Chapter 8 A cell phone is a great gadget.
Lu Xiaoqi had previously asked an agent to inquire about cleaning company quotes, wanting to give Qinghe Ancient Town a thorough cleaning. Although the agent usually only dealt with real estate, he had been operating locally for many years and had a wide network of contacts, and he actually found her a reliable company.
However, their asking price is 300,000.
The agent sighed: "300,000 is the price I got after several rounds of haggling. You know what Qinghe Ancient Town is like now; even land reclamation and cleaning would be easier. And it's so big, it would require about a hundred people, right? Plus, high-pressure cleaning trucks, all sorts of equipment, and garbage removal. For Xiaolu, this price is already considered cheap if you ask around in the market."
Lu Xiaoqi had just renovated her house last year and was researching the prices for initial cleaning and garbage removal. Considering the size of Qinghe Ancient Town, the other party's quote was indeed not high, even though it was a truly troublesome project.
But that's 300,000...
Lu Xiaoqi told the agent she would think about it and asked him to try to negotiate the price down further. After hanging up the phone, she lay sprawled on the bed, staring at the ceiling and letting out a heavy sigh.
It's true that even a hero can be brought to his knees by a single penny; even a heroine like her is not immune.
The feather lamps on the ceiling swayed gently in the breeze.
This small apartment was purchased last year after she made money from her first collaboration with the "Worldwide Technology Promotion Committee." It cost over a million yuan, and she paid a 50% down payment. She didn't ask her parents for any financial assistance throughout the entire process, from purchase to renovation, which made her very proud. She couldn't wait to move in after the renovation had been aired out for six months.
Qinghe City wasn't her hometown, and now that she finally had a little place of her own, Lu Xiaoqi was very grateful. But now, she had to set her sights on this house.
"How about... we mortgage this house first?" A thought popped into her mind, but she was also reluctant and uneasy.
The loan hasn't been fully repaid yet, and I doubt I can borrow much more.
The system seemed to have sensed her thoughts and suddenly spoke up: "Player, have you forgotten that the ownership of Qinghe Ancient Town has been completely transferred to your name?"
Lu Xiaoqi was a little confused: "I know... Ah! I know!"
She jumped out of bed excitedly and pulled a folder from her drawer. At the same time she acquired the system, a lawyer delivered a document containing all the ownership transfer contracts for Qinghe Ancient Town, and all the necessary legal documents.
It was only after reading these documents that she confirmed that she did not have schizophrenia, but had truly experienced a miraculous encounter.
Lu Xiaoqi took out the documents one by one, looking at them while talking to the system: "You reminded me that I can use these documents to apply for a loan at the bank."
Regardless, this large area of land in the ancient town must be valuable, right? If we can successfully secure the loan, the initial investment shouldn't be a problem.
If she gets the loan but the ancient town still fails to operate, it just means she's not cut out for business; she has to accept the consequences of her gamble.
The system showered you with compliments: "You got it right away! No wonder you're a chosen one. I've already filtered out the banks in Qinghe City that accept commercial mortgage loans and their contact information for you. You can check them in the system space."
Lu Xiaoqi nodded in satisfaction. She was getting more and more into it. The system was like an AI implanted in her mind. She had gone from resisting it at the beginning to calmly accepting it now. Since she couldn't undo it anyway, she might as well lie back and enjoy the positive side.
"Since I'm here, I'll make the best of it" is her motto in life.
She looked at the information the system had found, her gaze lingering on a name: "Zhang Jing! Yes, I can still go find her."
Zhang Jing, her senior from university, was someone she was close to but not in the same department as in college, though they were in the same club. After graduation, Zhang Jing came to Qinghe City, while she stayed in the provincial capital for two years before coming here, and they hadn't been in touch much during that time. After Zhang Jing arrived in Qinghe, the two had dinner together a few times. Lu Xiaoqi only knew that Zhang Jing had gone to work at a bank, but she didn't realize that Zhang Jing was working in the loan department.
She took out her phone and called the other person directly. It was a little past eight o'clock in the evening, a perfect time to catch up.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Lu Xiaoqi got straight to the point. Zhang Jing was somewhat surprised to hear that she wanted to inquire about commercial loans. Since it was too complicated to explain over the phone, they agreed to meet on the weekend to discuss it further.
Having resolved such a major issue, Lu Xiaoqi felt relieved and slept soundly through the night.
The next morning, she delivered toiletries and history books to Song Wusao and Zhao Feiyan. The two women had already gotten up early and were curiously watching the men and women rushing to catch the morning rush hour from the living room balcony.
This building faces the street, and you can see many people walking quickly towards the bus stop. Among them are many women dressed in either neat or casual clothes; there are also elderly people who have just gotten up and are holding their children's hands to take them to school, and when they come back, they are carrying a bag of groceries; on the street not far away, private cars are already lined up like a long dragon, and when the back door of the bus stop opens, everyone squeezes on and off like sardines.
