I did a rough calculation and the store itself was worth 400,000 yuan. The renovation and hardware cost 300,000 yuan, and there wasn't much other money involved. The chain store only needs to pay a franchise fee every year.
As I counted the receipts, I said, "Why do you carry all these things with you at all times?"
Mr. Hu said with a bitter face, "I figured Mr. Lei wouldn't call me here for anything good, so I brought everything with me. My wife is a coward; if she keeps me locked up, there's no one to see me off—" Look at Lei Laosi's reputation!
I wrote him a check for 700,000 and said, "I won't calculate the depreciation fee with you. You can keep these certificates and stuff. Let's find a time to notarize them and transfer the insurance and other related matters as well."
Mr. Hu seemed to have no objection to the price, and handed me the property certificate, saying, "Then take this first."
I casually stuffed the certificate into my bag. Honestly, I didn't care whether I took it or not; I wasn't worried about them denying it. But having the certificate in my hand felt different: from now on, I was the owner of the steamed buns!
Chapter Twenty-Three: The Bandits Return
Just as Mr. Hu was about to leave, I grabbed his hand again and said, "There's something I need your help with. Can you not say anything when you get back? This shop is still yours."
After thinking for a while, Boss Hu understood what I meant and laughed, "Okay, then consider it as me working for you."
I said, "How could I dare?" After all, Mr. Hu was my idol for a long time. Maybe I should try paying 10 yuan without giving change sometime. But good locations won't do. At two yuan an hour, it might not even be enough to cover a bath and a foot massage.
I opened the car door, and Xiang Yu was already sitting in the driver's seat. I shooed him aside and said, "You shouldn't drive for a while, or you'll be shifting gears while riding this rabbit."
"How did you negotiate?" Mulan asked.
"It's alright now."
Seeing my smiling face, Xiang Yu asked, "Who was that person just now?"
"Baozi's boss, but not anymore."
I showed him the property certificate, and Xiang Yu glanced at it and asked, "How much did you pay for it?"
“700,000, and I didn’t even calculate the depreciation with him.”
Xiang Yu said, "A shop of over 100 square meters for only 700,000 is not expensive."
I thought about it, and it really was true. That 400,000 was the price from a few years ago; now the land alone would be worth around a million. I was so focused on not calculating the depreciation that I forgot to mention the property's appreciation in value, and he forgot to calculate it too. In the end, I still got a small bargain. I was even happier and started driving home in second gear—basically, I made a rabbit hop back home.
When Baozi came home that evening, she said happily, "The kid who smashed our shop yesterday came to apologize today with several big flower baskets, and even gave me a red envelope. I heard that his shop was also vandalized yesterday, and everyone suspects that our boss hired someone to do it. Isn't our boss capable?"
I said, "Your boss is incredibly capable; he's absolutely the most magnificent man in the world!"
...
In the following days, Xiang Yu spent every day at Yucai with Rabbit, while I had a few rare days of free time. It seems that the most important thing right now is his battle with Erpang.
That day, I slept in and, swinging my arms, went downstairs. Passing by Mulan and Wu Sangui, I saw them studying military strategy on a map. Xiang Yu had been busy these past few days, so Wu Sangui had conveniently taken over his mantle. The map was practically covered in their drawings, filled with circles and dots representing armies and crosses indicating past battles. They had plunged our once peaceful city into a state of war.
I stood to the side with a glass of water, glanced at it, and asked, "Where are you going to grab it this time?"
Neither of them had time to speak. Mulan secretly pointed to the map, and I almost spat out my water. Mulan was pointing to the city government.
I said repeatedly, "It's one thing for you to rob schools and factories, but you can't rob that place!"
As Mulan surrounded the government compound with her soldiers, she said, "This place is a strategic location that military strategists must contend for."
I quickly covered the map with my hand: "No, no, we can't rob the People's Government."
Good heavens, this revisionist regime is trying to launch a counterattack? If Fei Sankou sees this map, won't he be inviting me for tea? It's said that in some sensitive countries rife with terrorism, even buying a few extra cans of insecticide will get you investigated by special agents. Because that stuff can be used to make bombs.
I pointed to the area where Baozi's family lived on the map and said, "You two fight over this spot, whoever wins gets a prize."
I hadn't been downstairs for long when three people came in through the door. The one in the lead was dressed in black casual wear, wearing sunglasses so I couldn't see his face, but he was very muscular. This guy stood there from the moment he came in, staring at me expressionlessly, seemingly not very friendly. I thought to myself, "Oh no, Tiger told me to be wary of Lei Lao Si, and he's here so soon."
The man looked me up and down for a while, then suddenly asked, "Do you still recognize me?"
I had just put the brickbag down when I suddenly realized this person's voice sounded very familiar. I looked up and studied his face closely, and the man suddenly smiled, reaching out to take off his sunglasses: "Brother Xiao!"
I jumped to my feet: "Wei Tiezhu, Zhuzi!"
Wei Tiezhu smiled, revealing his white teeth. He quickly walked over and gave me a bear hug. I punched him twice and said, "You little rascal, you scared your brother Qiang half to death." I turned around and looked at the two men behind him; they were both burly young men. Wei Tiezhu introduced them to me: "These are my partners who started the company with me."
As he spoke, Wei Tiezhu smiled and pointed at me: "This is the Brother Qiang I've been telling you about along the way." The two young men greeted him warmly: "Brother Qiang."
I heard from Xu Delong that Wei Tiezhu now co-owns a security company. It started with just a few people, basically just guarding goods on the railway. But it's become more and more professional, and now it's linked to real big companies. Wei Tiezhu is practically the founder, a well-known figure in the area. These two are clearly his "underlings."
Although Tiezhu is now a man of status, when he's with me, he's still that simple-minded, silly boy, hugging me and grinning like an idiot. I'm so glad he didn't arrogantly point at me and tell his underlings, "Call me Big Brother!" While there's nothing wrong with that, every member of Yue Fei's army retained that kind of pure innocence, which makes me yearn for him even more.
I asked him, "Why did you come back? Have you heard from the others?"
Wei Tiezhu said, "How could I not come back for your wedding? Li Jingshui is already on her way."
I slapped my forehead: I had to be reminded of my own affairs! I was so busy entertaining clients and thinking about Xiang Yu's duel that I completely neglected the matter with Baozi. Even a small household should be getting ready by now; there are less than ten days left.
I glanced at Wei Tiezhu, pulled him aside, and whispered, "Have you found any trace of Marshal Yue?" I knew that nothing was more important to the 300 elite soldiers than this. There were still 10 days until my wedding, and if Yue Fei hadn't been found, they certainly wouldn't waste that time.
Wei Tiezhu looked at me with a troubled expression and stammered, "I came straight here before even returning to Yucai..."
I patted him on the shoulder knowingly and said, "Alright, stop talking. I'll ask your Captain Xu." The Yue Family Army's iron discipline cannot be broken. Although 300 is not estranged from me, it seems that he always has something he can't say. Wei Tiezhu didn't dare to decide whether to tell me anything else before meeting Xu Delong.
Wei Tiezhu asked, "Brother Xiao, where is your wife?"
I said, "You can't see your sister-in-law now; she won't be back until tonight."
"Then I need to go back to Yucai to report for duty first."
I said, "Let's go together. I have some personal business to take care of."
Upon hearing that I was going to Yucai, Wu Sangui and Hua Mulan followed me down. Qin Shi Huang hurried a few steps: "Wait a moment (get off me)."