Sister, can I become a maid too?

Chapter 18 I'm Just Here to Collect Rent

Saturday afternoon, 3 o'clock sharp.

Jiang Yubai stepped into the bookstore, and the wind chimes on the lintel rang crisply.

The proprietress behind the counter looked up when she heard the voice, saw a young man who looked like a student, and then lowered her head again to continue eating sunflower seeds.

Jiang Yubai didn't say anything, put his hands in his pockets and walked inside, looking around.

The bookstore is small and simply laid out.

To the left, against the wall, is a row of slightly worn bookshelves, piled with a jumble of old books, including literature, textbooks, and general encyclopedias.

On the right, a long table was covered with a tablecloth and piled high with colorful romance novels and comic books. Several students in school uniforms were gathered there, picking and choosing.

The counter at the back specializes in all kinds of stationery and notebooks, and there is a small wooden rack next to the door with keychains, postcards and other small items hanging on it.

It's less of a bookstore and more of a hodgepodge of small book stalls, stationery stores, and bookstores.

Jiang Yubai casually flipped through the bookshelf, pulled out a novel, and walked towards the counter.

"Boss, how much is this book?"

The proprietress took the book and glanced at it: "Thirty-five."

"So expensive?" Jiang Yubai picked up the book, looked at it, and clicked his tongue. "Are the pages made of gold, or is the cover inlaid with gold?"

The proprietress frowned at the flippant tone: "Everything here has clearly marked prices."

"A clearly marked price?" Jiang Yubai frowned as well. "How come I remember this book only costing twenty-something yuan at other bookstores?"

"Then go buy it from another store."

The proprietress spoke in a harsh tone and reached out to take the book back.

"Never mind, it's more convenient here," Jiang Yubai said, turning his wrist to tuck the book into his coat and nodding. "Speaking of which, are your books... guaranteed to be new?"

Seeing that he seemed interested in buying, the proprietress softened her tone slightly: "New. All the books here are sourced from the printing factory, and we guarantee they are all brand new."

Jiang Yubai casually flipped through a few pages, as if he had discovered something, his tone displeased:

"There are creases here, how can this be considered brand new? Go and get me a replacement."

There was indeed a faint crease on the page.

The proprietress glanced at him, took the book, and turned to go into the inner storeroom.

A short while later, she came out with a new book and placed it on the counter: "Here you go."

Jiang Yubai picked it up and flipped through it, then frowned again: "This cover is dusty, it's filthy. Go get another clean one."

At this point, even the most clueless proprietress would have figured it out.

She frowned, her tone turning completely serious: "You brat, you've come here specifically to cause trouble, haven't you?"

Jiang Yubai didn't reply, but instead looked around the shop: "Boss Zhao, your shop... business should be alright usually, right?"

To be honest, although this area isn't exactly a bustling neighborhood, the location is really good—besides the Third Middle School, there's also a junior high school and two primary schools nearby.

The student traffic alone is enough to support this shop.

"What are you doing here? Get out of here right now!" The proprietress's tone was already tinged with anger.

Jiang Yubai seemed oblivious to the warning in her words, and continued slowly and deliberately, "Now that business is picking up, shouldn't the rent go up a bit too?"

"What business is it of yours how the rent is?" The landlady's face darkened completely. "If you don't leave, I'm going to call for help."

"How much is the rent... of course it's my business."

Jiang Yubai tossed the book he was holding onto the counter, crossed his arms, and raised an eyebrow:

"I'm just here to collect rent."

Upon hearing this, the proprietress's almost explosive expression immediately stopped.

She raised her eyes and carefully looked Jiang Yubai up and down, her tone full of suspicion:

"What did you say?"

"This month's rent," Jiang Yubai said calmly, "I'm here to collect it."

The proprietress still frowned: "Isn't it usually Boss Qin who comes?"

"Yes," Jiang Yubai nodded, "It's my turn today."

Before she could speak again, he continued, "We've had this shop... rented for at least two years, haven't we?"

"The first year's contract was for 4,200 yuan per month. Last year, when we renewed, the rent increased to 4,600 yuan. Now the contract is almost up, shouldn't we renegotiate the rent?"

Upon hearing this, the proprietress, who had been full of doubts, immediately believed it to some extent.

After all, details such as the rent amount and the length of the lease match up, and these data are basically only known to the renter and the landlord.

She hesitated for a moment: "Didn't we already agree on the rent with Boss Qin? Also, what's your surname?"

"Your surname is Jiang," Jiang Yubai said with a polite smile, "The previous agreement is null and void. Do as I say."

The proprietress frowned again, instinctively reaching for her phone to call and confirm.

After all, rent negotiations aren't something to be taken lightly; they can't just change like that.

Moreover, the person in front of him looked to be no more than eighteen or nineteen years old, a student, and certainly didn't seem like a proper landlord.

But the other party described the details of the rent perfectly, which made her hesitant to completely deny it.

Adhering to the principle of "better safe than sorry," she ultimately suppressed her doubts and decided to listen to what he had to say first.

"So," she softened her tone, asking tentatively, "you mean...?"

"What I mean is... let's raise the monthly rent to seven thousand this year," Jiang Yubai said casually.

The proprietress stood there stunned, taking several seconds to react before her voice suddenly rose: "Seven thousand?! Didn't we agree it would only go up to five thousand?!"

"Yes," Jiang Yubai nodded, his expression unchanged, "It's been changed to seven thousand now."

The proprietress squinted at him for a long time, then suddenly reached for the phone on the counter, quickly found a number, and dialed it.

The ringtone rang for more than ten seconds before a woman's voice came from the other end of the phone:

"Feed?"

The proprietress quickly brought the phone to her ear, softening her tone:

"Hello, Mr. Qin, it's me, Zhao Chunhua, who rented this shop next to Yunlan Elementary School."

"Oh yes, it's me. I wanted to ask, this year's rent... is it still the same as we agreed before, right?"

The person on the other end of the phone seemed to give her the answer she wanted, and the proprietress's face immediately brightened.

She glared at Jiang Yubai and then pressed the speakerphone button.

"Hey Mr. Qin, someone came to the store today, claiming to be from your landlord's family, and immediately said they wanted to raise my monthly rent to seven thousand."

The woman's voice on the other end of the phone sounded somewhat amused:

"Seven thousand? He says he's the landlord, so he's the landlord? You actually believe that swindler?"

"I didn't want to believe it either," the landlady complained, "but he recited our rent and lease term exactly as stated, down to the last detail, so I..."

Upon hearing this, the woman's tone on the phone became noticeably serious:

"Is that so? It's likely that some businesses are seeing their business is doing well and deliberately hired someone to cause trouble. Describe what he looks like?"

"He's right here in the shop. You can talk to him," the proprietress said confidently, handing over her phone and sneering, "Here, our landlord."

Jiang Yubai took the phone, and a woman's voice, clearly tinged with anger, came from the other end:

"Who are you? Which company sent you? Haven't you heard of me? Now you dare to trespass on my territory?"

"I've heard of you, I've heard of you," Jiang Yubai replied irritably. "I've heard of your great name since I was in my mother's womb."

There was a sudden silence on the other end of the phone for several seconds:

"......son?"