60s: I have a store

Chapter 497 The lion opens its mouth

Zhou Yimin had just returned to the courtyard from Quanjude. He would go to that address later and leave a pig there so that Deputy Director Ding could take it away tomorrow.

As soon as he stepped into the yard, he saw Dapeng hunched over, walking towards him in a panic and anxious manner.

Zhou Yimin couldn't help but feel curious. Dapeng, who was usually carefree, looked so mysterious this time. There must be something unusual going on.

"Dapeng, what's the matter that makes you so mysterious?" Zhou Yimin asked first.

Dapeng looked around cautiously, and after confirming that no one was around, he approached Zhou Yimin and said in a low voice, "Yimin, there is a big deal. Do you dare to do it?"

Zhou Yimin was even more curious when he heard this. What kind of business could make Dapeng so serious? He asked, "What kind of business is it that makes you so secretive?"

It seems that this business is very big, otherwise, during this period of time, Dapeng has been helping him sell things on the black market, and he would not take ordinary business so seriously.

Dapeng cleared his throat and said, "There is an old man who has a courtyard house that he wants to sell, and he also has some antiques."

When Zhou Yimin heard this, he instantly became alert.

He knew very well that these old people often had a lot of precious items in their hands, whether it was real estate, antiques, or gold, any one of them would be worth a lot of money.

Zhou Yimin quickly asked, "Are you in a hurry to take action?"

Dapeng nodded vigorously and said, "I'm in a hurry, so the price is not bad."

Then he added, "But he wants food and various bills."

After hearing this, Zhou Yimin's mouth slightly raised and he smiled. He might not be able to take out other things at the moment, but food and bills were not rare things for him.

He then asked, “When is the transaction?”

Dapeng replied: "Tonight, I was thinking that if I still couldn't see you, I would go to Zhoujiazhuang and pull you out."

Zhou Yimin thought that such an opportunity was rare and it would be a pity to miss it. He immediately decided to participate in the transaction.

Time passed quietly in the anxious waiting, and the night completely enveloped the earth.

Zhou Yimin, Dapeng, and Li Youde took advantage of the night and quietly left the courtyard.

It did not alarm others. After all, this kind of thing should not be known to too many people.

Dapeng then spoke up: "Yimin, can't we go there by motorcycle? It's still quite far if we walk from here?"

The first time he saw Zhou Yimin's cool motorcycle, he had long wanted to ride on it, and thought tonight would be a good opportunity.

Who knew it would be shattered in an instant.

Zhou Yimin explained: "Dapeng, the noise of the motorcycle engine is too loud. Once it starts, everyone in the courtyard will know that I have left the courtyard."

Li Youde also advised: "Dapeng, there will be many opportunities in the future, so this moment won't be a big deal."

Dapeng had no choice but to agree.

The moonlight was like water, sprinkling on the road ahead of them and lengthening their shadows.

Along the way, Zhou Yimin's heart beat faster involuntarily. He was looking forward to the upcoming transaction, but also worried about the possible variables that might arise.

Dapeng walked in front, looking back at Zhou Yimin and Li Youde from time to time, his eyes revealing a complex emotion of nervousness and excitement.

Li Youde followed Zhou Yimin closely, his hands unconsciously clenching the corners of his clothes. Although he tried hard to stay calm, his slightly trembling body still revealed his inner anxiety.

Under the leadership of Dapeng, they soon arrived at their destination.

The courtyard in front of me looks particularly quiet under the moonlight, exuding an ancient atmosphere.

The gate of the courtyard was closed tightly. On the heavy door panel, two copper door knockers gleamed faintly in the moonlight.

Dapeng walked forward, raised his hand and gently knocked on the gate of the courtyard, making a dull sound.

After a while, footsteps were heard from inside the door, and then the door slowly opened with a creak, and an elderly man with gray hair appeared at the door.

The old man was wearing an old but neat gown, and his eyes showed a hint of fatigue and anxiety.

He looked Zhou Yimin and the others up and down, then turned sideways and gestured for them to come in.

Zhou Yimin noticed that the old man's hands were shaking slightly when he opened the door, as if he was under tremendous pressure.

When Zhou Yimin walked into the courtyard, the first thing that caught his eye was an exquisite screen wall. The brick carvings on the screen wall had gone through the test of time, but they were still lifelike.

