In the first year of the Northern Song Dynasty, on the eighth day of the sixth lunar month in 1099, Yi Bende went to work at the Shuntianfu rent collection office.

At this time, the cadres of the rent collection offices such as Huang Shunyu and the Golden House had renovated several wings near the gate in the front yard of Shuntianfu into the cashier's room, vault, office, and staff housing of the rent collection office.

In this rent collection office, there is a supervisor Yi Bende, and at the same time, Yi Bende also brought two cashiers and gold inspectors, a bookkeeper, a treasury manager and other four staff, a field supervisor Huang Shunyu, and twelve debt collection errands such as the golden house, so that there are a total of eighteen staff members in the Shuntianfu rent collection office.

The expenses of the rent collection house are as follows: the labor money is a total of 20 taels of silver per month; The monthly expenses for lodging, eating, running errands, and entertaining in the office cost 15 taels of silver, so the total monthly expenses are 35 taels of silver, so that the annual expenses in the rent collection office are 420 taels of silver! Of course, the monthly wages of 6 taels of silver for the five of them, as well as the management fee of 15 taels of silver in the office, are paid monthly with principal and interest, so the actual annual expenses of the rent collection office cannot be less than 21 taels of silver and 252 taels of silver, and the wages of 13 domestic slaves such as Huang Shunyu need to be kept in an account for them.

Although this expense is not very much, for Ah Long, who has no source of income, as long as the family spends an extra penny, he will feel distressed, and now, Ah Long's life is too stressful!

At 10 o'clock one morning, after Ah Long and Xi'er were fully dressed, they went to the conference hall of the reception building to hold a meeting with all the staff of the rent collection office.

"Brother Aaron! When you give them a meeting, you have to remember that you are the boss! At the meeting, you must not talk nonsense, if you talk nonsense, they will do what you say! Do you understand? ”

Xi'er took Ah Long's hand and walked on the way to the reception building, she looked up at Ah Long and spoke!

"Understood! Alas! Now, rent collection is our family's top priority! How dare I talk nonsense! I just want them to figure out as soon as possible how to collect rent from rental merchants early next year! At the beginning of next year, we will be able to collect the rent smoothly, and we will look forward to the future! If we can successfully collect the rent for two years, we will need about 100,000 taels of silver! In addition, our property in Shuntianfu is also worth 200,000 taels of silver, right?! At that time, we had food and shelter, and we still had living money and assets in hand, so that we could find some convenient and stable business to do! ”

Ah Long took Xi'er's little hand, looked up at the sky and said to himself, Xi'er took Ah Long and said, "Yes! I feel that our future life is too good! Brother! Cash is the most reliable thing! If, my father Jia Haoxia had 100,000 taels of silver in his hand back then, he would not have sold his money, pawnshop and family property! They don't have to flee their homes anymore! Brother! I feel that in the past few years, prices everywhere have risen very fiercely, and I think that the rent of our commercial street should also rise! We have so many shops that we can charge a lot more rent if we increase the rent a little bit! That way, we have more cash on hand! ”

Aaron smiled and said, "Alas! Xi'er is so smart! I know how to have a meeting with them! Wait, when I give them a meeting, you help me remember, you have to remember, what I said?! What did they say?! If I make a mistake, you kick me, and then I will know that I have said the wrong thing! ”

So, the two of them laughed and trotted towards Longguilou!

After they entered the council room, eighteen employees of the rent collection office, including Yi Bende, Huang Shunyu, and Golden House, were already sitting here drinking tea.

When they saw Ah Long and Xi'er, they all stood up and shouted in unison, "Good morning, Young Master Long!" Good morning girl! ”

Aaron and Xi'er sat down, and after the tea, they started the meeting!

