Chapter 16: Buying a Building

Despite the excitement, the shopping mall was not Li Chenggui's alone.

After some thought, Li Chenggui said, "Mr. Li, please wait a moment while I make a call."

"Sure, Mr. Li. Standing here isn't productive. I'll wait for you in the teahouse next door," Li Dong replied, pointing to a nearby teahouse. After walking around, he was a bit tired.

Currently, Dongping didn't seem to have any coffee shops, but there were plenty of teahouses.

"Alright, Mr. Li, I'll be there soon."

Li Chenggui didn't want Li Dong overhearing his discussion with friends, so he needed to consult them first.

...

Li Dong waited in the teahouse for about twenty minutes before Li Chenggui, sweating profusely, walked in.

Not only was he alone, but he was accompanied by two middle-aged men, who were presumably his friends.

"Mr. Li, sorry for making you wait. I apologize!" Li Chenggui said, looking apologetic.

Li Dong waved it off, smiling as he said, "These two should be your friends. Please, have a seat."

The man with glasses nodded slightly to Li Dong and sat down, while the other man, noticing Li Dong's youth, gave Li Chenggui a skeptical look.

However, since Li Chenggui was the major investor in the building, any potential issues would primarily affect him, so the man remained silent.

As soon as they were seated, Li Chenggui drank all the tea in his cup and said, "Mr. Li, after discussing with my friends, we can sell the building, but there are two conditions I need to mention."

"Go ahead," Li Dong said, listening intently.

Li Chenggui got straight to the point, "First, since you want to buy the commercial spaces on the lower floors, they will be priced at a premium compared to the market rate."

This was understandable, as commercial properties were more valuable than residential ones, especially those facing the street.

Moreover, selling the three lower floors of Blue Sea Plaza would affect the rental potential of the upper floors.

Although Li Dong had already agreed in principle, he pretended to deliberate before nodding in agreement.

Li Chenggui let out a sigh of relief and continued, "Second, Blue Sea Plaza has a basement floor that was initially planned as a parking garage. If Mr. Li wants to buy this basement as well, we would need to retain its usage rights."

Li Dong was not willing to easily agree to the retention of usage rights. He frowned and said, "I definitely want to buy the parking garage, but the retention of usage rights is unnecessary. I understand your concerns, and tenants on the fourth and fifth floors of the mall can use the garage as long as they follow the payment regulations."

Li Chenggui and his companions discussed quietly for a moment, and then decided not to push the issue further.

The real concern was the price. If they couldn't agree on that, nothing else mattered.

Li Chenggui continued, "Since Mr. Li wants to buy the property, you must be familiar with the market."

"The first floor of Blue Sea Plaza is 820 square meters. Currently, the average price for street-facing shops on North Street is around 2200 per square meter. The second and third floors are 780 square meters each, with an average market price of around 2000."

"For the parking garage, we are calculating based on construction costs. The total price is 5.2 million. I wonder if Mr. Li can accept this?"

Li Chenggui looked at Li Dong with some anticipation, hoping he would agree.

However, Li Dong wasn't going to easily agree to a high price. He immediately shook his head and said, "Mr. Li, this price is not sincere. Talking about market rates is pointless. How many shops on North Street have changed hands in the past year?"

Li Chenggui wasn't afraid of negotiation; he was worried that Li Dong would be deterred by the price and not negotiate at all.

Seeing Li Dong open to negotiation, Li Chenggui felt relieved.

He quickly engaged in a serious discussion about the price, with his two partners occasionally chiming in.

...

After about an hour of discussion, the main issue was still the price.

Li Dong firmly insisted on 4 million, and Li Chenggui and his companions eventually made excuses to leave and discuss further.

Even though Li Dong would have been willing to buy at a slightly higher price, considering that prices would rise in the second half of the year, he didn't have enough cash at hand. He was also unsure how long his lobster-selling business would last.

Moreover, he was confident that 4 million was a fair offer, as real estate investment wasn't too high-risk, and even at that price, Li Chenggui and his partners would still make a profit.

After a few minutes, Li Chenggui and his companions returned.

Li Chenggui and his friends exchanged glances and said, "Mr. Li, 4 million is indeed a bit low. Let's make a concession. How about 4.38 million? Consider it a gesture of friendship."

This "friendship" was too costly—38,000 could buy two apartments in Dongping. Li Dong wasn't willing.

After some consideration, Li Dong said, "Let's go with an auspicious number—4.18 million. It's a win-win situation!"

Li Chenggui and his companions exchanged a few more quiet words and finally, Li Chenggui decided, "Deal! We can sign the agreement now!"

...

The preliminary agreement was signed around midnight. They agreed to formalize the purchase contract in ten days, as Li Dong needed time to gather the funds and wait for Blue Sea Plaza's completion.

Li Chenggui and his partners were not in a rush. It was rare to find someone in Dongping with several million ready to buy a property. As long as the timeframe wasn't too unreasonable, they could wait.

Li Dong declined Li Chenggui's invitation for a meal, and after leaving the teahouse, he felt a bit exhausted.

He hurried to the market, where his parents had already prepared dinner and were waiting for him.

