After getting my consent, Bai Lu called her friend who was transferring ownership of the inn, saying she would arrive in thirty minutes. While we waited, we continued chatting, and Coach Ma sang "Woman Flower" just three or four meters away from us. His singing style was different from others; he sang a fairly proper song with a captivating quality. I suppose that's a talent, since the feeling he conveyed was something no one else could imitate.

After a few bottles of beer, the woman Bai Lu had arranged to meet finally arrived at the bar. She sat down opposite me and introduced herself. Her name was Zhao Jing, she was from Shenzhen, and she had come to Dali in 2013. I also briefly told her about myself.

After she took the beer I handed her, she said, "The inn is located near Longkan Wharf, and it has now been ordered to close by the 'government.' I don't know when it will be reopened... But I have an advantage because all my documents are in order. If the policy is relaxed in the future, my inn will definitely be among the first to be reopened."

I asked, "So, how much money did you invest in this inn in total?"

"The rent isn't expensive... There are ten rooms in total, and the annual rent is 70,000 yuan. I signed a 15-year contract with the landlord, and the rent hasn't increased... However, the renovation really cost a lot of money. Our guesthouse has a landscaped area, and there's also a small infinity pool in the common area. It probably cost around 1.5 million yuan in total."

I gasped. Although the inn sounded like a great deal, the transfer price was definitely beyond my budget. But since they had come all this way, I had to ask about the price out of politeness. So I asked, "How much is the transfer fee?"

Zhao Jing replied, "900,000."

Although the transfer fee was lower than I had imagined, it was still definitely beyond my means, so I honestly told her, "I'm sorry, this price is way over my budget; I can't afford that much money."

Zhao Jing nodded, paused for a moment, and then said, "Actually, the transfer fee isn't high. I'm only selling it at a low price because I urgently need the money. The inn has two sea-view suites, which can sell for 800 yuan a day when it's normally open. The other rooms are also quite nice, and they generally sell for 400 yuan a day, so the price-performance ratio is very high."

I did the math in my head. If the transfer fee was 900,000 yuan, and I could achieve a 40% occupancy rate, I could basically recoup the fee within a year. In terms of return on investment, it was quite high. And if I could achieve a 70-80% occupancy rate, I could not only recoup the 900,000 yuan transfer fee but also earn several hundred thousand yuan in profit. It seemed like a viable business. The only risk came from policy, because I didn't know when the water in Erhai Lake would be purified, allowing the guesthouse to reopen.

I was a little intrigued, so I asked Zhao Jing, "When the inn was still open, what was your occupancy rate?"

"During peak season, we are fully booked every day, and during off-season, we have at least 30% occupancy. We are also a Gold Merchant on Tujia and Airbnb, with a very good reputation."

I nodded, continuing to weigh the options in my mind...

Tie Nan, who was next to her, seemed to have noticed something. After lighting a cigarette, he said to Zhao Jing, "According to what you're saying, your inn must be profitable, and you must have made quite a bit of money before. So why are you in such a hurry to transfer it? Anyway, the seaside inn will reopen sooner or later. You have all the necessary permits and licenses. You can afford to wait!"

“My husband lost money in his business in Shenzhen and now urgently needs cash to keep the business afloat. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be selling it at such a low price.”

Bai Lu nodded and said to us, "I can testify to this. Before transferring the inn, Zhao Jing had already sold a bar at a loss... You are all my friends, and as the middleman, I certainly won't cheat you. Don't worry."

Tie Nan nodded, then said to me, "Don't rush to refuse. Go check out the inn tomorrow before making a decision... I feel it's quite cost-effective, but there's a policy risk involved. If the government doesn't plan to allow the seaside inn to reopen within two or three years, we'll really lose a lot of money. But once the policy loosens, it'll be a very profitable inn."

I answered and then asked Zhao Jing, "What's the name of your inn?"

"Flower Village Clouds... If you're really interested, please make a decision as soon as possible, because other people are also talking to me. You're Bai Lu's friend, so of course I'll prioritize transferring it to you. If you have the chance to come to Dali again, you can always visit the inn; after all, I've been here for so many years and have a lot of affection for it."

"I understand, I will consider it carefully!"

...

After Zhao Jing left, I checked the sales and reputation of "Fragrant Clouds" on some travel-focused apps. The results confirmed that Zhao Jing's words were not exaggerated; the inn's sales and reputation were indeed quite good.

I put down my phone and said to Tie Nan with some regret, "The inn is quite nice, but I really can't afford the transfer fee of 900,000."

"Let's see tomorrow."

I was a little confused, but I felt that I had plenty of time. Even if I wasn't capable of taking over, it wouldn't hurt to learn about the market here, so I didn't ask Tie Nan any more questions.

At this moment, Tie Nan said to Bai Lu, "Want to come with us to take a look tomorrow morning?"

“I won’t go. Before her inn closed down, I used to go there often. There’s nothing much to see.”

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