Mortal Realm: Selling a House to Pay Off Debts (3)

“My dear niece, you were too impulsive yesterday. What should you do now? Your brother isn’t home, and you have no one to rely on. Do you need your uncle’s help?” Uncle Xie sighed.

Xie Guijin hurriedly and gratefully invited her second uncle to take a seat, choking back tears as she said, "I was truly at a loss. Fortunately, my second uncle came. Please, my second uncle, save me."

“Although we’ve separated our families long ago, we can’t be friends forever. So, I’m willing to pay off my niece’s debts. But she has to give me something in return, otherwise I won’t be able to explain it to your aunt.” Uncle Xie swaggered down and slowly said, sipping his tea.

Xie Guijin covered her face and wept, saying, "Second Uncle, what do you want? Just take it."

"You child, you're so old and you still can't speak properly. Don't worry, your second uncle isn't taking advantage of your misfortune. As long as things are generally acceptable, that's fine. Here's what we'll do: the rouge shop on West Street, the rice shop in North Alley, and the silk shop on East Street—these three loss-making shops will be enough."

"Oh, I heard that the housekeeper doesn't want to sell the newly built house in the outer city. Give it to me too. My second uncle has a good relationship with them; he'll help you sell it."

Xie Guijin thought to herself, "How naive and innocent must the original owner have been to allow Xie Lao Er to bully her so much? No, I must get my revenge."

Thinking of this, Xie Guijin wiped away imaginary tears with a handkerchief and forced a smile, "I understand your kindness, Second Uncle. Thank you for your generosity. Did you bring any silver notes, Second Uncle? When will the documents be signed?"

Upon hearing this, Uncle Xie was overjoyed and readily took out a purse of gold and silver along with the documents he had prepared in advance, saying, "My dear niece, please check. If there are no problems, we'll sign it."

"How could I not trust my second uncle? Second uncle, wait a moment. I'm going to wash my hands so I can sign the documents when I get back, just for good luck." Xie Guijin took the gold and silver and got up to walk towards the backyard.

As Xie Guijin walked, he weighed his purse in his hand, secretly cursing his second uncle for being shameless. He preferred to give gold and silver rather than banknotes, simply because he was afraid that banknotes would expose him for taking advantage of others and embezzling his brother's family property.

Uncle Xie had no idea what Xie Guijin was thinking. He thought Xie Guijin was both stupid and foolish, and who knew how grateful he would be to him now.

The maid brought over a basin of water and asked Uncle Xie to wash his hands.

Uncle Xie smirked and chuckled at Xie Guijin's fussiness, then hastily washed his hands.

Before long, Xie Guijin returned, with Lingge carrying a brush and ink behind her.

After the two signed the documents, they still needed to go to the government office for the transfer of ownership (registration). Xie Guijin lowered his head and said awkwardly, "I made such a big fool of myself yesterday, so I won't go. I'll trouble you, Uncle, to make the trip. Anyway, the documents have been signed, so I don't think there will be any major problems."

"That's fine. What if this brat changes her mind after being reminded when we go to the yamen?" Uncle Xie thought to himself, and then put on a kind elder's expression and said to Xie Guijin, "That's right. My niece, stay at home and don't go out these days."

Then, Uncle Xie said many comforting words and said he would try his best to get Master Xie out as soon as possible.

Xie Guijin thanked him profusely as she saw him off, then kindly reminded him, "I heard that the officials at the yamen are busy with official business in the morning. Second Uncle, you might as well have lunch and rest before going. The officials will be in a better mood then and probably won't mind that I didn't go."

"My niece is right, Uncle will go this afternoon." Uncle Xie happily went home to share his joy with Mrs. Xie.

When Butler Hao heard the news, he rushed back, but it was too late. Upon hearing what had just happened, he was heartbroken.

