Chapter 42 (Update 1)
65,000 gold, converted to the real world, is more than 300,000.
In just a few days, he earned more than 300,000 yuan, enough to buy a holographic gaming cabin!
Paopao couldn't help but start thinking about where to put the game cabin. Several places flashed through his mind, and finally he found to his dismay that the arena was still the most suitable place.
Unless... he buys a house.
Paopao's eyes seemed to be hesitant to speak, and Anrou understood immediately.
"Boss...how did you know this would improve Sister Hong's favorability? Let's analyze it together?"
"Stop dreaming. Sister Hong got lucky by accident. It won't be so easy to take down others." An Rou ruthlessly broke his sweet dream.
The initial plan was for Paopao to improve Sister Hong's favorability, but Anrou hadn't anticipated it would reach the point of forming a bond. The original plan was for Paopao to maximize her favorability and then purchase Sister Hong's assets at a relatively low price.
I didn't expect the price to be this low.
Each asset was transferred to Paopao at a price of 1 gold coin, which was equivalent to a free gift.
However, An Rou had indeed analyzed why "sweet talk" worked on Sister Hong. Sister Hong was strong-willed and concerned about her reputation, and her recent losses and fears were all related to the Chosen One. Furthermore, she and An Rou had a rift, and An Rou's backer, "The One Who Makes Sense," had fallen. If she could find a Chosen One to lean on, it would be a relief.
When An Rou visited for the first time today, Sister Hong showed a hint of fear and took the initiative to point out that Chi Qian Yiming was dead, which just proved this point.
However, Paopao didn't know about the previous feud between the two, and Anrou didn't want to explain, so she casually made up an excuse: "I know this NPC very well. She loves players more than money. But -"
An Rou stared at Paopao's eyes meaningfully. "It's not that easy with other NPCs. The richer the NPC, the more complicated their minds are. Once their favorability exceeds a certain limit, it's difficult to increase it. You've read so many guides, you should be aware of this common sense."
When you become rich after being poor for a long time, your mind is easily distorted.
Paopao felt guilty when being stared at, so he lowered his head and said nothing more.
His performance caused An Rou to reflect on herself. This trip was a huge profit with no investment, comparable in profit to T21's risky corpse theft. Before Paopao asked, she subconsciously wondered if this operation could be replicated.
Hong Jie alone has so much money, and with so many shops in town, how much worse can the others be? Not to mention Boss Lin, who monopolizes all the grain stores, and the mayor Heng Batong, who is said to own half of the town's industries.
Perhaps, compared to running a farm or stealing corpses, this is the fastest way to make money.
But An Rou felt vaguely uneasy.
The same reason: if this were so easy to accomplish, wouldn't players have already posted it long ago? Why bother searching for clues and completing quests?
After thinking for a while, An Rou suppressed all her thoughts, walked into Qiaojie's room, and asked some questions related to the operation of the hair salon.
Afterwards, he asked Paopao to stay in the store while he went to Hongyun Bathhouse. The person who collected money and handed out keys at the front desk was still the skinny and shrewd old woman.
An Rou carefully looked at the name on the light screen above her head and suddenly smiled.
Interestingly, the old woman's name is "Xiang Sao". Could it be that she is the wife of the tenant Li Xiang?
The benefits of having the game recognize the transaction were apparent here. An Rou didn't even need to produce the contract; the old woman came up to her flatteringly, calling her "Boss An."
"Boss An, feel free to ask me anything. I, an old woman, take care of all matters big and small at the bathhouse."
It seems that after the contract comes into effect, employees in the corresponding industry will automatically know that they have changed their boss.
Half an hour later, An Rou came out of the bathhouse and slowly walked towards the hair salon while thinking.
The hair salon is worth 300,000 gold, with a monthly profit of 10,000 gold. The Hongyun Bathhouse is worth 700,000 gold, with a monthly profit of about 30,000 gold. Adding the steamed bun shop, worth 100,000 gold, and now without rent, the profit is around 8,000 gold.
Among the three industries, the steamed bun shop has the highest profit margin.
An Rou doesn't have to do anything. In the future, she will be able to earn nearly 50,000 gold just by running three stores - of course, this is under the condition that Sister Hong desperately squeezes employee costs.
But no matter what, it is a considerable income, and most importantly, it is risk-free.
An Rou was already worried about the direction of the farm's operation, and now there was a third option - abandon the farm and become a wealthy woman in the city.
As for continuing to live in Zhongsu Town, can personal safety be guaranteed... An Younian has been running the bun shop alone for more than ten years, and hasn't he raised the original owner safely and steadily?
I still have hundreds of thousands of gold in my hands. If I buy two more shops, whether I run them or rent them out, my life will only be better than before.
As for Paopao, he could just switch to a bodyguard. Assuming a steady profit of 80,000 gold per month, and a 5% dividend, that would give him 4,000 gold per month, which translates to 20,000 in real terms...would he find that too little?
An Rou wasn't sure. After all, she had just given Paopao 65,000 gold. People are always greedy.
And...get rich quickly.
How to raise a fish to get rich quickly is still the most troublesome problem.
"You are An Rou, right? The daughter of Nianfeng Baozi Shop?"
Suddenly, a tall figure blocked the way.
An Rou came to her senses and glanced up to see an NPC soldier. His black uniform indicated he wasn't a security guard. Behind him were two companions dressed similarly.
All three of them looked unhappy.
An Rou subconsciously reached for the Seven Souls Sword in her sleeve, but found nothing. Then she remembered that her new cheongsam had half sleeves, and the Seven Souls Sword was tied to her thigh.
