After Gou Dan'er drove away the snakes and insects, Qin San Niang and the others slowly went downstairs.
Speaking of which, Qin Sanniang, who wasn't even afraid of corpses, was most afraid of rats and snakes. Just thinking about the cunning appearance of rats and the slippery feel of snakes made her feel a chill! However, she shouldn't tell them now, lest it affect her tall and mighty image in their eyes!
They toured the place and found the house to be better than Qin San Niang had imagined.
This house is quite large, with three courtyards! I don't know what the walls are made of, but they're quite sturdy. Although some of the surface has crumbled due to long-term neglect, the bricks inside are still intact! The roof tiles need some reinforcement! The yard is large and lush with vegetation. I can hire someone to clean it up and plant a few vegetable gardens; that should be enough for self-sufficiency!
They don't open charity halls to be fancy or ornate; a simple renovation probably won't cost much!
In addition, regarding the furnishings, Qin San Niang planned to make it a large communal sleeping area so that more people could sleep there, and the furniture would just be simple tables and chairs. She was quite satisfied with the house as a result.
"Guo Er, I think this place is pretty good! I wonder how to buy or sell it? Do you have any connections?" As a competent hoodlum, and a native of the area, this shouldn't be too difficult for him.
Sure enough, upon hearing Qin San Niang's question, Guo Er, who had almost already prepared his answer, said, "Master, the authority to buy and sell this house currently rests with the real estate brokerage. We can go to the brokerage first to negotiate the price, and then go to the magistrate's office to complete the formalities."
Guo Er didn't think it was a difficult matter. Since he was a child, this house had always been empty and had never been owned. Many years ago, the brokerage firm started taking over the property, but no one had bought it. What was once a fine house had now become a mess in the brokerage firm's hands. If someone was willing to pay for it, they would be overjoyed! Land in He County was not valuable to begin with. If a house was in good condition, it could be worth some silver, but if it collapsed, it would be almost worthless!
Qin San Niang was also a capable person. Upon hearing this, she said she would go to the brokerage firm to take a look.
Guo Er and the others naturally obeyed orders. Anyway, they didn't have anything important to do all day. If they could get the charity hall built sooner, they would have something to do, right? And it was a respectable job.
Inside the brokerage firm, the broker who was buying the house was a middle-aged man. When he saw Guo Er and his group of people coming over, he frowned slightly, but still put on a smile and went to greet them.
Those subtle expressions naturally didn't fool Qin San Niang's eyes. However, if she were to open a business and encounter these petty thugs and local bullies, things probably wouldn't be much better! So, that's all in the past. From now on, she'll change their ways.
"Jiang Ya Ren, this is our boss, here to bring you business!" Guo Er said, cupping his hands in greeting, still retaining a bit of his roguish air. However, compared to before, he seemed more sincere.
"Oh? Madam, are you planning to buy a person, land, or perhaps a house?" When the broker surnamed Jiang heard that Guo Er had a new employer, and a beautiful woman at that, he was quite puzzled. He had dealt with this unruly Guo Er quite a bit before, and now he was bowing and scraping to Qin San Niang. Broker Jiang was bound to be suspicious.
I even wondered if they were trying to extort money from me. But I wasn't going to take that lying down. I gave them a wink, and the servant behind me turned and walked away, probably to call for help!
Qin San Niang understood everything. Was the broker afraid they would bully others because of their power? But brokers weren't necessarily good people either.
In her time, weren't human traffickers the same as human brokers? But now it's a legitimate profession, registered with the government. So they openly run their businesses, and it's illegal to ruin their business!
"Jiang Ya, there's no need to worry. I'm Guo Er's new boss. I want to buy that old house on Yangshu Street. I wonder what your asking price is?"
Of course, I don't necessarily have to buy it. If you have a suitable house that's conveniently located and spacious enough, I'm open to considering it. "When buying things, the worst thing you can do is let the seller know how much you really like something, otherwise it'll be difficult to negotiate a lower price!"
"That old house that's been empty for almost ten years? I wonder what you plan to do with it, Madam? To be honest, that old house has been in my hands for quite a few years, but I haven't been able to sell it. Part of the reason is the price, and part of the reason is that the house is too old, it's all broken tiles and ruins!" Jiang Yaren sat down and ordered the servant to bring water. If he could really get rid of that house, he would definitely make a fortune.
The government office no longer cares about this house; they say that as long as it's sold, the commission is all his. He's too lazy to maintain or repair it. This house is big and old; only a fool would buy it! With that money for repairs, he could build a new house!
Do wealthy families need large mansions? Wouldn't they just buy new ones? Besides, I've heard from the older generation that the owners of this house all died out, and some people with superstitions even complain that the place has too much yin energy!
Qin San Niang was inwardly exasperated. This broker could really make the impossible possible. A house that nobody wanted to buy became, in his words, because it was too expensive and too big to sell? A flaw could be turned into a virtue? This was unbelievable!
Of course, he didn't show it on his face, and pretended to hesitate as he said, "Oh dear, now that you mention it, I have to think about it too. To be honest, I inherited a sum of money by chance before, not much, so I was thinking of setting up a charity here, so that I can accumulate some good karma."
It turned out they were planning to set up a charity, which was quite unexpected! These brokers, to put it bluntly, were in a legal business, but it was still an unethical trade. They often prayed to gods and Buddhas, and sometimes donated money to charity. People at that time believed in karma and reincarnation, even the wicked.
"Oh my, I never expected my wife to be such a kind and righteous person. I truly admire her!" Jiang Yaren turned around and put on a smiling face. He thought to himself that anyone who could subdue Guo Er and his gang of rascals so well, even if she was a woman, must be no ordinary person. His smile widened. "If my wife takes a fancy to that old house, I will give you a reasonable price!"
"Hua'er, bring me that booklet." Just as he finished speaking, a response came from the doorway. After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the maid named Hua'er came in carrying a blue booklet and handed it to Jiang Yaren.
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