bigabreads Chapter 58 Turning Wasteland into Gold! The fourth brother fanned himself: Sister-in-law, can I exch
Chapter 58 Turning Wasteland into Gold! The fourth brother fanned himself: Sister-in-law, can I exch
At the foot of the mountain, in a makeshift shelter.
The atmosphere wasn't as lively as it was on the mountain; instead, it had a suffocating... cheap and shabby feel to it.
"I'm out of money."
The fourth brother, Qin Yue, slumped in his armchair, idly waving a golden nanmu folding fan in his hand.
That usually shrewd and calculating fox-like face was now filled with utter despair.
He pointed to the account book on the table, which was even cleaner than his face, and looked at Su Wan, who had just run down the mountain, with mournful eyes:
"Sister-in-law, my brother is having a blast demolishing houses on the mountain, swinging his sledgehammer with a deafening roar."
But he didn't know that with each blow of the hammer, he wasn't shattering stone, but rather my heart, liver, and lungs!
"Labor, stone, timber... which one doesn't cost money?"
"With all our savings, that spendthrift fifth brother just asked for another sum to buy some 'gunpowder materials'... Now we don't even have enough money to buy second brother a sheet of Xuan paper."
As Qin Yue spoke, he leaned to the side, deliberately getting closer to Su Wan. The scent of sandalwood and money instantly enveloped Su Wan.
"Sister-in-law..." He extended a slender finger, hooked it around Su Wan's sleeve, and gently shook it, like a satiated fox begging for food: "Even a clever woman can't cook without rice. How about... we pawn your gold hairpin? Or..."
He glanced at Su Wan with a suggestive look, his voice low and laced with a wicked smile: "Sell me off too? Although I'm not as hardworking as my older brother, this face... I could probably be worth a hundred or two taels of silver as a gigolo for a rich woman."
"Get lost!" Su Wan chuckled and slapped his hand away, flicking his forehead as she did so: "The Qin family isn't so poor that they have to sell themselves."
She walked to the table, picked up the ink-stained pen, and drew several circles around the empty "Wanxiang Academy Planning Map".
"Fourth brother, who said we don't have money?" Su Wan pointed to the vacant lot on the blueprint, which was still overgrown with weeds, her eyes gleaming with a light brighter than gold: "Look at this land."
"It's closest to the academy, backed by green mountains and facing clear waters. If my second brother becomes the headmaster and my eldest brother becomes the chief instructor... wouldn't the people living here be able to be neighbors with the 'God of Literature' and the 'God of Martial Arts' every day?"
Qin Yue narrowed his eyes and stopped fanning himself.
He was a born businessman, with an incredibly keen sense of opportunity. He understood things instantly.
"What my sister-in-law means is..." Qin Yue suddenly sat up straight, his peach blossom eyes gleaming with a sharp light, as if the slumped, useless man from just moments ago was not him at all: "To sell this still-undeveloped wasteland... to those nouveau riche landlords who want their children to have some literary refinement?"
"Yes, this is called—school district housing." Su Wan's lips curled slightly as she dropped a bombshell in the business world: "Moreover, we don't sell existing homes."
"We sell 'off-plan' properties. It's like your older brother planting trees on the mountain; the trees haven't even grown yet, but the fruit is already sold."
"That's what you call—getting something for nothing."
Boom—! Qin Yue felt as if he'd been struck by lightning! Completely clear! Utterly clear! Collect the money first, build the house later! Using the clients' money to do their own thing!
This kind of immoral... no, this kind of ingenious idea could only come from my seemingly harmless sister-in-law!
[Beep! "Business Insight" detected!]
[Target: Qin Yue (Fourth Brother). Status: Money-grubbing nature at its peak + extreme adoration for his sister-in-law!]
[Heartbeat Value: +800! Obtained Item: Golden Abacus (Calculation Speed +200%, Anti-fraud Attribute MAX)!]
"Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful!" Qin Yue jumped up excitedly, grabbed Su Wan's hand, and kissed it hard: "Sister-in-law! How is your brain structured? It's practically a living treasure trove!"
"I want to share in the joy!"
As he spoke, this guy went even further, pressing Su Wan's hand against his chest and rubbing it forcefully against the embroidered coin pattern on his clothes.
