Chapter 71: Making Money Quietly
He paid by card, got into the car, and drove away.
Since it was already a modified vehicle, the window tint and other modifications had all been completed beforehand.
Of course, the license plate wouldn't be ready that quickly. For now, the vehicle had a temporary license plate.
According to Dajun, he wanted to use his connections to get Su Xiaofan a good license plate.
However, Su Xiaofan didn't really care about that. He didn't want to attract too much attention either, so any plate number that looked pleasing to him would do.
Since Su Xiaofan had said so, Brother Jun didn't insist. He kept a photocopy of Su Xiaofan's ID card and took pictures of the vehicle identification number.
The next day and the day after happened to be the weekend, so Brother Jun would arrange for someone to go to the vehicle administration office to register the car and get its license plate the following Monday.
At that time, they would send Su Xiaofan a list of available license plates on the spot, and he could simply choose one himself.
A tough-looking vehicle like this was extremely rare in Luochuan.
It was enough to make people turn their heads wherever Su Xiaofan drove.
When he stopped at a gas station to fill the vehicle with diesel, several other men who were there fueling their own cars came over and stared at it for quite a while.
When Su Xiaofan returned home, he discovered that Brother Gang had “followed” him back.
After asking, Su Xiaofan learned that Brother Gang had also taken a liking to the vehicle and wanted to exchange cars with Su Xiaofan for a few days.
A wife couldn't be lent out, even though Su Xiaofan didn't know where his future wife was yet. But he didn't mind lending out his car. He had driven Brother Gang's cars plenty of times before.
Su Xiaofan rejected Brother Gang's suggestion to have hotpot, beer, and karaoke that evening, then casually tossed him the car keys.
At eight o'clock, Su Xiaofan began meditating.
Six hours of cultivating the Small Heavenly Circuit technique, followed by two hours of practicing the Art of Observing Qi.
After eight hours, Su Xiaofan began to feel a headache coming on, so he immediately went to sleep.
The next morning at half past nine, Su Xiaofan woke up after sleeping for five and a half hours, completely refreshed.
If the true qi in his body had been like a gently flowing stream when he had first opened the Small Heavenly Circuit meridians, then now, the true qi inside Su Xiaofan's body was already surging like a mighty river.
Su Xiaofan believed that once he opened the Great Heavenly Circuit, his meridians would expand even further.
His Art of Observing Qi had also made obvious progress after opening the acupoints around his eyes and practicing for these past few days.
Now, as long as Su Xiaofan circulated his true qi around his eyes, he could see a faint layer of radiance covering the surface of magical artifacts.
However, he could only detect it when he deliberately used his true qi to observe them. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't notice it.
The Art of Observing Qi also had a drawback. If he used it for too long, his eyes would begin to sting, and tears would flow whenever he faced the wind.
Su Xiaofan felt that this was probably because his cultivation was still too shallow.
Perhaps once the meridians around his eyes became wider in the future, this problem would disappear.
As for antiques, however, the Art of Observing Qi couldn't identify them simply by looking.
He had to touch them.
At the same time as touching an antique, if he used the Art of Observing Qi, he could sense a faint, ancient aura that was different from ordinary objects.
Su Xiaofan couldn't really describe what this aura was. Perhaps it was the accumulation of time.
Su Xiaofan had examined many antiques at Uncle Jing's house and compared them with ordinary handicrafts.
Afterward, he was able to confirm that antiques possessing that ancient aura were genuine, while those without it were counterfeit.
Only then did Su Xiaofan realize that Uncle Jing was also practically cheating the system.
Although the Art of Observing Qi wasn't as useful as the Repair System, it had its own unique advantages when it came to distinguishing genuine antiques from fakes.
Of course, Uncle Jing's current status in the antique world wasn't entirely dependent on the Art of Observing Qi.
Uncle Jing himself was extremely knowledgeable.
A few days ago, Su Xiaofan had accidentally learned that Uncle Jing also held the title of professor in the Chinese Department of Xiangjiang University.
When appraising antiques, Uncle Jing could casually bring up all kinds of historical anecdotes, strange stories, and miscellaneous legends. This was something Su Xiaofan couldn't compare with.
Su Xiaofan knew what something was, but he didn't necessarily know why it was that way. He could distinguish whether an item was genuine or fake, but if he had to
explain the details, he would immediately give himself away.
After getting out of bed, Su Xiaofan went to a supermarket near the residential community and bought several kilograms of raw beef.
After returning home, he washed the beef thoroughly, added some spices and a little salt, and cooked it under pressure for half an hour.
When he opened the pressure cooker, the beef had already been stewed until it was falling apart. His lunch was taken care of.
