Hearing Xiao Jingnan's words, Manager Lin quickly caught on.
"Rest assured, Master Cheng. You and your wife are running a business that has created quite a stir in the whole city. We can surely discuss the repayment deadline."
Xiao Jingnan heaved another sigh. "Although the repayment deadline isn't specified in the contract, if one day you two gentlemen come to collect the debt... As the saying goes, 'Debts must be repaid.' We might not have much to say then."
Manager Lin and Manager Wu exchanged a glance, cursing silently in their hearts: What a sly fox! This cunning young man is full of tricks!
But on the surface, they still wore amiable smiles, looking kind and easy - going as if everything was negotiable.
Xiao Jingnan, representing the Li Family Wine Shop, had been a member of the Thirteen Guilds in the capital for several months, and they had interacted with each other on multiple occasions in the guild.
Although they weren't very familiar, they knew that this young man, though seemingly gentle and mild - mannered when talking to anyone, actually had a deep - seated scheme in mind.
His hint about the repayment deadline at this moment probably meant he had already had a plan.
Manager Lin forced a smile. "Brother Cheng, we're all trying to make a living in the capital. We're bound to run into each other often. We're not unreasonable people. You can rest assured..."
Manager Wu coughed lightly and quietly added, "One hundred thousand taels of silver is no small amount. It's reasonable for you, nephew, to have such concerns. Well, I'll make a decision. How about setting the repayment deadline for one year?"
The bet between the Imperial College and Li Wanming was only for three months. One year was already four times as long as that. It was indeed a generous offer.
Li Wanming was tempted to agree, but when she glanced at Xiao Jingnan, she quickly suppressed the excitement on her face.
Xiao Jingnan still frowned and said nothing. He neither agreed nor refused.
Manager Wu observed his expression and gritted his teeth. "Brother Cheng and his wife have so many shops to manage. It must be really hard. I think the repayment deadline should be three years... No! Five years. How about that?"
Xiao Jingnan raised his eyebrows, and a bright smile spread across his lips.
"Since you two elders are so kind, I won't decline."
Manager Lin and Manager Wu almost spat out blood. They cursed Xiao Jingnan in their hearts as a heartless brat!
Not decline?
How could he still say that with a straight face!
He had been putting on an act all morning just to get to this point!
Five years...
He planned to borrow one hundred thousand taels of silver for five years!
Throughout all the banks in the Great Sheng Dynasty, the longest repayment deadline was only three years. No one had ever offered five years... Might as well not pay it back at all!
While cursing in their hearts, they asked someone to bring in writing brushes and ink, planning to draft a supplementary clause.
However, Xiao Jingnan wasn't done yet.
"If we borrow for five years and calculate the interest at one - tenth per year, we'll have to pay back five thousand taels of silver..."
Manager Lin was a bit slow to react. He stammered, "What do you mean? You... Don't tell me you don't want to pay the interest?"
Manager Wu nudged him with his elbow. His old face wrinkled into a ball as he said, "The repayment deadline is five years, but the interest will be calculated for only one year."
Xiao Jingnan smiled and bowed deeply. "Thank you, two managers."
Filled with hatred, they finished writing the supplementary clause. Just as Manager Lin was about to call the clerk from the Ministry of Revenue to seal it, he saw Xiao Jingnan folding the document and putting it into his sleeve.
"The supplementary document? It's not important. No need to trouble the officials from the Ministry of Revenue."
Manager Lin stared at him in disbelief. "But... Don't we need a copy?"
Xiao Jingnan waved his hand. "Manager Lin, Manager Wu, you two are busy people. Don't bother with such trivial matters as making a copy. When you have time in the future, come to the Li Family Wine Shop for a drink... Wife, come and thank the two managers for their kindness. Let's go!"
It was a long time before Manager Lin stamped his foot angrily. "No wonder he waited until all the formalities were completed before bringing up the repayment deadline. He never intended to give us the document!"