Aaron said, "Brothers! It's been more than ten days since the rent collection office opened, how do you feel?! ”

Yi Bende said: "Young Master Long! The overall construction area of our commercial street is 1.2 million square meters, with 2,150 storefronts connected on three floors, and the current rent level is an average rent of 25 taels of silver per year, and the tax rate of the government is 5%, so under normal circumstances, we can collect 50,000 taels of silver a year, and the after-tax income is about 47,500 taels of silver! At present, the lease situation is that our shops have signed contracts to lease out! However, after five years, all of these leases will expire! ”

Aaron said, "Oh! Mr. Yi! Why do our shop leases expire after five years? ”

Yi Bende said: "Alas! At first, I thought it was very strange! Therefore, I took this question to consult Mr. Mu Sansi, Guo Baichuan's housekeeper! The old gentleman told me that the four streets of the Guo family's east and west streets in Xianyuan Town were built 25 years ago, and at that time, the service life of these buildings was 30 years! These shops are three-storey brick and timber buildings, and now the columns, staircases, floor slabs, beams, etc., wood components and structures of these houses are almost damaged and moth-eaten! At that time, the bricks, tiles and stones used to build the house were also damaged and corroded to varying degrees! And many of the infrastructure such as drainage ditches and septic tanks in these streets are no longer usable! Therefore, the housekeeper Mu Sansi said that in five years, our street will definitely be demolished and rebuilt! I heard that the meaning of the official housing management office is also like this! ”

Aaron said, "Oops! It's a nuisance! Mr. Yi, our 1.2 million square meters of three-story brick and wood structure shops need to be demolished and rebuilt, how many silver taels will be needed for this project?! And how much time will it take?! ”

Yi Bende said: "Young Master Long! I consulted Mr. Mu about this matter! He said, "The cost of renovating our shop is between 800,000 taels and 1,000,000 taels of silver!" If our design and construction are well managed, it will take at least two years! ”

Aaron said, "Oh my God! I've figured it out! It turns out that this commercial street is a hot potato! We still have five years to collect rent, and in these five years, we will not pay taxes, eat or drink, and we can only collect 250,000 silver in rent! I'll go there and find another 800,000 taels of silver! Where am I going to find all that money?! Isn't this a deadly business?! ”

Huang Shunyu said: "Master! You don't have to worry too much! Of course, let's think about how to collect the rent for these five years first! Collect as much money as you can! If we really feel that the business of building a house and renting a house is not cost-effective, we can't do it! We can sell the shops and land in this commercial street to powerful merchants to operate! I have investigated, the land area of our commercial street is 1,000 acres, and now, the price of land in Xianyuan Town has risen to 800 taels of silver, if we sell this thousand acres of land according to the law, we will have 800,000 taels of silver from selling the land alone! Of course, we still have to pay taxes to the government, so we can also get 760,000 taels of silver! With this capital, we can switch careers to other profitable businesses! ”

Ah Long smiled and said, "Two dogs! You're the real master! Well, I know how to do it! That's it, Mr. Yi! Recently, with the prosperity of the world, the prices of the entire society in Gangnam Province have been rising! Alas, my father-in-law, Mr. Guo Baichuan, is a benevolent and righteous man! In order to keep these old customers, he has not increased the rent for more than ten years! Therefore, we are going to start thinking about increasing the rent of our shops from next year! Otherwise, our family will be sitting on a mountain empty! Mr. Yi, how much do you think our rent will go up?! ”

Yi Bende said: "Alas! When ordinary merchants encounter rent increases, they are likely to quit the rent! And the lease deposits of these merchants are stored in Mr. Guo! If they do quit the lease, it will be difficult for us to rent out the shop again, and they may still be able to get their deposit back from us! Therefore, we must not increase the rent too much, I think that a 10% increase on the original basis, they should be acceptable! If it rises further, it will be difficult to say! ”

Aaron said, "Okay! Mr. Yi! You go and tell our tenants the news of our rent increase! Then, you secretly visit a few large tenants, give them a thorough look, and see how much the rent rises that they can accept! Let's take a look at the rent level of other shops! That way, it won't be difficult for us to set the price again! Regarding the matter of the deposit for quitting the lease, you go to consult Mu Sansi, it stands to reason that the tenant not only does not return the deposit if he terminates the contract in advance, but they also give us a compensation! At the same time, next year, we will exchange the lease contract with these tenants, and you will go and tell my father-in-law Guo Baichuan to transfer the lease deposit of this street to our vault! Otherwise, our business will lose a lot! ”

