CHAPTER 35: CHAPTER 35: ISN’T THIS A TRAP?

After picking up Li Sisi’s parents and her two younger sisters at the airport, Yi Anguo had no choice but to follow Li Sisi’s lead and call them "Dad" and "Mom," since she had already told them they were officially married.

Li Sisi’s parents weren’t very old, just in their forties, and they didn’t look their age at all.

Her mother, Li Wanhua, in particular, looked no different from a woman in her thirties. She was also quite beautiful; when she stood with her three daughters, it wouldn’t have been an exaggeration to say she was the eldest of four sisters.

Li Sisi’s father, Li Xiao, was also quite handsome and, notably, very tall. Perhaps from his many years spent cooking, his face had a somewhat weathered look.

Li Sisi’s two younger sisters, twenty-year-old Li Tingting and eighteen-year-old Li Shanshan, looked quite similar to her. Standing together, the three of them were graceful and delicate, almost like triplets. Upon seeing Yi Anguo, they naturally called him "Brother-in-law."

Yi Anguo himself was good-looking, standing just over 1.8 meters tall, about the same height as Li Xiao. However, Yi Anguo’s skin was paler, making him appear even more handsome and dashing.

Li Sisi’s parents had an excellent first impression of Yi Anguo. He was tall, handsome, spoke politely, and seemed quite enthusiastic.

They were especially impressed when they saw that the couple had come to pick them up in two cars, both of which were luxury vehicles. In the eyes of ordinary people, a Bentley and a BMW were the epitome of luxury. A son-in-law like this left them with nothing to complain about, so it was hard for them not to be satisfied.

After introducing themselves and exchanging a few words, Li Sisi’s parents got into her car while her two younger sisters got into Yi Anguo’s. The two vehicles left the airport, one after the other, and headed toward downtown Shenzhen City.

Li Shanshan, as the youngest, was likely the most pampered by her parents and doted on by her sisters, giving her a more lively and outgoing personality. She hopped right into the passenger seat.

"Brother-in-law! What do you do for work? How are you so rich? You drive such a nice car and even bought one for my sister!" Li Shanshan started chatting with Yi Anguo shortly after getting in.

"I don’t have a job; I just live by collecting rent. Besides, I don’t really have any money. In fact, I owe the bank a mountain of debt," Yi Anguo said honestly while driving.

"What? If you don’t have any money, how can you afford such a nice car?" Li Shanshan asked, incredulous. "And how did you end up with a mountain of debt?"

"By buying property. All the money I used to buy my properties was borrowed from the bank. Otherwise, where would I get the money to buy them?" Yi Anguo explained.

"So all your properties were bought with loans! Does my sister know about this?" Li Shanshan asked, surprised.

"Of course, your sister knows. We met when I was buying a property; I actually bought it from her," Yi Anguo said with a nod.

"You bought a property from my sister? How would she have a property to sell to you?" Li Shanshan grew more confused the more she heard.

"At the time, your sister was working a summer job at a real estate sales office. She was a saleswoman. I bought the property from her after she gave me the sales pitch."

* * *

Arriving at Blue Coast Residential Area, Phase II, Yi Anguo led them to his home: a five-bedroom, two-living-room apartment.

Seeing the spacious, bright home and the pleasant community environment, Li Sisi’s parents were quite satisfied.

This time, their trip to Shenzhen wasn’t just to meet their son-in-law. After much consideration, the couple had decided to investigate Shenzhen’s restaurant market, especially the prospects for Sichuan and Chongqing cuisine.

Their eldest daughter was now a civil servant in Shenzhen with a good job, and their son-in-law was here as well. It was safe to say they were settled in the city for good. Therefore, the parents had to seriously consider moving to Shenzhen to open their own restaurant. They couldn’t very well force their daughter to quit her job and divorce her husband.

Countless people would do anything to stay in Shenzhen, dreaming of becoming a civil servant there. How could they ask their daughter to give up everything she had worked so hard to achieve?

Furthermore, their youngest daughter, Li Shanshan, had applied to Shenzhen University. Based on her academic record, her acceptance was almost certain. All signs pointed to the couple starting a business and building a new life in Shenzhen.

After they all sat down, Li Xiao and Li Wanhua shared their plans with Li Sisi and Yi Anguo.

Li Sisi was thrilled and offered her firm support.

"Dad! Mom! Later, we’ll take you to eat at the most successful Sichuan and Chongqing restaurant around here. The restaurants in this area do great business, so you can definitely make money."

"That sounds great! We’re here to survey the scene anyway. How can we know what it’s like if we don’t try the food?" Li Xiao said with a satisfied nod.

They took two cars again and drove to a nearby Sichuan and Chongqing restaurant.

As soon as he stepped out of the car, Li Xiao couldn’t help but exclaim, "This restaurant is huge! And the decor is so luxurious! This must have cost a fortune!"

"Dad, you’re only seeing the fancy decor and the size of the place," Li Sisi said. "You haven’t seen how good their business is. Look at all these cars. And their dishes are very expensive, as you’ll see when we go inside."

The restaurant was bustling with customers. There wasn’t a single private room available, and the main dining hall was nearly full. Fortunately, they didn’t have to wait long for a table to open up. Yi Anguo accepted the menu and handed it to Li Xiao, letting him order.

When Li Xiao and Li Wanhua opened the exquisite menu, they were stunned. The prices were shockingly high. They never imagined that Sichuan and Chongqing dishes could be so expensive here, yet the restaurant was packed with so many customers.

At these prices, this is just daylight robbery! It would be hard *not* to make a fortune!

"The food here is too expensive. Why don’t we eat somewhere else?" Li Xiao said, closing the menu.

Even though I’m not the one paying, my daughter and son-in-law’s money doesn’t grow on trees! For a group this size, ordering just a few dishes will easily cost several hundred yuan! A single plate of salt and pepper duck chin is 68 yuan? Isn’t that a rip-off? You could buy three whole ducks for less than that, Li Xiao thought.

"Dad! Since you’re thinking about opening a restaurant in Shenzhen, surely you don’t want to open another little hole-in-the-wall place like you have back home, do you?" Li Sisi asked.

"Of course not. We’d have to open a bigger restaurant. There’s no point in opening a tiny diner," Li Xiao replied.

"The dishes here might be a bit pricey," Li Sisi continued, gesturing around, "but look at how well-decorated this place is and how pleasant the atmosphere is. And do you know where we are? This is Shenzhen City Center! Do you have any idea how expensive real estate is here? Do you know what the monthly rent is for a shop this size?

"Even if the rent is only 100 yuan per square meter, it’s at least seventy or eighty. And how many square meters do you think this place is? The monthly rent here has to be close to 100,000 yuan. And with so many employees, you have to pay each of them an average of one or two thousand a month, at least!

"If their prices weren’t this high, do you think they’d make any profit? If they were like your little diner back home, selling Mapo Tofu for six yuan a plate, could they possibly survive here?

"The rent is high, labor is expensive—everything costs money. Take the apartment we live in. You think it’s nice, right? Do you know how much I could rent it out for per month? Let me tell you, that apartment is over two hundred square meters, and it rents for 6,600 yuan a month.

"If all you want to do is open a tiny hole-in-the-wall, you might as well just come here and work as a chef. You’d earn more money without any of the risk or initial investment."