Chapter Fifty-Two: The Stratagem

"I'm not exactly saying that," Old Duan replied. "I just wanted to ask, if you were to transfer ownership of this little shop to me, how much would it cost?"

Wu De looked at him in surprise. He doubted Old Duan had much money. Even at the lowest price, Old Duan probably couldn't afford it.

"Old Duan, you aren't thinking of taking over my shop, are you?"

"How could I possibly afford it? It's for a relative of mine—he asked me to find out. If your price is reasonable, he'll take it. Then I can cook here for him, and at least I'd have a livelihood."

Not wanting Wu De to see through him, Old Duan spoke a little sheepishly.

Wu De thought it over briefly. If Old Duan could find a job by himself, he wouldn't have to bring him along to the restaurant. After all, Old Feng was the main shareholder; if Feng didn't want Old Duan, Wu De would lose face.

"Tell your relative I won't ask much—five hundred. If that's acceptable, we'll sign a simple agreement. If not, then forget it."

In truth, five hundred was already fairly high. The shop had little business to speak of. Chen Huajiang thought three hundred would do; it was just the equipment that had any value, nothing else.

"Alright. I'll talk to him tonight when I get home," Old Duan said, having learned Wu De's bottom line. That evening, after Wu De left, Old Duan relayed the matter to Chen Huajiang.

Chen Huajiang thought for a moment; if he could lower the price by another hundred, he'd accept.

"Old Duan, let's do this: ask him tomorrow if he can go any lower. If it's four hundred, we'll take it. Then you'll sign the contract with him in your name, and after you do, we'll sign another contract between us, and I'll give you fifty extra."

Chen Huajiang had a plan at once—the contract needed to be in his name. They would simply go through an extra step.

Old Duan could make fifty just like that—why not?

"Alright, Boss Chen. I'll talk to him tomorrow."

Just as Old Duan finished speaking, Lin Guoshan came running over, looking excited.

"Huajiang, the house over there is already built. Do you want to take a look? If we need to buy anything else, let me know. Otherwise, I won't know what to get."

Lin Guoshan had been quite diligent lately, since Chen Huajiang provided the funding. All he needed to do was take good care of the shop.

"Alright, let's go take a look," said Chen Huajiang.

The two went to see the new house Lin Guoshan had arranged. Dalian had done a careful job; it was well built.

The place was fairly spacious, and not far away was a small restaurant. The business there was decent, since there were no other options nearby; whether the food was good or not, people had to eat there.

Chen Huajiang glanced around their shop—it was quite nice. On a piece of paper, he listed what needed to be purchased for Lin Guoshan: mostly pots, bowls, and utensils.

As they stepped outside, they ran into a group of local troublemakers. One of the gang leaders pointed at Lin Guoshan and said, "You're the one pestering Fangfang every day, aren't you?"

Fangfang was a girl Lin Guoshan had recently met, still in the early stages of acquaintance. "Pestering" wasn’t quite accurate.

"What do you mean, pestering Fangfang? Why are you here?" Lin Guoshan asked, puzzled. Could they have been sent by Fangfang? It didn’t seem likely, and Fangfang had a good impression of him.

"We’re here to tell you: Fangfang belongs to our boss. You’d better not have anything to do with her," the leader said loudly.

Lin Guoshan was stunned; he had no idea about this.

"Who’s your boss? If Fangfang is with him, why does she still agree to go out with me?" Lin Guoshan couldn’t understand.

Chen Huajiang could basically guess—their so-called boss was interested in Fangfang, but Fangfang might not feel the same.

"You really don't know our boss? His name's Lai Zi—ask around. We're warning you: if we ever see you with Fangfang again, don't blame us for what happens."

With these threats, they walked away.

"Don’t worry, brother," Chen Huajiang comforted Lin Guoshan. "Go find Fangfang and see what's really going on. Otherwise, we're both in the dark. If anything happens, just let me know."

Lin Guoshan nodded and went directly to look for Fangfang. He had no phone number or other way to contact her, so he had to go to her home.

When Fangfang saw Lin Guoshan, she took him to a park near her neighborhood.

"It's so late—what did you want to talk about?" Fangfang said, a bit shy.

"Some thugs came to see me today. They told me not to contact you anymore, said their boss is already with you. Is that true?" Lin Guoshan, inexperienced in romance, asked her straightforwardly.

Fangfang was completely bewildered. She knew Lai Zi, but the two had little interaction. Lai Zi had approached her several times, but she always refused. She had made it clear she didn’t want to date a gangster, yet he wouldn’t take no for an answer. She never expected he'd go so far as to find Lin Guoshan.

"I'm not close with him at all. If he tries to bother you, you don't need to listen to him. As for me, I don’t like him," Fangfang said, helpless.

Lin Guoshan was reassured. Judging by Fangfang’s tone, he still had a chance.

"I understand. Let me walk you home. I just wanted to ask about this," Lin Guoshan said.

After escorting Fangfang home, he felt elated. From her behavior, it seemed she did have some feelings for him.

The next morning, Old Duan waited for Wu De, but Wu De was nowhere to be found. It wasn't until noon that he arrived.

"Where have you been? I talked to my relative, and he thinks the price is a bit high. He said four hundred is acceptable."

Old Duan didn’t bother haggling and spoke with cheerful frankness.

"Four hundred? Are you sure your relative wants it? Well, for your sake, I’ll accept that price. Where is he? When can we sign the contract?" Wu De asked. He’d been busy with the new restaurant lately and had already lost interest in the little shop.

"He’s already given me the money, but I left it at home. If you agree, I’ll sign the contract with you first," Old Duan said, following Chen Huajiang’s instructions.

"Alright, bring the money tomorrow, and we’ll sign. Once the contract’s done, the shop is yours. But I’m taking the refrigerator—it’s worth over a thousand on its own."