"We're the lenders, but we don't even have the IOU. What's this all about!"
Manager Wu had been worn out after a whole morning. He said calmly, "Don't be so anxious. The only thing he can do with that document is to prevent us from urging him to pay back the debt in advance. It's not a big deal otherwise."
"How is it not a big deal?"
Manager Lin said anxiously, "He's the only one who has the document. After five years, if he doesn't want to pay back, he can just say whatever he wants!"
Manager Wu gave him a sidelong glance and said coolly, "What? Do you still want to ask him for the money?"
"I..."
Manager Lin was stunned for a moment. "I don't really care about the money. One hundred thousand taels, although not a small amount, our bank can afford it. It's just that we lent the money to gain some favor. But now, we're in such a passive position. We've lost both face and profit."
Manager Wu said, "We may not have gained face or profit, but we've seen the young man's skills."
"He planned meticulously, advanced step by step, and his actions were seamless. He拿捏 the situation so precisely that even the most experienced businessmen might not be able to do better."
Manager Wu stroked his beard. After a long while, he let out a soft sigh. "The younger generation is really formidable."
——————
Now that they had the money, they could finally make great plans.
Li Wanming was very happy, but soon, she and Xiao Jingnan had a disagreement.
Li Wanming thought they should renovate the paper - making shop first.
Renovating the paper - making shop was relatively easy, and Tian Erya was skilled. They could start it as soon as possible to achieve business operation and capital return.
Although they had managed to get a five - year repayment deadline from the bank thanks to Xiao Jingnan's tricks, they couldn't really delay the repayment.
If the paper - making shop could start making a profit quickly, the pressure of repayment would be less.
As for the inn and the pawnshop... One needed more complicated decoration, and the other hadn't yet established a sales channel for the dead - pawned items. So, they could wait and be dealt with later.
However, Xiao Jingnan disagreed.
"Wife, now everyone in the capital knows that you've borrowed one hundred thousand taels of silver and are competing with the Imperial College."
"Therefore, your three shops should either not open at all or open with a bang!"
"Although Erya is capable, she has no business experience. If your paper - making shop starts operating alone, it may end up being mediocre."
"With such a grand show, mediocrity means failure."
"At that time, the whole capital will laugh at you. When the inn and the pawnshop open, the pressure will surely increase. Even if your inn and pawnshop are novel and special, it may be hard to reverse the decline."
Li Wanming knew he was right, but she was still worried.
"But we've borrowed one hundred thousand taels of silver!"
"I thought we could let the paper - making shop start operating quickly and earn back as much as possible."
Xiao Jingnan insisted, "No."
"Wife, you only have three months. It's not suitable for a slow and steady approach."
"The three shops must open at the same time to create the greatest publicity momentum!"
"Moreover, everyone knows that the paper - making shop in the south of the city is now in your hands. Do you really want to just simply decorate it and continue operating it in the old way?"
Li Wanming looked at him doubtfully.
What else could she do? It was just a paper - making shop selling funeral items. Could she inlay it with gold and jade and turn it into a magnificent palace?
Xiao Jingnan paced slowly. "It's really a bit difficult to be innovative, unrestrained, and at the same time, not change the business nature. How about this? Let me take care of the paper - making shop."
Li Wanming was just worrying about how to manage it. Seeing that he was willing to take over, she naturally agreed immediately.
But after thinking for a while, she said, "I'll have to worry about a lot of things at the inn. I won't have the energy to manage the pawnshop. You'll have to keep an eye on it too."
Xiao Jingnan smiled. "Wife, don't worry. With my parents around, the pawnshop may not make a fortune, but it definitely won't lose money."
Seeing his confidence, Li Wanming didn't dwell on this issue anymore and nodded in agreement.
They just had to wait for the three shops to be renovated and then choose an auspicious day to open them together.
However, she never expected that Xiao Jingnan could make such a stir just by managing a paper - making shop.