820 High Rent
“So do you intend to rent my house?” Qiao Mei asked.
“We don’t have money, but we can give you an IOU! When we have money in the future, we’ll definitely pay you back!” When Jiang Yi saw that Qiao Mei’s attitude was still rather gentle, she quickly tried to act pitiful.
Qiao Mei nodded in satisfaction. She already intended to find someone to rent that house. An empty house would become inhabitable if it was left vacant. No matter how well a house was built, it could not maintain its structure if it was not looked after. The annual maintenance fee for an empty house would also be quite high, so it made more sense to rent it out.
However, she was worried about renting it to the Tan family. Putting aside whether the Tan family had money or not, even if they did have the money for the rent, Qiao Mei did not want to be acquainted with such a family.
Otherwise, in the future, they would use the excuse of being relatives to come to her place every few days to ask for something. She had seen this kind of thing many times. Back then, Qiao Yu had done that to her all the time.
“An IOU is fine. Then how many rooms do you plan to rent? Or do you intend to rent the entire house? The rent is different for individual rooms and the entire house. Let me know your preference,” Qiao Mei said.
When the Tan family members saw that Qiao Mei was so amiable, they definitely eyed the entire house. If they could all move in to enjoy life, it would definitely be more cost-effective than renting rooms.
“Then we’ll rent the entire place!” Jiang Yi said happily.
Xia He gripped Qiao Mei’s arm nervously to indicate to Qiao Mei that she should think it through before speaking. Qiao Mei smiled at her and patted her hand gently to reassure her.
“Alright, there’s 12 rooms in that house. The rent for each room is 100 dollars a month, so it’s 1,200 dollars a month for 12 rooms. I’ll give you a discount by letting you use the courtyard for free,” Qiao Mei said with a smile.
When Xia He heard this, she sat back on the chair and smiled as she watched the show. If the rent was 1,200 dollars a month, even 10 of her could not afford it. Moreover, the Tan family members were all unemployed and relied on the two elders of the Tan family to support all of them. They definitely could not afford such an amount.
“It’s so expensive! You’re simply robbing us!” Tan Yue said angrily.
“How am I robbing you? I spent a lot of money to buy the house. During the renovations, we put in the best and latest items. There’s even an oven in the kitchen and a large color television in the main hall. I’m quoting a cheap rent because you’re relatives. Otherwise, I would have asked for 120 dollars per room!” Qiao Mei said.
Qiao Mei was right. That house was very close to the commercial street. Upon leaving the alley, there was a bus stop nearby. There was also a large market at the entrance which sold things at low prices, so it was a very convenient location.
The rent was actually not as expensive as Qiao Mei had quoted, but it would still be around 40 dollars per room. During this time, the rent for most rooms was about 10 dollars, and the better ones would cost 25 dollars. For a house like Qiao Mei’s that had its own courtyard and in a convenient location that was close to transportation, the rent of 40 dollars was considered reasonable.
She quoted a rate of more than 100 dollars just to scare off the Tan family.
The Tan family members looked at one another. Actually, they did not care how much money Qiao Mei quoted. All they cared about was the house. As long as Qiao Mei let them live in the house, did it matter if they did not pay in the end? They were all relatives, so how could she have the cheek to chase them for money?
“Sure! Then when are we signing the agreement?” Jiang Yi asked.
“There’s no hurry. The rent will be more than 10,000 dollars a year. You have to use your current property and land as collateral. Otherwise, I won’t feel at ease,” Qiao Mei said nonchalantly.
“You still want our house!” Tan Yue looked at Qiao Mei in shock.
Tan Jing had said that this woman was just a country pumpkin from the village, so how did she know about collaterals and agreements?
She had Xia Wen to help her when she bought the house, so Xia Wen was definitely the one who did up the agreement. They did not expect Qiao Mei to know how to handle such things. They assumed that she was just a nouveau riche.
They thought that Qiao Mei was just a rich and brainless woman so they were not scared of her at all.
“That’s right. Otherwise, if you owe me rent for 10 years, that will be close to 150,000 dollars. I also need the money. If you don’t use your house as collateral, I won’t be able to seek recourse if you go back on your word. Moreover, if you owe me money, you’ll also need to pay annual interest. Let’s go with the rate of paying 130 for every 90,” Qiao Mei said.
That was the loan sharks’ way of charging interest! Was Qiao Mei crazy?! Even if they sold everything they had, it would be impossible for them to pay her back.
“Are you kidding us? Aren’t you afraid of going to jail?” Tan Yue questioned.
