Landlord in the Arctic

Chapter 323 - 259: Settling Down

Stepping out of the log cabin, a blast of crisp, cold air rushed to meet him. The chill seemed to pierce his clothes and seep straight into his bones, sobering Feng Mountain up in an instant.

He subconsciously pulled his jacket tighter and tucked his chin.

The camp was still a little chilly in the morning.

He looked up at the sky, which was a vast expanse of darkness, like a giant sheet of dark satin spread out overhead.

After stretching in place for a bit, Feng Mountain began his unwavering daily morning run along the banks of the Ice River.

Before long, others began to trickle in, joining the group of morning runners.

The group included camp staff and a few early-rising tourists. As they ran, they would occasionally greet one another, adding a bit of liveliness to the otherwise chilly morning.

However, much to Feng Mountain’s surprise, he spotted Su Ziweng and Young Master Xu among the runners.

He couldn’t help but stop, waiting for the two to catch up before teasing them a little.

"A rare sight indeed. You two are actually exercising, and up so early too."

"I haven’t fucking slept at all." Master Xu gritted his teeth and glared at Su Ziweng, his face full of resentment. "I heard you were back last night and planned to see you this morning. But this son of a bitch said we should drink a little longer since it was still early. That ’little longer’ turned into the entire fucking night. Now I’m stumbling all over the place, I feel like I’m floating."

"Fuck off, don’t you pin this on me! Who was it last night who suggested a nightcap? Stop swaying, you’re making me dizzy!"

Su Ziweng, panting heavily, retorted with a long-suffering look, as if he were the one who had been truly wronged. ’He felt incredibly aggrieved.’

Master Xu shot back, "Sway my ass! I’m standing perfectly still."

"Alright, that’s enough. Go back and get some sleep. I’m worried you two are going to drop dead on the trail." Watching the two drunks bicker, Feng Mountain shook his head, speechless. He quickly called over Yves and David to help get the two plastered idiots back to their cabin to rest.

After that little interlude, Feng Mountain continued his morning workout.

He ran a few more laps along the riverbank until he broke a light sweat and felt fully energized. Only then did he finish his workout and head to the restaurant with Nash for breakfast.

As soon as he walked in, he ordered an extra-large "Boss’s Special" from Jenny.

His stomach already growling with hunger, Feng Mountain picked up his knife and fork and began to wolf down his food.

"Feng the kid, you’re back!" a rather cheeky voice called out from beside him.

Feng Mountain looked up to see four old men in thick fur coats standing by his table. They had the distinct air of bandits from Weihu Mountain.

"Have you eaten yet?" Feng Mountain asked with a smile, swallowing a bite of fried egg.

It was just a polite pleasantry, the equivalent of "hello" or "long time no see."

But unexpectedly, Old Liu didn’t play by the usual script. "Nope," he said directly. "You buying?"

Feng Mountain froze for a second, then shook his head with a wry smile.

’It was just breakfast, after all.’ He raised his hand, called a server over, and ordered set meals for the four old men.

The four old men were very pleased with Feng Mountain’s gesture and praised him repeatedly.

"This young fella’s a good man. Knows how to respect his elders. Much better than that Feng the kid."

"Don’t even mention that Feng the kid. He’s as slippery as an eel, not an honest word in his mouth."

"Tell me about it. I wanted to ride the snowmobile, and the little brat said it was out of gas. Next thing I know, he’s hopping on it and riding away."

Seeing his three old friends getting sidetracked, Old Liu cleared his throat. "Xiaofeng, I want to discuss something with you. The four of us old-timers have decided not to leave. We’re planning to live here permanently. Would it be possible for you to set aside a plot of land for us to build a house?"

Another of the men, Old Li, who had a goatee, chimed in to back him up. "That’s right. Just name a price. Renting feels so temporary. It’s better to build our own place."

Feng Mountain sighed, putting down his knife and fork. He picked up his napkin and wiped his mouth.

"Gentlemen, you’re all here on tourist visas. How could you live here permanently? If immigration were to find out, you’d be in trouble, and the Crown Territory would be in trouble too."

"You don’t have to worry about that," said Old Man Zhang, who was wearing a rabbit-ear hat. "Lao Liu’s company has a branch in the United States. He’ll take care of the visas. Just tell us if you can set aside the land or not."

’If money isn’t an issue, then this is an easy conversation.’

Feng Mountain thought for a moment before quoting a price. "One hundred square meters of land for thirty years at 300,000 US Dollars. The house built on it cannot be more than two stories high."

He had actually quoted a price to Su Ziweng before.

The price for Su Ziweng at the time had been 400,000 US Dollars for a mobile log cabin with only a 30-year lease.

’Thinking back on it now, that price really was a bit steep.’

’Now that someone was interested in buying land, Feng Mountain wanted to adjust his strategy and offer a more reasonable and attractive price.’

’This would not only guarantee some income for the camp but also attract more people to invest and buy land, promoting the camp’s future development.’

One hundred square meters of land for thirty years at 300,000 US Dollars.

The four old men immediately huddled together, whispering amongst themselves. When they turned back to Feng Mountain, Old Liu spoke with a swagger.

"We’ll take it at that price. I want four plots, preferably all adjacent to each other."

Huh!

’Are they really buying?’

’Four plots... that’s 1,200,000 US Dollars.’

’Are retirement pensions for old folks back home really that high these days?’

Feng Mountain was astonished that they could make the decision to buy after just a few minutes of discussion.

"Look at your sheltered expression. We’ve run companies before, you know. Is it so strange for us to have a little savings?" Old Li, the one in the rabbit-ear hat, gave him a look as if he were making a mountain out of a molehill.

Feng Mountain nodded. He stopped engaging with the four old men and went back to focusing on his food.

"Alright. Go find David and register your names."

After the old men scurried happily out of the restaurant.

Feng Mountain felt something wasn’t quite right. He quickly borrowed a walkie-talkie from Jenny and spoke into the internal channel.

"Hey, David, listen up. There are four old men coming to see you about buying a residential plot—one hundred square meters with a 30-year lease for 300,000 US Dollars. Don’t take them to pick out the land just yet. Wait until we’ve designated an area, then we’ll notify them."