Chapter 237 Meeting an old friend by chance
Chapter 237 Meeting an old friend by chance
Of course, buying a house requires formal procedures, so Xiao Xia asked Zhang Huan to take two hundred strings of cash to the Baocheng Shop in Metropolitan City in the afternoon to find the shopkeeper Ma. The agency fee would be waived, but taxes had to be paid. Only after paying the deed tax could the house be legal. The deed tax was not expensive, only two strings of cash.
Xiao Xia then came to the metropolitan city, found the shopkeeper Ma, and handed over the property transfer matter to him.
He took out another 100 taels of silver and gave it to the shopkeeper Ma, saying, "Give Zhang Huan's 200 strings of cash and this 100 taels of silver to Chen later, and the contract will be signed for 300 strings of cash. Zhang Huan will pay the tax himself, and I will pay your brokerage fee."
Shopkeeper Ma shook his head. "Forget about the brokerage fee. I have the power to waive it. Over the years, I have never used this power, but I was still driven away. I don't want to save the shop this money anymore."
"Then the shopkeeper should hurry up and find a business. My aunt is urging me too."
Shopkeeper Ma smiled and said, "The company has been found, but it needs you to make the decision."
"where is it?"
"It's right next to the front gate!"
Xiao Xia happily said: "I am free now, take me to have a look!"
Shopkeeper Ma gave his waiter an instruction and walked towards the gate with Xiao Xia.
"All shops in Metropolitan City and Liren City are owned by the imperial court. They are only rented and not sold, so businesses can only rent them. The monthly rent ranges from 100 to 200 guan."
Xiao Xia nodded, "Let's see!"
The left side of the entrance to the city is equivalent to the business district in later generations. There are trading companies, shops, stores, mule and horse shops, and three restaurants, which are densely packed, with as many as a hundred of them.
What is a comptoir? A comptoir is equivalent to a trading company, because the markets in the Sui and Tang dynasties were classified according to industries, such as jewelry, silk, cloth, etc.
Some wealthy families own dozens of shops, running different businesses, which requires a general management organization to supervise each shop, coordinate purchasing or receive major customers. Some large trading companies even have their own logistics, fleets, car fleets, warehouses, etc.
Xiao Xia saw several large trading companies at a glance. Their signs were very eye-catching: Da Zhou Trading Company, Chang Xin Trading Company, and Wei's Trading Company. All three names had stories. Da Zhou Trading Company was formerly the imperial merchant of the Northern Zhou Dynasty. After the fall of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, Yang Lihua, as the queen of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, inherited her husband's imperial merchant title.
Changxin Trading Company was founded by Dugu Xin, which contains his name, Xin. The "Wei" in Wei Trading Company is a homonym of "Wei", and the Yuan family is the descendant of the Northern Wei royal family.
Opposite are several large counters with the same names, Dazhou Counter, Changxin Counter, and Wei's Counter. These are the head offices of the three largest counters.
These three rows and three blocks occupy the six most majestic buildings in the business district. The building right behind it is also very imposing, and Xiao Xia took a liking to it at first sight.
"Lao Ma, is this building for rent?"
Shopkeeper Ma's name was Ma Yue. When he heard Xiao Xia change his name to him, he smiled and said, "This building is also a big business. He is an old friend of yours."
"Who?"
"Shangqing Commercial Bank!"
Xiao Xia's face darkened slightly, and he sneered, "They hired thugs to beat up my shopkeeper and his employees, and smashed my store, and I haven't settled the score with them yet!"
"This is the Yun family's tradition. This building was originally the Yellow River Commercial Bank of the Murong family in Hebei. The Yun family pressured the city government to terminate the contract with the Murong family and drove the Yellow River Commercial Bank away. They occupied this building. This happened two years ago and everyone in the city knows about it."
Xiao Xia nodded, "I'll settle the score with him later!"
Xiao Xia can't tolerate any grain of sand in his eyes. The Yun family is accomplices and is plotting against him behind his back. How can he let them go?
At this moment, he forgot about killing Yun Shitai. Perhaps this is what they mean by "it is better for him to let others down than for others to let him down". I can do whatever I want to you, why don't you try to touch me?
"Sir, this is it!"
They came to a three-story building with its back against a high wall. All three floors were rented out. The first floor was a warehouse with a locked door with only the word "warehouse" on it.
