country bumpkin

Chapter 318 Successful Rental

The house is quite nice, mainly because it's a detached house with its own yard, making it convenient to live in. Some people, looking for a cheaper option, end up with several families living in the same yard.

Each person rents a small room, sharing a courtyard, a toilet, and a kitchen like in a tenement building. Over time, this naturally leads to many conflicts.

Kong Xiangwei was satisfied, and Nie Xianghong also thought it was good. The two looked at each other and understood the decision in each other's eyes.

Kong Xiangwei asked, "How much do you want to rent it for, boss?"

The female boss's younger sister, Sister Hua, said, "To be honest, it's very easy to rent out houses nowadays; there's a shortage of houses everywhere. I don't charge exorbitant prices; it's a fixed price of 200 yuan per month."

Kong Xiangwei didn't know the market rate either, but in his hometown of Yicheng, a small courtyard house would cost more than 180 yuan a month. This place was close to the factory and convenient to come back to, so he felt it was about right.

But we still need to negotiate the price; every little bit helps. He said, "Boss, look, this house is the last one at the very end of the alley; it doesn't seem easy to rent out."

I won't haggle, could you give me a discount? If possible, we'd like to stay here permanently and not move.

When Sister Hua heard that it was a long-term tenant, she smiled and gave her a 20 yuan discount, making it 180 yuan a month.

Kong Xiangwei wanted to lower the price further, so he pointed to the ground in the courtyard and said, "Sister, look, the cement on this ground is peeling and full of potholes. It'll be muddy after it rains."

Also, one of the windows in the house is broken; we'll have to spend money to fix it!

I don't know if this well is still usable; you'll have to repair it.

The plump woman quickly said, "The well is fine and working normally. Could you check on the glass and fix it when you have time? The ground will have to stay like this for now; I don't know how to fix it!"

My husband also works and doesn't have time to come and fix it. How about this? I'll give you a discount of 20 yuan, making it 160 yuan a month!

If you can rent it, then rent it; if not, then look for other places!

Kong Xiangwei felt that it was about time; any further price reduction would ruin the deal, but he still tentatively asked a question.

“Sister, how about 150 yuan? It’s just 10 yuan. You’re such a kind person. You’re doing a good deed to help us outsiders.”

The plump woman felt a little sorry for the money, but she wasn't angry. She just said, "This won't do. I know it's not easy for you outsiders to come out and work."

But I need to eat too. I used to rent this place out for less than 180 yuan, so I really can't agree to this price reduction.

Seeing that there was no hope, Kong Xiangwei had no other choice. If he missed this house, he didn't know when he would be able to find another one.

He laughed and said, "Haha, big sister, since you're in such a difficult position, I won't insist. Let's just leave it at that!"

Sister Hua thought the negotiations had broken down and the other party was about to leave. She was wavering in her mind, but she still insisted on not giving up the money.

But then the next sentence brought a change of heart. Kong Xiangwei looked at the female boss and Sister Hua, and continued, "Then let's go with the price Sister Hua mentioned! We agreed on 160 yuan a month, and we can't go back on our word."

The plump woman was overjoyed, thinking to herself: "Oh my! It's finally rented out. This little courtyard took so long to rent out, it was so difficult."

Because most people who come out to work share a courtyard, there aren't many who rent a courtyard on their own.

The two parties agreed on a price and agreed to sign the rental contract the next day, which finally settled the matter.

But they'll still stay in a hotel tonight, and buy bedding and tidy up the house tomorrow.

Sister Hua happily went home, and the female boss and the young couple returned to the hotel. The two took the key and went to the room they had booked.

There was a washroom outside the public toilet of the small hotel, where they washed up before going back to sleep.

After a day's work and looking at houses, they didn't feel hungry, but their bodies were exhausted. They chatted for a few minutes and then slowly fell asleep.

I slept very soundly and deeply that night, perhaps because I was relaxed, or perhaps because I was too tired yesterday. When I woke up, it was already eight o'clock in the morning.

Luckily, it's the weekend, so they don't have to work. This joint venture factory is really great; it has dormitories, a canteen, weekends off, and the wages are even higher than back home.

The two woke up naturally, and Kong Xiangwei was full of energy. His body's natural reaction made Nie Xianghong blush shyly.

