The prices of mid- to low-grade materials range from tens to thousands of yuan, with the most common being mid-grade chicken-blood stone costing two to three thousand yuan. Those who buy these types of seals will be Master Ge's main customers in the future.
Seeing that Zhao Hanxuan and Master Ge had both agreed, Zhuang Rui had nothing else to do, so he simply took Zhao Hanxuan and Monkey Daxiong to his courtyard to pick up the chicken-blood stone material. Zhuang Rui didn't have time to deliver it to them again.
Monkey and Da Xiong have been to the courtyard house twice already, but this is Zhao Hanxuan's first time. He has lived in Beijing for many years and knows this grand mansion much better than the two of them. Now, this house is worth more than 100 million yuan. You'd better not ask about the price.
Moreover, these kinds of places aren't just something you can buy with money. Without connections, they won't even sell to you. In Beijing, you never know, some random person riding a bicycle on the street might have connections with a high-ranking official through some back alley. Let alone someone as wealthy as Zhuang Rui, whose background is definitely not something ordinary people can afford to mess with.
After seeing this courtyard, Zhao Hanxuan gained a deeper understanding of Zhuang Rui's true strength. He realized that he was not on the same level as others at all, and that Xuanrui Zhai shop was probably just something Zhuang Rui used to pass the time when he had nothing else to do.
After giving all the bloodstone to Zhao Hanxuan and the others, Zhuang Rui chatted with his mother for a while. However, he still had things to do today, so he went back to the backyard to greet Qin Xuanbing. Zhuang Rui was going to visit Grandpa Gu.
During the days surrounding Zhuang Rui's engagement, Grandpa Gu caught a chill and was unwell, so he couldn't attend the engagement ceremony. Although Zhuang Rui visited Grandpa Gu later, he didn't bring Qin Xuanbing along. Today, he brought his wife to visit the old man.
Of course, the top-quality "Big Red Robe" chicken-blood stone was also in Zhuang Rui's pocket at the moment. It was estimated that when Old Master Gu saw this thing, it would be more effective than any magic medicine.
Just before leaving, the white lion followed Zhuang Rui, refusing to leave no matter what. Helpless, Zhuang Rui had no choice but to take the big guy with him. The white lion's size was now a bit terrifying. From a distance, it really looked like a white lion, extremely fierce.
"Zhuang Rui, you need to change your car again. Buy a Hummer, otherwise your White Lion won't be big enough to fit in..."
When Qin Xuanbing saw the disheveled state of the white lion crammed into the back seat of the car, she couldn't help but laugh. The white lion seemed to understand Qin Xuanbing's words and growled at her a few times.
"Okay, let's go to the car market tomorrow. Oh, and whatever car you want to buy, let's pick one out too, consider it a gift from your husband. Hmm, the price can't exceed 50,000 yuan, we need to be environmentally conscious..."
Zhuang Rui smiled and nodded, then joked with Qin Xuanbing, saying he had been saying he would buy her a car, but he hadn't had the time yet.
This time back in Beijing should give me some free time. I won't have to worry about the two shops, "Xuanrui Zhai" and "Qin Ruilin," anymore. I'll just have to wait for my graduate school interview in June.
"Fifty thousand yuan? That's stingy. Why didn't you just send me a plane instead..."
Qin Xuanbing cooperated by feigning surprise.
"Buy a plane? But helicopters are strictly regulated in China..."
Upon hearing Qin Xuanbing's words, Zhuang Rui said helplessly that he had long wanted to buy a helicopter, but in Beijing, he was certain that it would be shot down before he could fly more than two kilometers.
Chapter 603 Private Jet (Part 1)
"Who said we were buying a helicopter?"
Qin Xuanbing rolled her eyes at Zhuang Rui and said, "You could buy a business jet. You could take White Lion with you wherever you go. That way, it'll be easier for me to visit Grandpa in Hong Kong..."
Qin Xuanbing had a very good relationship with her grandfather. Although Zhuang Rui was with her in Beijing, she would miss him. As she talked, she thought of her grandfather and almost grabbed Zhuang Rui's arm and shook it.