Going further in, the courtyard is neatly laid out, with the main house and wing rooms arranged in an orderly manner.

In the middle of the yard, there is an ancient well, and the windlass at the wellhead casts a long shadow in the moonlight.

Zhou Yimin could tell at a glance that this courtyard house was well preserved and it was a two-courtyard courtyard. In this day and age, such courtyard houses are rare.

He thought to himself that if this courtyard house was renovated, it would become a unique residence, and it might even be used for commercial purposes, thus maximizing its value.

You know, such a courtyard house can be said to be a priceless treasure in later generations. Without some financial resources, you probably wouldn't even be qualified to view the house.

If I hadn't traveled through time and space and hadn't had the system, I wouldn't even have the right to take a look at my past life, unless I saw it on the Internet or in a short video.

The old man followed Zhou Yimin and said slowly, "It's this courtyard."

Zhou Yimin looked up and looked around, then asked, "How do you want to sell it?"

The old man looked gloomy, he sighed, and said slowly: "To be honest, I am a descendant of the former officials, and my family was once glorious.

These antiques collected in the family are the result of the hard work of our ancestors over several generations. This courtyard houses the family's rise and fall, honor and disgrace for hundreds of years."

His voice trembled slightly, with a hint of sadness that was hard to conceal.

"But now, times have changed, and the family has long lost its former glory." The old man continued, his eyes full of helplessness, "The descendants have gone their separate ways, running around for a living.

A few days ago, my little grandson suddenly fell seriously ill and urgently needed money for treatment. I looked for relatives and friends, but could not raise enough money. "

At this point, the old man's eyes were slightly red. "Under this desperate situation, I decided to sell this courtyard and some antiques, just to save my poor grandson's life."

After hearing the old man's words, Zhou Yimin couldn't help feeling a little sympathy.

He looked at the old man's haggard face and expectant eyes, and thought to himself that although the old man's request was a bit harsh, the other party was helpless after all.

Moreover, this courtyard and antiques are indeed extremely valuable. If the price can be negotiated, this deal will be a rare opportunity for me. The old man continued, "One thousand kilograms of grain, and no less than two hundred kilograms of flour."

Then, he listed a series of requirements, "And the bills must be there, at least 20 kilograms of meat coupons..."

His words were like a string of cannonballs, he spoke more and more, and later he even mentioned the bicycle ticket.

As the demands of the old guard continued to increase, Zhou Yimin's brows furrowed more and more, and his dissatisfaction became more and more intense.

He felt that the demands of the old guard were too outrageous and completely beyond reasonable range.

As Zhou Yimin listened, his brows gradually furrowed.

At first, these requests were quite normal, but they became more and more outrageous as time went on. He couldn't bear to listen any longer and interrupted the old man: "Comrade, I can't accept your request. You should wait for your destined person!"

After saying that, he turned around and was about to leave with Dapeng and Li Youde.

At this time, Zhou Yimin was angry at the old man for asking for such a high price, but he was also worried that the deal would fall through. After all, such a courtyard house was really rare.

Seeing this, the old man panicked. He hurried forward, grabbed Zhou Yimin's arm, and said anxiously: "Comrade, if the price is not right, then let's talk about it. There is no need to leave in a hurry."

There was a hint of pleading in the old man's voice. He knew very well that his request might be a bit excessive, but he had to do so because of the pressure of life.

Zhou Yimin stopped, turned around and looked at the old man, thinking secretly in his heart.

He was wondering whether the reason given by this old man at the beginning was true or false, and he even felt a little sympathetic towards him.

But now it seems that the conditions put forward by the old man do not seem like those of a family member of a seriously ill person. Otherwise, who would be a good person and the first thing he would ask for is food?

He just said that he needed money for treatment, but among so many requests, not even one asked for money.

Could it be used to replenish his grandson's body after he is discharged from the hospital?

But I don’t know whose body it is replenishing.

So he sat down again and started a difficult bargain with the old man.

The two of them went back and forth, neither giving in, and the atmosphere was so tense that it seemed to ignite the air.

Zhou Yimin argued with reason, emphasizing that the demands of the old man were unreasonable and that he could not bear it; the old man kept telling Zhou Yimin about his predicament, hoping that Zhou Yimin could understand his difficulties.

