Five hundred taels?

Shen Yuan's expression hardened. Five hundred taels could almost buy this shop!

Although the backyard was badly burned, it wouldn't cost more than a hundred taels to buy some wood and tiles to rebuild three rooms. Yet he asked for five hundred taels right off the bat—wasn't that outrageous?

Moreover, she paid a year's rent, and he said he wouldn't rent it out before the term was up. Isn't that going back on his word?

Shen Yuan was furious inside, but she didn't show it on her face. A faint smile played on her lips as she spoke in a conciliatory tone, "Mr. Li, please don't rush to say that. I'm willing to compensate for the shop's losses, and I'm also willing to repair the backyard. But how much should this compensation be? We should..."

"Stop talking nonsense, just give me back these five hundred taels! I won't ask you for help with the house repairs!" Li Laosan interrupted Shen Yuan bluntly, tapping on the counter. "I want silver notes, not loose change!"

Seeing that the other party clearly didn't want to discuss things properly, Shen Yuan's smile vanished instantly.

She stood up and said calmly, "Mr. Li, although this house is yours, I can't just accept any amount of compensation you set for me."

"Hey! What do you mean by that?" Li Laosan slammed his hand on the table and stood up as well.

But as soon as he stood up, he felt a chill down his spine. A pair of cold eyes glanced at him. The owner of the eyes was dressed in black, with a seven-foot-long sword hanging at his waist.

Xiao Ling remained silent, but his presence exuded an inexplicable sense of oppression, instantly extinguishing Li Laosan's arrogance.

Li Laosan glanced at Xiao Ling secretly, then leaned closer to Shen Yuan and asked with a stern face, "What do you mean? Don't you want to pay for it? You burned so many of my things, it's not right not to pay for it."

Seeing that Li Laosan's attitude had softened considerably, Shen Yuan then said to him, "From beginning to end, I have never refused to admit responsibility, nor have I ever intended to refuse to pay compensation. It's just that this compensation of five hundred taels has no specific purpose, which makes it difficult for me to accept!"

What kind of name do you want?

"You say you need five hundred taels of silver to repair this house, then you should list out all the materials you need for the construction, such as the quantity of bricks, tiles, and timber, their prices, the number of craftsmen needed, and their wages. Only then can I take this list to the government office for a notarization. If the government approves it, I will compensate you in full; if the government does not approve it, I will naturally not approve it either!"

Shen Yuan finished speaking in one breath, then looked up at Li Laosan, "This is the pretext I want. If there is no pretext, it is extortion. Boss Li is rich and powerful, so I don't think he would extort such a small amount of money from a little girl like me."

"So young, yet so knowledgeable." Li Laosan rolled his eyes inwardly. He could easily calculate how much money it would cost to build two woodsheds and outhouses.

However, the calculated number was only one-fifth of the five hundred taels.

If he takes this claim to the government, wouldn't he be asking for a lawsuit? He's not stupid!

After pondering for a moment, Li Laosan finally held up two fingers. "Considering the fact that you rented my shop, I'll give you a discount. You don't need to go to the authorities. Just give me two hundred taels, pack your things and move out, and that'll be the end of it."

Two hundred taels was a huge concession.

Even if Shen Yuan went to the government and spent money to smooth things over and find someone to take charge, the final cost would be about the same as the compensation.

But what Shen Yuan wanted was not just a reduction in the compensation amount. Her pharmacy had only been open for less than two months and had just made a name for itself in the city before moving away, which was extremely detrimental to her business.

She cannot move.

From the moment this Mr. Li entered the room until now, he kept telling her to pack her bags and leave, which made Shen Yuan suspicious. Could he be acting on someone's orders?

The house was burned down, and then Boss Li came to demand money and kick people out. The speed of this made people wonder.

Seeing that Shen Yuan remained silent, Li Laosan was undecided. "How about I refund this year's rent to you, or you give me 180 taels?"

This is the biggest concession he has made!

If this little brat still disagrees, then she's ungrateful!

Did you really think you could scare him by threatening the government? When he was hanging around this street, this little brat probably wasn't even born yet!

“Mr. Li, besides paying compensation and moving out, I think we have a third option,” Shen Yuan suddenly spoke up, interrupting Li Laosan’s thoughts.

Li Laosan looked puzzled. "What third option?"

“I’ll give you a thousand taels of silver. You can transfer the deed to this shop to my name.”

Li Laosan was stunned. "A thousand taels? Do you have that much money?"

"Since I dare to buy it, I must have it."

Shen Yuan patiently explained, "Repairing this shop will cost you at least a hundred taels of silver. After you finish repairing the courtyard and rent it out, it will take several months, and that time will cost you money!"

"Even if you repair it and find a new tenant willing to rent it, the rent will only be twenty taels a year, and two hundred taels in ten years. But I can give you a thousand taels in one go and buy the shop directly, so you don't need to spend any more money on repairs."

"Compared to the previous streets, this street isn't in a good location, and the shops aren't worth as much. I heard that several shops nearby sold for seven or eight hundred taels. The reason I chose to buy your shop instead of the cheaper ones is because I find it too troublesome to move things around."

“But if you insist on not selling, then I will have to spend some money to hire helpers to move the things away. But the compensation I can give you is only 150 taels, because you terminated the contract early and should compensate me double the rent, which is considered as my loss for renovating the shop.”

After clearly explaining her meaning, Shen Yuan picked up the bowl of warm tea from the counter, giving Li Laosan enough time to consider.

The room was very quiet.

Xiao Ling stood behind Shen Yuan, silently watching the girl slowly sipping her tea. He felt that she possessed a composure and calmness that was different from her peers.

It seems that no matter what happens, she can handle it calmly.

This kind of poise is no less than that of the noble ladies of the capital.

Meanwhile, Li Laosan was also having doubts. He hadn't expected Shen Yuan to propose buying the shop, and even offer such a high price of one thousand taels of silver.

Before he arrived, he was told that Shen Yuan didn't have much money at all, and that he only needed to force her to hand over all the money in her hands and then drive her away.

The reason he demanded 500 taels of compensation was just to scare her.

To his surprise, the other party was not intimidated at all, but instead put him in a difficult position. Moreover, judging from the other party's demeanor, they clearly had money, otherwise they wouldn't have spoken with such confidence.

If he could sell this shop for a thousand taels, Li Laosan smiled and thought it would be a good thing!

He's short of cash right now, otherwise he wouldn't have been instructed to deliberately make things difficult for a young girl.

After a few thoughts, Li Laosan looked at Shen Yuan with a smile, "If you really have a thousand taels of silver, can you pay me every penny today?"