Boss Cao adopted a very humble attitude, and Ma Laosan chimed in to support him.
"Boss Shen, the first two shops were indeed a bit lacking, which is why they've been empty for a year or two with no takers. Old Cao's shop is different. You're lucky to have stumbled upon it. Otherwise, the moment word gets out, it'll be snatched up in minutes."
Ma Laosan had his own selfish motives.
Gold Street's management fees were collected based on a shop's square footage. Previously, he hadn't collected a fee from Shen Lu, partly out of respect for Xue Can, and partly because Shen Lu was running a street stall. It took up so little space that the fee would have been negligible; it was better to just do her a favor.
But renting a shop was a different story.
Shen Lu didn't answer right away. She took a careful look around the back kitchen.
There was a large hole in the wall, and the stove had collapsed. The repairs would cost a fortune.
