Chapter 238: A shrewd calculation
The old man narrowed his eyes at Qin Xiaoning and said provocatively, "That Li guy made so much money, he must not have told you anything, sir. Tsk tsk, this old Zhang is really treacherous."

Qin Xiaoning saw through Boss Cai's provocation, but she remained calm and said to him, "People open calligraphy and painting shops to make money. Boss Li accepted my calligraphy and paintings and gave me the expected money. As for the fact that the calligraphy sold for a lot, that's his ability."

The old man narrowed his eyes and smiled, then asked, "Let's be frank. I also like your calligraphy and want to cooperate with you for a long time."

He said, "I am not a dishonest businessman. I am a very honest person. If you don't believe me, you can ask Mr. Zhao. We have known each other for many years. He knows me well."

They were not close friends regardless of age difference. Businessmen valued profits. Although Boss Cai was not a bad person, he saw that Qin Xiaoning's calligraphy could make money, so he went to Zhao Yuan to ask for help and hoped that he would act as a matchmaker.

Zhao Yuan is a doctor and a down-to-earth man. He agreed to bring Boss Cai to see Qin Xiaoning in order to help him. Now, hearing what Boss Cai said, he was afraid that he had misled Qin Xiaoning and let her suffer, and for a moment he didn't know how to respond.

Qin Xiaoning said calmly, "Boss Cai, there's no need to play the emotional card. If you like my calligraphy, as long as the price and conditions are reasonable, we can discuss cooperation."

Businessmen value profit, and she also likes money, which is understandable. It all depends on which of the two calligraphy and painting galleries offers better conditions.

Upon hearing this, Boss Cai swung the folding fan in his hand and said, "Mr. Lu is a straightforward person."

He said, "I plan to cooperate with you in this way. You write five pieces of calligraphy for me every month. I will choose the content. I will give you two hundred taels of silver every month. In addition, after the calligraphy is sold, I will give you an additional 30% of the profit."

He smiled and said, "But I have one request. Mr. Lu's calligraphy can only be sold to me, Ji Ya Ge. We must sign a contract for at least five years."

Qin Xiaoning listened carefully to his conditions and bargained: "I can only write three pieces of calligraphy per month at most. You can provide the content, but the final decision is up to me. If I don't like it, I have to change it. You give me fifty taels of silver for each piece of calligraphy, plus 30% of the profit from the sale. In addition, I can only sign a three-year contract with you. During these three years, my calligraphy will only be sold to you."

After hearing what Qin Xiaoning said, the old man thought about it and replied with a smile, "Sir, why are you only willing to sign a three-year contract with me? Are you afraid that our Jixian Pavilion will be in trouble in the future?"

"That's not the case." Qin Xiaoning said, "For now, we're only signing for three years. If the cooperation is good, we can continue to sign after the contract expires."

"I still want to sign a few more years with you, sir." The old man smiled and poured tea for Qin Xiaoning: "Besides, to be honest, most of my customers are old customers. These rich people talk a lot."

"As for the content, I still have the final say. I will tell you what these customers want to write. After all, you are selling calligraphy. They pay the money, and you just take it. Why bother about what you write for them?"

Although this is true, Qin Xiaoning still doesn't want to put herself in such a passive situation.

She said, "The contract can only be signed for three years at most. As for the content, I must agree to it."

Seeing Qin Xiaoning's firm attitude, the old man gradually showed difficulty on his face.

He put down the teacup in his hand, stood up slightly, and said indifferently: "Since Mr. Lu is so stubborn, I will have to give up for now."

As he said this, he bowed to Qin Xiaoning and said, "But I still advise you to reconsider. After all, in Qianzhou, my Jixian Pavilion is the most prestigious calligraphy and painting building." "Goodbye."

As he said that, the old man was about to leave. Song Zhi, who was standing beside him, was so anxious that he almost tried to pull him away, and kept winking at Qin Xiaoning.

The talks with Lan Tingxuan had already failed this morning. If they can't capture Jixian Pavilion now, what will happen to their livelihood in the future?
And what can I use to buy that small courtyard?
The more than one hundred taels of silver he brought out from the mansion were his savings and could not be moved easily.

For a moment, the little maid was filled with worry again.

Qin Xiaoning looked calm. When Boss Cai said he was leaving, she simply said, "Goodbye, Mr. Cai."

The old man didn't expect that Qin Xiaoning, at such a young age, could be so calm. He glanced at Qin Xiaoning who was sitting there steadily with frustration, and secretly regretted his tactic of playing hard to get. But the words had already been said, and he was anxious to take them back, but he couldn't lose face.

"Then I'll take my leave first, Mr. Lu. I hope we'll meet again in the future."

Boss Cai bowed again and walked out slowly. Just as he reached the door, he saw the Zhao family's maid coming in and reporting that it was Boss Li from Lantingxuan who came to visit Master Lu. When Boss Cai heard this, his face turned black and he immediately turned back.

The old man didn't even bother to sit down, and hurriedly said to Qin Xiaoning: "Mr. Lu, I agree to all the conditions you mentioned. It happens that Mr. Zhao is here to witness it, so let's draw up the contract right away."

When Boss Li from Lantingxuan entered the front hall, Qin Xiaoning and Boss Cai had just finished signing the contract. Boss Cai glanced at Boss Li and smiled brightly: "Boss Li? What are you doing here? Are you also here to buy calligraphy from Master Lu? Haha, that's unfortunate. I just made an agreement with Master Lu that all his calligraphy will be sold to Jixian Pavilion from now on."

When Boss Li heard this, his face immediately darkened. He turned to look at Qin Xiaoning, his eyes full of regret.

He originally wanted to capture Qin Xiaoning, but he didn't expect that within a day, his opponent got there first.

The two families were equally powerful, and each other's every move was under secret surveillance. When Boss Li heard the news that Boss Zhang had found the Zhao family, he hurried over, but he was still a step too late.

Boss Li stood there with a dark face, gritting his teeth in hatred.

Boss Cai, on the other hand, looked gloating. In front of Boss Li, he said to Qin Xiaoning warmly, "Mr. Lu, with your calligraphy, my Jixian Pavilion will be able to move to a higher level in the future."

Qin Xiaoning sold her calligraphy for money, and the business struggle between the two parties was not within her consideration. Faced with Boss Cai's provocation against Boss Li, she just smiled it off.

In short, I have to thank Boss Li. If he hadn't come in a hurry, Boss Cai would probably have used the same tactics as him, and it would have taken some more maneuvering before the deal could be made.

In short, there is no need to worry about money for now. The next step is to register your household registration, buy a house, hire a few maids to guard the house, and start a comfortable life.