Chapter 147 – The Quick-Footed Climb Up First
Boss Sun was a rich middle-aged man with a beer belly. When he smiled, he looked a little bit like Maitreya – the Bodhisattva that came after Shakyamuni Buddha. His features were more on the righteous side. He did not have the unscrupulous sycophantic behavior of the kind of businessman that people found loathsome. Only someone like him would be willing to part with a teahouse that had good development prospects.
The teahouse was located near the intersection of the street. This place saw a lot of foot traffic on the daily. An Zi Ran heard that when the flow of people was at its highest, this teahouse could have close to a thousand customers a day.
To sell the teahouse like this, even An Zi Ran – an outsider – felt pity for Boss Sun. But if Boss Sun were not willing to sell, then An Zi Ran would not be able to get such a good place.
Boss Sun immediately invited the two of them to sit down, and then he had the shopkeeper serve up a pot of good tea.
The reason his teahouse could stay open until now was not because it lacked good tea. However, the price of good tea was expensive, so not many people could afford to buy it. And it was impossible for him to lower the price of his products without regards for profit like the rivaling teahouse.
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Boss Sun was a conscientious businessman, and he did not come from a rich family background, so he could not squander money frivolously. As a result, he could only close down the shop.
Fu Wu Tian picked up a cup of tea and handed it to An Zi Ran.
An Zi Ran received the cup of tea and took a sip. Then he looked at Boss Sun who was sizing them up. He said, “Boss Sun, how about you straightforwardly state a price?”
This was the first time Boss Sun had met such a straightforward person, and it took him a while to react. Observing the clothes that these two men wore, it was obvious that the fabric was not something that ordinary people could afford. Then there was the temperament. It was the most outstanding out of all the people he’s met before. This was especially so of the man next to the young man. The man’s body emitted an aura that made one afraid.
After thinking about it, Boss Sun quoted a slightly higher price. He has put a lot of painstaking effort into this teahouse. He would not have chosen to sell it if he did not have to.
In order to buy this teahouse, Boss Sun almost went bankrupt in the past. Results showed that his investment has paid off. No one knew the worth of this teahouse better than him.
“Deal.” An Zi Ran agreed to the price.
How could An Zi Ran not know what Boss Sun was thinking? This price was within his expectations. In fact, it was even a little lower than what he had anticipated. This Boss Sun was an honest one. He did not have the intent of extorting An Zi Ran under false pretenses. It was so rare to see businessmen with principle.
When An Zi Ran agreed so readily, a flash of joy flickered across Boss Sun’s face. He did not get angry with himself for not quoting a higher price. He knew that one should not be too greedy. This price was already higher than what the previous buyer had offered.
After reaching an agreement, Boss Sun decided to immediately sign over the transfer papers to the teahouse. He didn’t want to drag things out and court trouble.
An Zi Ran also thought the same thing.
When Ge Qian An told him that he had found a suitable place, he also said something else that was interesting.
The teahouse across the street was actually a property of the Zhuo family.
The Zhuo family was the richest merchant family in the capital and their businesses covered a wide range of areas, but they’ve only gotten into the teahouse business in the past two years.
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In order to take over Boss Sun’s teahouse and turn it into a Zhuo family teahouse, they opened up a teahouse across the street and deliberately lowered their prices to compete with malicious intent. In the end they succeeded in forcing Boss Sun to sell his teahouse.
The buyer who came to Boss Sun a month ago was actually from the Zhuo family. They wanted to buy Boss Sun’s teahouse at a low price so they even pulled some tricks in secret, making it so that no one dared to buy Boss Sun’s teahouse. This way Boss Sun would be forced to sell to them in the end.
Boss Sun did not seem to be aware of any of this.
If it were not for An Zi Ran showing up out of nowhere, Boss Sun would probably have ended up selling his teahouse to the Zhuo family at a low price.
Fu Wu Tian always carried around a stack of banknotes on his person. Presently, he took out a lump sum and handed it over to Boss Sun.
“Boss Sun, count and see if the amount if correct.”
On the contrary, Boss Sun directly tucked the banknotes away without counting them. He shook his head and said with a smile: “You two are the most forthright and open-minded people I have ever met. Such people will never lie to me. I also believe that the dignified junwang has no reason to cheat a small businessman like myself.”
Both An Zi Ran and Fu Wu Tian looked at Boss Sun.
“You’ve seen benwang before?” Fu Wu Tian did not try to hide his identity.
Greatly honored, Boss Sun said, “Last year, this insignificant one had the fortune to witness junwang’s return to the capital. I did not dare to forget the sight. As for this gongzi, you must be junwangfei.” He looked at An Zi Ran.
An Zi Ran was a little surprised. The man before him was smarter than he had initially thought. Thinking of this, he suddenly looked at the other man and said, “Boss Sun is so smart. Perhaps you already know that the teahouse across the street is owned by the Zhuo family and that the buyer from before is also part of the Zhuo family?”
Boss Sun did not try to hide his knowledge anymore. “This insignificant one can only roughly guess who is behind that teahouse, but cannot be certain that it is the Zhuo family.”
All of the Zhuo family’s properties had an iconic design, but the teahouse across the street did not have this design, so Boss Sun could not be certain. He only knew that the owner must have some prestige within the capital.
“But you still wanted to sell the teahouse to the Zhuo family?”
Boss Sun revealed a hint of helplessness. “I have no choice but to sell it. The Zhuo family is rich and powerful. How can a small-time businessman like me go against them? I know it would only benefit them, but if there are no other buyers then I can only sell it to them.”
More and more, An Zi Ran felt that this Boss Sun was a very open-minded businessman. “Boss Sun, if there is an opportunity in the future, I hope we can work together once again.”
Translations by Vanilla Muse. Read on vmnovels [dot] com
Boss Sun blinked his eyes. The pie that fell from the sky* has knocked him into a daze. At the moment his teahouse went bankrupt, he actually managed to grab onto this high branch called Prince Fu’s Mansion. Although the luck came just a tad late, with An Zi Ran’s words, Prince Fu’s Mansion would not turn him away should he have any problems in the future.
[*T/N: Pie that fell from the sky = something good landing in one’s lap]
“Of course! Of course!”
Boss Sun was so excited that he almost wanted to hold An Zi Ran’s hand. Good thing he remembered that this young man in front of him was the junwangfei, and that the junwang was sitting right there watching them.
After seeing the two men out the door, the shopkeeper and the waiter found that Boss Sun seemed to be a good mood, especially when they knew that he had just sold the teahouse to these two people. They became even more curious.
They knew that Boss Sun had been running this teahouse for more than ten years, so he would definitely feel sad if he sold it and he would naturally be in a bad mood, but the result was different from what they imagined. Could it be that the other party offered a very high price?
I finally caught up!
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