In the afternoon, he practiced the Art of Observing Qi for another hour before taking an afternoon nap.
Su Xiaofan now understood why everyone wanted financial freedom.
Because it was comfortable!
A life without having to worry about rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, and tea allowed a person to relax from the bottom of their heart.
However, Su Xiaofan's relaxing period only lasted for the daytime.
By evening, Zheng Dagang showed up at his house again, carrying beer and ready-made food.
“Brother Gang, did you get it done?”
Seeing Zheng Dagang's glowing, satisfied expression, Su Xiaofan immediately knew that things had gone well.
“Old Master Zhao is really straightforward!”
Zheng Dagang nodded, bit open the cap of a bottle of beer, and gulped the entire bottle down.
“Xiaofan, your Brother Gang has never done business this big before!”
After putting down the bottle, Zheng Dagang's face was filled with excitement as he reached for another beer.
“Brother Gang, tell me about it first.”
Su Xiaofan took the beer from him, used the thumb of his right hand to pop open the cap, and handed it back to Zheng Dagang.
“Damn, brother, you can do that too?”
Zheng Dagang's eyes widened as he stared.
“I've never seen you do that before. Where did you learn it? Hurry up and teach your Brother Gang.”
“I learned a little trick when I was a kid. Back then, we had bottle openers, so why would I use my hand?”
Su Xiaofan casually made up an explanation.
Zheng Dagang was merely surprised and didn't think much of it. The countryside around Luochuan and Fengcheng had a strong martial tradition, and many people there knew a few martial arts techniques.
“Xiaofan, you should've seen Old Master Zhao today. He's really generous…”
Zheng Dagang brought the conversation back to business.
It turned out that early that morning, Zheng Dagang had used Uncle Jing's name as an introduction and gone to the headquarters of Luochuan Real Estate.
After meeting Old Master Zhao, Zheng Dagang took out a tablet and showed him the photographs he had uploaded the previous day.
Old Master Zhao asked about the prices.
Zheng Dagang quoted 12 million yuan for the Hetain Jade Guanyin Pendant and 8 million yuan for the Eight Trigrams Bronze Mirror, making a total of 20 million yuan.
As someone who was accustomed to being a shrewd businessman, Zheng Dagang had raised the prices Su Xiaofan had given him the previous day by quite a bit.
What surprised him, however, was that Old Master Zhao immediately agreed.
As long as the items were genuine magical artifacts, he would accept the price. He didn't even negotiate.
That was why Zheng Dagang had come over today. First, to bring the good news, and second, to take the items away so that they could complete the transaction first thing the next morning.
“People need clothes, and Buddhas need gold.”
“I specifically found two boxes at home. They're just right for those two magical artifacts.”
Zheng Dagang took two antique-looking boxes out of his bag, one large and one small. The Hetain Jade Guanyin Pendant and Eight Trigrams Bronze Mirror fit inside them perfectly.
“By the way, Uncle Jing called me at noon.”
One sentence from Zheng Dagang made Su Xiaofan's heart tighten.
“I stuck to my story and said I had bought the magical artifacts from a temple.”
Zheng Dagang smiled proudly.
“Uncle Jing didn't say anything either. He only told me that if I came across any more magical artifacts in the future, I should show them to him first.”
With all the groundwork laid beforehand, Jing Shizhen really hadn't suspected anything this time.
If the magical artifacts Zheng Dagang had brought out were genuine, Uncle Jing was even planning to visit more temples and Daoist monasteries himself in the future. Perhaps he might come across some good things too.
“We need to reduce the number of magical-artifact transactions in the future.”
Su Xiaofan silently made a decision.
It wasn't that he didn't trust Uncle Jing. Rather, the existence of the Repair System itself was something he couldn't and mustn't reveal to outsiders. It had nothing to do with whether he trusted them or not.
“There are two things, Xiaofan. You need to make the decision.”
After taking another half bottle of beer, Zheng Dagang said, “The first is how we're going to handle the transaction.
“I talked to Old Master Zhao's secretary. They can transfer the money through a personal account, meaning private-to-private. That way, we can avoid the taxes.
“Another method is business-to-business, but the taxes at the end of the year won't be small. The 25% corporate income tax can't be avoided.”
“Brother Gang, since we've established a company, we have to start doing things properly.”
Su Xiaofan thought for a while before saying, “Let's do it business-to-business. Later, when you negotiate with the auction house, we'll also do it business-to-business. It's not worth cutting corners over one transaction.”
“Yeah, that's what I think too.”
Zheng Dagang nodded. He had plenty of connections in industry, commerce, and taxation.