Fortunately, Paopao was alert and opened the door of the hair salon when he heard the voice, standing in front of Anrou.
"What do you want to do?"
No matter how low their rank, they were still chosen by Heaven. The three soldiers simultaneously subdued their imposing auras. The lead soldier, Tian Rui, forced a polite smile and said, "The mayor invites you."
Town Mayor Hengbatong?
An Rou and Paopao looked at each other.
"Ms. Heng?" An Rou asked.
Tian Rui was puzzled: "Why are you asking the eldest lady? Let's go, the master is waiting."
Since it’s not Miss Heng... then she must be here with bad intentions.
Paopao gave Anrou a questioning look, raised his right hand slightly, and was about to take out his weapon.
An Rou gently shook her head to stop him and said to Tian Rui, "Okay."
The town square was as big as two standard football fields, even more spacious than An Rou remembered. In comparison, the eight acres of land on the farm was only one-third of it.
Aside from a building in the middle that resembled a large telephone booth, there were no other buildings on the vast square. An Rou knew that it was the only teleportation array in Zhongsu Town, and that for a certain amount of gold coins, one could reach any point in Lengbing City.
The square was flanked by long flower beds, mostly filled with low shrubs that looked grey in the pale sunlight. The occasional taller tree had sparse branches and leaves, looking listless.
At the end of the square is the mayor's magnificent mansion, which is almost as wide as the square. You can imagine how amazing the area of the mansion must be. It is not an exaggeration to call it a palace.
No wonder people say the mayor is a local tyrant.
Aside from a patrol of black-clad soldiers, the square was deserted. Ordinary townspeople were not allowed to enter. An Rou followed Tian Rui and the other two, skirting the edge toward the mayor's mansion, stopping before the four-meter-tall vermilion lacquer gate.
Tian Rui turned around and looked behind An Rou: "Where are your...friends?"
"Is the mayor inviting me or him?" An Rou asked back.
Tian Rui frowned, didn't ask any more questions, and took her in through the side door.
I'd assumed the square was the mayor's front garden, but I hadn't expected the mansion to actually have a large garden. Rockeries, pavilions, trees, flowers, and shadows abounded. Given the insatiable habit of spending real money on games, you can imagine the staggering cost of maintaining it.
The courtyard had several entrances, the first of which was the mayor's office. As they stopped at the second entrance, a soldier hurried in and whispered something in Tian Rui's ear.
Tian Rui glanced at An Rou in surprise, then quickly calmed down: "Wait a moment, I'll go inform the mayor."
The soldier who reported went out again soon, and Tian Rui also disappeared into a round carved door. Only two soldiers were left guarding An Rou on the left and right.
An Rou casually surveyed the surroundings. Aside from the walls, which were clearly solid stone, the house itself was remarkably retro: stone paths, a bluestone well, carved window panes, winding corridors...
Faint voices could be heard from inside the round door a few meters away, but the specific content could not be heard clearly.
An Rou withdrew her gaze and looked up at the sky.
At midday, the sun was pale, hanging high overhead, yet it brought little warmth. This made the strict hierarchy of the mayor's mansion even more oppressive.
Her consciousness was already ten kilometers away.
An Younian hasn't arrived at the farm yet. But... judging by Tian Rui's reaction, Paopao should have successfully taken An Younian away, right?
"An Rou?"
The crisp sound called An Rou's attention back. Heng Bobao trotted out from the side corridor.
"Why are you here?"
She changed her outfit today. The lace cheongsam turned into a lace dress with a fluffy skirt, and she also wore a small white round hat, looking like a lively Western princess.
An Rou took her hand openly and said, "Your father asked me to come."
They were so intimate that it seemed like they were meeting best friends.
When the two soldiers saw this, they looked at each other in surprise, feeling a little scared.
One of them asked with his eyes: Miss, do you know her?
Another replied: If you ask me, who should I ask?
Heng Bobao grew up pampered and spoiled. Although his personality wasn't unruly, he was irrational when it came to protecting his own shortcomings. They just wanted An Rou to stop talking nonsense, and they also wanted Tian Rui to come out quickly and take the person in.
"My dad?" Heng Bobao frowned in confusion. "Why does he want to see you? But if it's Dad who's looking for you, why are you standing here? Come in."
He pulled An Rou and walked inside.
The two soldiers exchanged a glance and stopped them, "Miss, the mayor is busy with business. There are guests inside."
Heng Bobao wrinkled his nose unhappily: "Did you go in and report it?"
"Captain Tian Rui has gone in."
Heng Bobao waited with An Rou for two minutes, but no one came out. He stamped his feet and said, "I'll take An Rou for a walk. If Dad wants to see her later, just come to my room! Come on, An Rou, this is your first time at my house. I'll show you around!"
The soldiers looked embarrassed and ultimately did not dare to stop them.
An Rou was pulled onto the corridor and walked into the third courtyard from the side.
"My room is right here. It was originally where my parents lived, but my mom likes quietness, so she moved to the back."
Heng Bobao paused and looked off into the distance in surprise: "Mom, why did you come out?"
She was a beautiful woman, wearing a red cheongsam similar to Sister Hong's, but the color was a few shades darker, and the dark patterns were far less bright than Sister Hong's. She was steady and dignified.
While Heng Bobao was speaking, she had already walked in, her sharp eyes falling on An Rou.
An Rou didn't hide, and looked her in the eye. However, the first words the mayor's wife said made her break out in a cold sweat.
The mayor's wife looked at An Rou with a half-smile: "My poker friends are here, so of course I have to meet them."
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