He looked down and carefully searched through the pages. After a while, he turned to a page that remained still. He raised an eyebrow and said to Qin San Niang, "Please take a look, madam. This house of ours was entrusted to our brokerage by the government for sale. The lowest price offered at the time was one hundred taels."
One hundred taels of silver? Not expensive, not cheap either; Qin Sanniang felt it was still within her means. Although the old house was dilapidated, it was clear that the materials used were of high quality. With a little repair cost of twenty or thirty taels, it would be habitable! However, Qin Sanniang just stared at it, seemingly deep in thought.
"Oh dear, Jiang Ya, our master is planning to do charity work. Isn't one hundred taels a bit too expensive? Besides, this price is from ten years ago. Can't you make an exception?" Guo Er said with a forced smile.
In his eyes, one hundred taels was already an astronomical price. Was that dilapidated house really worth one hundred taels? How much would it cost to buy a new one outside? Anyway, it was a charity hall, so a thatched hut would do. Would a poor person who was homeless and starving care about that? Having a roof over their head was enough.
Dog Egg and the others were also surprised; this was too expensive! They didn't understand why the house cost one hundred taels of silver. One hundred taels was enough for their family to live on for a lifetime!
"Alright, Guo Er, let Jiang Ya finish speaking first, don't rush," Qin San Niang said after waiting for Guo Er to finish.
Jiang Yaren glanced at Qin Sanniang and saw her sitting there calmly, making it hard to tell whether she really wanted to buy it.
He was even more certain that this woman was no ordinary person; how could she possibly manipulate people's hearts? If he had been disdainful and scrutinizing when they came in, now he really had to straighten out his attitude.
“Yes, Brother Guo, don’t worry, I have something else to say!” Jiang Yaren smiled and cupped his hands to Qin Sanniang. “You know, this lady, there’s one thing Brother Guo is right about, it’s that our house is indeed old!”
Alas, ten years of wind and sun have left it overgrown with weeds! Selling it at the price it was ten years ago is really not appropriate! Since you are such a kind person, and what you are doing is a great deed that will be remembered for generations and bring you blessings and good fortune, how can I not do my part?
"How about this, I'll charge you fifty taels for this house. The money saved can be used for repairs. What do you think?"
They cut the price in half? A 50% discount? This time it was Qin San Niang's turn to be surprised. She hadn't expected the broker to be so generous. Aren't brokers always heartless? Not entirely!
Qin San Niang quickly calculated in her mind, wondering why the broker was acting this way. They had just met and had no prior interaction, and the broker knew nothing about her background, so there was no possibility that he had any ulterior motives! Therefore, the house was probably worth only fifty taels of silver at the moment!
He initially said one hundred taels, but that was just a tactic of feigning weakness to gain advantage—a common trick among businessmen! Or perhaps he was suddenly moved upon hearing that she ran a charitable organization?
"Jiang Ya is truly righteous! Buying this house for fifty taels of silver is a great deal for me! And if anyone asks, I will definitely spread the word about your good deed. This is a great merit, and everyone in the streets and alleys will know that Jiang Ya is a great philanthropist!" Qin San Niang praised the broker without any psychological pressure. Even though he was a broker, and his daily buying and selling of people had already angered both heaven and man, who was born willing to be a villain? If possible, everyone would like to be admired and called a philanthropist.
When Jiang Ya heard Qin San Niang call him a good person, his eyes widened in surprise for a moment, but his smile became more sincere. "Oh my, this lady is truly a wonderful person. I, Jiang Daya, have spent my whole life in the brokerage business, and since I was a child, I've seen and done all sorts of sordid things. I never thought that one day I would be doing good deeds and being called a good person? You flatter me too much!"
After hearing what Qin San Niang said, he actually felt that the price he was asking for might be a bit too high.
Qin Sanniang said very seriously, “Jiang Yaren, you are wrong. We cannot choose our birth or family. There are 360 professions in the world, and there is no distinction between noble and lowly professions. As long as we abide by the law, do not do anything against our conscience, and can keep up our original intentions within the scope of our responsibilities, I think every profession is worthy of respect!”
You have lost money and gained little for the charity, yet this is a truly virtuous act. I am not flattering you, but speaking from the bottom of my heart.”
"Thank you for your guidance, madam. I understand now!"
If Jiang Yaren had felt a bit self-deprecating just now, seeing the clarity in Qin Sanniang's eyes, he knew she wasn't joking or flattering him, but genuinely thought so, and he couldn't help but be moved. For the first time, he realized what it felt like to be truly respected—a feeling no less valuable than earning a few dozen taels of silver!
Guo Er and the others heard what Qin San Niang had just said and were deeply moved. They had previously felt inferior because of their background, been saddened by ridicule, and lost because of their aimless lives. But now, Qin San Niang's heartfelt words stirred something different within them. Perhaps, they too could change their ways, start anew, and become people their parents could be proud of and people to be respected!
"Madam Qin, I trust you! You can take this deed first, and we can go to the county government office to transfer the property tomorrow." Knowing that her surname was Qin, although he didn't know if it was her husband's surname, calling her Madam Qin was certainly the right thing to do! It was getting late, and going to the county government office to transfer the property now would be a bit late, so it would be better to go tomorrow.
Qin San Niang readily agreed, taking out fifty taels of silver from her sleeve and handing it to Jiang Ya Ren.
"Thank you for your generosity, broker. The transaction is complete, and the money must be paid. As for the formalities tomorrow, could Guo Er come along? I have some things to attend to at home tomorrow and I'm afraid I won't be able to make it in time."
After acquiring the house, she planned to hand over all the remaining matters to Guo Er. This was a test of his abilities and a pledge of loyalty. If he performed well, she could entrust many things to him with peace of mind in the future!
Qin San Niang is always cautious and doesn't easily trust others, but if someone is considered one of her own, they will definitely be given full trust.
"Of course, that's possible. To be honest, I'm afraid I won't be able to go tomorrow, but someone will go with me to handle it, so please don't worry, my lady!" Jiang Yaren said. He thought to himself that Guo Er had really struck gold. Such a big house, and someone would actually entrust it entirely to a scoundrel? Weren't they afraid he'd secretly sell the house?
Hearing someone call his name, Guo Er was still dazed. Only after leaving the brokerage did he steel himself and approach Qin San Niang, asking in a low voice, "Master, are you sure you want me to handle the household registration for the house?"
"Oh, of course! I probably won't have time tomorrow. You know we don't live in the county town. What? Is there a problem?" Qin Sanniang turned her head to look at him, asking in confusion. Then, as if remembering something, she slapped her forehead and said, "Oh dear, what a lapse in memory!"
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