Looking for a place to live?

Flathead's face instantly darkened. "Damn it, are you kidding me? Why are you asking me for help looking for a place?"

"I don't have any houses to rent out."

Song Jingzhou stood in front of Su Qingci and said, "Speak properly, who the hell is fucking who? You fucking!"

Flathead looked at the fierce-looking face in front of him, with thick eyebrows, a buzz cut, and a high nose bridge. His eyes were clearly not those of a kind person.

Having followed his uncle around for so many years, he still had a good eye. He could tell at a glance that the person in front of him was no ordinary street thug; he was definitely someone who had blood on his hands.

In this line of work, reputation is everything. Normally, he would have already thrown his fists, but sensing the danger from the other party and remembering that this was his own doorstep and that his uncle and sister-in-law were at home, Flatheaded Meat instantly calmed down.

Although there are rules in their line of work that prohibit involving family members, who knows if someone shameless might suddenly appear?

Su Qingci tugged at Song Jingzhou's arm and got straight to the point.

"Well, I'm Su Jindong's sister. We've known each other for a few years now. Back then, when you and Su Jindong had that fight, your uncle and my grandfather even met at the police station. This is my boyfriend. That's just his personality, so please don't mind him."

Flat-headed Meat then looked Su Qingci up and down more closely. "So it was you. You were the one who called the police back then, weren't you?"

Su Qingci smiled but remained silent. "I know you all like to be straightforward, so I'll just say it directly: I need to buy a house. I know you are all familiar with the hutongs of Kyoto and have a wide network of connections, so I would like you to help me find one. Of course, I won't let you work for free. For every house that is sold, I will give you a 5% commission. That means if the total price of the house is 2,000, I will give you 100."

When Dachang heard about this good news, he became very excited. Finding a house would be so easy. He knew of at least two places. These days, a full-time job only pays about 20 or 30 yuan a month. Finding a house could earn him three or four months' salary.

He looked nervously at Flathead Meat. This was much more lucrative than collecting debts or helping in fights. Seeing that Flathead Meat didn't react, he swallowed hard and said urgently, "Flathead Brother."

These street thugs are mostly unemployed. They wouldn't dare to commit serious crimes like murder or arson. They rely on people asking them for favors, pocket money, or food. Ever since Ping Tou Ge's uncle, He Ba, had his leg broken a year ago, they've all become much more well-behaved, and fewer people are asking them for favors.

They hadn't had any pocket money for a long time.

Flat-headed meat paused for a moment, then looked directly into Su Qingci's eyes. "Just looking for a place to live?"

Su Qingci shook her head, "Not only that, but they also have to help us get the house, which means they have to take possession of it."

A realization flashed in the crew-cut eyes; he knew it wouldn't be that easy.

"As far as I know, after the founding of the People's Republic of China, the houses, shops and property of wealthy families in many regions were confiscated and renovated, making these lands and houses public property, which were then distributed by the state."

"But a very small number of houses were still kept in private hands before the property was acquired. After all, if all the property of others is taken, the houses that people want to live in must still be left for them to live in. It is impossible to drive people out onto the street. Later, the government introduced a policy to return some of the confiscated properties. So if you want to find them, you can still find them."

Flat-headed Meat paused, "But all these properties have one thing in common: they are all densely packed with people living in them."

"Whether they were arranged to move in by the neighborhood committee or returned to the private owners along with their rental contracts, it won't be easy to get rid of these people living here."

Large Intestine nodded hurriedly, "Yes, yes, Honey Badger is right. I know of two families who are having a headache because of this. Although the government returned the houses to them, the tenants living there are like tough nuts."

“Some leases have already expired, but they just won’t move out. Some are still being paid rent, but it’s rent from many, many years ago, and the market price is much higher now. They’re just forcibly occupying the space and refusing to leave, using the excuse that they’ve already paid rent. Some don’t even pay rent anymore, saying that the neighborhood committee arranged for them to move in, so where are they supposed to go now? They keep saying they have nowhere to go, and the landlords can’t do anything about it.”

"We went to the subdistrict office, and they came to our door several times to negotiate, but they just ignored us. There's nothing anyone can do about it."

Su Qingci nodded. "I am aware of all the situations you have described, which is why I came to you. Anyone can go door-to-door to inquire about houses, but I believe you have more methods for handling things like taking possession of a property. Moreover, I will not let you work for free; I will pay you extra for the hard work of clearing the area."

When Pingtourou heard that Su Qingci said there would be extra charge for cleaning the room, Dachang, who was watching eagerly from the side, gritted his teeth and said, "Okay, I'll do it. Tell me your conditions, and I'll send the brothers out to inquire this afternoon."

Su Qingci and Song Jingzhou exchanged a glance, a smile flashing in their eyes.

"We want a courtyard house, or a detached house in an alley or hutong. We're not considering tenement buildings for now. The area can't be too small either. We don't have the energy for major renovations. Also, you have to be responsible for handling any disputes regarding the property rights."

After a moment of silence, Su Qingci continued, "You can have someone tour all eight major hutongs in the new and old city districts. If the price is right and the houses are nice, you can get ten or eight houses."

Su Qingci originally wanted to say she would take as many as she could get, but she was afraid of scaring people away.

Hearing Su Qingci's boastful tone, Pingtourou's breathing became rapid. If things went according to what Su Qingci said, they would get a thousand or two if the matter was successfully completed.

That's a huge sum of money.

Seeing the doubt in the other party's eyes, Su Qingci immediately took out her wallet from her bag and counted out ten ten-yuan bills as a token of goodwill.

“I understand your rules. This is my earnest money. You can inquire about it first, and I'll come over tomorrow afternoon to go see the apartment with you.”

“Okay, I’ll make sure I find out all the shops for sale in all the alleys and lanes of Kyoto. Tomorrow afternoon, you can come to my house directly, or you can give me an address and I’ll come find you there.”

"goodbye."

In the bustling downtown area at the west entrance, Song Jingzhou followed behind Su Qingci, asking as they walked, "Are you really going to buy so many houses?"

"Even if everyone in the family has their own seat, there won't be enough rooms!"

Su Qingci rolled her eyes. "Who said I was going to buy one for each member of the family? They're all mine, my personal property."

At this point, Su Qingci turned back and stared warily at Song Jingzhou, saying, "It has nothing to do with you, it's my premarital property!"