The white lion beside her seemed to understand her words, and its gaze toward Qin Xuanbing softened considerably.
"Hey, hey, I'm driving..."
Zhuang Rui quickly stopped Qin Xuanbing's actions and asked hesitantly, "A business jet? How much would that cost?"
To be honest, Zhuang Rui has never considered buying a business jet. In his mind, such large aircraft are beyond his means.
Zhuang Rui didn't realize that with his current wealth, although he couldn't afford the kind of luxury private jet that Bill Gates used, which cost hundreds of millions of dollars, he could still afford a regular business jet.
Due to policy and other constraints, the development of private jets in China has been extremely slow. However, many wealthy individuals have registered their purchased aircraft overseas or in Hong Kong.
As for China, in 1996, Zhang Yue, chairman of Hunan Yuanda Group, purchased one Cessna business jet and one Bell 206 helicopter, and is widely regarded as the first person in mainland China to purchase a private aircraft.
Zhuang Rui went from being penniless to becoming a billionaire in just over a year. However, his values and spending habits don't reflect the typical perspective of a top-tier tycoon. In fact, it's not just Zhuang Rui; many other wealthy individuals in China are also relatively unfamiliar with the private jet industry.
In fact, many super-rich people in Hong Kong own their own private jets and luxury yachts. Owning a private jet not only makes their business activities faster and more convenient, but also serves as a way to show off their status.
Qin Xuanbing's family owns a Legacy business jet. Last time, when Grandpa Qin came to attend Zhuang Rui's engagement ceremony, he arrived on that plane.
Seeing that Zhuang Rui seemed interested, Qin Xuanbing quickly said, "A typical private jet costs anywhere from several million to tens of millions of yuan, but a better one would be around fifty or sixty million yuan. Zhuang Rui, do you have enough money on hand? Otherwise, I'd like to add some more..."
Qin Xuanbing didn't really know how much money Zhuang Rui had. She didn't like Zhuang Rui because he was rich. When she first met Zhuang Rui, he was still a poor man. Of course, several million was nothing to Miss Qin.
"What? Only tens of millions?"
Zhuang Rui was stunned when he heard the price; he could easily come up with tens of millions.
"Zhuang Rui, how much money do you have right now?"
Seeing Zhuang Rui's expression, Qin Xuanbing asked curiously.
"How much? I haven't calculated it. I invested over 200 million in Brother Jun's real estate company a while ago, and I think I still have a little over 100 million left. But next month, another sum of money is coming in from Xinjiang..."
As Zhuang Rui drove, he silently began to calculate in his mind.
He gave Ouyang Jun 40 million euros, and his brother hasn't returned the rest of the money yet. It should be around 150 million euros left. With the dividend from the Xinjiang jade mine next month, Zhuang Rui will have another 200 million yuan in cash on hand. Buying a private jet doesn't seem like a big deal.
"You have that much money?"
Qin Xuanbing was startled by Zhuang Rui's words. Although Qin's Jewelry's total assets reached more than 3 billion, its liquid funds were probably less than Zhuang Rui's. Even the nearly 100 million euros they spent on the last trip to Myanmar were largely borrowed from banks.
Nowadays, companies basically tie up all their money in business in order to grow and expand, so there are really not many people with as much capital as Zhuang Rui.
Although Qin Xuanbing wasn't very involved in the family business, she still had some understanding of it, so when she heard Zhuang Rui's words, she couldn't help but show a look of surprise in her eyes.
"Hehe, your husband may not have much else, but he's got a lot of money, and um, his little guy down there is pretty good too..."
Seeing Qin Xuanbing's surprised expression was rare, Zhuang Rui couldn't help but boast, glancing down as he spoke and letting out a strange laugh.
"You rascal! I used to think you were honest, you big liar! You're not allowed to touch me tonight..."
