Chapter 268: A Bet
After Lin Jianguo left, Jiang Longcheng asked in surprise, “Brother Li Yi, did you come all the way here just to rent a few run-down rooms?”
“Yeah!”
“If you need a place, why come here? Our cotton mill has dozens of warehouses of all sizes, and we even have empty production workshops—aren’t those better than this place?” Jiang Longcheng said.
Li Yi smiled and said, “The cotton mill does have plenty of buildings, but they aren’t suitable for me. On the other hand, those few buildings south of the foundry are actually quite suitable!”
“Huh, now that you mention it, I seem to recall those buildings over by the foundry. I remember the area stinking to high heaven, and they’re right next to the street. What good would renting there do you?” Ye Jianhua chimed in.
“Heh, it’s a secret!”
Just then, Lin Jianguo returned to the office.
He then addressed Li Yi: “Comrade Li Yi, I just had someone look into it. Around here in Beiguan Village, the monthly rent for a standard 30-square-meter apartment is about eight yuan.”
“But that’s for residential use. Those rooms on our south side are really just warehouses, so the price certainly can’t match residential rates. However, the area is much larger—about five or six hundred square meters—so the finance department has set the price at 30 yuan a month!”
No sooner had he finished speaking than Jiang Longcheng, standing nearby, frowned and snapped, “Lin Jianguo, you’re way too greedy! Just a few drafty, run-down warehouses like that, and you actually dare to charge 30 yuan a month? You’ve got some nerve!”
Lin Jianguo hurriedly replied, “Then 20… 20 yuan…”
Just as Jiang Longcheng was about to say something, Li Yi cut in: “Factory Director Lin, don’t listen to him. Thirty yuan is already very cheap—that can’t possibly be the reference price the finance department gave you!”
Lin Jianguo’s eyes widened in shock as he stared at Li Yi.
Seeing the look on his face, Jiang Longcheng knew Li Yi had guessed correctly. He immediately asked, “What’s the quote from your factory’s finance department?”
“Fifty!”
Li Yi replied immediately, “Let’s go with 50 yuan a month, but I have one condition!”
“What condition?”
“I want a five-year lease, with the entire rent paid in a lump sum. Also, the contract must specify that after five years, if the price remains the same, I have the right of first refusal!” Li Yi said.
“This… Comrade Li Yi, you’re not joking, are you?”
No sooner had Lin Jianguo finished speaking than he saw Li Yi pull a stack of cash straight out of his shoulder bag and slam it down on his desk.
A single bundle of 100-yuan notes was worth a full thousand yuan; there were three bundles right in front of him—three thousand yuan, exactly covering five years’ rent.
Lin Jianguo swallowed hard. Three thousand yuan wasn’t a huge sum, but it could cover a month’s wages for the factory’s hundred-plus employees.
For their factory, which was so poor it was barely scraping by, this was truly a godsend!
Li Yi’s brazen gesture also startled Jiang Longcheng and Ye Jianhua standing nearby. Although they came from privileged backgrounds and their families were well-off, they would never carry that much cash on their person.
This was three thousand yuan—equivalent to nearly a decade’s wages for an ordinary worker. Who would dare carry that much cash on their person?
Not to mention, the shoulder bag Li Yi was carrying was still bulging—clearly containing far more than just those three thousand yuan.
Just who is this guy, anyway? Is he really from the mountains?
And why on earth would he spend so much money to rent such a useless, run-down place?
For a moment, the three men in the room stared blankly at Li Yi, the silence growing eerie!
Their reaction was exactly what Li Yi had expected. He immediately tapped the table and said to Lin Jianguo, “Director Lin, I’m not joking with you. Just give me a straight answer—is it a go or not?”
Lin Jianguo snapped out of his daze and hurriedly replied, “Alright, but the price you’re offering is a bit high…”
Before he could finish, Li Yi replied calmly, “I know whether it’s high or not. Fifty yuan a month—that’s a price I’ll accept!”