Xie Guijin quickly offered some words of comfort, then continued, "Uncle, please go to the Jingzhao Yin's residence for me. Those people who came to cause trouble yesterday must have been orchestrated by someone. It seems very likely to be Second Uncle. They were so certain that Father would never return; perhaps Second Uncle is the key to solving the murder case. Please keep an eye out, Lord Xue."

After recovering, Butler Hao responded and left.

Xie Guijin then went to attend to other matters.

By noon, everything was ready.

After people finished their lunch break, Xie Guijin ordered everyone to post notices in the market and in front of their own shops, and to promote the preferential policies for purchasing the Xie family's new house with gongs and drums.

The preferential terms and conditions are numerous and overwhelming.

Firstly, a public auction will be held three days later, with the highest bidder winning.

Secondly, bidders must fill out a form and obtain a bidding number in advance to qualify for the auction. All bidders will receive a gift from Xie Family Trading Company.

Thirdly, those who have already obtained a bidding number and recommend friends or relatives to participate in the bidding will receive an additional gift. All of these gifts are goods sold by Xie Family Trading Company.

Fourthly, if a bidder wins the house three days later, a portion of the house price can be reduced based on the number of people they recommend.

Fifthly, if three or more bidders who recommend each other all win the bid for the house within three days, they can enjoy an additional 10% discount on top of the reduction in the house price.

Sixth, the final bidders who pay the full amount can participate in a lucky draw with generous prizes including land, livestock, furniture, and more.

Seventhly, all bidders who ultimately pay the money can choose one of the following options: "Bonus: Imperial Examination Recommendation Qualification (i.e., Official Position)" or "Exemption from Corvée Labor".

Eighthly, all the houses have inscriptions personally written by contemporary calligraphy masters, and plaques are made free of charge.

Ninthly, all house transactions were conducted through official government contracts (red deeds), not private contracts (white deeds).

Tenth, all bidders must be registered residents, with a maximum of three slots per household.

Beyond these promotional offers, works by literati and scholars have begun circulating throughout the streets and alleys, composing poems and lyrics for the Xie family residence.

The government also sent the Imperial Astronomical Bureau to personally assess the house, praising its excellent feng shui, which was said to bring prosperity to officials, people, livestock, longevity, wealth, and property.

This whole thing really scares the people.

Putting everything else aside, you can get a gift just by registering and getting a number. Who doesn't love free stuff?

Nowadays, many families haven't separated yet, and each household only has three spots, meaning only three members of a large family can receive the first gift. So, we need to hurry!

Now, the queue was incredibly long, and the Xie family had no choice but to set up more tables.

Later, there were so many people that they couldn't fit in front of Xie's residence, so they moved to the open space in front of the Jingzhao Yin's residence, and the Imperial Guards were all sent to maintain order.

Seeing this, Lingge couldn't help but ask, "Miss, with several teams registering at the same time, it's difficult for information to be shared. Aren't some people taking advantage of the situation? There are probably more than three people from one family here."

"It's alright. Even if more people from your family come, or even if the whole family comes, I'll be happy. It'll just mean a few more gifts." Xie Guijin, who had the gold and silver from Uncle Xie as a safety net, was not worried at all.

Not to mention, the people are generally honest and simple these days, and most will only actively accept the gifts without trying to get more. Those so-called gifts are nothing more than unsold goods that the Xie family's trading company has accumulated; they're worthless. None of the managers in the company will complain about it.

Of course, for ordinary people, free is the best.

The entire capital was filled with joy because the Xie family was selling their house and giving away free gifts.

Apart from Uncle Xie, he was afraid that things might change if he waited too long, so he didn't take a long nap and went to the yamen early to wait. As soon as the door opened, he went in, so he was unaware of the Xie family's grand publicity for selling the house.

Uncle Xie was overjoyed to complete the preliminary procedures at the yamen, hand in the documents, and wait for the transfer.

After taking the document and flipping through it, the minor official surnamed Zhao glanced at Uncle Xie with a strange expression, sighed, and returned the document to Uncle Xie, saying, "Uncle Xie, I'm very busy here and don't have time to entertain you."