Zhuang Rui's words immediately made Qin Xuanbing's pretty face turn bright red. Luckily, it was Bai Shi sitting next to her. If it had been a stranger, Qin Xuanbing would have been tempted to cut Zhuang Rui's little brother with a knife.
"Xuanbing, what kind of airplane do you think we should buy? After we buy it, I'll take you traveling everywhere, we'll travel around the world..."
Seeing that things were not going well, Zhuang Rui quickly changed the subject. However, after saying it, he also began to yearn for that kind of life, and a desire for a private jet actually welled up in his heart.
"Well... it doesn't need to be too expensive, right? The maintenance costs for private jets are very high, and you also need to hire pilots and flight attendants, which costs a lot of money every year..."
Sure enough, when the topic of buying an airplane came up, Qin Xuanbing's attention immediately shifted to it. Women are generally good at managing money, and even though the two weren't married yet, she was already calculating how to save Zhuang Rui money.
In fact, many people in China can afford private jets, but the maintenance costs are simply too high. The annual maintenance cost for an ordinary private jet is more than 1 million yuan, while the cost for a luxury private jet like the Hawker 800 can reach tens of millions of yuan.
In addition, the number of general aviation airports in China is very limited, and the parking fees and take-off and landing fees are relatively high. The cost of using and maintaining a private plane is at least 400,000 yuan per year, not including the salaries of the pilots and crew, etc.
It's fair to say that many people can afford to buy a private jet, but they can't afford to fly it. The repair and maintenance costs add up, and after a few years, the price of the plane has already been paid off.
After listening to Qin Xuanbing's calculations, Zhuang Rui laughed. This amount of money might be a huge expense for some people who run traditional businesses, because no matter how big a traditional business is, it will always encounter a tight cash flow situation, and expenses like private jets might seem very large.
However, these problems do not exist for Zhuang Rui. He does not engage in any real business; all his money is invested. Even if he loses money, he does not need to subsidize it further.
In addition, the jade mines in Myanmar and Ouyang Jun's real estate company are both obvious money-making opportunities. As they develop, the funds will only increase so much that Zhuang Rui won't know what to do with them.
During this period, Zhuang Rui even considered going abroad to retrieve cultural relics that China had lost in the past. The reason was simple: Zhuang Rui didn't know what to do with the more than 100 million yuan he had. Now, hearing about private jets, Zhuang Rui was really tempted.
"Xuanbing, if we're going to buy one, let's buy the best one. I'll ask around first, and then we can buy it and park it at the Capital Airport. That way, we can take White Lion with us whenever we go out..."
Zhuang Rui made a decision, but now that the plane was bought, someone needed to fly it. He figured he should ask Young Master Ouyang for help, since he didn't know anyone else.
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, the white lion lying in the back seat excitedly shook its snow-white fur and stretched its large head forward, ready to wash Zhuang Rui's face. Startled, Zhuang Rui pushed the white lion away. His car wasn't like the ones in the 007 movies; it didn't have self-driving capabilities. If the white lion really blocked his view, there was a chance of a car accident.
Zhuang Rui was itching to try it after hearing Qin Xuanbing's words. Seeing that there was still some distance to Grandpa Gu's house, he couldn't help but take out his phone and call Ouyang Jun.
"Hey, you little rascal, you still remember your brother?"
When the call connected, Ouyang Jun's voice sounded rather resentful. Zhuang Rui had disappeared after throwing the money at him, and Ouyang Jun had tried to find him several times, but he was always out of town. He was furious.
"Hehe, Fourth Brother, you're busy spending time with your wife and managing the company, how could I dare to bother you..."
Zhuang Rui is becoming more and more like a Beijinger; he's developed a knack for being incredibly talkative.
"You know I'm busy, right? By the way, you graduated from a prestigious university, why don't you come and help Fourth Brother manage the company?"
Ouyang Jun has been extremely busy lately. With the funds in place, construction naturally began. There are just too many things to do in building such a large residential community. Ouyang Jun has always been used to a leisurely life, and he is not used to being so busy all of a sudden.