During the long negotiation, the two sides were deadlocked. Zhou Yimin knew that the value of this courtyard house was indeed very high, but the price asked by the old man was beyond his expectations.

He began to carefully observe the old man's expression and demeanor, trying to find a breakthrough. He found that although the old man's words were firm, there was occasionally a hint of hesitation and helplessness in his eyes.

Therefore, Zhou Yimin decided to change his strategy. He slowed down his tone and said sincerely: "Old man, I understand that you may have difficulties, and I really like this courtyard.

But you see, I really can't meet your requirements. You know, food and bills are hard to come by now, and I have worked hard to save some. Can you consider it again and lower your requirements a little? "

After hearing what Zhou Yimin said, the old man fell into deep thought. After a while, he slowly said, "Young man, I have no choice.

I have an emergency at home and I need these things to solve it. Let me put it this way, I can ask for less food, but I can't ask for less bills. This is my bottom line."

Zhou Yimin was delighted to see that the old guard had loosened up, but he was still not satisfied and continued to negotiate with them. He proposed to use some other items to replace part of the grain and bills, such as some scarce daily necessities.

After hearing this, the old man was somewhat tempted, but he was also worried that these items would be of little use to him.

After another heated debate, the two sides finally reached an agreement.

Zhou Yimin finally agreed to exchange this courtyard house for 1,500 kilograms of grain, including 300 kilograms of white flour, 100 kilograms of refined rice, 50 kilograms of meat coupons, and some various non-staple food coupons.

After the deal was done, Zhou Yimin remembered that Dapeng had mentioned that the old man still had antiques, so he spoke again: "I heard that you still have antiques to sell? Is it true?"

The old man nodded slightly and said, "There are indeed a few more, but..." There was a hint of hesitation in his eyes.

Seeing this, Zhou Yimin said, "Don't worry, as long as the product is good, the price can be negotiated."

The old man then turned around and walked into the main room.

After a while, he came out with a wooden box in his hands. He opened the box carefully, revealing several exquisite antiques.

There is a small and exquisite blue and white porcelain vase with delicate and exquisite patterns and bright colors on the body. There is also an ancient painting. Although it is very old, the picture is still clear, and there is a simple charm between the brush and ink.

When Zhou Yimin saw these antiques, his eyes suddenly lit up and his heartbeat suddenly quickened.

Relying on his own knowledge and experience, he initially judged that these were all authentic items and was secretly delighted. He did not expect that in this transaction, he would not only get a courtyard house, but also several precious antiques.

Moreover, today’s antiques are not like those in later generations, where most of them are fake.

The antiques in this case are not as precious as those in later generations, so the chance of a fake appearing is still very small.

If he still fell into this trap, Zhou Yimin could only consider himself unlucky.

But he remained calm on the surface and continued to observe the details of the antique without showing any emotion, trying to find possible flaws or problems.

Next, the two sides discussed the price of the antiques.

Zhou Yimin is well aware of the complexity of the antique market and that prices are often difficult to estimate accurately. He cannot let the antique dealers feel that they are being forced to lower their prices too much, nor can he suffer a loss himself.

He began to ask the old people about the origins and relevant background information of the antiques, trying to judge the true value of the antiques from these aspects.

The old man told the story somewhat reluctantly, with reluctance showing in his eyes from time to time.

"The value of these antiques is no less than that of this courtyard."

As soon as Zhou Yimin heard this, he knew that the old man in front of him wanted to raise the price, so he said directly: "Comrade, if you say so, then there is no need for us to continue the discussion."

Although I know that these antiques are worth a lot of money, it will take decades to get them. Now I can't even afford to eat, so why should I care about these things?

After some bargaining, Zhou Yimin finally bought these antiques at a price acceptable to both parties.

After the transaction was completed, a look of relief appeared on the old man's face.

He looked at Zhou Yimin and said, "Comrade, I hope you can treat this courtyard well. It is the hard work of several generations of our family."

Zhou Yimin nodded solemnly and said, "Don't worry, I will definitely protect it well."

When leaving the courtyard, Zhou Yimin looked back at the courtyard that would soon belong to him.

(End of this chapter)