ECG -Chapter 157 You Really Are My Savior

“You really want to sell the restaurant, Old An?” Zuo Yao hugged his arm. She had come to this restaurant countless times with her parents since she was little, and hearing that it was going to be sold, she felt extremely upset.

Old An let out a long sigh. He had never had the habit of saving money. He always earned and spent as he went. In recent years, his son had grown up, but he had not earned much money, while his son’s spending speed was much faster than his own ability to make money.

The guitar absolutely could not be sold. He did not have many valuable things left. It seemed that selling the restaurant was the only option!

Lin Hao handed Old An a cigarette. The three of them sat down in a booth. Lin Hao first lit it for him, then lit his own cigarette and took a deep drag.

Advertisement

“Old An, I have an idea. See what you think?”

“Mr. Lin, I won’t sell the guitar!” Old An knew Lin Hao was an expert, and he was afraid that he also wanted to buy the guitar. Then he immediately thought of another possibility, his face lighting up with joy as he exclaimed, “God, could it be that you want to buy my restaurant?”

Lin Hao was left speechless. I’m from Northeast China and I only know how to stew pickled cabbage—what would I want your Western restaurant for?

He waved his hand.

“Don’t misunderstand me. What I mean is, I’ll help you pay off this debt…”

Advertisement

“No! I’m not selling the guitar!”

“Don’t rush. Let me finish!”

Lin Hao couldn’t help laughing. This old man really had a fiery temper.

“Alright!” Old An shut his mouth and looked at him seriously.

“I’ll pay off your debt for you. Of course, I’m not just doing charity. I don’t want your restaurant, and I’m not asking for your guitar right now either.”

After Lin Hao finished speaking, not only was Old An confused, even Zuo Yao looked puzzled, unable to understand what he meant.

Lin Hao pointed at the black-and-white photos hanging on the wall.

“This restaurant is the work of your entire life. If you sell it, what will you do afterward?”

Old An looked gloomy. His lips moved a few times, but he didn’t say anything.

“So, the restaurant cannot be sold!” Lin Hao said firmly.

“But…”

Lin Hao stopped him and continued, “If one day you’re gone, will you take the guitar with you?”

“Gone?” Old An let out a long sigh and muttered, “At my age, where else would I go? I can’t even walk that far anymore!”

Zuo Yao seemed to understand Lin Hao’s meaning a little. She smiled and said, “Old An, what he means is… if one day you pass away.”

Old An suddenly understood. He wasn’t bothered by this topic at all and burst out laughing.

“That’s for sure. When the day comes that I die, I won’t be willing to take the guitar with me either.”

Lin Hao slapped his palm.

“That’s right. I’ll help you pay off the debt now. Before you leave this world, sell the guitar to me. At that time, we’ll follow the market price, and whatever the difference is, I’ll make up the rest…”

Old An and Zuo Yao both understood what he meant. This time, it was Old An who interrupted Lin Hao. He grinned.

“Mr. Lin, I understand what you mean. You’ll pay off this debt for me now, and then this guitar belongs to you. I’ll just keep it for you. The term is until the day before I meet God! Don’t worry, I don’t care how much this guitar is worth. When the time comes, I won’t ask you for another cent!”

Seeing him say that, Lin Hao hurriedly tried to explain. Not asking for more money was naturally a good thing, but he had never intended to take advantage of him.

But Old An stopped him again.

“That’s how it’s decided. If you don’t agree, then forget it!”

“Alright! Alright! Then it’s settled!”

Seeing how determined the old man was, Lin Hao decided to go along with it. After all, this investment would not pay off for a long time. Looking at the old man’s healthy legs, he seemed quite energetic. If he lived another thirty or forty years, even without adding more money, this investment wouldn’t really be taking advantage of anything.

“God, you really are my savior! I’ll go get paper and a pen. We need to make a written agreement!”

Old An happily got up and walked toward the counter.

Lin Hao couldn’t help laughing. This old man was clearly someone who had grown up in China. He didn’t believe in the heavens, yet he actually believed in God.

However, whatever someone’s faith was, that was their own freedom. He was moved by Old An’s deep love for his wife, and besides, at his age, if he really sold the restaurant, his future life would probably become very difficult. So Lin Hao simply wanted to help him.

Of course, he wasn’t some kind of philanthropist. The main reason was still that he had his eyes on this guitar. However, the old man’s feelings toward this guitar were very deep. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have preferred to sell the restaurant rather than the guitar. After thinking it over, this was the only solution he could come up with.

Although this timeline was a bit long, it was the only way. He couldn’t be as despicable as Mao Tong and take it by force. He could only genuinely put down real money and first make the guitar belong to him.

Lin Hao really liked this guitar. In his previous life, he hadn’t even touched one, let alone owned one. Ordinary guitar shops wouldn’t stock such an expensive guitar either, unless someone paid a deposit to order it.

As the saying goes, the moon has its phases, and people have their misfortunes and blessings. No one knew how many years Old An could live. Lin Hao wasn’t wishing for him to meet his maker sooner—he was still young and could wait. As long as this guitar could fall into his hands one day, that was enough.

Money sitting in the bank would only earn a little interest. Making a long-term investment in a guitar he loved, especially such a precious one… it was worth it!

Zuo Yao secretly pinched his thigh. Lin Hao understood what she was worried about. He smiled and was just about to speak when Old An came back with paper and a pen.

He asked Lin Hao to write it. Lin Hao held the pen and thought for a moment, then quickly wrote:

Sales Agreement

Party A:

Party B:

Party A currently owns a Martin acoustic guitar, model: D100. On May 2, 2004, Party A has received an advance payment of 150,000 yuan from Party B for the sale of the guitar. This payment is the full amount. From the date of payment onward, ownership of this guitar shall belong to Party B.

Party A shall keep this guitar in custody for Party B for the remainder of Party A’s life. After Party A passes away for any reason, the guitar shall be delivered to Party B.

From the date this agreement is signed, it shall have legal effect!

Party A:

Party B:

Witness:

There weren’t many words, so Lin Hao wrote two copies. Then he signed his name in the Party B section.

Old An took them and wrote “André An” in the Party A section. Lin Hao was a little surprised. Usually, Italians liked this name. In his previous life, one of the Italian blind male opera singers he liked was also named Andrea Bocelli.

Seeing his confusion, Zuo Yao smiled and said, “Old An’s name on his ID card really is André. His son is called An Hai.”

Lin Hao laughed after hearing that. This name was quite interesting. That An Hai really was unreliable—he had piled up a mountain of debts and then ran away. Looks like it was because his name was missing the character “De” (virtue)!

After Old An finished signing, Zuo Yao giggled. “Looks like I’m the witness then?”

Lin Hao gave her a thumbs-up. “Smart!”

Zuo Yao picked up the pen and looked at Lin Hao again. Lin Hao nodded at her. She hesitated for a moment, but still signed her name.

Lin Hao glanced at it and said, “You need to practice your handwriting more. When you become a big star in the future, your autograph will be a little too ugly!”

Zuo Yao pouted and lightly hit him. Despite her young age, she already had a very charming air about her.

Old An ran back to the counter and brought over a box of red ink paste. The three of them each pressed their fingerprints onto the agreement. Afterwards, the two parties each took one copy.

Lin Hao asked him, “You can accept card payments, right?”

Old An thought about it. Although the processing fee would be a little high, it was also the fastest method, so he nodded.