Siheyuan's Journey Through the Ages

Chapter 116: The Unpredictable Swindler
Before entering the house, Zhang Xingkui specifically said, "Mr. Ma, this is the tenant's home after all, so it's best not to touch anything in the house if you can."

Ma Qing nodded in agreement, and the two of them wandered around the house. The layout of the house was actually the same as that of the second floor. Ma Qing stood by the window on the fourth floor, looking down at the people coming and going on the street. He felt like he was superior to everyone else, and he made up his mind to buy the building, even if it was a little expensive.

"Mr. Zhang, how much is the total price of your house? Just tell me a number." Ma Qing turned and asked the homeowner who was standing nearby.

"It seems that Mr. Ma has taken a fancy to my house. Why don't we go downstairs to my room and talk? We won't discuss it here. It would be embarrassing for everyone if the tenant comes back." Zhang Xingkui suggested.

"Haha, it's me who is impatient. You're right. I'd better find another place to discuss it." When the two went down to the second floor, they met a woman on the stairs. She was wearing a cheongsam and had a high bun. She looked like a beautiful middle-class lady. She was holding a basket in her hands and it seemed that she had just come back from buying vegetables.

"Mrs. Liang is back. What delicious food did you buy today? Mr. Liang will definitely have a great time today." Zhang Xingkui took the initiative to greet her.

"Oh, Mr. Landlord, good morning. I didn't buy any fancy food, so I'm just making something simple." Mrs. Liang replied, but she kept going upstairs.

Zhang Xingkui whispered to Ma Qing, "That was a close call. This is the wife of the tenant we just visited. How about her? She's pretty, isn't she? If you buy this house, you'll see her every day in the future, hehe."

Ma Qing looked at Mrs. Liang going upstairs and responded, "Yes, Mr. Liang is so lucky."

The two sat down in the landlord's house and began to bargain.

"Mr. Ma, I'll sell you this house for 20, which is really not too high. If I hadn't wanted to immigrate, I really wouldn't have been willing to sell it."

"18, that's the current market price. If you sell the whole building, there won't be many people who can afford it. If you can't sell it right away, it will delay your reunion with your son. Why bother?"

Ma Qing planned to have a good talk with Zhang Xingkui. Money was hard to earn, and shit was hard to eat. He encountered so much trouble just selling a necklace. Ma Qing did not plan to sell other items for the time being. He had to be careful with the money he had.

"...That's not what I meant." Zhang Xingkui and Ma Qing were bargaining back and forth.

Finally, Zhang Xingkui said with a dry mouth, "18. If you want to buy it, we will go to the law firm to handle the transaction now. If not, forget it."

"Deal." Ma Qing had no choice.

"Okay then, let's go to Luo Li Law Firm to handle the formalities. It's only two blocks away from here. Mr. Ma, do you think it's okay?"

"No problem, let's go." Ma Qing was straightforward. He also wanted to see how real estate transactions were handled in Hong Kong at this time.

The two of them took their own rickshaws to the law firm two streets away. The law firm was on the 5th floor of an office building called Guangcheng Building. Ma Qing noticed that the law firm's sign was a bit new in the name column of the lobby on the first floor, which made Ma Qing feel something was wrong.

After going up to the 5th floor, he entered the office of a law firm called Luo Li Law Firm. However, Ma Qing discovered that the words "Luo Li Law Firm" on the background wall of the front desk were also somewhat new.

Ma Qing was muttering in his heart, this is not possible, the series of traps is too explosive, are these people playing so deep now? After Ma Qing entered the law firm, he found that there were quite a few people here, at least several more than Liang Haowen's law firm. There were 3 people working in the entire office hall.

The seeds of doubt sprouted in Ma Qing's heart. No matter how he looked at it, he felt that these people were deliberately making phone calls and writing something on paper with a pen, making it seem as if this was a legitimate law firm.

Zhang Xingkui may have seen Ma Qing's confusion, and said, "This Luo Li Law Firm is an old law firm. I have always been a customer of this law firm. However, they used to be in Tsim Sha Tsui, but the rent there is too high, so they just moved here. Don't mind."

"Oh, don't mind, don't mind, it's okay." Ma Qing said.

"Mr. Ma is such a thoughtful person. Please sit here for a while. I'll go find Lawyer Luo. They just moved in and I don't know where the front desk has gone. There's not even anyone to greet you." Zhang Xingkui complained and went out to find a lawyer.

Ma Qing sat in the room, thinking carefully about what happened in the morning. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that he might have met the king of con artists. In his previous life, Ma Qing had watched Hong Kong con artists' movies, in which the numerous scams were one after another, which could drive people crazy.

"No, no, we should ask Liang Haowen to check the house purchase matter. We should not save on the lawyer fees." Ma Qing felt that Hong Kong was full of malice, so it was better to be cautious.

As Ma Qing was daydreaming, Zhang Xingkui walked in with a man in a suit and gold-rimmed glasses. He looked like a legal elite.

After the three of them introduced themselves and got to know each other, the lawyer named Luo Husheng said, "Since you two have entrusted our law firm to handle your real estate transactions, I will introduce the transaction process to you." This lawyer was quite straightforward and went straight to the point.

"The buyer and seller of a house need to sign a Sales Contract, which includes the personal information of both parties, detailed information about the house, price, etc. Both parties need to sign and stamp the contract to ensure the validity of the contract. Our law firm can guarantee the validity of this transaction and assume joint and several liability."

At this point, Lawyer Luo took out two copies of the "Sales Contract" and handed them to Ma Qing and Zhang Xingkui, appearing to be very formal.

But when Ma Qing heard this, he had completely understood that he had fallen into a trap. At that time, real estate transactions in Hong Kong had become very formal. Both the buyer and the seller needed to go to the Hong Kong Land Office to complete the transfer procedures. This lawyer did not mention this at all. He was either a liar or he was trying to trick him.

While pretending to look at the contract, Ma Qing thought to himself that this time, the other party had mobilized at least 10 people for this scam, some pretending to be waiters, some pretending to be landlords, some pretending to be other people's wives, and some pretending to be lawyers. They really went to great lengths to get the Hong Kong dollars in their hands.

I can't expose them now. They are numerous and we are on their territory. If they get angry and embarrassed, who knows what they might do.

Ma Qing pretended to be completely deceived and signed the contract according to the lawyer's instructions. After doing all this, Lawyer Luo said, "Mr. Ma, now you just need to complete the payment procedure. The building at No. 22 Xintiandi Street will be your property. Congratulations." Then he asked expectantly, "Would you like cash or check?"

"I just arrived in Hong Kong and I only have a personal account. I haven't applied for a check. Why don't we go to the bank to withdraw money?" Ma Qing suggested. He just wanted to get out of the house first.

Zhang Xingkui and Lawyer Luo looked at each other, and Zhang Xingkui said, "No problem. How about this? I'll bring the contract with me, and when we get to the bank, I'll hand over the contract and the title deed, and you'll hand over the money."

Ma Qing smiled and stretched out his hand. "Of course no problem. Happy cooperation."

(End of this chapter)