Chapter 41: This Child is Terrifying as Such
Translator: 549690339
Chen Qiming had some connections in Wuyue’s officialdom; otherwise, he wouldn’t have secured the position of director of the Forestry Bureau with just the cultivation level of the ninth level of Qi-refining. It was not a difficult task for him to call in a few favors and ask some colleagues from the Price Bureau to make a trip to Wuyue Residence.
Appraising the price was a job within the responsibilities of the Price Bureau, and estimating the price of a fully furnished house posed no difficulty for them.
Soon, the house price was re-evaluated.
Forty-three thousand!
A full five thousand more than the thirty-eight thousand they had previously agreed on!
The house that should have brought Chen Qiming a sure loss nearly broke even with Jiang Cheng’s maneuvers!
This kid, Chen Qiming thought, not knowing which family’s son he was, had never seen anyone spend money like him. A wave of secret elation washed over him.
He discreetly observed Jiang Cheng, hoping to recognize which family’s child he was by his appearance.
Chen Qiming didn’t claim to know all the wealthy people in Wuyue, but he knew a good many, and he had never heard of a rich family surnamed Jiang in Wuyue City before.
Jinjing saw off the people from the Price Bureau and then invited both the buyer and seller back to the conference room to sign the papers.
“Mr. Jiang, you don’t have any problems now, do you?” Jinjing asked.
Jiang Cheng nodded and said, “No problem now.”
Chen Qiming wore a smile.
After the Price Bureau’s calculations, the situation instantly shifted from being unfavorable to favorable for him.
With the Price Bureau’s endorsement, the appraised price of forty-three thousand meant that even if Jiang Cheng wanted to negotiate the price down, he could at most get it down to forty thousand.
Assuming the kid was eloquent, at most he could bring it down to thirty-eight thousand.
No matter what, Chen Qiming wouldn’t consider himself at a loss this time.
However, what Chen Qiming had not anticipated at all was that this time Jiang Cheng would decisively accept the price without even looking at the contract or bargaining, readily agreeing to the terms.
“Uncle Chen, since the Price Bureau has set the price at forty-three thousand, let’s go with that. What do you think?”
Huh?
Chen Qiming was truly startled this time.
He could somewhat understand Jiang Cheng asking the Price Bureau to appraise the price. After all, the Price Bureau was an authoritative official institution. Having them as a standard and providing a reference was indisputable.
But after the Price Bureau completed the appraisal, Jiang Cheng didn’t negotiate and calmly accepted the higher price, which baffled Chen Qiming.
He had seen people bargain when buying things but had never seen anyone do the reverse when bargaining!
It seemed as if Jiang Cheng’s move to invite the Price Bureau was not to lower the price but specifically to buy his house at a higher price.
But the key question was, what was this young man named Jiang Cheng after by doing so?
Chen Qiming didn’t understand, but he was greatly shaken.
“Uncle Chen, do you have any other issues?” Jiang Cheng asked kindly, looking at Chen Qiming, whose face was filled with shock.
“I have no issues.”
Chen Qiming’s throat was dry; he watched as Jiang Cheng signed his name with deliberate strokes, feeling an unreal, dreamlike sensation.
His house really sold without any loss?
Could this be a dream?
Was this man named Jiang Cheng sent by Heavenly Dao to save his investment record?
After Jiang Cheng signed his name, he also sighed in relief.
Although he had purchased his uncle’s superior’s house at a higher price, the transaction was completely reasonable and legal, with the property value estimation provided by the Price Bureau as the legal basis for his offer.
In short, no one could find fault with this house purchase.
Jiang Cheng didn’t have any grand ambitions; he just wanted to be a law-abiding citizen.
The contract was signed by both parties, and each kept a copy. Although the property title deed would come a bit later after the transfer was completed, from a practical standpoint, the ownership of the house now belonged to Jiang Cheng.
After the transaction was concluded, everyone had a smile on their face.
Jiang Cheng was happy to have bought the house.
Jinjing was happy to complete the deal.
Chen Qiming was happy that his assets broke even.
Jiang Cheng and Chen Qiming left the sales office side by side.
Having just reached a pleasant cooperation, it was awkward for them to ignore each other.
Chen Qiming was interested in Jiang Cheng’s family background; he was curious about which genius in little Wuyue City could raise a son who knew how to “reverse-bargain” like Jiang Cheng.