Yi Bende smiled and said, "Okay! We did what the boss wanted! Also, about letting the leasing merchants pay taxes to the government by themselves, I told Han Jinbang, the head of the tax office of the government, that he was very much in favor of our approach! He said that at the end of this year, they will announce this matter, and then, at the beginning of next year, Xianyuan Town will begin to implement the new tax regulations! ”

Aaron said: "This thing! Well done Mr. Yi! There's one more thing we have to do secretly! Two dogs! You know a lot of bosses, you go and look for a few buyers who can afford to buy our shop land! We're going to start negotiating with them about how to sell these shops and land! Anyway, we are grandsons, and it doesn't hurt for the cub to sell Yetian! If someone wants to buy them, if only they give us another five years of rent for this street, 300,000 silver! We can buy them right away! Then, let's go on other business! ”

Huang Shunyu smiled and said, "Master! It's easy to do! Xianyuan Town is a place where the dragon and the tiger are hidden, and there are no less than 1,000 bosses with a net worth of more than 1 million taels of silver! We can find a few big tenants and sell all of our commercial street! Now is the peaceful and prosperous era, everyone wants to buy a property to preserve the value of the family property, and then, rent out the property to make money! ”

Aaron smiled and said, "Good! That's what we do! Mr. Yi! Two dogs! Do these two things in full swing! Now, there is only half a year left until the end of the year! If we don't have any income at the beginning of next year, this family will be yellow! ”

Everyone laughed!

After the meeting, the occupations of Yi Bende, Huang Shunyu and other rent collection offices discussed the specific division of labor and the details of actions around the matter of rent increase, sales of shops and land!

After Ah Long and Xi'er returned to the Dragon Return Building, Xi'er went to prepare lunch for Ah Long.

After Hua'er knew that Ah Long was back, she immediately ran over to drink tea and chat with Ah Long.

"Aaron! Have you all arranged the rent collection of shops?! ”

Hua'er hurriedly asked Ah Long, who smiled and said, "Why don't you need to talk about it!" Definitely got it! Alas, our shops will be demolished and rebuilt in five years! At that time, we will spend 1 million taels of silver, and we will have more than two years to do this! We don't have that much money! There's no time to waste! Therefore, we have also decided to sell the entire shop and land on the street! In this way, we can still recover about 800,000 taels of silver! If we can do this, we can change careers and do a solid business in the future! ”

Hua'er took Ah Long's hand and said with a smile: "Ah Long! You've done a good job! Don't be too anxious, be steady in everything and think twice! Recently, educate and inspire through you! I recalled all the knowledge and things that Guo Ruyu had learned and done before! Alas! In the past, Guo Ruyu really learned a lot of knowledge and skills, she knew arithmetic, business, life, or the four books and five classics, so now I can understand the books at home! A lot of housekeeping and management will be done! Aaron! You see, I just made the calligraphy and paintings on the wall here, hang them up! Do you look pretty?! ”

Aaron smiled and said, "It's so beautiful! Alas! Guo Ruyu is indeed a well-informed lady! Flowers! Your academic skills have surpassed Wang Zhaojun's! Recently, Long Hanfeng's memory and ability have also been completely restored in my body! Now, I'm no longer the shopkeeper who only bargains with customers! I'm still a dragon cold wind with both civil and military skills! Now, Mr. Liu Quanzhi no longer dares to boast of his historical knowledge and perception in front of me! When he explained the art of war to us, he was not as confident as before! Master Yi Shanhe said, I have a good foundation in Shenlong martial arts, as long as I practice diligently, I will be able to integrate and achieve an unparalleled martial arts realm! ”

Hua'er smiled and said, "Oops! That's great! Huh! Why didn't I listen to you, Master Li Linggu's matter! Didn't he teach you the Tao?! ”

