Ma Xiaoliu sat under the pergola, watching the waiter register every person who came to see the house.
He had been on the construction site for so long that although he couldn't call out everyone's name, they all looked familiar.
Moreover, the refugees have a temperament that is different from that of the locals and can be identified at a glance.
Wang Jiangen brought his family to the pergola to register.
Wang Lianshi looked at the neat rows of houses with blue bricks and black tiles in front of her, and her breathing became disordered.
She was completely lost in thought, her mind constantly wondering: Can we really live in such a nice house? Can such a nice house really only cost six or seven taels of silver per room?
This, this, this...
Can the boss be so kind?
Doesn’t the boss make money?
She was so confused that she didn't know what to do with her hands and feet.
Wang Jiangen took out the nameplate and handed it to the clerk for registration.
Ma Xiaoliu looked at the family. He knew Wang Jiangen.
He is young but works very hard. I heard that his father died while fleeing famine, and the whole family depends on him alone to support them.
Huh?
It seems that his information was a little delayed. The situation of the Wang family has changed. He now has one more person to earn a living.
When Ma Xiaoliu saw the nameplate hanging around Ergen’s neck, he understood why Wang Jiangen was willing to spend money to buy a house.
After Wang Jiangen finished registering, Ma Xiaoliu reminded him, "Your family arrived early, so hurry in and pick out the rooms, pick the two that face the sun."
Wang Jiangen grinned and said, "Thank you, Manager Ma."
Ma Xiaoliu waved his hand and told him to leave quickly.
The Wang family walked into the community.
Two neat rows of houses stood side by side, and a street stretched forward wide enough for two carriages to pass side by side.
The streets are paved with bluestone slabs, and walking on them makes people subconsciously straighten their backs.
Wang Lianshi was very nervous. "Jiangen, can we really buy a house here?"
Wang Jiangen nodded, "Of course."
Wang Lian looked back at the shed. "Such a young man, he's already become the manager. It's really amazing."
"Mother, don't underestimate Manager Ma. He was personally trained by the boss. He can write, calculate, and is very thorough in his work."
"So you're a scholar. No wonder you're able to be a manager at such a young age."
After hesitating for a moment, Wang Lianshi said, "When the family settles down, why not let Sangen go to school as well? Once he learns, he can teach the eldest and second oldest. Being able to read and write can help you earn more money."
Wang Jiangen was very surprised. He didn't expect that his timid and cowardly mother had such insight.
Seeing the eldest brother staring at her, Wang Lianshi became a little nervous. "Elder brother, did I say something wrong? Studying costs money, and money is tight at home. Why don't you just not go to school?"
Sangen, not even ten years old, was still confused. He vaguely knew that reading was a good thing, but he didn't know how to do it. He felt that not reading was no harm.
But when his elder brother Wang Jiangen's gaze swept over him, he wiped his nose and suddenly straightened his back.
Wang Jiangen retracted his gaze and said, "Mom, that's a good idea. Once Ergen and I save up some money, we'll try to send Sangen to school next year."
Ergen had no objection, "I'll listen to Big Brother. Sangen will come back and teach me when the time comes."
Si Niu said weakly, "I want to study, too."
She is actually smarter than Sangen.
Wang Jiangen laughed and patted Si Niu's head, "Let San Gen teach you."
Si Niu looked at San Gen and said seriously, "Third brother, you must study hard and teach me when you have learned well."
San Gen wiped his nose and nodded heavily, agreeing to his sister's request.
The family was talking and laughing, their faces full of joy.
Wang Jiangen led the way and the family walked around the community.
Wang Lian was shocked. "How big is this? How many houses are there?"
Wang Jiangen works on this construction site every day and is very familiar with the conditions here.
He said: "There are fifteen streets in total, and each street has a maximum of 220 houses, and a minimum of 150 houses."
Wang Lian opened her mouth wide and counted on her fingers.
Wang Jiangen gave the answer directly, "There are a total of 2,800 houses."
