NOVEL NEXT Chapter 512: Terms
"Not selling is not an option. Once it's near the subway, it can't become a transportation hub. You won't be able to grow vegetables anymore, building towers is inevitable."
"No," Qin Xiangnuan pulled his hand away, not letting him touch her hair; it had become a conditioned reflex. During her confinement, he liked to touch it, and she was afraid he would get a greasy hand, but he didn't mind at all. Now although the grease was gone, it still felt weird to her.
She shook her head, trying to shake off the grease as if it were still there.
"I don't want to exchange it for money, but for buildings." This had always been her plan. She didn't have the capacity to invest in property development, so she flipped houses instead. Now was the golden time for flipping houses, especially in the capital, the most bustling area in the whole country, where soon every inch of land would be worth its weight in gold, and it would be difficult to find a place to live.
"Exchange for buildings?" Jian Zhiqing somewhat understood Qin Xiangnuan's meaning; after all, they had grown up together.
"Yes, we could pay extra to exchange for several floors. Our family has a lot of people; I'm afraid we won't have enough room," she was planning for the future. With three sons at home, that would mean three properties, and in the future, a little girl.
"Two Siheyuans aren't enough for you to live in?" Jian Zhiqing laughed, "Are you planning to stock up for later?"
"Of course, wait for the prices to rise," Qin Xiangnuan thought just like that. It was better to invest the money than to just keep it in the bank, or what else was she to do? Wait to live off the interest? There was not much interest to live off of.
Jian Zhiqing actually agreed with Qin Xiangnuan's idea. The land could practically be considered a gift, as they'd been farming it for many years and had already recouped the original cost of the old houses. Whether to buy buildings or sell for money either option was viable.
Qin Xiangnuan originally thought it might take some time, but a few days later, the developers came. They were specifically there to talk about that piece of land. Over five acres of land was not small, and indeed, four to five large buildings could be built on it.
The investors this time were no small names, they were among the top in the country, and the land next to the subway, several ring roads, main thoroughfares, and prestigious universities – anyone with vision would take interest in it. Although it hadn't yet been developed, once it was, it would bring endless business opportunities.
So no matter what, they had to get that piece of land. Other issues were not a big deal, but out of all of it, the most crucial five acres were privately owned and still being used for farming. It took some time, but they finally found the owners – Qin Xiangnuan and her family.
A bunch of conditions were put forth amounting to nearly twelve million yuan in compensation. At that time, over ten million yuan could be compared to several tens of millions in the future. But even with such generous offers, Qin Xiangnuan did not agree. What she wanted was not money, but houses.
After several negotiations, construction on their side kept getting delayed, causing the developer to break out in a cold sweat. They needed to start construction, yet she was resolutely unwilling to budge. Several project managers had come, almost ready to cling to Qin Xiangnuan's legs and cry.
"My dear lady, please give us a break. Whatever you want, let's negotiate. Is the money too little? Are there conditions that you're not satisfied with? Just tell us, and we're open to discussion."
Qin Xiangnuan held a drawing pen in her hand, with many unfinished architectural designs on the table.
This Manager Wang had been pestering her for half a month; he looked like he would burst into tears if she didn't agree.
Crying, making a fuss, even pretending to hang oneself – he tried all sorts of soft and hard tactics, short of camping out here.
Qin Xiangnuan twirled her pen between her fingers, feeling that it was about time. Being too greedy wasn't good; it might backfire and make someone sick with anxiety.
She still did not speak but took out a piece of paper from her stack of drawings.
"This is what I want, take a look. Not many conditions, just this one."
Manager Wang wiped the cold sweat on his forehead, finally relieved that there was a condition. And since Qin Xiangnuan said there was only one, it should be easy to fulfill.
But the moment he saw what was written, the cold sweat on his forehead couldn't be stopped from dripping down.
"This condition—"
How dare she make such a demand?
This thin sheet of paper truly contained only one sentence, no more.
"I want one of your buildings."
Listen, look, think about it.
So simple, so clear, so straightforward.
One building, an entire building! Did she think it was like selling fruit, where if you buy a large one you'll get a small one free, and if it doesn't sell you can discount it? This was a building, an entire building, not made of plastic, clay, or dough – yet she dared to ask for it.
The saying goes about making an outrageous initial demand, but he felt this was beyond that – it was like a lion not just opening its mouth wide but also biting, wanting to tear off a chunk of flesh. This was essentially taking someone else's lifeblood by force.
"How about it, can you meet this condition?" Qin Xiangnuan still didn't feel there was anything inappropriate about her demand; that was exactly how much she wanted.
Wang Jili, trying to hold back his anger that was nearly bursting out, couldn't afford to lose his temper.
"Could we change it?" Manager Wang tried to explain to Qin Xiangnuan, "We only built five buildings. If you take one straight away, the developer would be at a loss. No one wants to do business at a loss, and there's no such principle. You want money, we give money; you want houses, we provide houses. But to take an entire building at once, that's indeed too much. I won't beat around the bush with you. Each building has at least eighteen floors, with four units on each, all serviced by elevators. The investment is truly substantial. If you take a whole building, we are afraid."
Qin Xiangnuan curved her lips. She was indeed aware she was asking for a lot. She spun the pen in her hand again, "Our five acres of land will only get more valuable with time. If we don't sell it to you, we can sell it to someone else. And I know you're not just building five buildings, that's just the beginning. If you want to add more later, that area could easily fit another five buildings. And I'm not asking you to compensate me with an entire building; you can calculate the price difference. My land should be worth several floors; we can pay for the rest ourselves. Anyway, once the buildings are complete, they're meant to be sold."
"So that's it..." Manager Wang wiped the sweat off his forehead again. If they calculated it that way, it seemed like they wouldn't be at a loss. However, this was a big decision; he needed to consult with higher-ups. And like Qin Xiangnuan said, the houses would be sold once they were built; selling now or later didn't really make any difference.