Mortal Realm: Selling a House to Pay Off Debts
Xie Guijin woke up leaning against the headboard, feeling weak all over, with a terrible headache, and her eyes so swollen she could only open them a crack.
She gritted her teeth and angrily said, "System, is this the beginner-friendly mission?"
"Don't be angry," the system quickly reassured, "I'll adjust your body data right away."
Xie Guijin rubbed her temples: "Wait, I don't know how long the original owner cried. Just take care of the internal organs, and fix the swollen eyes so that people won't notice."
"Okay, host." The system immediately executed the order. After the previous exchange, it understood that Xie Guijin was different from other hosts who treated the system as their savior; she treated the system as a subordinate.
If Xie Guijin didn't have to complete the task of selling houses to wake up in reality, and if she didn't complete it, she would die in reality with no chance of survival, she wouldn't bother with the system.
While the system was internally muttering, "It's supposed to be a mutually beneficial arrangement, but it feels like I'm the one taking advantage of her," it diligently transmitted the plot.
The original owner was also named Xie Guijin. Her father was extremely wealthy, and her mother died early.
The dynasty it was in was called the Great Zhou Dynasty. Its founding emperor was a woman, and there have been three generations of female emperors since then. It was common for women to hold official positions and engage in business.
Father Xie originally intended for the original owner to take over the family business. A year ago, after the original owner graduated from the academy, he took the original owner under his wing and taught him.
Unexpectedly, the original owner was timid by nature, not good at socializing, and had no business acumen, so her performance was unsatisfactory. She did not want to learn from her father, but she was afraid of disappointing him, so she refused to say no, and forced herself to fall seriously ill.
After this, Xie's father gave up the idea of finding a husband for his daughter, but before he could choose someone, he was involved in a murder case and was taken away on the spot as a suspect. He has been detained for three days.
Xie Guijin read the entire short story in one glance. The plot was not detailed enough, but she didn't care at the moment.
She treated this adventure like a virtual reality game, not caring about the NPCs, and focused only on the quest. Finally, she saw that the quest was to sell sixty newly built houses in the outer city within seven days at a price no lower than the market price.
"This mission has a trap, you did it on purpose, didn't you?" Xie Guijin raised an eyebrow.
The system said with a grin, "How could that be? I don't have that ability. It's all fixed."
But in his heart he was thinking, "Scared now? Let's see if you won't beg me."
Xie Guijin didn't say anything more. She slowly got up from the bed. The maids who were guarding outside the room heard the noise and hurriedly came in to help her wash up.
The head maid, Lingge, applied a medicated ointment made of borneol and pearl powder to Xie Guijin's eyes, gently advising her, "Master is a lucky man; he should be back in a few days after investigating. Miss, you're worried about Master, but you must also take care of yourself. If Master comes back and sees that Miss has cried herself sick, he will surely be heartbroken."
Xie Guijin closed her eyes and casually agreed, then instructed her maid to invite Steward Hao over.
After Lingge and the other maids served Xie Guijin breakfast and helped her change into her outdoor clothes, Steward Hao still hadn't arrived.
Xie Guijin frowned slightly, her gaze sweeping over the red flowers planted in the courtyard. Just as she was about to send someone to call for him again, the maid from before rushed back in a panic, panting, "Miss, sigh, Steward Hao is temporarily unavailable. He told me to tell you, don't go to visit the master yet. You're not allowed to visit him right now. Wait until he's made the arrangements before he accompanies you."
Seeing that Xie Guijin pursed her lips and didn't speak, Lingge reprimanded her on her behalf: "Just pass on the message, why are you in such a hurry? This is so rude in front of Miss."
The young maidservant bowed meekly in response.
After a moment's thought, Xie Guijin stepped out. She crossed the courtyard gate, passed through the hanging flower gate, and headed straight for the front yard along the covered walkway.
Lingge and the other maids quickly followed, advising Xie Guijin not to rush and to go back to her room to wait for Steward Hao.
Xie Guijin ignored the system and strode forward. She had already confirmed with the system that this place was an illusion. She could act according to her own will and did not need to worry about the original owner's personality. Others would rationalize her words and actions and would not suspect that she and the original owner were not the same person, so as to avoid causing unnecessary trouble.
A group of people walked to the screen wall and heard a great commotion outside the mansion.
Lingge and the others realized what was happening and quickly stopped Xie Guijin. The servants guarding the inner side of the gate also asked Xie Guijin to return to the courtyard.
Xie Guijin said solemnly, "With Father absent, I am the head of the Xie family. How can I back down?"
Having said that, he personally stepped forward and opened the mansion gate.
Lingge and the others were overwhelmed by Xie Guijin's imposing manner and were unable to stop him. They watched helplessly as the gate opened inward, revealing a group of people dressed in various styles outside the mansion. Each of them had a ferocious expression and shouted loudly, "Give us our money back!"