Su Wan could clearly feel the heart beneath her palm pounding wildly with the impending windfall.
"Alright, alright! Stop rubbing! It smells like powder!" Su Wan blushed, quickly pulled her hand back, and pointed to the wasteland: "Get to work! Second Brother's writing materials, and Eldest Brother's wages, all depend on tonight!"
……
Night fell. At the entrance of Langya Village, the makeshift shed was transformed, now adorned with several red lanterns, giving it an air of mystery and...nobility.
A huge mahogany table was placed in the middle (it was moved from the fourth house).
On the table lay the "Celestial Palace Map" drawn by Su Wan. Sitting beside him sat Qin Mo, the second brother, dressed in a blue robe, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, and with a cold expression—he was there to keep things under control (and also to draft the contract).
Meanwhile, the fourth brother, Qin Yue, had changed into a purple-gold brocade robe, and was waving his signature folding fan, smiling like a cunning fox, as he received his first batch of "prey".
Those who came were all wealthy merchants from the county town.
These people had long heard that the Qin family had produced a talented scholar "valued by the Grand Tutor," and having witnessed the glass miracle, they were all itching to try it themselves.
"Gentlemen, please look." Qin Yue swished his folding fan and lightly tapped the fan rib on the drawing. He tapped the wasteland still overgrown with weeds.
"This place is called the [Garden of Top Scholars]." Qin Yue's voice rose and fell, carrying a captivating, almost manipulative quality: "This place is the feng shui eye of the entire academy! Azure Dragon on the left, White Tiger on the right, Vermilion Bird in front, Black Tortoise behind!" "My second brother, the future headmaster, passes by here every morning during his reading. Living here, every breath you take is imbued with the fragrance of ink!"
"Really?!" A portly wealthy man's beard trembled with excitement. "Fourth Master Qin, how much for this house?"
Qin Yue smiled slightly and held up three fingers.
"Three hundred taels?" The wealthy man breathed a sigh of relief. "Not expensive at all."
"No." Qin Yue shook his head, a disdainful smile curving his lips as if he were looking at a country bumpkin: "It's three thousand taels."
"And this is just a deposit."
A collective gasp filled the room! Three thousand taels?! And that was just a deposit?! Had Qin Laosi gone mad with greed?! That was wasteland! Not even a single brick!
"Too expensive! Too expensive! This is highway robbery!" Everyone shook their heads, and some even turned to leave.
The atmosphere was getting awkward. Su Wan, who had been pouring tea (actually acting as a mascot), suddenly moved.
She carried the tea tray and walked to Qin Mo's side. As she poured the tea, she leaned slightly forward. The hem of her moon-white skirt gently swept across the ground, and her fair, jade-like wrist gleamed softly under the lantern light.
"Second Brother," she said softly, but loud enough for everyone to hear, "that calligraphy that the Grand Tutor sent the other day... shouldn't it be hung in the main hall of the Scholar's Pavilion?"
Qin Mo adjusted his glasses, a cold glint in the lenses, and replied in perfect unison, "Yes. The Grand Tutor said it's reserved for 'Number One Under Heaven.' Naturally, it should be hung in the best position."
The Grand Tutor's calligraphy?! The best in the world?!
The wealthy merchants who were about to leave were instantly rooted to the spot! That was the calligraphy of the current imperial tutor! If they could hang it on their doorstep, wouldn't their sons be guaranteed success in the imperial examinations?!
"I'll buy it!!!" The wealthy man who had just complained about the price suddenly roared and pounced on the table, pulling out a stack of silver notes from his pocket: "Three thousand taels! I'll offer three thousand taels! I want this Zhuangyuanlou! Nobody can take it from me!"
"I'll offer three thousand five hundred taels! I want the one closest to the headmaster!" "Four thousand taels! I want the one where I can see General Qin doing his morning exercises!"
The scene instantly spiraled out of control. This wasn't buying a house; it was grasping at a straw!
Qin Yue stood behind the table, watching the silver notes rain down like snowflakes, his eyes nearly disappearing with laughter. He expertly collected the money while winking at Qin Mo: "Second Brother! Quick! Write the contract! Don't let these fat sheep get away!"
