NOVEL NEXT Chapter 101 - 95 Renting a House
Chapter 101: Chapter 95 Renting a House
The leather had been settled on, next they needed to find a shoe processing factory. After some inquiries, the two discovered that the six shoe processing factories recommended by Manager He all had good reputations.
Lu Jiaxin and Gu Wenfeng first visited the shoe factory with the best reputation, called Rapid. Unexpectedly, the person in charge of the factory stated that he only took orders from Hong Kong and did not accept orders from the Mainland.
Gu Wenfeng frowned and asked, “Why don’t you take orders from the Mainland?”
Director Song explained, “By taking orders from Hong Kong, we can earn foreign currency and contribute to the country.”
The slogan sounded very impressive, but Lu Jiaxin knew it was all about profit. By selling goods and earning foreign currency, the government would get a subsidy.
Gu Wenfeng said, “We can pay in greenbacks.”
Dauntingly, Director Song responded, “If you pay in greenbacks, I will definitely take your orders, but you must first pay a thirty percent deposit.”
Lu Jiaxin indicated that they needed to think it over and left the Rapid Shoe Factory.
Gu Wenfeng did not understand and asked as they left the factory, “Their leather shoes are highly praised, and they also have a large scale. Jiaxin, we have greenbacks and can meet his requirement.”
Lu Jiaxin thought he really wasn’t cut out for business, “Although we didn’t immediately exchange it into Hua currency, it’s impossible to withdraw the money.”
“Why not? It’s our money, they can’t control how we use it.”
Lu Jiaxin laughed and said, “Once greenbacks are in the bank, do you think they’d let the meat slip from their mouths? Don’t be so impatient, let’s ask Manager He to help us out, they should agree.”
Gu Wenfeng couldn’t help criticizing, “Asking them to make shoes is essentially allowing them to make money, and now it feels like we are the ones begging.”
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His words weren’t wrong; at that time, processing factories that were both skilled and trustworthy weren’t worried about lacking business. If you wanted to cut in line, you had to bring something substantial to the table.
Lu Jiaxin said with a smile, “Bowing your head to earn money isn’t shameful.”
They also visited the other five factories, two of which were too small, being family workshops, and another one was run by a younger brother-in-law as the owner was not present. The person saw their plain clothes and directly said that their factory was too busy with orders to take on any additional work. Director Song had said this very politely, but he was clearly impatient.
As they left, another person arrived at the processing factory. This man wore a floral shirt and bell-bottom pants, along with a chunky gold necklace and a beeper on his waist, exuding the aura of a tycoon.
Lu Jiaxin saw the man who had been indifferent to them react immediately upon seeing this flashy man, speaking with an accent from Hong Kong. He eagerly offered cigarettes and took out a lighter to light them, his obsequious behavior was quite unbearable to watch.
Upon leaving the factory, Lu Jiaxin took a look at her and Gu Wenfeng’s attire, and said with a laugh, “People are judged by their appearances, as horses are by their saddles, our dress is indeed too casual.”
Thinking of the man’s attire from earlier, Gu Wenfeng expressed that he couldn’t bring himself to wear such floral shirts.
Lu Jiaxin chuckled, “It’s not about the floral shirts, but the big gold necklace and the beeper. They scream wealth. Unlike us, we look rather shabby.”
After running around all day, Lu Jiaxin went to bed early. What she didn’t expect was that when she woke up the next morning, she felt groggy and unsteady on her feet.
Lu Jiaxin felt helpless, how had she caught a cold again.
Gu Wenfeng wasn’t surprised and said, “You haven’t fully recovered from your cold yet, and you’ve been running around these past few days, catching the cold wind yesterday. Since you’ve already called Lu Jiajie for help, rest at the guesthouse and recover for these few days. We’ll discuss more once he arrives.”
Lu Jiaxin didn’t dare to push herself and asked, “Did you check if the house has been cleaned?”
