With that money, they could easily take their son or husband to a department store to pick out clothes slowly.
The level of Whitaker Scarlett’s street stall limited the quality of the clothes she sold. That’s why she urgently needed a storefront, a newly decorated one that appeared upscale.
William was still working hard to help Manuel’s parents. Under such social pressure, Deputy Factory Director Manuel acted quickly, and two days later, he gave William a reply:
“The matter you mentioned is settled.”
Manuel’s expression was a bit strange, “You’re lucky with this.”
William was so grateful he didn’t know what to say. He asked Manuel how much the rent would be.
“Two thousand dollars a year; the factory only asked for one thousand dollars, and the other one thousand dollars is for another property owner. You know this building is co-owned by the National Cotton Factory and others.”
Two thousand dollars a year?
“Is that for three storefronts?”
William couldn’t tell if this price was high or low; there were no standards for shop rents in the current market. Private individuals taking shops from the public sector relied on their own abilities, and no one knew what price was paid privately.
Two thousand dollars seemed too much; Manuel’s annual salary didn’t even reach that amount, only counting performance bonuses.
He felt a bit embarrassed, “Yes, there are only three shops; you can’t use the rooms upstairs; the factory needs to arrange for workers to live there.”
William thought that even if they could rent two or three rooms together, it would save him and his niece the rent for living. Living upstairs and running a shop downstairs would also be quite convenient.
“Director Manuel, I’m partnering with relatives for this shop; I need to discuss this price with her and will give you a reply tomorrow, okay?”
Manuel naturally wouldn’t refuse.
William rushed home and told Whitaker Scarlett, who was worried about the sales of her high-priced clothes.
Two thousand dollars a year?
Where is this expensive? It’s money that can be earned back in a week, and using it to rent three shops at Pinnacle Square, Whitaker Scarlett thought it was a great deal.
“Rent it! Not only rent it, but we should also sign a lease for at least five years; it would be best to sign for eight or ten years!”
In a few years, there would be the first housing reform. Whitaker Scarlett thought about renting long-term first, and then it would be logical to buy the property directly. That would be a prime location next to Pinnacle Square, the future commercial center of the city. Securing such real estate for Elizabeth in the city would be a true guarantee. Regardless of whether Whitaker Scarlett made a profit or loss in her business later, Elizabeth’s life would definitely be worry-free.
Whitaker Scarlett changed her tone, “However, this property has ownership disputes; it’s said to be co-owned by the National Cotton Factory No. 3 and others. When signing the lease, all three parties need to be present to avoid any disputes later if our business does well.”
The matter was handled by Deputy Factory Director Manuel, and since it had reached the point of paying rent, it proved that there were no objections from the National Cotton Factory No. 3.
At this moment, Whitaker Scarlett wasn’t afraid of Parker Jace’s mother causing trouble. Being cautious is key; the ownership of the property could lead to disputes. During the time she rented the property for business, she must have the right to use the storefront. Otherwise, once she invested in renovations and another property owner said the property was no longer for rent, who would Whitaker Scarlett turn to for reasoning?
This request was very reasonable.
Deputy Factory Director Manuel set the time and place, scheduling it in his office.
Whitaker Scarlett and William arrived on time. William only introduced Whitaker Scarlett as his niece, and Manuel didn’t mind. When the other property owner slowly walked into the office, Whitaker Scarlett and William widened their eyes—surprisingly, it was Grandma Johnson!
What is going on?
How could Grandma Johnson be another property owner?
Whitaker Scarlett was confused. She remembered that at this time, all the houses were public property; who lived where and how big the houses were were all determined by the state. It was already quite surreal for Grandma Johnson to live alone in five rooms, and now she had half ownership of a small building on Pinnacle Square?
She wasn’t very clear on the policies at this time. After the turmoil ended, the state began to return some people’s “ancestral properties,” which perhaps included real estate.
“Grandma Johnson.”
Whitaker Scarlett was both amused and exasperated. If she had known that Grandma Johnson had half of the small building on Pinnacle Square, wouldn’t it have been better to discuss renting directly with her?
“Do you know each other?”
Manuel couldn’t hide his surprise.
No wonder Grandma Johnson agreed to rent the house. The reason this house had been left idle was due to the property dispute with Grandma Johnson. With her strong personality, the National Cotton Mill No. 3 couldn’t easily bully an old widow. As long as the state hadn’t clarified who the house belonged to, Grandma Johnson had no use for it and had the right to prevent the employees of the National Cotton Mill from living there.
This time, Grandma Johnson had made a concession.