Wang Lian was amazed, "That means there are tens of thousands of houses. How many people can live there?"
Wang Jiangen laughed, looking very proud.
They built these houses brick by brick, and now they are about to buy the houses they built and will soon be able to move into their new homes, and they can't hide their excitement.
He said to Wang Lianshi, "Mansions vary in size. Some have more than ten rooms, while others have only four or five."
"Brother, should we buy a house with a large courtyard or a small courtyard?"
"Small houses are expensive, let's buy a big house."
A small house is convenient for a family to live in, with its own door and yard, and the corresponding price is also very high.
The family came to the last street, which was on the edge of the market town.
A section of the wall has been built, and the high wall prevents outsiders from entering.
The entire market town would be surrounded by a wall, forming an independent area. Several gates would be opened on the wall to facilitate people's entry and exit.
There are many people who share the same idea as the Wang family.
Everyone has limited financial resources and cannot afford a small house with its own gate and courtyard, so they can only choose two rooms in a large house.
When he saw an acquaintance, Wang Jiangen greeted him/her politely.
Then he turned his back and said to his family, "Let's hurry up and pick one. If we're late, all the houses in Xiangyang will be sold out."
Wang Lianshi said: "I thought there were only a few people buying houses, but I didn't expect so many people."
On this street, people were coming in and out of every house.
Before, Wang Lian was still wondering who to sell so many houses to, but she didn’t expect so many people to come and see the houses.
Wang Jiangen whispered, "I heard that the employer will give priority to those who own houses when hiring in the future."
"Really?"
Wang Jiangen nodded. "It's enough for mother to know about this. Don't tell anyone. After we buy a house, maybe mother will have a chance to be hired by the employer and earn a salary."
Wang Lian immediately became excited.
She dreamed of having a job, earning some money, and easing the burden on her eldest and second sons.
She whispered, "Then, let's buy a house quickly."
After buying a house, you can live in a new house and earn wages.
The Wang family picked and chose and finally chose two houses.
Wang Jiangen took the nameplate and pocketed some money and hurried to the alley entrance to register.
"Lane 15, Building 109, Rooms 5 and 6." He listed the houses he had chosen in one breath.
The clerk flipped through the registration book and said, "You're late. Rooms 5 and 6 in Building 109 have already been selected and are currently processing the paperwork."
Wang Jiangen's head buzzed with excitement. Someone had actually gotten there first.
He came back to his senses and asked hurriedly, "Are there any other houses facing the sun that you haven't chosen yet?"
The clerk flipped through the brochure and said, "The houses after building 130 are basically still empty. Hurry, or they'll be taken by someone else."
Wang Jiangen nodded, took two steps forward, ran back, and looked inside the accounting office that was built at midnight.
He wanted to know who had been the first to buy the house he had his eye on.
Depend on!
Still an acquaintance.
He was a fellow villager who lived in the same shanty town and always bullied him because he was the only able-bodied laborer in their family.
Wang Jiangen was furious and suspected that the other party was deliberately trying to rob his house.
As the sun got higher, more and more people came to see the house.
Wang Jiangen was panicked and didn't dare to delay any longer, so he left quickly to choose a new room.
"Boss, have you decided on a house yet?"
"No, someone else got there first. Let's go pick a room quickly. This time we must be ahead of others."
When the Wang family heard this, they also started to panic, fearing that all the good houses had been taken.
They followed Wang Jiangen and ran to the end of the street and started choosing a house.
To the sun, to the sun...
Their requirement for the house is that it faces the sun.
Wang Jiangen once again picked out two houses and asked Wang Lianshi to guard the houses while he took Ergen to the streets to register.
"Alley 15, Building 141, Rooms 5 and 6."
Upon hearing this, the clerk took out a booklet and started flipping through it.
Wang Jiangen stared at the clerk's hand nervously. There were only 150 houses in Lane 15, and he was worried that the house would be taken away by someone else.
