Chapter 552: Chapter 185: ’80s Drama Queen Is Forced to Hustle and Becomes a Top Student (20)

Nowadays, the young woman was so well-cared-for she seemed like a young lady from an old, prestigious family—beautiful, radiant, and captivating to all who saw her.

Meanwhile, Grandma Guo hadn’t expected her hair to turn black again, strand by strand. The wrinkles on her face had smoothed out as it filled in, making her look at least ten years younger!

After the busy period of earning money over the New Year ended, Sheng Leyun had taken Grandma Guo for a full physical. There were no major issues, just the usual litany of minor ailments common in the elderly.

After another three months of conditioning with Chinese medicine, Grandma Guo was now rosy-cheeked and radiant. She felt full of energy, and her mind seemed much quicker.

That was why, out of the many options Sheng Leyun had offered for opening a shop, she had taken on the most difficult challenge: opening a small general store!

The inventory of a general store had to be comprehensive. At a minimum, it needed to stock the daily necessities for the families living nearby. Beyond that, the quality of the goods had to be guaranteed, and they needed to secure favorable prices from their suppliers.

Even though the state-run supply cooperative was over five hundred meters away, they didn’t have to worry about foot traffic. After all, public demand was huge. They could open several more shops like this and still not have to worry about a lack of customers.

Grandma Guo wasn’t the type to cut corners or be dishonest. So, as long as they guaranteed quality, quantity, and affordable prices, their regular customers would be hooked for life!

Her friends’ connections were incredibly helpful. The moment Sheng Leyun brought up the topic of sourcing goods, they were already volunteering to take on the task.

The products were all from well-known, household-name brands, so the quality was assured. Moreover, Sheng Leyun was able to get the lowest possible wholesale prices—even lower than those of the state-run cooperative.

Faced with such proactive and enthusiastic friends, Sheng Leyun couldn’t just accept their help for free. She made sure to cover any expenses related to using their connections and also prepared to give them a share of the general store’s profits. Combined, their shares would amount to nearly thirty percent of the store’s earnings.

Sheng Leyun wrote out the terms of their partnership into a clear and detailed contract, then asked her friends to sign it.

Her friends waved their hands frantically, refusing. They said she was insulting them.

It was a simple favor, they explained. They just wanted to help her and Grandma Guo. But as it turned out, they were the ones getting the better end of the deal.

Sheng Leyun was insistent. As she explained her reasoning, she shared a bit of business wisdom with them. "There’s an old saying: even with the closest of brothers, you must keep clear accounts."

"You’ve all put in the effort, so you deserve to be compensated. That way, the next time I need your help, you’ll still be happy to lend a hand without any hesitation."

"Friendship can’t be all one-sided, with one person always giving and the other always taking. Even the strongest bond can be eroded by financial imbalances."

"I want us to be friends for life. I don’t want our relationship to be burdened by worldly concerns or complicated by unspoken financial expectations."

"When we’re acting as business partners, we keep emotions out of it. We handle things professionally. Everyone gets what they’re owed, no more, no less. That way, there’s no resentment or feeling of being taken advantage of, and our friendship won’t be affected."

It was the first time any of them had ever been chased down by someone insisting on giving them money.

"Sister Yun, are we really supposed to just shamelessly take this money for doing nothing?"

Gong Xiaofei asked hesitantly, glancing at his older brother.

The latter nodded. "Just take it. It’s not for doing nothing. In business terms, you’re all shareholders in this shop. This is your dividend for contributing your connections as a form of capital."

"Besides, this is a long-term business. We’ll need you to keep following up on suppliers and pricing in the future."

Since Brother Cheng had put it that way, the friends nodded, albeit apprehensively.

They still felt like they were taking advantage of the grandmother and granddaughter, so they planned to talk to their parents later and see if there was a way to provide more significant and effective assistance.

「With the suppliers found, the shop renovations also came to a close.」

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