Chapter 58: Delicious
“Did I come to the wrong place?
The room full of officials left Ma Tianhao dumbfounded.
When Madam Wang arrived just now, it had already brought him great joy.
Little did he know that a greater surprise awaited him.
However, Zhang Fei, who came in with him, remained calm and composed.
Because he had anticipated this situation.
This type of loan was indeed very suitable for the middle and lower-ranking officials of Northern Song dynasty.
Their salaries were stable and not low, and crucially, in Northern Song, officials were immune from many punishments. There was great tolerance for civil officials. Even if they were demoted, they would still receive a salary, just not as much as when in office.
Moreover, officials were intellectuals with a keen eye. They were optimistic about the property prices in Bianjing, and they believed they would rise.
Even after saving for ten years, it might still be difficult to afford a house. Now, there was such a good opportunity, and they certainly wanted to take a look.
If they were dispatched elsewhere in the future, they could still rent out the house. Given the current rent in Bianjing, it would easily cover most of the interest.
However, the arrival of Zhang Fei and Ma Tianhao was completely ignored.
It’s worth noting that one of them was the host, and the other was the inventor of the mortgage.
But it was all in vain.
The elderly Chen Maoqian, on the other hand, unexpectedly became the brightest star in the room.
This place was only responsible for loans, not for selling houses. According to the laws of the Northern Song, buying a house requires the involvement of a realtor. Otherwise, it would considered illegal.
Chen Maoqian, as a top realtor, was naturally popular, undoubtedly stealing the spotlight.
In addition, there was the sound of abacus beads clattering. Squeezed into the narrow room, they inquired about property prices while calculating interest, figuring out how much down payment would be more appropriate for the house they desired.
It was evident that they all had considerable savings and had long set their eyes on houses, but they just couldn’t afford them.
As for Ma Tianhao and Zhang Fei, their work was already done.
These were officials, and the latest policies were issued by the court. How could they not be aware?
“Tianhao, after you finish your work, let’s talk about joining businesses.”
Fan Yong, dragging his chubby body, humbly squeezed through the crowd, arriving in front of Ma Tianhao, slightly out of breath.
Ma Tianhao glanced at Fan Yong, as if not quite realizing what was happening.
Fan Yong, a bit anxious, said, “Don’t tell me you want to back out?”
Ma Tianhao was taken aback, then came to his senses, smiling bitterly, “I do want to, but I can’t come up with so much money to lend!”
With so many people, if they all came for loans, where could he get so much money?
A house, at the very least, cost thousands of strings, often reaching tens of thousands.
It’s like asking for one’s life!
In the past, Ma Tianhao lived up to his name, generous and wealthy. Now…
As he thought about it, he felt a bit anxious. He needed to bring in more partners.
Fan Yong noticed his unusual expression and instantly understood. He calmly chuckled, “Let’s talk about it later then.”
In fact, he was very nervous just now. From the current situation, many people were interested in getting a loan, and the Xiang-guo Temple had already joined in, possibly intending to intensify its efforts.
However, the White Crystal Inn and Xiang-guo Temple had a competitive relationship. If he didn’t join, it was easy to imagine that future house auctions will all be conducted by Xiang-guo Temple.
The buyers were all distinguished individuals, and if these important figures go to Xiang-guo Temple for property acquisition—the impact was obvious.
This was something Fan Yong could accept.
He had worked hard to turn the White Crystal Inn into a super complex, and he was unwilling to go back to the way it was.
Ma Tianhao nodded, truly unsure whether to be happy or worried!
Suddenly, Zhang Fei laughed and said, “Moguls, for the drafting of such contracts, you can come to me.”
Ma Tianhao responded impatiently, “I can’t afford it.”
Zhang Fei said, “Mogul, you’re being too polite. If you bring in more people to join, you will all be sharing my fees. In the end, it won’t be much.”
Ma Tianhao was taken aback. That’s true! Any partner would have to pay this fee.
There wouldn’t be much left after splitting costs.
Still not understanding the situation, Fan Yong asked, “Didn’t we already hire you?”
Zhang Fei chuckled, “That’s just the fee for a written contract. This is something else.”
Fan Yong couldn’t help but look at Ma Tianhao.
Ma Tianhao sighed, “He earns much more than us.”
Zhang Fei, with a touch of impatience, said, “I earn my money through hard work! Do you know how hard I’ve been working these days? I endure so much pressure day and night, and I get scolded by Academician Wang every day.
In addition, cooperating with so many people for a loan transaction involves various aspects. It’s so complicated. If the contract isn’t clearly written, it will lead to disputes in the future.”
Fan Yong nodded repeatedly, “Brother San is right. We must ask him. He understands this the best.”
