Chapter 33 Taking Down Tangdi Pavilion
"Only gold?"
Su Wantang tapped her fingertips lightly on the table, making a soft "tap, tap, tap" sound. There was no surprise in her beautiful eyes, only a hint of amusement.
Qin Zheng nodded, his expression grave: "Yes, I met the seller's lawyer, a man surnamed Wu, who was very arrogant. He said the seller only wanted the gold, and the price was set at rock bottom, not a penny less. Moreover, without seeing the gold, he wouldn't even get to see the owner."
In this era, gold is a more reliable form of currency than money.
Wanting gold but not money, and offering an exorbitant price—this seller is either insane or has such a special status that they don't care about money at all.
Su Wantang's lips curled into a slight smile.
Of course she knew who the seller was. She had read a brief mention in the book from her previous life that the owner of this "haunted house" in Houhai was a retired senior official surnamed Chen, whose wife had contracted a strange illness and urgently needed a legendary medicinal herb to keep her alive.
Therefore, what he ever wanted was never money.
"I understand," Su Wantang said calmly. "Let him wait."
...
The news spread very quickly.
Su Wantang wanted to buy that "unclean" courtyard in Houhai, but the seller blocked her with a payment method of gold. This news reached Ye Manrou's ears in less than half a day.
Zhao Linlin was the first to exclaim, "Ha! She really wants to settle down in Beijing? Someone from Shanghai, does she really think she's someone important? Doesn't she even know if she's worthy!"
Ye Manrou held a cup of black tea, elegantly skimming off the foam, a hint of disdain flashing in her eyes.
Liu Sisi sat next to her, her eyes gleaming with shrewdness behind her glasses. She adjusted her glasses and spoke slowly and deliberately, "Manrou, this is a good opportunity."
"Oh?" Ye Manrou raised an eyebrow.
"She wants to buy it, right? Let's let her buy it." Liu Sisi lowered her voice, revealing a calculating and sinister edge.
"But we can't let her buy it so easily. I heard that the courtyard is quite expensive. She's a capitalist's daughter. Even if she brought some things from home, how much could she possibly have? Our Ye family will also compete for it, drive up the price, and make her bleed a lot! It would be best if she emptied her savings and still couldn't buy it. That would be truly interesting!"
This plan is both vicious and harmful.
This would both reveal Su Wantang's financial situation and humiliate her, thoroughly disgusting her.
Ye Manrou's eyes lit up.
She put down her teacup, a confident smile playing on her lips: "Sisi, you're so quick-witted. Let's do it this way."
That afternoon, the Ye family contacted the lawyer, Wu, and offered a price 20% higher than the original price. They also implied that Su Wantang was a woman of dubious origin with questionable sources of funds, and told the lawyer to "consider" the offer carefully.
Having received a promise from the Ye family, Attorney Wu adopted an even tougher stance, directly relaying a message to Qin Zheng that there was a new buyer and the highest bidder would win.
For a moment, everyone was waiting to see Su Wantang make a fool of herself.
How can a powerless woman fight against the Ye family of Beijing?
...
Inside the small building.
Qin Zheng reported the news of the Ye family raising the price to Su Wantang, and this tough man was so angry that his face turned blue.
"Young Miss, the Ye family is going too far! They don't actually want to buy; they're just here to cause trouble!"
Su Wantang was drawing something on a piece of Xuan paper. Upon hearing this, she didn't even look up, but simply gave a faint "hmm".
"Young Miss, we..."
"No rush." Su Wantang finally stopped writing, folded the paper, and handed it to Qin Zheng. "Give this to Attorney Wu."
Qin Zheng took the note; it felt very light. He instinctively opened it and glanced at it.
There were no superfluous words on the paper, only five large, bold characters written in a vigorous, flowing style, exuding a powerful confidence.
"Nine-Leaf Resurrection Grass".
Qin Zheng was stunned. What was this? A medicinal herb?
“Tell Attorney Wu that I have this in stock.” Su Wantang’s tone was calm and even, yet carried an undeniable authority. “Have him show the note to the person who can actually make the decision. After seeing it, he will know how to choose.”
Although Qin Zheng was full of doubts, he never questioned Su Wantang's orders.
"yes!"
He took the flimsy note, turned around, and strode away.
...
In Attorney Wu's office.
He was drinking his tea with a smug look on his face, calculating how much benefit he could get from the Ye family this time.