Song Wu Sao and Zhao Feiyan watched with great interest, almost greedily, without blinking.
They had keenly realized yesterday that women here had the freedom to go out alone. Now, however, they found that this small amount of freedom was only a negligible part of it.
Zhao Feiyan murmured, "People a thousand years from now are much bolder in their clothing choices."
A female office worker in a bodycon skirt walked past, her figure graceful. On the other side, a young woman in a fashionable tank top and cargo pants was running forward, revealing a section of her waist.
Even the singers and dancers of her time rarely exposed so much of their skin; only barbarian tribes from uncivilized lands would be so rude.
but......
"But... they're all quite beautiful," she heard Sister-in-law Song Wu say beside her.
Sister-in-law Song smiled and said, "Back then, only rural women dressed like that. But that was because we were poor and couldn't afford new clothes. We wore and washed the same clothes repeatedly until they were tattered and worn out. Plus, we had to go out to work, so there was nothing to look good about them."
It was nothing more than a desperate measure due to being barely clothed.
At first, I felt shy, but as the days went by, I became numb to it. Unlike now, where the women's clothing, though somewhat strange and daring, is graceful and poised, with no fear or evasion on their faces. Others seem to take it all for granted. Thus, it all seems natural and harmonious.
Zhao Feiyan suddenly realized: "That's right, I felt uncomfortable at first glance, but later I found it pleasing to the eye."
So that's how it works.
Lu Xiaoqi listened to their lively discussion and thought to herself that the two of them got along quite well, which made her feel a little more at ease.
She leaned closer and asked curiously, "What were the streets like in your time?"
The two men greeted her warmly upon her arrival. Lu Xiaoqi then moved a small table from the living room and laid out the things she had brought on the balcony. The three of them ate breakfast while enjoying the street view below.
Zhao Feiyan slowly recalled: "Back then, the streets were full of sand and dust. On sunny days, dust flew everywhere, and on rainy days, the ground was covered in mud."
But overall, it was still a beautiful memory for her, because the days she could go out were rare; most of the time she stayed in the mansion or the palace. The rare opportunity to go out made her as happy as a bird released from its cage.
Song Wu Sao: "The roads in Lin'an City are indeed paved with stone slabs, but they are always grayish in color, unlike the bright and eye-catching ones here."
“That’s true.” Zhao Feiyan agreed wholeheartedly. “Even in the palace, most colors are subdued, like crimson and indigo. It’s rare to find a bright color like madder red or gardenia yellow.”
She had just seen a woman in a pink dress, the pink as light as mist, the kind of pink that would make all the concubines in the palace fight tooth and nail for. If her sister, Hede, saw her, she would probably risk being called a vixen by any means to snatch her away.
She asked curiously, "Where are they going, walking in such a hurry?"
“Go to work, be a beast of burden.” Lu Xiaoqi thought of her days as an office worker and felt quite resentful. When she came to her senses and saw the two of them looking confused, she realized that they didn’t understand her complaints. She laughed and said, “It’s just going to work. Nowadays, women need to work just like men.”
Sister-in-law Song Wu: "Work is just a job? So you can do any kind of job?"
“Basically, many women nowadays have their own jobs, are financially secure, and even choose not to get married.” Lu Xiaoqi brought out a small coffee table and set out breakfast. “They don’t have children either, and live a carefree life.”
Song Wu Sao and Zhao Feiyan didn't quite understand, but they were deeply shocked.
The group chatted and looked around, quickly finishing their breakfast. Lu Xiaoqi gave the two girls the books she had prepared the day before and the new secondhand cell phone she had bought, taught them how to use it, and told them not to wander off.
Recently, she has become a major customer of second-hand mobile phone shops on the street and has even received some discounts.
Song Wu Sao and Zhao Feiyan held the phone as if it were a treasure. Their learning abilities were quite good, so Lu Xiaoqi didn't teach them anything else, but directly installed a voice AI assistant for them, allowing them to use voice commands to ask any questions.
In just ten minutes, the two of them didn't even look up, clearly engrossed in talking to their phones.
"Could you help me... find out what became of that scoundrel Wang Mang?"
"My goodness, this is truly divine... May I ask how much silver it would cost to open a restaurant here?"
Lu Xiaoqi: "......"
Well, it looks like these two won't be leaving this room for at least the morning. She decided to go check on Yuwen Kai. Hey, could the system reward me with a spell that allows me to split myself into several parts?
System: "Don't get your hopes up, player."
Just as Lu Xiaoqi was about to banter with it, she received a call from Yuwen Kai.
She nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad, not bad at all. He's a real pro; his learning ability is incredible. He can make phone calls independently in just a few days." Lu Xiaoqi pressed the call button and flattered him a couple of times, then her eyes widened:
"What? You went to the construction site again?!"
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