I rely on the system to support my eighteen brothers and sisters

"Installment?" This was the first time that Officer Li heard of this payment method.

"I do know the owner, but he is a weird and rigid person. I'm afraid it will be difficult to persuade him to agree to your payment method."

Qiao Linxi found out: "It's okay, Brother Li, just help me make the connection. We have to give it a try whether it works or not."

Seeing how confident Qiao Linxi was, Officer Li didn't say much and went to find the master.

Seeing that Qiao Linxi and Zhang Huawei were the only ones in the shop, the shop owners around couldn't sit still and came over one after another.

"Little girl, do you want to rent this shop?"

Qiao Linxi nodded.

The man who spoke looked outside, then approached Qiao Linxi and said mysteriously, "This shop is very weird. So many people come here that business is not doing well. I think you should look for a shop somewhere else."

Seeing that Qiao Linxi didn't believe it, the others also spoke up, "Really, I'm not lying to you. We all work in nearby shops. We've seen people come to this shop in waves, and no one can hold on for more than half a year, so they all close down and leave."

"This shop..." Qiao Linxi looked at the owners of these shops. She had seen them when she came here. These people were not selling the same kind of goods, so there was no possibility that they joined forces to exclude new merchants.

"There really is a problem. We don't know what it is, but this place is not suitable for doing business. Anyone who wants to rent this shop will leave one by one."

Qiao Linxi smiled and said, "Thank you for the reminder, bosses. Now that I'm here, I have to talk to the owner. It doesn't mean I can negotiate for the store."

Qiao Linxi is now the kind of person who gets something for nothing. Maybe the host is unwilling to accept her payment method.

"Hey, little girl, you are not from Lanqing City, right? It's so hard to make money these days. We advise you to look somewhere else and not lose your fortune here."

It can be seen that these bosses really meant well to remind him, and Qiao Linxi just smiled and said it was okay.

Officer Li quickly found the owner of the shop, an old man with a protruding forehead who looked difficult to get along with.

"Uncle, how much rent do you want for this shop?"

The old man looked Qiao Linxi up and down, then looked at Zhang Huawei behind her, and then held up two fingers: "The annual rent is twenty taels of silver, payable in one lump sum. If you don't rent it in the future, the rent is not refundable."

Twenty taels of silver? That's expensive.

Qiao Linxi complained in his heart, and Zhang Huawei beside him was also surprised. What is the concept of twenty taels of silver? Twenty taels of silver is enough for ordinary people to eat and wear for two years.

"Isn't twenty taels a bit expensive? And you know your shop well. No matter how many people come, it can't keep it going. Can't you make it cheaper? I'm renting it to give it a try."

"Not a cent less. If you think it's too expensive, then there's nothing more for us to talk about."

Well, this old man has a really weird temper. If it were someone else, he would definitely say how good his shop is.

He was fine, not only did he not lose a penny, he also didn't say anything extra.

"I just arrived in Lanqing City, and I'm a little short of money. Do you think this silver can be paid monthly? I'll give you an extra four taels, how about paying two taels a month?"

The old man shook his head: "No, you have to pay twenty taels in one lump sum, or we can't talk."

Qiao Linxi was a little choked, but she still patiently negotiated: "I'm in the food business. During this period, you can come to the store to eat for free, and the monthly payment will not reduce your money. When I don't have money to pay, you can kick me out."

"no!"

"Haha," Qiao Linxi suddenly laughed, "Are you trying to cheat on the rent? Others gave you twenty taels in one lump sum, and then the business stopped, and you didn't return the rent. Tell me yourself, are you cheating on the rent?"

"Old man, I'm wondering why no one can make your shop successful. It turns out you are the one behind this."

Officer Li suddenly looked at the old man and said, "Come with me to the yamen and explain this matter clearly."

"Sir, I am being wronged. How could I possibly cheat on the rent? The deed to this house is indeed in my name. The reason why I charge such a high rent is because my shop is big. Look at how wide the entrance is and how big the backyard is. It can even accommodate people. Twenty taels is really not expensive. I don't know why the previous merchants couldn't do business. It's really not my fault."

The old man was frightened by Li Guancha and immediately became nervous: "My shop is clean, you know, no one has died, and no strange things have happened. It's just that the business is not doing well. Can't you blame me?"

"You know that business here won't be successful, so why do you charge so much?" asked Officer Li.

"I know it's hard to start a business. I asked for so much money to scare off those merchants, but who knew that after hearing the price and looking at the house, they paid without saying a word."

"I do have my eye on your shop. If you can pay monthly, we can sign the contract today."

Qiao Linxi knew this would happen. Some shops could not run even after many people were replaced. But when one person was replaced, the business suddenly became successful. It was so mysterious.

"To be honest, I'm from another place and I'm pretty tight on money, so I want to pay monthly. But don't worry, if I make money, I'll pay it off early."

"What if you don't make any money?" the old man asked.

"You can kick me out if I don't make any money, you won't lose anything." After a pause, Qiao Linxi continued, "I have 18 brothers and sisters to take care of. They need to eat as soon as they open their eyes every day. How much food do 18 mouths need? Even if there are mountains of gold and silver, they will be eaten up. That's why I want to find a way to make a living to ensure that the 19 of us can live safely."

"Ten, eighteen?"

Obviously, this number once again surprised outsiders.

"Yes, this Brother Li can testify."

Officer Li almost nodded.

Qiao Linxi added, "Grandpa, how about you just treat it as a good deed and rent this shop to me? All eighteen, nineteen, um, twenty of us will thank you."

Qiao Linxi and his team do have 20 people now. If they don't find a way to make money, they really can't support themselves just by relying on the system.

"Why are there twenty more?" the old man was confused.

Qiao Linxi pointed at herself, then at Zhang Huawei: "Me, and the mute I rescued on the road."

When Zhang Huawei saw Qiao Linxi pointing at him, he smiled and nodded at the old man.

"You are a very capable girl," the old man saw a wound on Zhang Huawei's forehead and thought that something had happened to her.

"Okay, okay, let's pay monthly. My yard is empty anyway. Let's make it clear that when you can't pay, you have to leave."

The old man compromised, took out a pen and paper and began to write the contract: "Give me this month's payment first."