Chapter 253: Chapter 253
The next morning, everyone sprang into action. Li Xianglu prepared the fabrics and other items needed to be sent to the woman’s side, and Qin Xi left right after breakfast.
It wasn’t even noon when Qin Xi came back carrying that black bag. Li Xianglu thought the exchange hadn’t happened and frowned, asking, "What? You couldn’t sell it?"
Qin Xi explained quietly: "The people at the house said gold would work too, and it would be much cheaper than paying with cash."
Li Xianglu suddenly realized, "That’s also good." At noon, everyone simply had noodles. After eating, Li Jianqing went to wash the dishes. He needed to stay at home as buying a house is a big deal. Mr. Li still planned to go and help out.
There were four of them, so Qin Xi directly called a taxi, and they all went together.
Li Xianglu calculated the distance between this place and that one, noting they were on the edge of the West First Ring, and the villa was on the edge of the East Second Ring—a very good location. Even if not for the house itself, buying the land would be quite worthwhile.
It took about forty minutes to reach the place. Qin Xi paid the driver and added an extra two yuan, hinting it would be best if he could wait as they would need the car again. Seeing the two yuan, the driver immediately agreed.
The building was very noticeable, almost visible clearly from two hundred meters away—a white villa with tall surrounding walls. Li Xianglu couldn’t help but marvel; this circle must be about fifteen hundred square meters. The building, however, was not tall, just a two-storey villa.
As soon as they reached the gate, they saw a familiar figure with a large black mole waiting. Qin Xi briefly spoke a few words, and the man immediately came over respectfully to greet Mr. Li, then made some playful gestures towards Qin Zhen. These two had a past feud, but now they seemed somewhat close, especially since last winter, when Ah Ba happened to pass by and helped Yu Wei recover so quickly.
Just as they finished talking, two men approached from the west, one about sixty years old and another around forty. Both looked refined, but their complexions were poor and seemed severely thin, which made Li Xianglu think of those persecuted and sent to cow sheds.
There were barely any pleasantries as everyone entered a standard two-storey villa. Mr. Li, with a strong Minnan accent, stated, "This was built by a British architect before the liberation. The wood and materials used are particularly good. I won’t boast that it won’t degrade for a hundred years, but seventy or eighty years should be no issue."
Upstairs was a row of rooms and two staircases. The inner staircase was made of wood, premium redwood, very precious, but it seemed not well-maintained, covered with scratches, as was the floor.
The outer staircase was marble on both sides—also very pretty—with a room in between that must have been for servants.
The yard was spacious both in the front and back, close to the road. The position of the backyard was large enough not only for a parking lot but also adding a garden and a swimming pool would be easily feasible. The front area was also sizable.
Upon inspection, Mr. Li was very satisfied, constantly nodding. Li Xianglu also liked it very much. Once properly refurbished, it would be a marvelous residence to live in. The family mentioned that the three-meter area outside the courtyard walls was also their property, recorded on the deed. If needed, they could expand the walls and plant trees in the middle, enhancing the privacy of the house.
Since they liked it, the next issue was the price. They proposed either 120,000 or five jin of gold.
Li Xianglu did some calculations: five jin of gold, that’s almost less than fifty yuan per gram. That price wouldn’t work, as Qin Xi mentioned last night that he had negotiated a purchase price of sixty yuan per gram, so paying in cash would be more cost-effective.
Qin Xi also mulled it over and shared his opinion. The other side hesitated but was willing to trade with gold.
Finally, each party made some concessions. First, because embedded in the walls of the two-storey building were antique shelves made of rosewood which would be gifted, and second, they noted two secret doors for hiding things. Thus, the final deal was for four and a half jin of gold.
After reaching an agreement, only procedures were left. Qin Xi and Qin Zhen went to handle them, while Li Xianglu and her grandfather left.
In the afternoon, when the pair returned, the procedures were almost finalized, just the official transfer needed to be completed the following day.
Qin Zhen was very pleased, feeling this would show Anna how seriously their family regarded her, so almost immediately upon entering, he hugged the telephone to report back.