"Hey, my husband Xinsan is determined to return to China after processing the assets, but he has no intention of placing these things. We will still sign for 1,81 acres. It is your business if you are willing to give him a commission."

The lady was not very angry. It can be seen that she had been immersed in sorrow, not caring too much about the price, and just wanted to take it off as soon as possible.

"Don't, since the opening scene has been opened, I have to finish watching the show. I'll see how he can justify himself when he comes back. I still pretend not to understand English."

The Marquis chuckled and said, "You are so funny. If others had been angry, you would still be in the mood to tease others."

The lady hadn't chatted with anyone for a long time, and walked straight over and sat down opposite him.

"It's nothing to do, it's boring. How long has the wife been here in Shanghai? Are you familiar with the situation in Shanghai?"

"I have been in Shanghai for three years. My husband is a soldier and usually stays at sea. I manage the business here." The lady probably mentioned her dead husband and sighed lightly.

"Madam, too?"

"That's of course. At first we came, we just rented the storefront and specialized in foreign liquor business. Later, we made some money and bought two houses here and another piece of land. When we first bought the house, we were less than a thousand, and that piece of land was bought for 200 taels of silver per acre."

This is her most glorious thing, and she is happy to introduce her entrepreneurial history.

"I have such an investment vision, it has increased several times in three years. This is an adventurer's paradise. It would be a pity for the wife to have such a business talent that it would not develop here." Lu Yongzhi sincerely showed a regretful expression.

"Hey, when my husband dies, it's boring to do anything. I can't be interested. Why don't you go back to the UK? I'm here to show my relatives."

The lady sighed again.

"Madam, what do you think? I won't stay in Shanghai for a long time, and I will have to go back to the mainland after a while. On the one hand, I go to Shanghai to invest, and on the other hand, I am looking for business partners. In the British Concession, the identity and nationality of the wife are wealth. It is better for us to cooperate, and I invest in your business, and we will pay the 50% off."

"How much capital do you have?" The Marquis suddenly became interested.

"I have as much capital as I want to do in the business."

Lu Yongzhi was not bragging about what he said. When he was received by HSBC as a major customer, he thought of ways to operate capital.

The Marquise took off the hat and set it aside.

When I think of the Marquis, I always think of at least forties. I didn't expect that the Marquis was only in his twenties, a copy of Maggie, the eldest daughter of Downton Abbey.

"From Nanjing Road to Jing'an Temple, I want to get another thirty acres of land."

"Take advantage of the cheap land price and strive to get 60 acres of land. Look, the British Concession has been focusing on Nanjing East Road, and it will be cut off when it reaches Tibet Road. Now we mainly acquire land west of Tibet Road, basically 2,000 acres. It is several times lower than the east."

"But the British Concession has no intention of developing westward again?"

"That's only temporary. We get the land and build all the square stones into street shops with five or six-story wall bases. The ones with houses and gardens can be bought or rented. Once the scale is formed, everyone will follow up. In the end, the British Concession will naturally expand to the Jing'an Temple area."

"No need to have five or six floors high, there are the most three floors."

"You are the leader of this, but the foundation must be thick, and you can build six or seven layers. One layer can be used as a warehouse. I think the foreign companies on the Bund have to cross Waibaidu Bridge to get goods, which is very inconvenient. We need to build shops and warehouses into one, so that merchants can also save transportation costs."

"Well, if you say that, it is still necessary to build four or five floors, and you can also use it as a warehouse on the upper floor."

"Then start with your thirty acres of land, we will go in two steps. We will find a designer to do the drawings and continue to acquire the land. The shops in the front and the back will be converted into garden villas. Those who buy the shops will also have to buy the villas in the back, otherwise we will just rent them."

If this plan is implemented, Nanjing Road will definitely not be the same as it did later. It is exciting to think about it. Once the shop in front is closed, you can cross the road and you will be able to reach your own comfort zone.

"These 30 acres of land plus the front and back houses will be built according to your idea. I think I will cost at least 80,000 taels of silver."

The Marquise looked at him worriedly.

"Maggie, don't think about money. Just consider building a house and obtaining land. I'm responsible for the funds."

"What do you call me, Maggie? My name is Marty, and you can also call me the Marquis."

"The name is a symbol. I call you Maggie. Just know that you call you. My name is Lu Yongzhi. You can call me Mr. Lu. I'm very happy to know you, Maggie."

"Okay, Maggie is Maggie, happy cooperation, Luther."

"Ha, the name Luther is also good. My English name is Luther."

Maggie stood up, went to the wine cabinet to grab two wine glasses, poured two whiskey, and handed them to Lu Yongzhi.

The two of them met and shouted: Happy cooperation!

Then Maggie walked to the piano, opened the piano, and said:

"My husband died a month ago, and I have never touched it. Today, for our cooperation, I will play a song. This is an ancient English folk song. It says that the husband died in battle on the battlefield. His soul returned but could not find his way home. So he kept asking passers-by..."

“Scarpolo Market. One of my favorite songs to listen to.”

As soon as Mai Rui's song rang, he hummed softly:

"Are you going to Scarborough? Where are the intoxicating flowers and herbs? The fragrance reminds me of a girl who lived there, who I once loved so much.

Please tell her to make me a linen dress, parsley, dice, sage and thyme, without seams and stitches, that is my beloved girl…”

Mai Rui cried, she remembered his husband who drowned in the navy, and she had completely taken the role; Lu Yongzhi's eyes were also wet, and he didn't expect that he would hear this song that he never got tired of listening to in his lifetime.

The thirsty French chef and two French maids ran out and stood aside and excitedly and beaten. They had been suppressed by the atmosphere in the room for too long.

When Mai Rui smiled and nodded to them with tears in his eyes, the fat chef gave Lu Yongzhi two big thumbs with a "Oh" sound:

"Good dinner tonight!"

Maggie played it once and stopped. She looked at him with tears in her eyes: "Your lyrics and tunes are different from mine. Hum and I'll listen."

Lu Yongzhi smiled. It is strange to have the same thing. These are all adapted by later generations many times. What I am humming is the latest version sung by Sarah Brightman.

"Come on, you sing with me, are you going to Scarborough Market?"

Maggie sang one by one. When he paused in the middle, Lu Yongzhi added a guitar chord, which made Maggie intoxicated.

Then, I played it on the piano again, and this time it was a perfect match for the performance and the accompaniment.

Hearing the sound of the gate, Maggie continued to play, while Lu Yongzhi held the wine glass and focused on studying the oil painting.

The butler came in and said to Lu Yongzhi in Chinese:

"Mr. Lu, I have been waiting for you for a long time. These foreigners from the Ministry of Industry and Technology are very difficult to deal with. It took me a lot of effort to complete it. Moreover, the tax rates of more than 2,000 taels per mu are different from those of no more than 2,000 taels, so I can only make two contracts, one for 1,008 and one for 500. Just get the 1,008 to the Ministry of Industry and Technology and Technology for filing."

"But, thank you for your hard work. You don't know that real estate transaction contracts will be notarized by lawyers in the end. You are too unprofessional."

Lu Yongzhi spoke in English.

The housekeeper was stunned: "You can speak English? This must be a misunderstanding, let's take a look."
Chapter completed!