The Happy Farmer Wanderer-Chapter 422: The Qi Family Compromises_1

Li Qing left with flair, exuding the vigor of emerging victorious from a sea of soldiers.

But not long after he’d left, he found himself in an awkward situation. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

This desolate place was barren of human presence; not a single car did he see on the road, nor a household in sight.

How was he supposed to cover the more than an hour’s drive to get back to town?

Now, Li Qing somewhat regretted his decisiveness!

He really should have brought that driver along to give him a lift back.

Looking up at the sky, which had almost completely darkened, Li Qing dismissed the idea of turning back.

Better start walking. Perhaps he might come across someone’s house up ahead!

If it came to it, even buying a bicycle with some cash would make things a tad easier.

Li Qing’s luck had been fairly good that day. After walking roughly seven or eight kilometers, he came across a tricycle.

Upon inquiry, he learned that it was a vegetable delivery vehicle bound for the county town, aiming to catch the early morning market the next day.

Upon hearing this, Li Qing was overjoyed as if a sleepyhead had found a perfect pillow.

Li Qing slipped the seemingly honest driver three hundred yuan and successfully hitched a free ride.

The journey that took an hour by car, the tricycle trudged through for nearly three hours.

By the time Li Qing reached the county town, it was already close to midnight.

Starved, he immediately found a restaurant to take care of his hunger pangs.

While eating, Li Qing called Han Mei.

He made up an excuse to tell Han Mei that he might not return tonight, asking them not to worry.

After having his fill, Li Qing prepared to settle the bill and leave when Lü Zong suddenly phoned.

"Qingzi, where are you?"

Li Qing glanced at the name of the restaurant and reported a very precise location to Lü Zong.

"Stay right there; I’ll be over in a moment!" Lü Zong said in a rush.

Li Qing looked at the disconnected call and furrowed his brows lightly.

What had happened now?

Lü Zong’s tone sounded quite urgent.

Feeling it wasn’t quite proper to just sit idly in the restaurant, Li Qing ordered another bottle of beer.

No sooner had he taken a few sips than a car pulled up at the entrance.

Immediately afterward, Lü Zong and Gong Ge hurried in.

"Boss, give us two portions of meat, one portion of kidneys, one of tendons, one of tripe, and a case of beer!"

No sooner had Lü Zong sat down than he called out to the restaurant’s chef.

"We’re a noodle house, not a barbecue joint!" the restaurant owner yelled back.

Lü Zong glared, "If you don’t have it, then grill it next door. The customers are inside now; are you trying to shoo them out?"

"Alright, alright, I’ll grill it. You guys start with the drinks!" The owner carried over a case of beer and placed it beside the table.

Li Qing looked at Lü Zong with astonishment and asked, "Lü Zong, you hurried to find me just to eat barbecue?"

"Of course not," Lü Zong replied. "Today’s matter must be accompanied by drinks. We’ll eat and chat slowly."

Li Qing chuckled, "You’ve really piqued my curiosity. The only things worth drinking over are gossip or good news! Gossip doesn’t really concern you, Lü Zong, so it looks like there’s good news today?"

"We’re celebrating big today!" Lü Zong laughed heartily, punching Gong Ge playfully, "Pour the drinks, man! You have no sense of timing!"

"Let’s have a drink with Qingzi first!"

Gong Ge chuckled and hurriedly opened a few bottles, pouring each of the three a glass.

"Here’s to us!"

Lü Zong couldn’t wait to raise his glass and toast.

After a drink, Lü Zong asked with a hint of mystery, "Qingzi, could you let me in on a little secret? Do you know some sort of uncommon methods that most people don’t have access to?"

"I... have indeed come across a few, but why do you suddenly ask this?" Li Qing asked, curious.

Lü Zong slapped the table and gave Li Qing a thumbs up, "Well played, brother. I’m impressed!"

"From now on, I completely respect you!"

But Li Qing was confused, "Lü Zong, what on earth are you talking about? Could you please clarify?"

"I just got a call from that old fox, Qi Guoyuan. He’s offering five hundred thousand to have me persuade you. He wants to make peace and has asked for your help to heal his family members. He’s willing to give a sincerity payment of one million and five percent of the Qi Family’s dry shares," Lü Zong said, unable to hide his excitement.

Li Qing’s eyes narrowed slightly.

He hadn’t expected Qi Guoyuan to turn to Lü Zong as a mediator so quickly.

After all, he was an old fox who’d been through many storms in the business world. It seemed he had moved past the pain of losing family members and was starting to look for a solution.

"Lü Zong, how much is the Qi Family’s fortune approximately?" Li Qing asked in a serious tone.

Lü Zong fiddled with his ear and replied, "Not sure exactly, but it’s probably around tens of millions or so."

"The Qi Family has deep roots in Tongcheng. Even though they’ve fallen from the top spot of the richest family, their hidden wealth, all added up, could definitely rival several of our so-called richest people now."

"Just take a look around the county and see how many properties belong to the Qi Family. Leaving aside the most profitable real estate, just consider the chain supermarkets, farms, hospitals, and various entertainment venues—it easily amounts to tens of millions."

"And that’s just what I know about our local businesses. A family like the Qi would definitely expand beyond local constraints—it’s almost inevitable."

Li Qing only knew that the Qi Family was a behemoth in Tongcheng.

But he hadn’t been clear about the extent of their assets.

Now, hearing Lü Zong’s explanation, he had a rough idea.

"Asking for five million isn’t too much, is it?" Li Qing said calmly.

Lü Zong looked at Li Qing with a pained expression, "First, let me ask, did you really take down a whole bunch of Qi Family members?"

"Not a whole bunch, but there seem to be seventeen or eighteen people, probably all core members of the Qi Family," Li Qing replied.

"Hiss..." Lü Zong inhaled sharply, shaking his head, "Qingzi, our relationship has to change."

Li Qing couldn’t help but smile, "Lü Zong, you don’t need to be like that."

"No, just listen to me," Lü Zong raised his hand, "With the kind of ability you possess, you deserve respect from others. Just follow my lead on this. And another thing, are you sure you can cure them?"

"It won’t take much effort!" Li Qing replied.

In reality, it was just a matter of intention for him.

"Alright, we’ll ask for five million and see how the Qi Family reacts!" Lü Zong slammed the table, "Forget about dry shares; they’re too variable. Cash is king."

Li Qing thought the same.

For someone like him, who had never dealt with companies before,

Accepting those dry shares would likely end up falling into another one of the Qi Family’s traps. Cash was the most tangible.

"Should I call him now?" Lü Zong took out his cell phone and asked.

Li Qing nodded.