Nie Xianghong was also full of energy, her big eyes blinking as she looked at Kong Xiangwei. She murmured, "Uncle Wei~ you're awake?"

Kong Xiangwei couldn't stand her calling him so gently, and his excited little engine charged forward for another hour.

Finally, Kong Xiangwei lay down to rest, covered in sweat, with Nie Xianghong beside him, his face full of satisfaction and happiness.

They didn't come down to check out until after 10 a.m., by which time Sister Hua had been waiting at the small hotel for a while.

Nie Xianghong lowered her head shyly. The female boss and Sister Hua looked at the young couple, understood what was going on, and smiled brightly.

Sister Hua took out the contract and handed it to Kong Xiangwei. Kong Xiangwei took it, looked at the contents, picked up the pen on the table, and signed his name.

Then he took out some money from his pocket and handed it to Sister Hua, saying, "Sister, here's one month's rent for you. I'll pay you six months' rent in one go when I get my salary."

Sister Hua understood that people who had just started working didn't have much money, so she agreed.

Before Kong Xiangwei could speak, she wrote a receipt, signed her name, and handed it to him.

Kong Xiangwei took it and was very satisfied with Sister Hua's actions. Then he asked if they knew anyone who made fake documents.

What a coincidence, the female boss knows her. After all, she comes into contact with a lot of people in her business, from all walks of life.

And if she introduces a customer to her, the customer will give her a referral fee of 20 yuan.

Although it's not a lot of money, it's still a source of income. If you introduce a few more people a day, it adds up to a lot of money.

She wrote down her contact information for Kong Xiangwei, who looked at the phone number on the slip of paper and dialed it from a public phone in the small hotel.

After getting the address and arranging the time, Kong Xiangwei took Nie Xianghong's hand and went to the nearest market.

They need to buy some household items and bedding.

They spent over 200 yuan at the market to buy everything they needed, including lunch. The two of them carried their bags back to their rented room.

After returning home, I washed my hands and ate a meal before doing anything else.

Nie Xianghong stayed behind to clean the house, while Kong Xiangwei took Nie Xianghong's photo and a copy of her household registration book and went to the agreed meeting place.

The process was quick; he waited outside for an hour and the fake ID was ready. When he took it out of the envelope, it looked exactly like the real one.

The name and photo are both Nie Xianghong, and the address is correct; only Nie Xianghong's age has been changed.

Her age was moved forward by 4 years, so Nie Xianghong on her ID card is now an adult, 18 years old.

Kong Xiangwei paid, but was charged 150 yuan. This was only because the female boss had introduced him; otherwise, she wouldn't have done it for 200 yuan less.

A real photo only costs 30 yuan, so the profit margin on this business is huge. However, it's illegal, and most people wouldn't do it.

These document forgers operate on a hit-and-run basis. They might be here this time, but if you try to find them again, they'll probably be nowhere to be found.

However, with the small hotel owner helping to make connections, the business is likely to be quite good. They don't just work with this one owner; they have contacts at other hotels and large restaurants as well.

This is the strategy of casting a wide net to catch more fish; there are tricks to everything, things that ordinary people can't imagine.

Having retrieved his ID card, Kong Xiangwei quickened his pace and returned to his rented room.

On the way back, I bought dinner. Honghong worked hard cleaning today, so I couldn't let her cook. I just bought ready-made food.

After he cleaned up the kitchen and got everything ready, he would cook for Honghong.

…………

In Kongjia Village, Li Chunmei held the letter left by her daughter, her lips trembling with anger.

Nie Dayong was also furious. His daughter was so obedient when she was little, but now that she's grown up, she's such a worry.

Nie Xianghong's maternal and paternal grandparents were both sighing and complaining. What could they say? The child was disobedient, and even her parents couldn't control her, so the elderly couple were even more helpless.

Li Chunmei said, "Isn't it infuriating? What's so good about Kong Xiangwei? How did Xiang Hong become so bewitched? She's completely infatuated with him, she's like she's been possessed."

Nie Dayong glanced at his wife and said cautiously, "Kong Xiangwei, apart from being a bit old, is alright in other ways. He has a good temper, is hardworking, and reliable..."

Before he could finish speaking, he was hit on the head with a pear.