UGB Chapter 426 No Price Wars, Buy the Entire Old Street
Chapter 426 No Price Wars, Buy the Entire Old Street
"Mr. Jiang...you're not joking, are you?"
In the office on the second floor of the Qingshui Town government building, Mayor Zhao stared at the mountain of cash and transfer checks piled up on the table in front of him, his jaw almost dropping off the table.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, his voice trembling.
"You...you want to buy all eighty-eight shops on the old street? That's hundreds of millions of yuan in dead assets! Those shops are all old, some even have peeling paint. Who would waste money like that?"
Jiang Chen held a disposable paper cup, took a sip of tea, and spoke as if he were having a casual chat.
"I'm not short of money. What I value is the culture and the local atmosphere of the old street. This is the root of our Qingshui Town, and we can't let big foreign capital destroy it."
He put the paper cup on the table.
"Sign it."
The town mayor looked at the pile of money, then at Jiang Chen.
He hesitated for less than three seconds.
"I'll have someone take care of the paperwork right away!"
Attorney Zhou and his legal team were already waiting in the next meeting room.
The contract template was readily available, and they had already sorted out all the legal procedures for the property transfer that morning.
In less than two hours, all eighty-eight property transfer agreements were signed and stamped.
The land deeds and shop ownership of the entire old street in Qingshui Town were transferred to the Jiang Group.
If the Chu family still wants to cut off the old street's future by acquiring shops or raising rents, sorry, the shops are no longer yours.
This move is a decisive and effective solution.
……
It was evening, and the sun had just hung over the western mountains.
Jiang Chen led Wang Dagou and Li Qiang into the old street of Qingshui Town.
The news had already spread.
The words "Jiang Chen bought the entire old street" spread like wildfire throughout Qingshui Town in less than an hour.
The vendors all stood in front of their shops, each with a different expression.
Some were excited, some were apprehensive, and most were uneasy.
Hu Lahua tugged at the corner of her apron and muttered under her breath, "Now look what's happened. We used to be our own bosses, but now we're working for someone else..."
Jia Fugui was even more nervous. He held the high-quality replica of the blue and white porcelain vase and cautiously approached Jiang Chen.
"Brother Chen, are you buying this shop to raise our rent? We really can't afford it."
Li Suanpan, standing behind him, quickly turned the abacus twice, adding insult to injury for Jia Fugui.
"Yeah, Brother Chen, these big supermarkets are taking away all our business. We small vendors are having trouble even making a living. If the rent goes up again..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear—then everyone had no choice but to close the door.
Jiang Chen didn't rush to answer.
He walked to an abandoned stone block in the middle of the street and stepped on it.
"Dear neighbors!"
His voice wasn't loud, but everyone on the street heard it.
Hu Lahua, Jia Fugui, Li Suanpan, Bai Lu, Tan Xiaolong, Wu Youcai... a total of sixty or seventy people gathered around.
"Don't worry about anything!"
Jiang Chen glanced at everyone.
"From today onwards, I will not charge any rent to the shops on the old street!"
"boom--"
The whole street was blown up.
"What? No...no rent?" Hu Lahua thought she had misheard.
Bai Lu woke up too, her eyes wide: "Really?"
"It's a contract in black and white, signed just this afternoon," Wang Dagou said, patting his chest confidently. "Brother Chen said he won't accept it, and that's final. Anyone who dares to accept it, just try!"
Li stopped manipulating the abacus beads and started counting on his fingers. He figured he could save nearly 20,000 yuan from the original annual rent alone.
How much good stuff could he buy with that money?
But Jiang Chen hadn't finished speaking.
"Not only do we not charge rent."
He held up one finger.
"I'll also give every business owner in our old street who operates according to the rules a base salary subsidy of three thousand yuan per month!"
After those words were spoken, the entire street fell silent.
It was completely quiet.
Even the wind dares not blow.
Hu Lahua's mouth was open, and she couldn't close it for a long time.
Jia Fugui nearly dropped the porcelain bottle in his hand.
Tan Xiaolong stood up abruptly from the steps.