Uncle Xie, not understanding why, accepted the gift and said with a forced smile, "Brother Zhao, what are you saying? I've been fortunate to receive your help all these years, how could I dare to make fun of you?"

As he spoke, he took out some loose silver to offer as a gift to the minor official.

The minor official surnamed Zhao refused to take it, instead raising his chin to indicate to Uncle Xie that he should look at the document.

Upon closer inspection, Xie Ershu discovered that the document was blank; neither his own nor Xie Guijin's signature was present.

He couldn't believe it, and went through every document again and again to make sure it really wasn't there.

Those waiting in line behind couldn't help but urge him on when they saw this.

The minor official surnamed Zhao then told Uncle Xie to come back after he had finished preparing, and that he must bring Xie Guijin with him next time.

Uncle Xie, looking pale and sickly, thanked the minor official surnamed Zhao and turned to find Xie Guijin to settle accounts, completely unaware of the commotion on the street.

Upon arriving at the Xie residence, they learned that Xie Guijin had gone to the residence of the Prefect of the Capital.

Uncle Xie didn't think much of it, assuming that Xie Guijin was only concerned about Master Xie's case.

He couldn't wait any longer and couldn't bear it any longer, so he went straight to the Prefect's residence in the capital, wishing he could strangle Xie Guijin on the way.

Unexpectedly, upon arriving near the Jingzhao Yin Mansion, they saw a steady stream of people queuing in the open space in front of the government office. Even more surprising was that Xie Guijin was sitting in a grand chair not far from the head of the queue, fanning himself with a round fan, looking quite relaxed.

Forced to comply with the duties of the Imperial Guards and the yamen runners of the Prefect of the Capital, Uncle Xie managed to regain some of his composure.

He paid no attention to the current situation and stepped forward to Xie Guijin, saying in a kind and gentle tone, "Niece, the document we signed this morning may have a problem with the ink; the words are barely visible. Let's re-sign it."

When Xie Guijin saw her second uncle approaching, she stood up and bowed. Upon hearing this, she asked in confusion, "What are you talking about, second uncle? What document? What signature? I don't know anything about it."

"You don't know!" Uncle Xie was furious. He took the document from the servant and slammed it on the small table next to the chair where the teacups were placed. He muttered, "Don't pretend you're confused. We agreed this morning that I would pay off your debts, and you would give me those money-losing shops and the newly built house in the outer city. You dare to go back on your word?"

Xie Guijin held a palm-leaf fan to her forehead and said with a smile, "Second Uncle, don't be angry."

Uncle Xie snorted.

Xie Guijin turned to Butler Hao and asked, "Which of our shops are losing money?"

“Miss, what shop in our family is losing money? Second Master is probably delirious and talking nonsense,” Butler Hao replied, suppressing a laugh.

"You old scoundrel, how dare you laugh at me?" Uncle Xie was furious and raised his hand to hit Steward Hao.

Xie Guijin stepped forward, gently deflecting the blow with her fan, a hint of anger on her face, and scolded, "Second Uncle, although we have separated our families, we are still of the same lineage. Our Xie family has always been lenient towards its subordinates, and the masters are kind while the servants are loyal. So many people are watching, you can't just hit people like that."

Uncle Xie's face twitched with anger. He gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, I won't hit him. Since my elder brother isn't here, I'll teach you a lesson on his behalf."

"Second Master, be careful with your words, and don't lose your composure," Butler Hao said sternly.

Xue Linchuan's attendant jogged over, his face stern, and said, "Who dares to be so insolent here?"

Two guards also approached, staring intently at Uncle Xie.

Uncle Xie had no choice but to withdraw his hand, and said angrily, "I won't touch you. You don't have to give me the shops and houses, but give me back the gold and silver."

"Gold and silver? Are there any markings? Second Uncle, can you give it to me? Is there any witness?" Xie Guijin asked, her eyes wide.