allonlinenovel Chapter 557: If You Can’t Afford It, You Don’t Have to Raise It
Chapter 557: If You Can’t Afford It, You Don’t Have to Raise It
Bai Wanwan raised her chin towards the steward and said, "Show me the remaining deeds to the manor."
The manager immediately bent down and hurriedly instructed his staff: "Quick! Bring those deeds over here!"
Several wrinkled sheets of rice paper were spread out on the table, their edges all frayed.
The steward carefully wiped the non-existent dust off the table with his sleeve and said with an apologetic smile:
"Please pay attention! These are all genuine official deeds, and the red seal is still clear!
The original owner's family suffered a disaster and could no longer hold on, so they asked our auction house to help sell it.
I originally wanted to sell it together with Tingsongzhuang, but in the end..."
He didn't finish his words and stopped with a dry laugh.
"Look at what's drawn on the land deed. These four villages are connected together. They were originally good places for producing high-quality tea.
If it weren't for the severe insect plague that killed most of the tea trees, how could such a large piece of land be sold at this price?"
As the manager spoke, he secretly glanced at Bai Wanwan's face, fearing that she would change her mind: "If you buy it, and then connect it together and take care of it, you will definitely be able to make it a good business!"
Bai Wanwan picked up the pen and wrote down her name without hesitation. A sneer came from the private room on the second floor.
Lin Zaozao's eyes were filled with sarcasm. "You're really stupid and rich. You dare to take over such a dead tea plantation?"
Su Niantang sneered, and the corners of her rouge-stained lips curled up in a harsh arc:
"What business can a young girl like you, still wet behind the ears, know?
Five hundred taels to buy a pile of waste rocks, one hundred thousand taels to buy a rotten tea plantation, do you think money just falls from the sky?"
Ding'an Hou sighed and said:
"This little girl, her family doesn't even take care of her! This is just nonsense!
If her family knew about this, wouldn't they be so angry that they would chase her and beat her with a stick?
Come to think of it, we lost our golden horse whip to her?"
Su Niantang got angry when he heard it, stamped his feet and said:
"That's right! During the last horse race, she usually ran like the wind in the snow, but when she got to the finish line, she refused to move no matter what!
No matter how much I whipped her, it was useless. I just watched her pass me by."
Ding'an Hou stroked his chin and said, "I know that horse, Taxue. He's usually very obedient. How could he suddenly fail?"
He waved his hands at the younger generations around him and said seriously:
"Everyone, remember this: next time you see Bai Wanwan, be careful!
She might be using some crooked tricks, don't fall into her trap!"
Su Niantang didn't care: "Maybe Taxue just had a stomachache..."
Just as Bai Wanwan finished buying these things, she saw Gu Sinian, Bai Song, Bai Bai, and Bai Yuan striding in.
Shen Tao shouted, "Gu Sinian, Wanwan bought a lot of things. She's your sister, why don't you take care of her?"
Gu Sinian looked at the pile of land deeds next to Bai Wanwan and said, "This is what Wanwan earned with her own ability. She can buy whatever she wants. I can't control her."
Shen Tao looked at Bai Song, Bai Bai and Bai Yuan, but none of the three brothers paid any attention to him.
"Okay, okay, forgive me for meddling in other people's business. After all, he's your family member and it's your family's money that's being spent." Shen Tao said angrily.
Gu Sinian glanced at him calmly and said, "My dear, have you had lunch yet?"
"She ate it, so what? How could I let her starve when she's with me?
I don't know how you raise them, but they only eat the best and are very picky." Shen Tao said loudly.
Gu Sinian looked at him calmly and said, "If you can't afford it, you don't have to. No one requires you to support her. My Wanwan can support herself."
The Seventeenth Prince coughed and said, "Old Eighteen, why do I feel like you've eaten a firecracker?"
Gu Sinian looked at him and said, "Seventeenth Brother, why are you here too?"
Good guy, it turned out that Gu Sinian didn’t see him at all. He touched his nose and said, "Yes! I have been here the whole time!"
Gu Sinian stopped talking. The atmosphere here became solemn. The Seventeenth Prince moved closer to Shen Tao and said in a low voice:
"Isn't that strange? Every time I see Gu Sinian, he just stands there without saying a word.
I was terrified.”
His hand holding the teacup trembled slightly:
"Look at his eyes, they are as cold as ice.
When I stare at someone, it's like I can see right through their heart, liver, spleen, and lungs."
Shen Tao sneered and tapped the Seventeenth Prince on the shoulder with his folding fan:
"How could a dignified prince be frightened like this by a junior?
You are at least a few years older than him and are his elder brother, are you afraid that you can't control him?"
"Brother? In the royal family, how much is this title worth?" The Seventeenth Prince smiled bitterly and shook his head, a sigh escaping from his throat.
"You also know that among the brothers, which one is not eyeing the position of crown prince?
Even my father would look up to Gu Sinian's methods. How could I dare to compete with him?"
He laughed at himself and said, "I just want to find a backer, so that I can be a free and easy prince in the future, guarding a few acres of thin land and a few houses, and living in peace."
Shen Tao looked at the dejected appearance of the Seventeenth Prince, feeling mixed emotions.
He put away his folding fan and patted the other person's shoulder:
"That's all, everyone has their own way of living.
But this backer...you have to look carefully."
The Seventeenth Prince looked at Gu Sinian and said, "Hmm, hmm, hmm, I've taken a close look..."
The seventeenth prince knew very well that his mother was just a concubine, and her status was so low that she had to hide in a corner even during the daily morning and evening visits.
The little money from his mother's family couldn't make any waves in the court. He knew from a young age that the position of crown prince was a mirage for him.
At this moment, he looked at Gu Sinian's profile, his nails almost digging into his palms.
The other princes were already surrounded by children from aristocratic families, but this eighteenth brother was the only one with an unfathomable chill lingering around him, making him the variable most likely to turn the tide.
He leaned over and lowered his voice, "Eighteenth Brother, I have something to talk to you about. Can we talk in another private room?"
Gu Sinian paused holding the celadon cup, and when his phoenix eyes swept over, the Seventeenth Prince suddenly saw fine beads of cold sweat on the back of his neck.
Fortunately, the other party just nodded lightly: "Please!"
The seventeenth prince knelt on the blue brick floor with a thud, his knees making a dull sound.
The knuckles of his fingers clutching the hem of his clothes turned white, and his voice was filled with desperate urgency:
"Eighteenth brother! Although my mother is just a concubine, my maternal grandfather's surname is Zhou, and he has been sailing along the coast for decades!
We now have more than 20 large ships that are used to transport spices and jewelry from overseas to us.
My maternal grandfather's family can only pay a small portion of the imperial court's annual maritime trade tax!"
Gu Sinian leaned on the carved couch, squinting his eyes at the kneeling Seventeenth Prince, and asked slowly, "Do you want to join me?"
The Seventeenth Prince kowtowed hurriedly, his forehead almost touching the floor tiles. "I'm willing to run errands for you! As long as you can use me, I will definitely do it!"
Gu Sinian casually played with the jade pendant in his hand and asked, "Of all the princes, why did you choose me?"
The Seventeenth Prince wiped the sweat from his forehead and spoke the truth:
“The other princes were already surrounded by people, and even the ministers had their share.
Although our family has some money, it means nothing in their eyes.
If I follow you, maybe there will be another chance."