Seeing Li Dong arrive, Cao Fang set up a small table behind the stall and served the prepared meal.

Lunch was quite sumptuous—spare rib soup, braised beef, braised carp, and several vegetable dishes.

Li Dong found a stool and sat down, saying to his parents, "You must not have eaten yet. Let's eat together."

"You eat first. Your father and I will keep an eye on the stall and eat later."

"It's already noon. There's no one around now. Let's eat together. Eating alone isn't much fun."

Cao Fang and her husband couldn't resist Li Dong's insistence and sat down to eat. Such a scene was rare—a family of three dining together was a rare occurrence.

When Li Dong was young, he enjoyed staying at the market with his parents. As he grew older, he rarely visited due to embarrassment, often going to the school cafeteria or waiting for his mother to bring dinner in the evening.

Later, when he went to university, he rarely returned home. After graduation, his parents passed away. Reflecting on it, the times they dined together were indeed few.

As he ate in silence, Li Dong's thoughts wandered far away.

His parents probably didn't realize that their son, sitting across from them, had just completed a multi-million-dollar deal and bought an entire three-story building on Commercial Street.

In ten years, if he didn't sell the building for tens of millions, it would still be profitable from rental income alone.

While he was lost in thought, a middle-aged woman selling fish next door loudly said, "Oh, isn't this Dongzi? It's been ages since I've seen you. Look how much you've grown!"

Li Dong snapped back to reality and smiled, "Aunt Wang, it's been so long. You haven't changed a bit. You look younger than my mother."

"Haha, little Dongzi knows how to talk. You're about to take the college entrance exam, right? Which school are you planning to apply to? Your parents have been talking about you so much that I'm almost deaf. You'd better do well," Aunt Wang said loudly, as people in the market often did.

In the market, voices are usually raised because if they are too quiet, customers won't hear them, and disputes are common, so loud voices help maintain order.

There's also a custom in the market where business is rarely discussed. Instead, people talk about their children.

Nearby people, hearing Aunt Wang's words, came over to greet Li Chengyuan and his wife and curiously looked at Li Dong.

Li Dong's acceptance into the county's top high school had been a sensation, especially since he was in the experimental class, which made people envious.

Li Chengyuan and his wife often boasted about Li Dong. Since he had been absent for a few years, many people approached him, their admiration evident.

Li Dong handled the interactions smoothly, chatting with everyone without neglecting anyone.

This made everyone regard Li Chengyuan and his wife with even greater respect, praising them for raising such a successful son, who would surely have a bright future.

Cao Fang couldn't stop smiling, and although Li Chengyuan didn't show it, his eyes revealed his joy.

Li Dong also smiled, but his heart felt bittersweet.

This was the essence of being a parent—no amount of praise for them could match their happiness in seeing their child succeed. Their children were everything to them.

In his past life, he rarely visited the market, and his parents must have felt disappointed.

With a sigh, after everyone returned to their business, Li Dong spoke, "Dad, Mom, remember

 the school physical exam a while ago? The report showed I might have hepatitis B. The teacher asked me to bring you to the hospital to check if it's hereditary."

"Hepatitis B? Is it serious, son?"

Upon hearing that Li Dong might be ill, Cao Fang immediately became anxious, not caring to ask what hepatitis B was.

Li Dong hurriedly explained, "It's not serious. Hepatitis B affects about 100 million people in the country. The teacher just wants to check if it's hereditary."

This was a necessary excuse. Since his parents didn't know what hepatitis B was and weren't concerned about hereditary aspects, they just wanted to ensure their son was okay.

Li Dong wanted his parents to go for a health check, but he knew they wouldn't agree willingly. Only using the teacher's request could persuade them.

At present, nothing was more important than Li Dong's well-being. They would agree to anything for his sake.

As expected, Cao Fang didn't hesitate and quickly said, "Alright, we'll go for a check-up in a couple of days. Son, will it affect you?"

"It won't have much impact. Just have the check-up, and I'll hand the report to the teacher."

Cao Fang nodded, and seeing that Li Chengyuan remained indifferent, Li Dong added, "How about this: go to the county hospital with Dad tomorrow morning. The teacher needs the report urgently."

"So soon? Can't your dad and I go separately? We'll take a day off…"

Before his mother could finish, Li Dong urgently said, "The teacher needs it urgently. The report won't be available immediately, and if it delays the college entrance exam, it will be problematic."

With that, Li Chengyuan and his wife had no more objections. Missing a day's work was acceptable, but they couldn't delay their son's college entrance exam—it was a major life event.

"Alright, it's settled. Don't open the stall tomorrow. I'll accompany you both in the morning." After settling his parents, Li Dong felt relieved. He had always worried about their health.

He hadn't thought of an excuse earlier, but he found a reason just in time. Indeed, it only took a few words to persuade his parents.

"You're coming too? What about school…"

"It's fine. You wouldn't know what to check for without me. I'm just revising now, so missing a morning won't matter."

Without waiting for their refusal, Li Dong stood up and said, "I'm going to school now. You two finish up early and get plenty of rest."

After Li Dong left, Li Chengyuan and his wife shook their heads and smiled wryly. Missing a day's work would mean less income. Raising a child was indeed tough!