Watching the guy's finger move down little by little, he finally found the record of 181 houses.
"Bring the nameplate here and register it."
Wang Jiangen felt relieved.
Take off the nameplate from your neck and hand it to the waiter for registration.
The clerk picked up a pen and quickly registered, then filled in Wang Jiangen's name on the standard contract, and then handed the nameplate and the standard contract in black and white to Wang Jiangen.
"Go inside and find the accountant to complete the paperwork. If you can't read, there are teachers there to help you explain it, free of charge."
The guy pointed to an old man under the shade of a tree.
The old man was also a refugee and could not do any work, but fortunately he could write and calculate, so his livelihood was not a problem.
A few days ago, the employer was recruiting a group of teachers who could interpret standard contracts. Lao Fu Zi applied and was selected.
Today, he only needs to sit under the shade of a tree and explain the contract to everyone who comes to him, and he can earn a hundred coins plus two meals.
This is the highest-paying job he's had since leaving his hometown and coming to Beijing. He really wants to keep doing it.
Wang Jiangen said to Ergen, "Go find Mom and ask them to come over. I'll handle the paperwork here."
Ergen obeyed and ran away.
Since it is free, Wang Jiangen of course has to ask Lao Fu Zi for advice.
The old man took the contract and explained it to him word by word.
"The house you bought costs six taels per room, and that's the full price if you pay it in full. If you take out a three-year loan, it'll be seven taels, and if you take out a five-year loan, it'll be eight taels..."
"I'm taking out a loan."
The old man understood clearly that most of the people who came to consult were looking for loans. "If you want a loan, you have to go inside to find the accountant and sign a contract.
In other words, you have to sign two contracts: one with your boss and one with the Shaofu Bank.
There's one more thing you need to remember: houses can be bought and sold freely, but if you want to sell your house before the loan is fully repaid, you must sell it to the landlord. No one else can. In a few days, the landlord will set up a house rental and sales center in the market to facilitate everyone.
In addition, the nameplate on you is your personal seal. You will need it for buying or selling a house, repaying a loan, or working as long as you live in this market. Don't lose it."
Upon hearing this, Wang Jiangen gripped the nameplate around his neck tightly and said, "I can't lose it."
The old man returned the contract to him and said, "Hurry up and go and complete the formalities. There are a lot of people here today, so I'm afraid you'll have to queue."
Wang Jiangen nodded, stood up and walked towards the house where people were coming in and out.
Sure enough, a queue had already started forming inside.
There were more than a dozen accountants sitting in a row.
Holding an abacus, he explained to everyone the procedures for buying a house and how to repay the loan every month.
Qingmei, wearing a servant's clothes, also came to help.
It wasn't that she wanted to join in the fun, but there were not enough people, so Gu Jiu had to send her out.
Not only her, but Qingzhu, Nanny Fang, Xiaocui, and Wang Yi all came.
All of a sudden, the several big maids around Gu Jiu left, leaving only the little maids to serve him.
Gu Jiu even went to the palace steward and borrowed twenty accountants to help.
If the palace's housekeeper hadn't been so self-righteous and old-fashioned, Gu Jiu would have wanted to trick him into coming and helping her take charge.
In addition, Gu Jiu also asked the Lord of Huyang for some people.
Princess Huyang is unreliable, but the princess's steward and the accountant of the princess's mansion are extremely reliable.
As soon as Gu Jiu opened his mouth, Hu Yang sent all the people over without saying a word.
The princess's steward was very upset. After all, he was an official appointed by the court. Why was he selling houses with a group of accountants?
However, under the tyranny of Princess Huyang, the Princess's steward had no choice but to accept it.
Bai Zhong followed Qian Fu and took his men on a patrol tour.
That’s right, Qian Fu was also tricked into coming here.
Liu Zhao spoke personally, and Qian Fu had no choice but to obey.
Fortunately, it only takes three days. After three days, he can return to the palace to serve as his eunuch.
