Wang Fagen is a native of the early township, and the village where he lives is only more than two miles away from the polder, and he knows many acquaintances in the polder. He carried a snakeskin bag of New Year's goods and put them away first, leaving his mother at home, and returned to the polder with money and two packs of cigarettes in his pocket.

After dispersing a few cigarettes with an acquaintance who was doing business in the polder, he inquired about what he wanted. Just across the street from the township police station, his son enlisted in the army more than ten years ago. It is said that the current development in the army is good, and the army agreed to accept his wife into the factory. He is the only son in the family, so he is ready to take his parents, wife and children to live in the army. The family was worried that the house would be dilapidated if no one lived in it, so they spread the information of renting a house.

This is a relatively large house, and they ask for 10 yuan a month for rent, which is much more than the consumption level of people in the polder. Most of the units such as the township government and the police station have their own family homes or staff dormitories, and there is no need to rent a house; the people who do business in the polder are basically either polders or nearby villages, and those who have houses use their own shops to open shops, and those who do not have houses rent shops on the street to eat and live in their shops, and those who are not even willing to rent their stalls do not need to rent houses in the town.

Wang Fagen knocked on the door of this family, from the appearance of this house is extraordinary, the house is a brick and wood structure, the building has a one-and-a-half-high floor, the outside looks wide blue brick wall enclosed, half-hidden half-exposed double-slope roof hidden behind the overlapping horse-head wall, very imposing.

"Who?" shouted someone in the house when he heard a knock on the door.

"I heard that your family is going to rent a house, I'll take a look!" Wang Fagen said.

After a while, the door opened, and it was an old man in his fifties, dressed in a blue cotton coat. Wang Fagen handed over a cigarette and said with a smile: "Uncle, come and smoke a cigarette, I said that the people from the nearby village, surnamed Wang, heard that your family is going to rent a house, I don't know what you call it?"

The old man who opened the door took the cigarette handed over by Wang Fagen, and said slowly: "My surname is Liu, just call me Lao Liu." If you are going to rent a house, I don't know whether to live in it or open a store, if it is to open a store, I will not rent it, if my house wants to open a store, it will have to be transformed into a storefront, which is not good. ”

No wonder he can't rent out this house so well, not only is the rent expensive, but even the requirements are many. If you don't rent to open a store, but only live in it, the rent of 10 yuan a month is too expensive in the polder of Zaozhu Township, and the rent of other people's houses is generally 2 or 3 yuan a month.

"I don't want to rent, I want to buy it!" Wang Fagen said straight to the point.

"My house is not for sale!" Liu Laohan simply refused.

"Uncle Liu, I heard that your son has developed well in the army, and you went to the army to enjoy happiness, right?" asked Wang Fagen.

After listening to Wang Fagen's words, Liu Laohan said proudly: "Yes, my son was promoted to battalion commander, and the army arranged a job for my daughter-in-law, and the two of us followed over to take care of the children." ”

"Then you have such a good house, if you don't live in it, it will be easy to fall into decay in a few years!" Wang Fagen said regretfully.

Liu Laohan also thinks so, Hek County is located in the south, the rain is humid, especially in spring and summer, especially the rain, if the house is not lived in for a long time, it is easy to regain moisture and grow mold, in case of termites, it will be even worse.

"Uncle Liu, otherwise, the rent of your house is 10 yuan a month, and it is 120 yuan a year, and I won't bargain, I will pay 20 years at a time, and you can sell this house to me." Wang Fagen continued, "You have gone to other places, and I estimate that there are many places to spend money, so you can't ask your children for everything." ”

This sentence hit Liu Laohan's heart, yes, even when he went to the army, his daughter-in-law entered the military factory and had an income. But if the old couple has no money in their hands, if they ask their children for everything, it will inevitably cause problems after a long time. However, this young man was willing to pay 2,400 yuan when he opened his mouth, and he had to bargain again.

Liu Laohan, who struggled in his heart for a while, spoke: "Pay 5,000 yuan in a lump sum, and the house will be yours." ”

Wang Fagen hesitated, 5,000 yuan is equivalent to more than 40 years of rent, and it is calculated according to the current highest market in Zaozhu Township. I bought it anyway because I was going to tear it down and build a house, why buy it so expensive. In addition, find two ordinary houses, and it is estimated that one or two thousand yuan can be done.

Wang Fagen repaid the price again, but Liu Laohan didn't drop the price of 5,000 yuan, the price was not negotiated, and Wang Fagen didn't turn his face, and left regretfully.

"Young man, are you going to Lao Liu's house to rent a house? Do you want to buy land?"

Wang Fagen came out of Liu Laohan's house, didn't go far, and was stopped by an old man in his 70s. The old man was dressed in a dirty cotton coat with black cuffs and frayed elbows, revealing the yellowed cotton inside.

"Uncle, yes, I want to buy a yard, and the land can also be. Do you have land to sell?"

Wang Fagen handed over a cigarette, and the dirty old man waved his hand, signaling not to.

"I have a house over there, why don't I take you to see it?"

"Good!"

Wang Fagen followed the old man over, chatted a few words on the road, and quickly figured out the old man's situation.

The old man's surname is Peng, his father used to be the landlord here, after the liberation, he was beaten into the black five categories, and the house in the family was also divided into two parts, the house that Liu Laohan wanted to sell used to be the Peng family, and now the Peng family only left a few cowsheds and pigsties. His family composition is not good, and it is difficult for several children to get married.

This time it was the youngest son, who was already in his thirties, and was finally introduced to a widow from a neighboring village, but the family had no money, and he couldn't even afford a simple bride price.

Peng Laohan is going to take out a pigsty at home and sell it, this pigsty has been abandoned for a long time, about 100 meters east of Liu Laohan's house, and has been out of the polder. However, it is also facing the street, and if you come from the county seat to live in the township early, you will pass through here first.

"Xiao Wang, look at how it is here, don't look at this place far away from the polder, people from our township have to pass through here when they come and go to the county. You buy it back and build a storefront, and you make sure someone rents it. If it weren't for the fact that my family was in a hurry to get the money to be used, I really wouldn't want to sell it. ”

Wang Fagen didn't speak, he walked along the collapsed adobe courtyard walls in many places, and estimated that this piece of land was about more than one acre, no smaller than the one that Li Liang's family bought in the family courtyard of the food company.

"Uncle Peng, you can make a price, to be honest, your family has raised pigs on this piece of land, and I built a house to live in, to be honest, I really don't want it!"

The price offered to Old Man Liu just now was too refreshing, causing the other party to raise the price. Wang Fagen learned to be smart this time, revealing a signal that he didn't like it very much.