As the gate slowly opened, Xie Guijin stepped out. The people surrounding her fell silent for a moment before rushing forward.
Butler Hao, who was facing away from the gate and trying his best to calm everyone down, was confused. He turned around and looked back. He felt like his soul had left his body. He immediately shouted to the guards, "Protect Miss!" He then turned around and ran to Xie Guijin to protect her.
The tall butler, Hao, bowed to Xie Guijin under his wing and said, "Miss, don't be afraid. Go back and rest first. After I've dealt with things, I'll accompany you to visit the master."
"Uncle Hao, thank you so much." Xie Guijin said gratefully to Butler Hao, "However, let me do it."
Xie Guijin pushed aside Butler Hao and addressed the crowd that had gathered around her: "Everyone, I am now in charge of the Xie family. It is only right and proper for debts to be repaid. If my Xie family owes money, we will repay it. However, words are not enough. Do you have any proof?"
“Yes, yes,” several dark-skinned men dressed in cotton short-sleeved shirts stepped forward, clutching the contracts.
Xie Guijin did not need Lingge and the others. He reached out and took the contract. One of the contracts read, "I am a man from Shendu Prefecture, Yuzhou. I have now acquired the property of Mr. Xie to build sixty houses. All the carpentry work shall be carried out in accordance with the agreed style."
Construction is scheduled to begin on the first day of the third month of the year of the Five Bountiful Harvest, and must be completed by the thirtieth day of the eighth month. For each day the deadline is missed, 10 coins will be deducted from the wages.
Completed on schedule, 20 coins per day, totaling 3600 coins.
Pay 30% upon commencement of work, 1080 RMB.
The cost of raising the roof beam was 40%, or 1440 wen.
Upon completion and inspection, 20% payment will be made, amounting to 720 cash.
One-tenth of the silver, 360 coins, will be retained. The remaining balance will be settled after one year if there are no leaks, misalignments, or other defects.
The warranty period is one year from the date of completion. During this period, if there are any defects such as crooked beams and columns, leaking tiles, or cracked walls, Zhang the carpenter shall repair them free of charge. If he refuses to repair them, the merchant may hire another craftsman, and the cost will be deducted from the retained funds.
To avoid future disputes, this contract is hereby established as proof, with each party retaining one copy.
The rest of the contract is the same, except for the craftsman's surname and the craftsman's handprint at the place where both parties sign and affix their seals.
The craftsmen couldn't write, they could only leave their handprints.
Xie's father was a businessman, but his calligraphy was surprisingly strong and elegant, which surprised Xie Guijin.
Butler Hao thought that Xie Guijin wouldn't understand these things, and seeing her in a daze, he wanted to take the contract and handle it for her.
But then Xie Guijin asked, "Are you the craftsmen who built the sixty new houses in the outer city?"
"Yes, yes, yes," the group hurriedly agreed, rubbing their hands together, their faces showing unease.
"Those houses were completed five days ago, haven't they paid the remaining 20%?"
The craftsmen opened their mouths but couldn't speak. After some hesitation, they finally whispered, "The retained silver wasn't given."
"The deadline hasn't passed, so it shouldn't be paid, right?"
The craftsmen blushed, and the foreman, Zhang the carpenter, clenched his fists and said in a muffled voice, "Other people pay their workers as soon as the house is finished."
Upon hearing this, the onlookers began to say that the Xie family was rich but heartless. They had been whispering, but somehow their voices grew louder and louder, as if they were afraid the Xie family wouldn't hear them.
Others accused, "The Xie family is shameless. They even withhold the craftsmen's wages, doing it for a whole year. How are they supposed to survive? No wonder Master Xie killed people. He always looks so respectable, but bah, he's a beast."
The servants of the Xie family were furious when they heard this. They wanted to argue back, but they were afraid of bringing trouble upon their masters.
Xie Guijin ignored all of this. Standing on the steps, she stared at the craftsmen and asked, "Could it be that my family forced you to sign this contract back then?"
The craftsmen, who were already standing a few steps lower than Xie Guijin, lowered their heads unconsciously under Xie Guijin's gaze. They neither said yes nor no, looking pitiful with their heads bowed and ears down.
To onlookers, it looked as if Xie Guijin was looking down on others and bullying them with her power.
More and more people are speaking out against injustice, and their words are becoming increasingly blunt.
Unable to contain his anger any longer, Steward Hao pointed at the craftsmen and shouted, "Speak up! Why don't you say that you were the ones who fought tooth and nail to come and work for the Xie family?"
Yes, our Xie family withheld some of the deposited funds, but that was for the benefit of the families buying houses.