The house had been rented already- a residential property with six rooms. Lu Jiaxin was particularly fond of cleanliness, but the previous tenant wasn’t very meticulous. There was a lot of dirt in the kitchen, and the room corners and furniture had accumulated much dust. The house was in a good location with convenient transportation, and they decided to rent it after the landlord promised to clean it thoroughly. They had been busy and had no time to check the house these past two days.
Gu Wenfeng had taken her to see a doctor and got medicine before sending her back to the guesthouse. Because he was worried, he asked the staff to take care of her before going to the rented house.
He didn’t return until after one in the afternoon, knowing that Lu Jiaxin was concerned about the matter, he said, “The house has been cleaned. I just bought some bedding, and after lunch, we can move in.”
“Alright.”
When Lu Jiaxin saw the place, the house had been cleaned very well, and the furniture had been wiped down as well.
Gu Wenfeng saw her heading to the kitchen and stopped her, saying, “Don’t worry, I’ve checked everything. The stove, cabinets, and all pots and pans have been cleaned thoroughly. You’re still sick; get into bed and rest.”
Lu Jiaxin said, “We can keep the pots and big basins, but they need to be soaked in boiling water first. As for the bowls and utensils, we don’t want them, we’ll buy our own. Don’t throw away the other items; collect them to return to the landlord.”
“Just put them in the corner; there’s no need to trouble the landlord.”
Lu Jiaxin laughed and said, “My niece Xiao Qiu is like my Big Aunt, very meticulous in her daily life. Once she arrives, she’ll surely use these bowls and utensils.”
Gu Wenfeng also thought they could be used, saying, “If you’re concerned they’re not clean, I’ll just boil them a few more times.”
Lu Jiaxin disagreed, “Other things can be managed, but not the ones that go in the mouth. I don’t want to use kitchen bowls and utensils that I don’t know how many people have used, no matter how many times you boil them.”
Gu Wenfeng couldn’t help but comment, “Well, it’s only because conditions are better now. When I was young, we continued to use bowls even when they chipped.”
Lu Jiaxin had a different view, “It’s nothing if our own bowls and utensils are chipped. When I was young, I would patch up torn clothes and shoes and keep wearing them. But it’s different for bowls and utensils; I can’t stand them once they are touched by others’ saliva. It’s dirty.”
Gu Wenfeng had no reply to that.
After three days, Lu Jiajie finally settled on who would go to Peng City. He found four people in total: two were Ah Sheng and Ah Le, whom Lu Jiaxin had called to help with the move; one was Master Jia, the father of his friend, and another was Master Sha’s eldest son, Sha Xiangyang.
Sha Xiangyang, following in his father’s footsteps, also worked at a shoe factory. After eleven years there, he was fired due to a lifestyle issue. Jobs were hard to come by in the Forty-nine City, and since his dismissal, he could only do odd jobs. Hearing that Peng City was a place to earn good money, he went there at the beginning of the year, but as soon as he got off the train, his bag with money and documents got stolen. Luckily, he had hidden some money in the sole of his shoe, which helped him find a relative in Peng City after some difficulties.
This relative of his was quite decent and got them jobs in a shoe workshop. Although it was called a shoe factory, it was really a small workshop, but the more work one did, the higher the salary. However, Sha Xiangyang had a quick temper and after less than half a month started a big argument with the boss, was fired without pay, and kicked out.
It was during this time that Sha Xiangyang’s mother fell seriously ill. Once he received the news, he rushed back home, and fortunately, his mother narrowly made it through the ordeal.
Lu Jiajie’s master treated him quite well. Despite frequently scolding him, it was mostly because he was lazy and lacked ambition. Knowing that Master Sha was worried about Sha Xiangyang, and indeed, doing odd jobs was no solution. Thinking he had experience in Peng City, Lu Jiajie went to ask him, and he agreed immediately.
The train tickets were already purchased; the next day at 7:30 am, Lu Jiajie, followed by Xue Mao and a few others, boarded the train heading south.