Reborn as a landlord in Shanghai

Early in the morning, Mao Xiaoyu dressed neatly and went downstairs. However, if you paid attention, you could see that Mao Xiaoyu would wiggle her hips every two steps, which seemed a bit strange.

There was no other way. Although there was a washing machine in the house and Mao Xiaoyu had spun her coat dry yesterday, she hesitated for a long time before finally deciding not to spin her underwear in the washing machine because she was afraid it wouldn't be clean. Instead, she decided to let the wind dry her underwear.

But imagination is always beautiful, while reality is always full of unexpected events.

So early this morning, Mao Xiaoyu wanted to get dressed. Her clothes and pants were dry overnight because they had been spun dry, but her underwear, after being air-dried all night, had only gone from being damp to being half-dry and half-wet. Mao Xiaoyu held her half-dry and half-wet underwear, hesitated for a long time, and finally put it on.

After all, Mao Xiaoyu was still not used to the clatter of pants without a waistband, but the wet feeling after putting them on still made her uncomfortable.

After brushing her teeth and washing her face, Mao Xiaoyu could only wriggle uncomfortably downstairs in the morning. She then grabbed a quick breakfast from a roadside stall and went to the real estate agency once again.

When Guo Xiaoyan arrived at the agency, the door was already open. Perhaps Guo Xiaoyan knew that Mao Xiaoyu would arrive early, so she arrived at the agency early today, which meant that the other two employees, Xue Guangmei and Liu Mingbo, had not yet arrived.

Mao Xiaoyu didn't pay much attention to this. She simply went into the store, greeted Guo Xiaoyan, and repeatedly told her to keep the house price inquiry in mind.

Then she rode her electric bike away from the agency. Since it was still early and the tenants should have gone to the hospital and couldn't register, Mao Xiaoyu didn't go directly to the apartment near the hospital. Instead, she went back to her own home to get some clean clothes for the evening.

When Mao Xiaoyu arrived home, her parents had already gone to work, so she was alone and started packing her clothes.

Summer is here, and people usually wear short sleeves during the day, so they don't need to bring many changes of clothes. Two or three sets are enough. They mainly need underwear and socks, so they can be picked up quickly. After they were all packed, Mao Xiaoyu found a bag, put it in, and then placed it directly under the seat of the electric scooter.

After resolving the matter, Mao Xiaoyu felt that it was about time, so she called her friend Liu Yong.

"Hello, who is this?" After the call was connected, a middle-aged man's voice came from the other end.

"Uncle, it's me, Maozi. Where's Ayong?" Mao Xiaoyu knew that the person answering the phone should be Liu Yong's father, so she said modestly.

"Oh, it's you, kid. Ah Yong is having breakfast. Wait a minute, I need him to come over and answer the phone," Liu Yong's father said politely. Then Mao Xiaoyu heard Liu Yong's father calling out to Liu Yong to come over and answer the phone.

"Maozi, you've gone to Shanghai and haven't even come back for the New Year. Have you forgotten about your brother?" As soon as the call connected, Liu Yong complained on the other end of the line.

"Bullshit, what do you know? Do you know how I live? When I was a child, my parents didn't care much about me. Now they suddenly call me over and control everything I do. You have no idea how tiring it is for me."

And my mom also makes me take care of my younger sister every day. You have no idea how clever that girl is. She's so shrewd and smart. Taking care of her is driving me crazy. And I can't even complain to my parents. You can see how depressed I am.

As for why I didn't go back, it's because my parents went back to pick me up last summer. They went back and left some money for my grandparents, saying they would be busy during the Spring Festival and wouldn't be going back.

"After all, as you know, my grandparents have other sons besides my dad's son. Every year during Chinese New Year, my grandparents go to each of their sons' homes to celebrate. My parents, on the other hand, live in Shanghai year-round, and the barbershop is busiest during the Chinese New Year period, so my parents often don't come back for the holidays. They usually come back in the summer," Mao Xiaoyu retorted.

"Okay, you're right, alright? By the way, why are you calling me now? Are you planning to come back and have me throw you a welcome-back dinner?" Liu Yong asked curiously.

"Why go back? It's not fun. My old classmates are either in school, vocational school, apprenticeships, or military service. How many classmates are actually left at home? Besides, the younger generation is rising too fast. Walking down the street, all I see are unfamiliar faces. I don't recognize many people at all," Mao Xiaoyu complained.

"Sigh, now that you mention it, it really seems to be true. You don't know, I've been back for more than half a year, and I probably haven't seen more than a handful of familiar faces. I only saw a lot of familiar faces during the Chinese New Year, but after the New Year, everyone left or scattered, and the house became unfamiliar again." Liu Yong also complained after Mao Xiaoyu.