Because of the retained silver, the master said he couldn't treat you poorly, so he gave you higher wages than other companies. Even if the retained silver is all withheld, what you actually receive is about the same as other companies.
Besides, working for the Xie family provides food and clothing; otherwise, how could you afford cotton clothes?
The craftsmen were filled with shame. Hearing the onlookers turn against them and say that they were worthless made them even more embarrassed. They just wanted to find a hole to crawl into.
"You are clearly honest and law-abiding people. Since you know you are in the wrong, why did you join them in causing trouble?" Xie Guijin asked, puzzled.
No sooner had she finished speaking than a middle-aged man with a protruding belly next to her sneered, "Miss Xie, why ask a question you already know the answer to? Master Xie has been arrested for murder, and it's uncertain whether the Xie family will even exist in a year. Where would they get any money left over? It's only natural that they want to get their hard-earned money back."
"Who are you?"
The middle-aged man straightened his clothes, his expression arrogant, and didn't respond.
Butler Hao whispered in Xie Guijin's ear, "This is Bu Yaolian, the third manager of the timber company that supplies our business. Next to him are stone materials, lime mortar..."
Xie Guijin understood the upstream suppliers. She sneered, "Are you all here to collect debts before the deadline? Don't you know that doing business is all about integrity? My father has only been in trouble for three days, and you're already coming to my door to coerce me. It won't sound good if word gets out."
“Miss Xie, you are truly sharp-tongued,” Bu Yaolian said, his skin much thicker than the craftsmen’s. He spoke with a piercing intent: “Your father killed someone. If your family’s property is confiscated in the future, do we not get our debts back first, or are we just waiting to throw it all away?”
"Miss Xie might have to sell herself into slavery in the future, so it's better to pay back the money now. We'll consider this a good thing, and maybe we can buy you as a concubine later, then you won't have to suffer."
"Bullshit!" Butler Hao had watched Xie Guijin grow up, and he couldn't bear to see her humiliated. He wanted to rush up and beat the shameless Bu Yaolian to death, but he also had to consider Xie Guijin's feelings.
Caught in a dilemma, Butler Hao turned to Xie Guijin and said urgently, "Miss, don't listen to his nonsense."
“I know,” Xie Guijin first reassured Steward Hao, then loudly said to Bu Yaolian, “The government has not yet made a decision. My father was just taken away as a suspect. From what you’re saying, you’re certain that my father is the murderer. I suppose you have evidence to know the truth.”
"If that's the case, why don't you go to the government office to testify, instead of just coming to my Xie family to intimidate people? What? You only recognize my Xie family's gate, but don't know how to get to the government office?"
“You…” Bu Yaolian pointed at Xie Guijin and cursed, but he was defeated by the pointing fingers of Xie’s servants.
Xie Guijin looked around and said loudly, "Since the deadline has not yet arrived, please go back. When the deadline arrives, my Xie family will naturally fulfill our obligations and make payments."
“Wait a minute, Miss Xie, it’s not that my deadline hasn’t arrived yet.” A shrewd-looking man with a small mustache said.
Xie Guijin thought to herself, "One wave after another, when will this ever end?" She said irritably, "And who are you?"
The man with the mustache smiled, seemingly unconcerned by Xie Guijin's unpleasant tone. He produced a document and said, "I am the manager of Sanwu Money Exchange. Miss Xie, please take a look. The document your father signed with our money exchange clearly states in black and white: 'If the market liquidity is tight, the money exchange can collect the principal and interest at any time.'"
"I'm really short of money right now. I didn't mean to make things difficult for Miss Xie. Please repay the money as agreed." The man with the mustache had a fawning smile on his face, but his eyes were full of mockery.
"Really?" Xie Guijin asked in surprise, "You're saying this in public. Aren't you afraid that people will believe it and rush to your bank to withdraw money? If they withdraw too much, the fake will become real. You should think about whether there's some misunderstanding."
“Uh,” the mustachioed man’s face turned serious. Just as he was about to speak, a voice came from the crowd: “This young lady clearly wants to avoid paying back her debts. Once we’ve appeased her, she’ll run off with the money.”
Several more people responded, and the groups of troublemakers, encouraged by the crowd, stepped forward and forced Xie Guijin to return the money immediately.
Seeing that the situation was getting out of control, Xie Guijin said sternly, "Who gave you the audacity to cause trouble under the emperor's nose? Men, go to the Jingzhao Prefecture to report that someone is trying to break into a private residence and rob a house in broad daylight."
"Oh, young lady, you mustn't speak carelessly. We're just collecting debts; we can't break the law. But if you falsely accuse us, you'll be punished."
"That's right, that's right. It's outrageous that someone owes money and doesn't pay it back."
As they talked, the group moved closer.
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