“Jiang student, you look familiar to me. May I ask for your distinguished father’s name? Have I met him before?”
Jiang Cheng smiled and said, “My father’s name is Jiang Lei, a businessman and merchant. Uncle Chen, you probably don’t know him.”
“That is rather regrettable,” Chen Qiming said.
“However, you may not be familiar with my father, but as for my father’s brother-in-law, my uncle, you might know him.”
“Oh? Who is your uncle?”
Jiang Cheng smiled as ever, his tone extremely casual as if talking about a trivial matter.
“Sun Qing, the current Chief Clerk of the Wuyue Forestry Bureau.”
Sun Qing!
This name exploded in Chen Qiming’s mind like a thunderclap!
Sun Qing was one of his subordinates; he knew him all too well.
But what truly terrified Chen Qiming was not the relationship between Sun Qing and Jiang Cheng, but Jiang Cheng’s previous initiative in requesting the involvement of the Pricing Bureau!
If Jiang Cheng was Sun Qing’s nephew, then everything made sense!
Jiang Cheng must have recognized me a long time ago…
He probably knew I was his uncle’s superior, so that’s why he took the initiative to ask the Pricing Bureau to step in, leveraging their pricing authority to drive up the house prices…
And then logically buying it at a high price…
Chen Qiming’s earlier confusion was instantly enlightened the moment Jiang Cheng said the name “Sun Qing.”
But he didn’t feel any sense of relaxation.
Instead, he felt a surge of retrospective fear.
Because Jiang Cheng was no fool; he, Chen Qiming, was the fool who inadvertently received five thousand Spirit Stones from Jiang Cheng, now at the mercy of his grip!
This young man, had he not mentioned Sun Qing’s name, Chen Qiming would have continued to think he just got a good deal on selling a house. But as soon as Jiang Cheng voluntarily mentioned Sun Qing’s name, the nature of the matter completely changed!
The implication of Jiang Cheng’s actions couldn’t be clearer.
The extra five thousand Spirit Stones from the Pricing Bureau’s valuation bought his uncle a smooth official career!
And that wasn’t even the most terrifying part for Chen Qiming.
The most terrifying aspect was that this young man named Jiang Cheng seemed to thoroughly understand the various rules of the Liang Kingdom’s officialdom.
Giving money to a leader isn’t difficult.
The difficulty lies in giving it openly, rightfully, and reasonably!
And he had effortlessly accomplished what countless others wished but could not achieve!
Throughout the entire process, he only needed to speak; even inviting the Pricing Bureau colleagues for valuation was based on his connections. Even if an investigation followed, it would have nothing to do with him.
No matter from which angle, no matter who came to check, they could not find the slightest fault with Jiang Cheng himself.
Terrifying indeed!
This young man was simply terrifying!
Seeing Chen Qiming suddenly halt and make no move to leave, Jiang Cheng also stopped and politely asked, “Uncle Chen, are you well acquainted with my uncle?”
Not “know” but “well acquainted,” huh?
His choice of words is truly as shrewd as they come for his age!
Chen Qiming appreciated the artistry in Jiang Cheng’s speech and said, “Ah, yes, we are quite familiar. ‘I never expected’ you to be his nephew.”
Jiang Cheng continued smiling and said, “Our families really do have a connection.”
However, Chen Qiming interpreted Jiang Cheng’s incredibly bright and kind smile in a different light.
The brighter and kinder Jiang Cheng smiled, the more fear and tension gripped Chen Qiming.
A connection? Is he reminding me? Or warning me?
With his tactics…
Chen Qiming couldn’t help but shiver. He thought about Jiang Cheng’s watertight methods and the five thousand Spirit Stones Jiang Cheng had voluntarily offered him.
“Your uncle works very hard, and he’s not that old either. As long as he continues to strive without any major issues, there’s a good chance he could become the director of the Forestry Bureau in the future.”
“But my uncle only has a Qi Cultivation level. Doesn’t a director at least need to reach Foundation Establishment?”
“The Forestry Bureau’s requirements aren’t that strict. I believe in him. Your uncle has the capabilities.”
“That’s very good then.”
Jiang Cheng felt genuinely pleased about the bright future awaiting his uncle.
His uncle had been working hard lately, often working overtime. Therefore, it was quite normal for him to win the appreciation of his superiors.
Gold always shines no matter where it is.
Indeed, there are still more good people in this world!