Qin Mo picked up his brush and dipped it in ink. He wrote quickly, his handwriting flowing smoothly. The contract was densely packed with clauses, all of which were overbearing terms like "the final interpretation right belongs to the Qin family," "non-refundable," and "no compensation for delayed delivery." But in this frenzied atmosphere, no one paid any attention to it; everyone rushed to put their fingerprints on the contract, afraid that if they were too late, they would lose the house.
……
Half an hour later. The crowd dispersed. Only the three members of the Qin family remained in the pavilion, along with a pile of silver notes stacked like a small mountain on the table.
"I'm rich... I'm really rich..." Qin Yue buried his face in the pile of silver notes, took a deep breath, and let out a satisfied sigh: "Ah... this is the fragrance of money." "Sister-in-law, smell it, isn't it better than any perfume in the world?"
Su Wan couldn't help but laugh at his greedy look. She reached out and poked his head: "Alright, stop smelling. Hurry up and count it, is it enough to repair the road and buy bricks?"
Qin Yue suddenly raised his head. His peach blossom eyes were red with excitement, as if he were drunk, and he stared straight at Su Wan.
"Sister-in-law." His voice suddenly became hoarse, carrying a sticky desire.
He grabbed Su Wan's hand, which was still poking his head, and pulled her forcefully. Caught off guard, Su Wan slumped onto the armrest of the armchair, half-encircled in his arms.
"Fourth brother! What are you doing? Second brother is still here!" Su Wan was startled and subconsciously looked at Qin Mo, who was tidying up contracts next to her.
Qin Mo didn't even look up. He pushed up his glasses and calmly said, "You guys continue. I'm doing the accounting, I'm deaf and blind." Although he said that, his fingers holding the pen turned slightly white, and his ears turned slightly red.
Qin Yue ignored them. He pushed the silver notes aside to make room. Then he grabbed Su Wan's hand and pressed it onto the silver notes.
"Sister-in-law." He moved closer to her, his handsome face magnified before her eyes. His breath was hot and aggressive.
"So much money... my sister-in-law earned it all for me."
"My hands are cramping from counting so much money... Shouldn't my sister-in-law feel sorry for me?"
Su Wan tried to pull her hand away, but found she couldn't budge it. Beneath her hand were cold silver notes, while the back of her hand was Qin Yue's burning hot palm. A stark contrast of ice and fire.
"Then... what kind of reward do you want?" Su Wan stammered.
Qin Yue's lips curled into a mischievous smile. He rested his chin on Su Wan's shoulder and rubbed against her like a big cat: "I want my sister-in-law... to give me a massage."
"Where should I rub?"
"Rub here." Qin Yue pulled her hand out of the pile of banknotes and slowly moved it down. It passed over his heaving chest and taut abdominal muscles, and finally... stopped at the base of his thigh (in his pocket).
Su Wan froze, her scalp tingling: "Qin Yue!!!"
"Shh—" Qin Yue chuckled softly in her ear, his voice so sweet it made one's legs go weak: "What are you thinking about, sister-in-law?"
"I mean... the silver is too heavy, it's making my legs ache."
"Sister-in-law, could you help me get the money out... and while you're at it, could you massage my legs, okay?"
His eyes gleamed with a mixture of roguishness and deep affection: "Sister-in-law, is this money... enough to buy you to spend the whole night counting it with me?"
Just as Su Wan's face was burning red, "Smack!" A calligraphy brush flew through the air and landed precisely on Qin Yue's hand, leaving an ink mark.
Qin Mo closed the ledger and stood up. He took off his glasses, rubbed his temples, and said in a cool voice with a hint of danger, "Fourth Brother."
"Go to sleep after you've finished counting the money."
"My sister-in-law's hands... are for holding pens, not for you to use as a maid."
After saying that, he walked over, pulled Su Wan out of Qin Yue's arms, and shielded her behind him: "Sister-in-law, it's late."
"Your older brother is still waiting for you to bring him food on the mountain."
"Let's go."
Watching the two figures disappear into the distance, Qin Yue, rubbing his reddened hand, wasn't angry at all. Instead, he brought the hand that had just grabbed Su Wan to his nose and smelled it. It was full of her scent.
"Tsk." He fanned himself with his folding fan, looked at the table full of silver notes, and smiled smugly: "Second brother, second brother, you can only pretend to be serious now."