brother, leave it to me. My master has been at the factory for decades and knows quite a few people. If I ask him for help, it will be done by tomorrow at the latest."
Zhang Weiyang was very excited. He never dreamed that one day he would open a radio shop like the state-run department store.
Just as Chen Yang said, his shop had to be no worse than the state-run department store, and it would definitely attract customers. As long as people came, he wasn't afraid of not being able to sell anything.
The radios he repaired, when turned on, had reception as good as new ones.
"Alright, then I'll leave this matter to you. If you need more money, just tell me."
"While making the cabinets, also make a signboard. We'll call it 'Dream Radio.' On the day of the opening, let off some firecrackers to attract good fortune."
Back then, there was no concept of business licenses, and the idea of individual businesses hadn't even emerged yet. Chen Yang didn't know if his shop would be recorded in history as the first individual business in the country.
"'Dream Radio.' That's a good name. Radios were originally the dreams of countless families. Although ours are second-hand, by refurbishing them, we can help them realize their dreams."
Zhang Weiyang felt full of energy, something he never felt as a worker.
At this moment, he seemed to have found his life's direction!
"Alright, stop flattering me."
"With this time, hurry up and renovate the shop. On the opening day, find some reliable people to buy radios, and let's have a radio purchasing ceremony."
"For the first ten customers who buy radios, we'll give them one year of free repairs. As long as they're not broken into pieces, we'll guarantee them. Make some warranty cards, get a megaphone, and shout on the street to let everyone know."
Chen Yang waved his hand. He had applied the essence of his past life as a real estate agent. Whether Zhang Weiyang could grasp it depended on his future performance.