CHAPTER 405: CHAPTER 405: BUSINESS DEAL

Qin Xiangmei gritted her teeth, pulled out US$ 50 from her pocket, and sadly handed it to the old man. The old man gave her 12 yuan back and put the US$ 50 into the box. Qin Xiangmei turned green with anger, but helpless, she could only go back holding the 12 yuan. This US$ 50 was her meal money for a whole month, and now more than half of it was gone. How could she not feel pain? Going back to the Siheyuan, she still had to endure Qin Xiangnuan’s attitude. Thinking about this made her want to explode inside.

The damned girl, that little wretch, she actually disconnected the phone, just so she couldn’t make calls, fine, let them wait and see who will regret and who will admit defeat.

"Xiang Mei, don’t you have a house in Capital City?" A classmate suddenly recalled something, chatting with Qin Xiangmei eagerly, "This weekend is Xiao Lin’s birthday, can we go to your place?"

Before Qin Xiangmei could speak, another classmate interjected.

Indeed, it’s boring here for Xiang Mei, let’s go to your house, I’ve never been in a Siheyuan before.

Qin Xiangmei lowered her head, constantly biting her finger, but not knowing how to properly refuse. She always boasted about her family’s Siheyuan in front of her classmates. What if people found out it wasn’t hers, what then?

But since the classmates have spoken, if she doesn’t take them, who knows how they would laugh at her.

Let’s just do it, she threw caution to the wind. If Qin Xiangnuan dares to say an extra word, watch how she’ll deal with her, maybe even call the parents over.

"Wow, Xiang Mei, this is your house?" A classmate, upon seeing the small Siheyuan, was utterly amazed, "This place is really beautiful."

"Of course," Qin Xiangmei’s initial worries were soon replaced by a sense of superiority, "It’s said there are very few Siheyuan left here, mostly owned by wealthy families, and generally, these are not for sale. That’s why they’re said to be worth tens to hundreds of thousands; it’s not just inflated values."

Besides, even if someone wanted to buy, these families might not sell, having a Siheyuan means they’re not in need of the money, why would they think about selling?

Just as Qin Xiangmei opened the door, she heard the dog barking inside.

"Wow, you also have a dog?" Apart from Qin Xiangmei, everyone else was startled,

"It’s alright, it’s locked up," Qin Xiangmei remembered the dog and gritted her teeth with anger. One of these days, she would definitely buy rat poison to poison it to death. It always barks at her for no reason, barking nonsense, just like its master is a reflection of the dog itself.

Today, Qin Xiangnuan was not at home, and Granny Lu was also not back from the shop. Regardless, she wasn’t afraid, as she had already informed them that her classmates were coming over today, they had to prepare good food to entertain, or else she would tell her parents.

She didn’t know if they heard her, but no one was home now, and she felt very uncomfortable. It was simply outrageous, despising both that dead girl and the old grandmother alike.

What a huge living room, they all wandered around the Siheyuan, finally settling in the antique grand hall.

All the furniture here is in antique style, but I don’t really know if they’re genuinely antique. Anyway, it gives off that ancient, mystical vibe with a natural emergence of a deep, timeless, weathered feel within, as if one could hear the sound of evening drums and morning bells from the past, ringing with a sigh of time and the passage of years.

In the living room, besides the traditional-style furniture, there are also elements of modernity, like the latest color TV, a set of genuine leather sofas, fruit and candy placed on the sofa, and a fine set of tea ware with rather quirky designs, likely used by someone quite refined. These students didn’t even think twice before grabbing the candy and apples, unceremoniously sitting down on the plush leather sofa.

The living room is rarely this clean, yet they have no appreciation; they sit cracking sunflower seeds, gnawing on fruit and when finished, they casually throw the shells on the floor and leave the fruit peels wherever, just piling them on the table, except for one girl who, since entering, has been fixated on the decorative screen placed in the corner.

Her eyes filled with surprise, she stood up, pretending to admire the entire living room, but actually just to get a better look at that screen.

"Xiang Mei, your family’s screen is quite beautifully painted, very intricately made, even though it’s just an imitation," she walked over to Qin Xiangmei’s side, then casually sat down and grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds to crack open.

Qin Xiangmei doesn’t really understand this; she only knows that this Qingming River Painting screen has been here for a long time, and if no one mentioned it, she wouldn’t even remember that it existed.

"It’s just okay," Qin Xiangmei, never having explained or liked Qin Xiangnuan’s taste, said nonchalantly.

"How about we make a deal?"

The girl threw the sunflower seeds onto the table and dusted off her hands.

"A deal?" Qin Xiangmei watched this girl for a long time, "He Juan, what do you mean, what kind of deal?"

"There, that one," He Juan pointed to the screen nonchalantly, "It might be old, but it still is worth some money. I’ll give you 1000 yuan to take it away. After all, it’s just sitting here being a windscreen. With 1000 yuan, you can buy as many screens as you want."

yuan.

At hearing this amount, Qin Xiangmei was initially shocked, then her greed soon made her eyes almost turn red. 1000 yuan—that would cover two months of her living expenses. She could buy so many clothes, eat so much good food, and buy skin care products. With these 1000 yuan, and more from her family, she could have anything she wanted.

He Juan, not pressing her, casually cracked more seeds, continually tapping, as long as no one minded her jittering.

Qin Xiangmei gave the screen several glances, internally debating whether to sell it or not, considering if Qin Xiangnuan would cause her trouble if she did. But then she thought about it—if she made a fuss, what could she do? If she could do anything, she wouldn’t have let her stay here in the first place.

It’s just a worthless screen after all. If sold, what could Qin Xiangnuan do to her?

"How about it?" Unable to restrain herself, He Juan asked again, "If not selling, no worries, anyway, there’s plenty of this stuff on the market."

"I’ll sell," Qin Xiangmei hesitated for a moment, but hearing that He Juan might back out spurred her to agree quickly. She would sell; why wouldn’t she? 1000 yuan was nothing to sneeze at. After all, it wasn’t even her own possession. To just take these 1000 yuan—money in hand was money hers.