When he was getting the business license, someone had specifically warned him that inspections had become very strict in recent years. It was best not to play any tricks, otherwise getting caught would result in severe penalties.
“Your car can count as a company purchase, right? It can be used to offset costs. As for the rent and other expenses, I'll figure out a way to legally reduce some of them.”
“Okay. Brother Gang, find an accountant and have them properly calculate everything for us.”
Su Xiaofan nodded and asked, “What's the other matter?”
“Xiaofan, it's about the profit split.”
Zheng Dagang said, “I'm only running around and handling things, yet I'm getting 20%. That's honestly too much. Let's make it 10% instead. Otherwise, I won't feel comfortable taking this money.”
Although Zheng Dagang could be considered a second-generation homeowner, and his family was quite well-off, he had never really lacked money while growing up.
But doing business and making money like this today was truly a first for Brother Gang. In just a few words, they had finalized a 20-million-yuan transaction.
Twenty percent of 20 million yuan was four million yuan.
Of course, he wouldn't actually receive that much after taxes, but the figure still frightened Brother Gang.
“Brother Gang, we already agreed on this. Don't change it now.”
Su Xiaofan shook his head and said seriously, “When we started, we agreed to settle everything clearly, even though we're practically brothers, and that's how we determined the shares.
“No matter how much we make, we'll follow that arrangement. Brother Gang, if you keep bringing this up, then the two of us won't be able to do business together in the future.”
Su Xiaofan was genuinely willing to give Brother Gang 20%, and he felt that it was worth it.
With Brother Gang taking care of all the outside dealings, Su Xiaofan could focus on his cultivation without worry.
It also reduced the risk of exposing himself.
With the Repair System, quietly making a fortune was the proper way to go. In television dramas, villains either died because they talked too much or because they were too high-profile.
“This… all right.”
Zheng Dagang thought about it for a moment before saying, “Xiaofan, then let's also stick to what we agreed before. I'll cover the company's expenses. Don't argue with me about that anymore.”
“Fine. That's up to you, Brother Gang.”
Su Xiaofan smiled when he heard this.
He had already cut down the shop expenses yesterday. There weren't many expenses left anyway, aside from hiring an accountant to handle the company's tax filings. There was no need to argue over such a small amount.
“Come on, let's have a toast. Congratulations on getting the business started!”
Zheng Dagang raised his beer bottle.
“After we complete the transaction for the magical artifacts tomorrow, I'll go to Yanjing the day after. There are still more than two months before the autumn auction. If we don't finalize everything soon, it'll affect the auction.”
Zheng Dagang had genuinely put a lot of effort into researching auctions recently and had consulted quite a few experts.
Autumn auctions were mostly held toward the end of the year and were the auctions that various auction houses valued the most.
There were many factors that determined how well an auction item performed at an autumn auction.
Publicity was extremely important. For some specialized auctions, preparations for promotion would begin more than half a year in advance.
If Zheng Dagang wanted to sell those eight famous and rare ancient coins at a high price, he had to finalize a promotional plan with the auction house as soon as possible and immediately begin implementing it.
“Brother Gang, you handle the negotiations. You're in charge of all external matters. If you think something is good, just make the decision!”
Su Xiaofan gave Zheng Dagang some reassurance.
“But there's one thing. While you're talking to the auction houses, ask them about this as well.”
“What is it?”
Zheng Dagang was stunned for a moment.
“Ask all the auction houses whether anyone is looking to auction meteorites.”
Su Xiaofan took out the meteorite he had bought from Uncle Jing.
“A meteorite like this. If someone has one for auction, can I take a look at the actual specimen first?”
“Since when did you get interested in this?”
Zheng Dagang knew a little about meteorite collecting as well. These things weren't particularly easy to sell in China.
“I saw some at Uncle Jing's place and liked the look of them, so I bought one.”
Su Xiaofan brought out the same explanation he had given Uncle Jing.
“Meteorite collecting is already very popular internationally, while the domestic collecting market is still relatively niche. If we enter the market now, there should definitely be money to be made in the future.”
“Fine. Whatever we collect, you get to decide.”
Zheng Dagang nodded.
He was good at running around and handling outside affairs, but when it came to collecting, he was an outsider.
“It would be best if you could get to know some people at the auction houses. If there is any information about meteorite auctions overseas, try to get that as well.”
Su Xiaofan gave Brother Gang another instruction.
After all, there were relatively few meteorite collectors in China. If he wanted to acquire rare meteorites, he would still have to turn his attention toward overseas auction markets.
(End of Chapter)
✨ Love this novel?
Visit my Patreon for fast access and advanced chapters! patreon.com/BbingTranslations Thank you for your support.❤️
Comments
Post a Comment