Chapter 20

Wu Furong never would have dreamed that Li Qi actually wanted to buy Zui Xian Ju. This was simply unbelievable. He stood there in a daze for a long time before he finally came to his senses and said in surprise, "Little—Little Brother, you mean you want to buy Zui Xian Ju?"

"Exactly!" Li Qi nodded.

"Th—This—?"

Wu Furong glanced at Lady Qin, seeing that her face was slightly displeased. He inwardly groaned and immediately walked to Li Qi’s side, whispering, "Little Brother, you’re being unreasonable. Quickly apologize to Lady Qin."

He knew Li Qi’s financial situation all too well. Not to mention buying Zui Xian Ju, even making ends meet was questionable.

Li Qi looked surprised and said, "Uncle Wu, why do you say that? I’m being serious."

"But where do you have so much money?" Wu Furong was sweating profusely, now deeply regretting bringing Li Qi to meet Lady Qin.

Li Qi smiled slightly and said, "Uncle Wu, you don’t need to worry about that. I have my ways."

Lady Qin, seeing them whispering, felt puzzled. She cleared her throat and asked, "Young Master Li, you said you want to buy Zui Xian Ju?"

Li Qi nodded and smiled, "Yes, Lady."

Lady Qin frowned slightly, glanced at Wu Furong, and saw that he was also confused. She then said to Li Qi, "Young Master Li, I heard from Uncle Wu about your situation. You say you want to buy Zui Xian Ju, but according to what I know, you—"

Lady Qin hesitated, and Li Qi naturally knew she was being considerate. He also knew what she was about to say and chuckled, "Lady, are you thinking that I, a homeless man with no roof over my head and no place to stand, have no money and no power, so how can I buy Zui Xian Ju?"

A hint of surprise flashed in Lady Qin’s eyes. Clearly, she did not expect Li Qi to be so direct. Although these were not her exact words, the meaning was similar, so she nodded slightly.

"Lady, you’re right. To be honest, all I have now is about twenty to thirty taels. I probably can’t even afford the outhouse of Zui Xian Ju," Li Qi spread his hands and laughed self-deprecatingly.

Saying he wanted to buy Zui Xian Ju on one hand and then saying he had no money on the other, wasn’t he deliberately bullying this widow? Even if Lady Qin had excellent self-control, she couldn’t help but feel angry. She frowned and said, "If that’s the case, there’s nothing more to discuss."

Clearly, Lady Qin had already given the order to leave.

"Hold on!"

Li Qi quickly extended his hand. If Lady Qin left like this, all his efforts these past few days would be in vain. He hurriedly said, "Lady, please let me finish. If you still find it unsatisfactory after I explain, then you can give the order to leave."

Lady Qin observed that Li Qi was well-mannered and spoke appropriately, unlike the ruffians in the market. Apart from his initial loss of composure when he saw her, everything else was fine. She decided to give him a chance and said calmly, "Go ahead."

Li Qi felt relieved and asked Wu Furong, "Uncle Wu, I remember you mentioned a few days ago that Zui Xian Ju is actually worth eight thousand guan, and the highest offer you’ve received so far is four thousand guan. Is this true?"

These were business secrets, and Wu Furong had told Li Qi without any guard. Now he was regretting it, feeling extremely uneasy. He glanced at Lady Qin and reluctantly nodded, "You’re right."

Seeing Wu Furong’s guilty expression, Li Qi felt a bit sorry for him. The reason he didn’t want to negotiate with Wu Furong was actually for Wu Furong’s sake. Given their relationship, it wouldn’t be fair to either Lady Qin or Wu Furong, and it might even make Lady Qin suspicious of Wu Furong. That’s why he chose to talk directly to Lady Qin.

"Alright, let’s go with eight thousand guan. I’m willing to pay four thousand guan for half the shares of Zui Xian Ju—meaning, I’ll give Lady Qin four thousand guan, and from now on, we’ll each own half of Zui Xian Ju. What do you think, Lady?" Li Qi smiled.

If this were true, it would be fine! But right now, you can’t even come up with four hundred taels. Who would believe you? Wu Furong was getting more and more confused and asked, "Little Brother, you said you only have twenty to thirty taels. How can you come up with four thousand guan?"

"Let me explain that next," Li Qi smiled faintly. "To be honest, I can’t pay the four thousand guan all at once. So, I plan to pay in installments."

"Installments?" Lady Qin asked, puzzled.

"Exactly. Installments mean dividing the four thousand guan into several equal parts, paying a portion each month or each quarter. We can sign a contract specifying how often and how much to pay, and when the full amount will be paid off." Li Qi explained simply, not mentioning interest. Since the Qin family was eager to buy, he didn’t want to take advantage of the situation.

The idea of installments was quite novel. Regardless of whether Li Qi’s words were true, the concept of installments alone was enough to make Lady Qin and Wu Furong look at him differently.

"But how long do you plan to take to pay it off?" Lady Qin asked. She wasn’t really short of money, so whether the four thousand guan was paid all at once or in installments didn’t matter much, but it couldn’t be over ten thousand years.

Li Qi had already thought this through and held up one finger, "One year. The first two months, I’ll pay one hundred guan each month, and then three hundred and eighty guan each month after that. During this period, all expenses of Zui Xian Ju will be covered by me. Additionally, Lady Qin will receive half of Zui Xian Ju’s annual profits, which I guarantee will be no less than five thousand guan."

Li Qi offered a price that was hard for Lady Qin and Wu Furong to refuse. His business style was similar to his father-in-law’s, who was known for his decisive and aggressive approach. Haggling? Sorry, he didn’t have that habit. Without taking risks, how could one achieve success?

This series of sweet promises left Lady Qin and Wu Furong dazed. This was far better than the offer from Cai Yuanwai. They would get the money, keep Zui Xian Ju, and ensure its long-term development. But, could there really be such a good deal in the world? Wu Furong was still worried and asked, "Little Brother, if what you say is true, it might be acceptable, but just a piece of paper isn’t enough to make Lady Qin trust you."

"Uncle Wu is right," Lady Qin nodded.

Indeed, Li Qi was still a homeless man. A piece of paper couldn’t guarantee anything. If Li Qi left, Wu Furong would have no way to hold him accountable.

Li Qi smiled, "That’s simple. In addition to the four thousand guan I mentioned, I also guarantee that I will help Zui Xian Ju earn one thousand guan within fifteen days. If Lady Qin still doesn’t feel secure, I can pay a down payment of five hundred guan to her."

"You say you can earn one thousand guan within fifteen days?" Lady Qin asked, surprised.

Li Qi affirmed, "Exactly. If Lady Qin doesn’t believe me, we can specify this in the contract. I’m sure Lady Qin wouldn’t be unwilling to wait just fifteen days, right?" This was Li Qi’s most critical move. If he couldn’t achieve this, even if Lady Qin accepted his terms, he wouldn’t be able to continue, as he had no capital.