Aaron said, "Alas! Don't talk about this person! I suspect that he is a spy sent to me by Xue Zurong, the steward of the Dragon Mansion! I heard Master Yi Shanhe say that Li Linggu often asks him about me! Golden House, Ah Mao also told me that he saw Li Linggu and Xue Zurong often drinking tea and chatting in a teahouse! They talked for most of the day! Therefore, I didn't dare to ask him about learning the Dao Fa at all! ”

After a shudder, the flower said, "Alas! Li Linggu, this old thing, is not a good person! The day before yesterday, he wanted to enter the sacrificial room where we enshrined the spiritual seat of Liang Fengxian's mother! When he saw me burning incense and chanting Buddha inside, he flashed out! Later, I asked Huang Shun to slip away and tell Li Linggu and the others that no one will be allowed to enter the sacrificial room without my permission and that of you in the future! I'm so worried, he's doing sorcery in our house! Ah, Ah! You should go to Patriarch Qiankun as soon as possible! Only when you learn the Tao can we control our own destiny! ”

Aaron said, "Flowers! The inside story of the Dragon Mansion is too dark! Let's take our time to uncover them! Li Linggu is just an ordinary subordinate here in us, no matter how ruthless he is, he can't turn the sky upside down in our family! After the accident from the Yinshan Zhenwu Temple, the whereabouts of the Qiankun Patriarch have been unknown, and there is no news of him in the world! It's really hard for us to find him! Alas! After being a ghost, I made an appointment with Hugu in the capital, and I asked Hugu to come to me in the town near the Zhenwu Temple in Yinshan! It's been almost a year since this happened! It stands to reason that Aunt Tiger should come to Xianyuan Town to find me! If she doesn't come again, I'm going to go to the capital, and I'm going there to visit Tiger Gu and Long Wuxian Old Daoist! Long Wuxian Old Daoist is a good Taoist, and he has profound skills! If, it is possible, I want to take Hu Gu and Long Wuxian Dao to Xianyuan Town and live and practice with us! ”

Hua'er smiled and said, "Alas! Ah, Ah! It would be great if you could do that! I think Tiger Gu must have encountered some difficulty! You let Hu Gu go to the place where the treasure is hidden and bring back ten carts of treasure, this is a big deal! If, Tiger Aunt, they are targeted by the government or gangsters! Tiger Aunt: They must have to deal with a lot of troublesome things! Ah, Ah! You wait! I feel that Tiger Gu is so smart, they will definitely be able to turn evil into good fortune! She could appear in our Xianyuan Town at any time! ”

Ah Long clasped his hands together and said, "The Buddha Lord blesses the Tiger Gu and the Dragon Innocent Dao Chief!" Good luck, safe and sound! ”

They were chatting, and Xi'er had come to call them to lunch!

"Alas! Why do you two in-laws always have endless things to say! Have you said what you have said in the past ten years and repeated it again? ”

Xi'er said with a smile, and Aaron looked at her and said, "Alas! Hi! In the past two days, why haven't I seen Long Xiaogang and Long Cuiling, the two of them came to eat with us?! ”

Xi'er said, "Alas! Recently, something happened in the Dragon Mansion! Do you remember, Fifth Mother Xie Rongfang?! Recently, the fifth mother went crazy in the middle of the evil, and one night, she ran to the Xianyuan River by herself, and she jumped into the river and died! Alas, her son Long Zhende is only four years old this year! This child was heartbroken because of the loss of his mother! Therefore, in the past two days, Long Xiaogang and Long Cuiling ran to Longfu, and they went to comfort Long Zhende! ”

Aaron said, "Oops! Such a big thing! Why don't you tell me! Now, how is Long Zhende? ”

Xi'er said, "Alas! What else can a child who has lost his mother do?! The people in the Dragon Mansion are all cold-blooded animals! Those children who no one cares about and loves Long Zhende! If this continues, this child will also want to go to the underworld with his mother! ”

Ah Long said angrily: "Don't talk nonsense! Now, I'll go to the Dragon Mansion and find Long Tianwei! I want to take Long Zhende to our house to raise him! He's my own brother! ”

So, Ah Long didn't eat lunch, he took Yi Shanhe, Huang Shunyu, Golden House and other retainers and hurried to Longfu!

......