No rent to pay, and they even give you money?
What kind of approach is this?
I've never seen anything like it in my life!
"Brother Chen, you...you're not making fun of us, are you?" Hu Lahua's voice changed.
"A joke?" Jiang Chen chuckled. "Sister Hua, you've known me for so long, when have I ever made a bad promise?"
"No...no way!" Hu Lahua shook her head vigorously. "What you say is more reliable than a bank passbook!"
"That settles it."
Jiang Chen's smile vanished, and his voice became stern.
"but!"
Everyone's smiles vanished, and they all turned to look at him.
"If you take my money, you have to follow my rules!"
Jiang Chen's gaze swept over every face present.
"Starting tomorrow, it's spicy hot pot!"
"Here!" Hu Lahua straightened her back instinctively.
"The meat you sell must be slaughtered fresh that day! If it's even an ounce short or a fraction of a ounce lighter, you're fired!"
Hu Lahua nodded repeatedly, patting her chest, "Brother Chen, don't worry! I've been running a butcher shop for twenty years, when have I ever been shortchanged on weights? I'd never be shortchanged by anyone else!"
"Li the Calculator!"
"exist!"
"Your fertilizer and seeds must be of the highest quality. If you dare to adulterate them, get out!"
Li Suanpan tucked his abacus behind his waist, stiffened his neck, and said, "Brother Chen, you can rest assured! The day the whole county cracks down on counterfeit goods and they find me is a miracle!"
"Jia Fugui!"
"Huh?" Jia Fugui shrank his neck.
"If your goods are counterfeit, just say they are counterfeit. Don't try to fool people."
"Of course!" Jia Fugui grinned. "I always make it clear to my customers that everything I sell is top-quality goods from Yiwu, no deception whatsoever!"
Jiang Chen glanced at everyone one last time.
"Anyone who dares to damage the reputation of our Qingshui Town Old Street, I, Jiang Chen, will be the first to not let them get away with it!"
After he finished speaking, the whole street fell silent for two seconds.
Then, Hu La Hua was the first to react.
"Brother Chen! I'm on your side!"
"Me too!"
Count me in!
The voices of seventy or eighty people came together and echoed back and forth on the old street's bluestone pavement.
Jia Fugui was so excited that snot bubbles came out of his nose. He hugged the fake blue and white porcelain and tears streamed down his face.
"Brother Chen, in my entire life... in my entire life I've never met such a generous boss!"
Even Bai Lu, who was usually extremely Buddhist, clenched her fists at this moment, and a rare glint appeared in her eyes.
"Brother Chen, I'll go to the county tomorrow and get a batch of the best flowers! I promise I'll make sure the shop looks absolutely gorgeous!"
The atmosphere on the old street transformed from lifeless to bustling within minutes.
Wang Dagou stood behind Jiang Chen, scratched the back of his head, and lowered his voice.
"Brother Chen, rent-free periods plus subsidies add up to a lot of money over a year. Are we going to go head-to-head with the Chu family's mega-store?"
Jiang Chen glanced at him.
"A direct confrontation? Who went against him?"
He took out his phone from his pocket, opened a memo app, and it was filled with densely written text.
"The Chu family plays the price war game, killing off the old street with loss-making sales, and then dominating the market."
"I won't engage in a price war with him."
"I'm waging a war of hearts and minds."
Jiang Chen put away his phone and turned his gaze to the old stone archway at the end of the old street.
"Da Gou, go and call Attorney Zhou and Li Qiang over here."
"I have a meeting tomorrow."
Wang Dagou quickly took out his phone to make a call, but couldn't help asking another question.
"Brother Chen, what's going on?"
Jiang Chen did not turn around.
His gaze passed through the century-old archway and landed on the brightly lit Chu's Supermarket in the distance.
"The launch meeting for the old street renovation and upgrade plan."
"The Chu family wanted to kill the old street with the supermarket, so I turned the old street into a unique cultural and tourism landmark in the whole province."
"I'll see then whether his cold, impersonal supermarket is more appealing, or our century-old street, full of life and vibrant energy, is more attractive."