The second floor is a private clinic called Liu's Clinic, and the third floor is a shipping company called Xiaowu Shipping Company, which probably has several ships and does freight business.
"Sir, it's the second floor. The clinic is going to close down and move out the day after tomorrow. If you think it's feasible, I'll rent it right away. The shops here are very tight, and this is the only one that can be rented out."
Xiao Xia looked at the Shangqing Commercial Bank in the distance. He wanted that building, but he guessed that the Yun family wouldn't give up. Xiao Xia asked, "How much is the rent here?" "Fifty strings of cash a month!"
The price was not expensive. Xiao Xia looked at the warehouse on the first floor and asked, "Who owns the warehouse?"
"I didn't ask about this, but I can ask around. If someone is willing to transfer the property, we can rent it together. It's too luxurious to use it as a warehouse, so it's probably only temporary."
"Okay! Let's rent it first, and then we'll move to the Shangqing Commercial Bank in front."
At this moment, a man in his thirties came down from the second floor. He was of medium build, with a white face and a long beard. Xiao Xia was startled and hurriedly shouted, "County Doctor Liu, is that you?"
Xiao Xia recognized that this person was none other than the county doctor Liu Wenjing who had saved his life in Jiangdu Prison.
Liu Wenjing was also stunned. It was several years ago that he was called County Doctor Liu.
He looked at Xiao Xia, but Xiao Xia had changed so much that he didn't recognize her.
"Sir, have we met before?"
Xiao Xia took the jade pendant from her neck, held it in her hand and handed it to him, "Do you remember this jade pendant, County Doctor? In February of the year before last, in Jiangdu County Prison, a member of the Xiao family."
Liu Wenjing suddenly remembered and realized, "It turned out to be you! You have grown so tall, I couldn't recognize you."
It was indeed a joy to meet an old acquaintance in a foreign land, not to mention that Liu Wenjing had saved Xiao Xia's life. Otherwise, Xiao Xia would have been killed in prison by the county lieutenant Ma Xun.
Xiao Xia never forgot it. Later, he went to find Liu Wenjing and learned that Liu Wenjing had resigned and returned to his hometown in Guanzhong.
"Is this clinic yours, sir?" Xiao Xia asked, pointing to the clinic on the second floor.
Liu Wenjing smiled bitterly and said, "Not anymore. I've been doing this for two years, and the money I make every month is not enough for me to drink. It's tiring, and I often have to go out to see patients in the middle of the night. I'm not happy with it."
Xiao Xia smiled and said, "What a coincidence. I wanted to take it down and run a business, but it's a little too small."
Liu Wenjing's eyes lit up and he nodded, "Mr. Xiao is indeed a rare talent, not just a common one."
He pointed to the warehouse below and said, "I also rented the warehouse. At that time, I had to rent both floors together. I had no choice but to use it to store some sundries. I will clear it out in the next two days."
Xiao Xia burst out laughing. No wonder the business couldn't be sustained. The monthly rent for two floors was one hundred strings of cash. How could a small clinic afford that?
"I'll buy you a drink, sir!"
Liu Wenjing stroked his beard and laughed, "When I heard the word wine, I couldn't refuse."
The shopkeeper Ma Yue rushed to the Municipal Office Rental Company. Xiao Xia invited Liu Wenjing to the Sanjiang Restaurant opposite. The environment of the restaurant was very good. The two sat down by the window on the second floor. Xiao Xia ordered a pot of sake and asked for a few side dishes.
Xiao Xia asked with a smile: "The market is closed in the afternoon, how can the restaurant do business?"
Liu Wenjing chuckled, "It seems that the young master really doesn't understand the situation. The main door is closed, but trading has stopped. The shopkeeper still has to count the goods and will be busy until at least the evening. What should they do? The market naturally has a side door, which will be closed after the drums stop beating in the evening."
"I see!"
Liu Wenjing asked again: "When did you come to Chang'an?"
"In December of the year before last, I was studying and doing business in Chang'an."
Liu Wenjing smiled and nodded, "I saw that the first place in the martial arts exam was also named Xiao Xia, and I thought he was a young master."
"Why not me?"
Liu Wenjing was stunned. He was ranked first in the martial arts exam! Did he still need to be saved in prison?
(End of this chapter)