Just as he returned to the courtyard, he heard a man's voice, high-pitched and demanding, "When are you going to pay the land rent here?"
The old director said helplessly, "Little Zhen, I've already talked to your dad about this. He agreed to give us some time. Why are you here again?"
The man snorted, "My dad is my dad. You owe half a year's land rent and still haven't paid. You might as well leave this courtyard."
The old director said helplessly, "Little Zhen, as soon as we get the subsidy from the authorities, we'll definitely pay the rent for the courtyard. How about that?"
"No can do. If you don't have the money, then get lost."
Chu Hao couldn't believe what he was hearing from outside! Telling the people of the courtyard to get lost? Where would everyone go? Where would his younger brothers and sisters stay?
He charged in and saw a man, probably around thirty, with a stern face and a shoulder bag.
Liu Zhenqiang, the real owner of the land the courtyard was on.
The courtyard was rented, and they had lived there for many years. The older generation of the Liu family knew that life wasn't easy for the people of the courtyard, so they hadn't pressed for the land rent. But now it was Liu Zhenqiang's turn to take charge. This fellow had become addicted to gambling and, desperate for money, had come to demand it.
Chu Hao strode forward, furious. "Liu Zhenqiang, you've got some nerve, huh?"
Seeing Chu Hao and the others return, Liu Zhenqiang was a bit scared. Each kid from this courtyard was more intimidating than the next. However, he felt justified, saying, "I'm here to collect the land rent. Don't you dare get physical! You've owed half a year's rent for this courtyard. It's time to pay up, or pack up and leave."
Zhang Qin'ai was also very angry and asked, "How much?"
Desperate for gambling money, Liu Zhenqiang even took out the original lease contract. "A total of fifty thousand," he said.
Ju Desheng cursed, "It's just fifty thousand! What are you fussing about?"
Ju Desheng touched his wallet and immediately felt embarrassed. He had left it in the car and now didn't dare to ask for it.
Zhang Qin'ai said, "I have thirty thousand here. If I can get another twenty thousand, that should be enough."
The others were also prepared to pool their money. They had been away working for these past few years and had managed to save a little.
Liu Zhenqiang was overjoyed. With this 50,000, he could gamble for a while longer!
Chu Hao, standing off to the side, spoke up. "Liu Zhenqiang, if you dare take that money, you might not live to spend it."
Liu Zhenqiang was taken aback and stepped back warily. "What are you planning to do?"
Chu Hao said indifferently, "I see a darkness on your brow. It seems you're in for some trouble tonight. How about this? I'll save your life, and in return, you give us the courtyard as payment. How does that sound?"
Liu Zhenqiang looked at Chu Hao in surprise and sneered, "What are you joking about? Pay up quickly."
The others were also astonished. What was Chu Hao up to, saying all this?
Chu Hao, with his hands folded, sneered, "Do you really prefer money over your life?"
Liu Zhenqiang cursed, "You little bastard! You're the one asking for death! I'll outlive every single one of you here!"
Ju Desheng cursed, "Feeling tough, huh? Believe it or not, I'll beat you up!"
Liu Zhenqiang backed away. "Don't mess around, I'm just here for the land rent."
Chu Hao stopped Ju Desheng. "Tell me, how much for the courtyard and the surrounding vegetable plots, all together?"
Liu Zhenqiang was startled. "What do you mean?"
Chu Hao said calmly, "I'm buying this courtyard. Name your price."
Liu Zhenqiang looked at Chu Hao with contempt. "You have that much money? What a joke." Get full chapters from novel⟡fire.net
The others also looked surprised. Chu Hao seemed like a different person since his return, spouting all sorts of unbelievable claims.
Chu Hao said, "Why so much nonsense! What's the use of talking with a dead man? Name your price, and be quick about it."
Liu Zhenqiang was furious. "Eight hundred thousand! No... one million."
Ju Desheng cursed, "You son of a bitch, are you robbing us? Is this broken place worth a million?"
Liu Zhenqiang felt a surge of apprehension, not believing Chu Hao could actually produce so much money. Nevertheless, he blustered, "It's the Liu family's land, so I have the final say!"
Everyone glared at him furiously.
Unexpectedly, Chu Hao waved his hand indifferently. "A million isn't much. Hurry up and write the contract."
A million isn't much?
DING! Host has successfully shown off, gaining 400 Pretentiousness Points.
Everyone looked at Chu Hao with surprise on their faces; after all, this was a million, not a mere hundred.
Liu Zhenqiang still couldn't believe it. "You must be joking with me."
Chu Hao took out a card. "This card has exactly one million. The PIN is the last six digits. Hurry up and write the contract."
Liu Zhenqiang took the card, his face full of suspicion. When he took out his phone, entered the card number, and actually saw one million in the account, he was dumbfounded.
The others gasped. Chu Hao really took out a million?!
Liu Zhenqiang was incredibly excited. He immediately wrote a contract and pressed his thumbprint on it, almost bursting with excitement.
"Ah-Hao... Chu Hao, you can't go back on your word!" Liu Zhenqiang stammered, so overwhelmed he was nearly incoherent; he had never seen so much money in his life.
Everyone looked at him in amazement. Where did Chu Hao get so much money?
Zhang Qin'ai couldn't help but say, "Ah-Hao, you...!!"
Chu Hao laughed. "For this courtyard, forget one million; even ten million wouldn't be too much. This is my home."
Everyone understood his sentiment. But the question remained: where did he get the million from?
Just then, two men walked into the courtyard from outside. They were the deliverymen from the previous day.
One of the deliverymen smiled. "Young Brother, your goods have arrived. Where should we move them?"
Others were curious; Liu Zhenqiang also looked over. Chu Hao had said he had gifts on the way, and now everyone believed it.
The gifts had finally arrived. Chu Hao walked out of the courtyard.
Outside, the courtyard was bustling. Onlookers from all the neighboring villages had gathered, and four large trucks were parked beside the courtyard.
Zhang Qin'ai, seeing the four large trucks, asked in surprise, "What are all these?"
Chu Hao gestured. "Just some gifts I bought for the courtyard. Nothing too expensive—just some food and clothes."
Zhang Qin'ai and the others rolled their eyes. Food and clothes filling four trucks? Are you kidding us?
The truck doors were opened. As soon as everyone looked inside, they were stunned.
All sorts of goods filled the entire cargo hold: food, clothing, and brand-name appliances. The townsfolk nearby almost thought it was a military shipment, as if a war was about to break out.
DING! Host has successfully shown off, gaining 400 Pretentiousness Points.
Brother Hao hadn't wanted to show off, but he did anyway.
HISS! Everyone gasped.
Zhang Qin'ai climbed onto the truck, opened a package of clothes, and gasped. "These... these look like Baluoxi children's clothes! They're a thousand a piece!"
Ju Desheng found a TV and exclaimed, "Holy crap! I've seen this TV somewhere. It looks like it costs fifty thousand a unit!"
One of them exclaimed, "What a huge fridge! This... how much did this cost?" They were looking at a massive refrigerator, a full five meters long, capable of holding an enormous amount inside.
Chu Hao said, "Not much. I think it's around two hundred thousand."
DING! Host has successfully shown off, gaining 400 Pretentiousness Points.