In Beijing, 50 yuan is barely enough to rent a 500- or 600-square-meter apartment these days.
Not to mention the future—just wait four or five days, and the price will at least double or triple.
Looking even further ahead, in three or five years, forget about 50 yuan a month—you wouldn’t even be able to rent it for 50 yuan a day.
Lin Jianguo didn’t dare make the decision himself, so he turned his gaze to Jiang Longcheng standing beside him.
After all, this was the man who had brought him here; without his nod of approval, he wouldn’t dare accept the money.
Jiang Longcheng naturally understood what Lin Jianguo was getting at, but seeing how resolute Li Yi was, he had no choice but to nod.
Seeing Jiang Longcheng nod in agreement, Lin Jianguo immediately said with delight, “Comrade Li Yi, then it’s settled!”
“Right. Besides renting the place, I’d also like to place an order with your foundry!” Li Yi said.
“What kind of order?” Lin Jianguo asked urgently.
Their foundry was now on the brink of survival; if they didn’t get any more orders, all 100-plus employees would be left with nothing to eat during the New Year.
So, the moment he heard the word “order,” his eyes lit up.
Li Yi pulled a few sheets of plain white paper from his shoulder bag and handed them to Lin Jianguo.
“Take a look at this. Can your factory handle it?”
Lin Jianguo took the drawings and studied them carefully. After a long moment, he said, “This looks like some kind of grilling… table. Is this a pot?”
Li Yi immediately explained, “It’s called a grill-and-hot-pot combo table. The hole on the left is for holding a charcoal brazier…”
After Li Yi had explained the grill-and-hotpot combo table in detail, he asked, “Can your foundry make this? If so, I’ll place an order for a hundred tables.”
Lin Jianguo frowned and said, “I can’t give you a definite answer right now. Why don’t I go ask the senior craftsmen in the workshop first, and get back to you?”
“Sure!”
“Please wait a moment!”
With that, Lin Jianguo hurriedly left the office once again!
Once the office was left with just the three of them, Jiang Longcheng, who had been holding back for a while, immediately asked, “Brother Li Yi, are you really going to spend three thousand yuan to rent that dilapidated warehouse of theirs?”
“Yeah!”
“What are you thinking? That’s just throwing money down the drain!” Jiang Longcheng said, sounding a bit flustered.
“Do I look like an idiot to you?” Li Yi replied nonchalantly.
“Um…”
Li Yi glanced at Ye Jianhua and then asked, “Don’t you think this house isn’t worth three thousand yuan either?”
“It’s not worth it!” Ye Jianhua replied without a moment’s hesitation.
Although housing in Beijing was expensive—ordinary apartments could rent for six to eight yuan a month, and those near the train station might even go for ten yuan a month—
But those were residential properties, fully equipped with stoves, beds, water jars, and other household essentials. An abandoned warehouse like the one at the foundry was absolutely not worth that price.
Li Yi smiled faintly and said, “Well, do you believe that within a week, the price of this warehouse could double—or even triple?”
“How is that possible?” Jiang Longcheng asked.
“Why don’t we make a bet, then?”
“How would we bet?”
“Let’s bet on the rent. It doesn’t have to be just this warehouse—it includes all the street-front shops in Beiguan Village. If the rent doubles within a week, I win; if it doesn’t, I lose!” Li Yi said.
“What’s the stake?”
Li Yi replied immediately, “As for the stakes, if I win, you do me a favor—of course, nothing illegal, and nothing that goes against your conscience or moral principles!”
“What if you lose?”
“If I lose, I’ll read your fortune again!” Li Yi said.
“Alright, it’s a bet!”
Just then, Ye Jianhua, standing nearby, timidly asked, “Can you do a reading for me too?”
Li Yi smiled and said, “Sure!”
“It’s a deal!”
“It’s a deal!”
…….