Ma Tianhao quickly stopped Fan Yong and asked Zhang Fei, “First, how much money are we talking about?”
“Are you afraid I’m trying to rob you? Am I that scary?” Zhang Fei thought for a moment and said, “Forget it! Forget it! In consideration of our friendship, and since this only involves private matters, not government affairs, let’s make it three hundred strings.”
Fan Yong’s gaze was lifeless as he stared blankly at Zhang Fei, “How… how much?”
“Three hundred strings.”
Zhang Fei said, “This is already very cheap. The price for that contract alone is five hundred strings.”
Fan Yong took in a cold breath and couldn’t help but look at Ma Tianhao. A rich man. Let’s be friends!
Ma Tianhao looked at Fan Yong expressionlessly, “Do you want to hire him or not?”
Fan Yong swallowed a mouthful and looked at Zhang Fei again. This guy seemed harmless, but who would have thought he could be so ruthless! Despite that, he said, “Three hundred strings it is!”
This type of transaction had just emerged, and no one really understood it yet, but it was highly profitable. Fan Yong didn’t dare to hire someone else, and besides, everyone would share the costs so his share wouldn’t be much.
“Mogul Fan is indeed reasonable!”
Zhang Fei bowed and looked disdainfully at Ma Tianhao.
As the star of the show, Chen Maoqian, was anxiously dealing with several officials on one side. He sent a desperate look towards Ma Tianhao. It was almost like he wanted to shout, “Brother, I want to join! I want to join!” If another realtor reached a cooperation agreement with Ma Tianhao, it was easy to imagine that Chen Maoqian’s position as the market leader would be in jeopardy!
After a while, Chen Maoqian finally found the chance and rushed over, grabbing Ma Tianhao’s sleeve. However, his mouth, dry and tongue-tied, couldn’t articulate any words.
Brother Hao!
Everything was understood without saying a word!
Ma Tianhao patted his arm, “Let’s talk later.”
Chen Maoqian nodded vigorously.
Zhang Fei added, “Mogul Chen, Mogul Fan, let’s put aside the matter of joining businesses for now. You will probably also cooperate with pawnshops, right?”
Fan Yong, being astute, sensed something was amiss. He was about to stop Chen Maoqian but didn’t manage to in time. Chen Maoqian nodded and said, “Naturally, if we cooperate, many things will be more convenient.”
Zhang Fei, with a sly smile, added, “Then you would need a contract. You can come to me for that!”
Chen Maoqian nodded, “Alright!”
Fan Yong cleared his throat and said, “Brother Chen, shouldn’t you ask about the price first?”
Chen Maoqian asked, “How much for the contract?”
Fan Yong said, “The cost of our partnership contract is three hundred strings.”
“What?”
Chen Maoqian was shocked.
Zhang Fei quickly said, “No, no, for this type of partnership agreement, there is large discount. It’s only one hundred strings, and if two parties share, it would be fifty strings each.”
Chen Maoqian gritted his teeth, “Fifty strings for one contract?”
Do realtors have the nerve to say that? Have some shame. Zhang Fei laughed with an inconsistent tone, “Mogul, you can’t think this way. This collaboration is a big project. If there are disputes, even a thousand strings may not solve the problem. My contracts, on the other hand, is perfect. Even the imperial court acknowledges that. It’s worth it!”
Realtors are really ruthless.
Generally, they are the ones scamming others, and it’s rare for someone to scam them.
It was not just a matter of money, but also a matter of face.
A mere pen-in-cap, dares to show off the art of scamming in front of me, a realtor?
The audacity!
Chen Maoqian immediately nodded, “Then I’ll have to trouble you.”
The other party was an expert at scamming money; he had no choice.
“Alright, alright! After you have reached an agreement, we can talk more.” Zhang Fei nodded with a smile and suddenly said, “Mogul Chen, the pressure you’re facing now is not small!”
Chen Maoqian was puzzled, “What do you mean?”
Zhang Fei said, “With so many people suddenly buying houses, logically speaking, the housing prices will definitely rise.”
Chen Maoqian furrowed his brows, “Most likely, they will rise.”
Zhang Fei continued, “So you must stabilize the housing prices. Even if they rise, they must not rise too much, preferably not at all.”
Chen Maoqian asked, “Why?”
“Look at the people buying houses here.” Zhang Fei gestured towards the crowd, “If the prices suddenly soar, what do you think they will think? They will think it’s a scam. These customers are capable of influencing the imperial court’s policies.”
It was one thing to scam lowly commoners. Scam the rich and powerful?
Are you tired of living?
Chen Maoqian suddenly felt a sense of despair. If he reported one price today, and increased it the very next day, could he still survive?
But going against market forces was also not feasible!