There is a real estate processing point on every street, and Lane 15 has the most people.
Because the houses in Lane 15 are the cheapest.
Qian Fu walked into the real estate processing office, narrowed his eyes slightly, and looked at the people in the hall calmly.
Bai Zhong asked quietly, "Eunuch Qian, is there a problem?"
Qian Fu is good at getting information and even better at judging people.
He lowered his voice and said to Bai Zhong, "Send someone to check on the man in the brown shirt and cloth shoes in the front right."
Bai Zhong was half-believing and half-doubting, so he called a clerk to do the job.
The waiter took the order and went forward to talk to the man in the brown shirt.
"Brother, you're buying a house too! Which one is yours? Maybe we can buy in the same place and become neighbors in the future."
This guy has a characteristic: he is naturally popular with the public, and no one can envy him.
The man in the brown shirt was a little defensive at first, but he had to give in to the guy who was naturally popular.
The two people started to communicate enthusiastically, and others joined in.
Confident that he had uncovered the secrets of the man in the brown shirt, the waiter made an excuse to leave and returned to Bai Zhong.
At this time, Bai Zhong and Qian Fu were drinking tea in the inner room.
He asked directly: "How is it? Have you found out?"
The clerk nodded. "I've found out everything. This is his identity information. He's a refugee working on a construction site. He has a large family. He wants to buy four houses in total."
Bai Zhong looked at the identity information and found no problem.
Qian Fu asked: "Loan or cash?"
"The loan is for three years."
Qian Fu said expressionlessly, "This family borrowed money from the bank last month, saying they needed medical treatment and medicine. And now they have enough money to buy a house. As far as I know, for four houses, he needs a down payment of two taels of silver. Where did he get the money?"
Qian Fu was holding the refugee list in his hand and had already turned to the column for the man in the brown shirt.
This is not just a list, but also a file, recording every aspect of the refugees' food, clothing, housing and transportation.
Qian Fu flipped through the book, sighed, and learned at the same time.
This is a good idea. Create a file for everyone. If you want to check someone, you can find them at a glance by flipping through the file.
Upon hearing this, Bai Zhong also felt that there was something wrong.
It is indeed abnormal for a refugee who is still in debt to suddenly have two taels of silver to buy a house.
"Could it be that the money I borrowed last month hasn't been used up?"
Qian Fu shook his head, "There are eight people in this man's family. His mother works as a laundryman, his brothers do odd jobs, and only he and his wife have proper jobs.
The little money the couple earned was barely enough to cover their father's medical expenses, not to mention the cost of food. It could be said that the family was broke and could only barely make ends meet.
Two taels of silver was no small sum for a family like theirs. Even if he had to borrow money to buy a house, he should have bought two.
But he bought four houses in one go. Where did the money come from? Who among the refugees was rich enough to lend him two taels of silver at a time?
As far as I know, all the ruffians and loan sharks among the refugees have been cleaned up, and there is no underground lending.
The bank doesn't have any extra records, so isn't the two taels of silver in his hand suspicious?"
When Bai Zhong heard this, he immediately felt that there was something wrong with the man in the brown shirt.
Qian Fu closed the roster and said to Bai Zhong, "Send someone to check. I guess there are many people with similar situations to the man in the brown shirt."
"Eunuch Qian is saying that someone is bribing these refugees and intentionally hoarding houses?"
Qian Fu's face was stern. "I can't rule it out. The houses here are good, and there are many people. It will soon become prosperous. It's not impossible that someone will take a fancy to the houses here and want to hoard them. Because of the restrictions on purchasing houses, only refugees can buy them. Those buyers with more money can only buy houses by bribing refugees."
Bai Zhong bared his teeth, his wife was right.
He called his servant over and said, "Go see Eunuch Deng and tell him about the situation here. Tell him to issue an order immediately. Only the purchase registration will be processed today. The loan will be released and the keys will be issued a few days later."
The guy took the order and left.
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