Chapter 253 - 248: Finalized at the Fifth Watch
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."