The empty storefront did nothing to dampen the family’s good mood.
"Oh, this place is really nice! So bright and spacious!" Lana Miller stood in the center of the shop with her hands on her hips, looking around with unrestrained joy on her face.
Gordon Lynch, acting like a professional engineer, tapped on the walls and inspected the electrical wiring, muttering to himself, "These walls are pretty solid, but we’ll need to clean out the stuff left behind by the previous bubble tea shop."
Traces of the previous tenant still lingered in the space. Several faded bubble tea posters clung to the walls, a battered counter sat abandoned in a corner, and scattered plastic cups and straws littered the floor.
"These are minor issues," Wendy Lynch smiled as she walked over and linked arms with her mother. "We’ll clear out the trash today. I’ll contact the EverGood manager in a bit to see when they have time to come over for a site visit."
"Right, right, business first!" Lana immediately fired up with enthusiasm.
They didn’t hesitate. Wendy ran to the convenience store across the street and bought brooms and masks. The family of three put on gloves and masks, diving right into the cleanup. Gordon took charge of dismantling the bulky counter, while Lana and Wendy gathered the scattered trash into garbage bags. Though it was manual labor, their faces beamed with hope for the future, and laughter echoed through the shop.
After a whole morning of hard work, the shop was finally cleared out enough to show its general layout.
"Alright, let’s leave it at this for now. The specific renovations will have to wait until the franchise company sends someone over," Wendy said, dusting off her hands before pulling out her phone. She found the number for the EverGood franchise manager she had contacted the night before and dialed.
"Hello, Manager Campbell. This is Wendy Lynch."
"Oh, Miss Lynch, hello, hello! How is it going? Any progress on the storefront?" Manager Campbell’s voice over the phone was warm and enthusiastic.
"Manager Campbell, I’ve already rented a shop," Wendy replied. "It’s right at the entrance of our residential community. I’ve sent you the location pin. When would it be convenient for you to come over for a site visit?"
There was a noticeable pause on the other end, as if he hadn’t expected her to be so efficient.
"You’ve already rented it? That was fast!" Manager Campbell’s tone filled with pleasant surprise. "That’s wonderful! Tell you what, I’ll head over tomorrow morning at nine! We can discuss the franchise details in person."
"Sounds good. See you tomorrow."
Hanging up, Wendy gave her parents an "OK" gesture. Seeing their daughter handle such an important matter with effortless efficiency, Gordon and Lana exchanged a glance, feeling a mix of pride and sentimentality. They truly felt like they were getting old; the world now belonged to the younger generation like their daughter.
After dinner, the family gathered together again, eagerly brainstorming and planning their future. This anticipation for their new life washed away all the anxiety and uncertainty that had come with resigning from their jobs. It wasn’t until late into the night that Gordon and Lana, exhausted from a day of excitement, finally headed to their room to rest.
Wendy also returned to her room. As she lay in bed, her mind was still buzzing with all the details of the convenience store. Before she knew it, drowsiness began to wash over her.
Just as her eyelids grew heavy and she was about to drift off to sleep, her phone screen lit up without warning. The next second, her midnight alarm went off right on time.
Wendy jolted upright, instantly wide awake, and hurriedly opened her email.
[You have a letter from October 9, 2025.]
[Just tearing down the ceiling, and they actually found a massive bag of money hidden inside?]
[The renovation workers got into a brawl right in the shop over an uneven split, and even drew the cops!]
[Now look what happened. The money was confiscated, and the construction schedule was delayed. What absolutely rotten luck!]
There was a massive bag of cash... in the ceiling?
Wendy stared at the text in the email, her heart pounding wildly in her chest. She immediately recalled what she had seen in the shop today. The previous tenant had run a bubble tea store, and the ceiling was indeed fitted with those interlocking aluminum gusset panels.
Hiding money in a place like that? No matter how she looked at it, this didn’t seem like something an honest person would do. Wendy’s first thought was that the origin of this cash was definitely questionable! It was highly likely to be ill-gotten gains. Moreover, for the renovation workers to end up in a fistfight over it, the amount hidden up there had to be substantial.
But now... she knew about it in advance!
A powerful urge surged through her, and she nearly dashed downstairs to the shop to investigate right then and there. However, she quickly forced the thought down.
She couldn’t!
Even though it was midnight, the shop was located right at the entrance of the residential community, right next to the security booth and the main gates. While foot traffic would be lighter than during the day, it wouldn’t be completely deserted. A young woman sneaking into an empty shop in the dead of night, shining a flashlight at the ceiling—the behavior itself was incredibly suspicious. It would be a disaster if she caught the attention of the security guards or passersby. Sure, she had already rented the place and could easily conjure up an excuse to explain it away, but that wasn’t the real issue.
What she was truly worried about wasn’t the pedestrians or the guards, but the real owner of that money. This stash of cash in the ceiling definitely belonged to someone. There were only two reasons they hadn’t retrieved it in time: either the person who hid it had passed away, or they had been sent to prison. Wendy felt both possibilities were highly likely. After all, what normal person would stash their cash in such a concealed spot? Only dirty money would end up hidden inside a ceiling.
She certainly wanted to pocket this unexpected windfall, but she didn’t want the original owner coming to knock on her door. As long as she wasn’t caught taking the money, she could completely feign ignorance of its existence. Because it was tucked away in such an obscure corner, the only people who could possibly discover it—aside from someone with prior knowledge—were the contractors handling the demolition.
As for the money’s owner trying to cause trouble for the workers, Wendy wasn’t worried in the slightest. Renovation crews were highly transient; they might be working in Arden this month and move on to Braxton the next. Even if the owner wanted to hunt them down, it would be impossible. Shifting the blame onto an untargetable scapegoat—it was perfect!
Haste makes waste. With matters like this, the more anxious one was, the easier it was to make a mistake. As long as the demolition crew didn’t step in to tear down the old decor, the money in the ceiling would remain undiscovered. She still had plenty of time; there was absolutely no need to rush.
The safest approach would be to go over first thing tomorrow morning, just as the sun came up and before there were too many pedestrians. Entering her own shop in broad daylight wouldn’t arouse anyone’s suspicion, even if she was seen.
Her mind finally settled at the thought. Setting an alarm on her phone for seven in the morning, Wendy quickly drifted off into a deep slumber.