Ouyang Jun really wanted Zhuang Rui to come and help. Instead of hiring a professional manager from outside, he thought it would be better to have his own brother do it.
"No, Fourth Brother, I don't have time for that. We agreed before that I would only provide the money and not care about anything else. If you can reduce my shareholding, or if that doesn't work, I can withdraw my investment, right?"
Zhuang Rui was startled by Ouyang Jun's words. He didn't have time to wear a suit and tie to work every day. Those days were nothing compared to his current carefree life. In fact, he was just thinking about buying a plane to travel around the world.
"Why are you bothering me? I'm busy, I can't waste my time. I'll give you that money when we meet again..."
When Ouyang Jun heard Zhuang Rui's firm refusal, he didn't bring it up again. Construction would naturally be managed by professionals; he just wanted to find someone to manage the company's daily affairs.
Hearing that Ouyang Jun was about to hang up, Zhuang Rui quickly called out, "Fourth Brother, don't hang up yet! I need your help..."
Chapter 604 Private Jet (Part 2)
Ouyang Jun now rents an entire floor in an office building near the construction site to use as his office. Since he's going to start a business, he needs to make a show of it. Just as Zhuang Rui had imagined, Ouyang Jun is now sitting at his desk in a suit and tie, looking very serious.
Taking the documents from his secretary, Ouyang Jun signed them and tossed them back, saying irritably into the phone, "Hey, I knew you wouldn't call with good news. What is it? Hurry up and tell me, I'm really busy..."
Ouyang Jun pretended not to notice the resentful look in the female secretary's eyes, but he had already decided that he would change the secretary tomorrow. Damn it, did she think he had never seen a woman before? Of course, the main reason was that the secretary's breasts were not firm enough.
"You want to buy a plane?"
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Ouyang Jun was startled and stood up from his office chair, saying, "Are you serious? I haven't even considered this myself, and you're already going to do it?"
"Hehe, Fourth Brother, you know, White Lion is my precious pet. I can't take it with me when I go out often, so wouldn't it be more convenient to buy an airplane..."
Zhuang Rui didn't expect Ouyang Jun to react so strongly, but he still needed Ouyang Jun to handle this matter. He had no way of buying an airplane, let alone a helicopter.
"Damn, you bought a plane just to bring a dog with you?"
Ouyang Jun was completely speechless. He had said that his younger brother didn't know how to live and was frugal, but it turned out that he was playing the high game better than anyone else. He was willing to spend tens of millions to buy a plane for a dog, not to mention the huge maintenance costs afterwards.
"Just tell me if you have any connections, I'm driving..."
Zhuang Rui was getting impatient. To say something that would infuriate Ouyang Jun, Bai Shi was definitely more important to Zhuang Rui than Ouyang Jun.
"I can't help you buy the plane. You probably won't find any domestic business jets that suit your needs, and I don't have any connections overseas. But if you can buy one, it would be best to register it overseas or in Hong Kong. Then I can help you with things like leasing airports and establishing general aviation operations..."
Ouyang Jun was telling the truth. Although he liked to have fun, he had never thought of flying airplanes. There were some flying clubs in China, but a wise man avoids dangerous situations. Ouyang Jun did not participate in such high-risk sports.
"Okay, I'll contact you again after I buy it..."
Zhuang Rui hung up the phone decisively.
"Hey...hey? You brat, go open it yourself after you buy it!"
Originally, Ouyang Jun wanted to remind Zhuang Rui to go to the boss to resolve the pilot issue, but the other party hung up unexpectedly. Ouyang Jun was too lazy to call back. In his opinion, Zhuang Rui was probably acting impulsively, and his aunt might not necessarily agree to his purchase.
What Ouyang Jun didn't know was that Ouyang Wan had always been indifferent to her son's affairs. Even if Zhuang Rui bought a plane, a castle abroad, or even a small island in the Pacific Ocean to become king, Ouyang Wan wouldn't say a word.
"Xuanbing, ask Mom and Dad to order a plane for us in Hong Kong..."