When Qin Zheng came in again and handed him the note, he still had a contemptuous smile on his face.
"What? You've changed your mind? You want to raise the price? Let me tell you, Miss Ye is..."
His words came to an abrupt halt the moment he saw the five words on the paper.
The color drained from Attorney Wu's face at a visible speed, and a fine layer of cold sweat instantly appeared on his forehead. His hand, clutching the note, began to tremble uncontrollably.
Nine-leaf...Resurrection Grass!
These five words were like five thunderbolts, striking him hard on the top of his head!
Old Chen was almost driven mad by this medicine! He used all his connections and searched the whole country, but he couldn't even find a trace of it!
How could Su Wantang know?! How dare she say she has it in stock?!
"You...you all wait!"
Attorney Wu no longer dared to be arrogant. He practically scrambled to the phone in the inner room and dialed a number he knew by heart with trembling hands.
There was only a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by an aged yet authoritative voice: "Bring her to see me. Immediately, right now!"
...
That night.
Near Qianmen, there is an inconspicuous teahouse.
In a private room on the second floor, Su Wantang met the true owner of Houhai Courtyard—Old Chen.
The old man was dressed in a slightly worn Zhongshan suit, his hair was gray, and his face was covered with wrinkles. He looked like an ordinary old man from next door who liked to take a walk. But sitting there, he had a profound and dignified air about him. His slightly cloudy eyes held a wisdom that saw through everything and the authority of someone who had long held a high position.
He didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point: "Girl, do you really have what's on the note?"
His voice was calm, but his hand, gripping the teacup tightly with white knuckles, betrayed his inner urgency.
Without wasting words, Su Wantang took out an antique wooden box from her cloth bag and gently pushed it in front of him.
Old Chen's breath hitched, and his hands trembled as he opened the wooden box.
A small, vibrant green plant, seemingly carved from the finest jade, lay quietly on a bed of red velvet. It had nine leaves, each with clearly visible veins, emitting a unique and refreshing medicinal fragrance.
It is the legendary Nine-Leaf Resurrection Grass that can bring the dead back to life and heal flesh and bones!
“Yes…it really is…” A startling light suddenly burst forth in Old Chen’s cloudy eyes. He held the wooden box, tears streaming down his face.
His wife, who was lying in the hospital bed with only one breath left, is saved!
After a long while, Old Chen finally calmed down. He solemnly closed the wooden box and looked at Su Wantang with gratitude and appreciation in his eyes.
"Girl, name your price. As long as I can afford it, I won't haggle!"
Su Wantang picked up her teacup, took a small sip, and smiled, "Old Chen, this medicine is a gift from me to you. As for that courtyard..."
Old Chen waved his hand, his tone resolute: "The courtyard is yours! It's the same price as before! I don't want the gold anymore, just give me whatever money you think is fair! Also, girl, I, Chen, owe you a huge favor! In the future, if anyone in Beijing dares to cause you trouble, just come to me!"
The personal connections of an old leader who had been operating in Beijing for decades and whose protégés and former subordinates were scattered throughout the city.
This is more valuable than ten mountains of gold.
This is Su Wantang's true purpose.
What she wanted was not just a courtyard, but a top-tier protective charm.
"Then thank you very much, Elder Chen." Su Wantang smiled, her eyes crinkling.
The transaction was completed exceptionally smoothly.
When Su Wantang walked out of the teahouse with the brand-new house deed in hand, it was already late at night.
At the street corner, two furtive figures peeked around; they were Ye Manrou's henchmen sent to keep an eye on her. They had been waiting all night to see Su Wantang make a fool of herself by being kicked out in a disheveled state.
But what they saw was Attorney Wu jogging after her, his face full of fawning smiles, respectfully opening the door of a black Volga sedan for Su Wantang, his posture so humble it was almost obsequious.
"Miss Su, please take care! Don't worry about the yard, I'll bring people to clean it up tomorrow and make sure you're satisfied!"
The two henchmen's eyes were practically bulging out of their sockets, and their mouths were agape enough to fit a duck egg.
This...this script is wrong!
What happened to the promised humiliation? What happened to the promise to kick her out? How... how come she was treated like a queen and sent out?
As the car slowly drove away, Su Wantang glanced at the two stunned faces in the rearview mirror, and a sweet yet cold smile curved her lips.
Ye Manrou, you want to play with me?
You're still too green.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com