"Since you don't have anything to miss at home, why don't you come to Shanghai? ... Besides, ... You're a grown man, in your early twenties, ... What's the point of staying at home? ... You might as well go out and try your luck." Mao Xiaoyu rambled on for a while before finally getting back to the topic.

"Wow, I didn't realize our Maozi had become so successful. Tell Brother Liu what you want me to do in Shanghai. If there's a good business opportunity, I'll come over." Liu Yong asked curiously after hearing Mao Xiaoyu's recruitment drive.

"Come over here. At least there will be something for you to do, and the salary will definitely be much higher than what you earn back home. Besides, what kind of man are you, staying at home all day? Even if you don't make money, it's good to see the world and broaden your horizons," Mao Xiaoyu coaxed.

"Kid, you've got me all itching to get a hold of you. Don't lie to me, kid. If I come here to rely on you, and you don't give me food, water, or shelter in the end, I'll just stay with you."

Listening to Mao Xiaoyu's words, Liu Yong felt a strong urge to try it out. After all, staying at home as a doorman was too much of a waste of time, and his parents weren't too satisfied with him doing it. So, he might as well go to Shanghai and take a look.

"Given our relationship, why would I lie to you? With your smooth talk and shamelessness, there's a job that's really suitable for you right now. Plus, the country is going to focus on developing this industry. If you do well, you might be able to buy a house and a car in Shanghai in two or three years," Mao Xiaoyu flattered.

Of course, this isn't just flattery. To be honest, Mao Xiaoyu felt that Liu Yong was really suited to be a real estate agent. After all, they had grown up together, and Liu Yong had a very lively personality, the kind of person who was like a big friend. And in the real estate industry, you need someone who is thick-skinned, eloquent, and good at making friends to do well.

Therefore, Mao Xiaoyu felt that Liu Yong might actually have a good chance in the real estate agency business. Moreover, with Liu Yong joining, she would have a firm foothold in the agency, unlike now, where she was completely clueless and had to listen to Guo Xiaoyan on everything.

This kind of relationship might not matter at first, since the agency is newly opened and doesn't make much money. But once they add more stores and the agency expands, it won't work. At that point, they'll definitely need to find a loyal subordinate to keep an eye on the agency.

However, if Liu Yong is sent to keep an eye on Guo Xiaoyan, then another problem will arise: Guo Xiaoyan is too beautiful. If Liu Yong is sent to keep an eye on her, what if Liu Yong and Guo Xiaoyan end up together and they team up to do something to him?

Although that didn't happen, as a man and a close friend of Liu Yong, I really can't say whether Liu Yong will pursue Guo Xiaoyan in the end, given Liu Yong's character. Unless Guo Xiaoyan is too capable and Liu Yong feels inferior to her, he might not pursue her.

Of course, none of this has happened yet. For now, let Liu Yong come over first. In Mao Xiaoyu's view, they should take it one step at a time. If the two of them really end up working together, one of them will definitely have to leave, otherwise the agency will become a husband-and-wife business. He, as a shareholder, might end up being financially drained.

…………

"Now that you mention it, I'm willing to sell you a hundred pounds of it. Okay, since you Russian have said so, as your brother, who else should I believe? I'm tired of this gatekeeper job, and I'm too lazy to continue. I'll quit in a bit, and I'll come to Shanghai in a couple of days. Don't forget to pick me up at the train station then."

Listening to Mao Xiaoyu's description of a bright future, Liu Yong immediately believed her and prepared to resign and come to Shanghai.

"My mobile number is the same number that calls your landline. Write it down in a little while. When you come to Shanghai, you'll be traveling from a town. After you buy your train ticket in the town, remember to call me and tell me which train you're on. I'll pick you up at the train station exit."

There's one more thing. Go ask Jifei if he'd like to work in Shanghai. I know that kid is probably hanging around in town right now. Tell him that if he wants to hang around, he should come to Shanghai. He can only make a few bucks hanging around at home.

If he's willing to come, bring him along too. And Li Gang, I heard he's been selling vegetables for four years, but his parents keep withholding his pay. He feels selling vegetables is pointless and is planning to quit this year and find work elsewhere. Ask him if he'd be willing to come to Shanghai to work.

Mao Xiaoyu didn't want to bother two people, so she decided to let Liu Yong handle the task of finding the people. After all, Liu Yong knew both of them, and he had a better relationship with Li Gang than with Ji Fei.

"Damn, Maozi, you're really something! You actually dared to call so many brothers to work here. Looks like you're doing well now." Liu Yong exclaimed in surprise.

"What do you mean by doing well or doing poorly? If you need more people, just ask your family. We're all friends, so of course you're the first people I think of. Of course, it's hard work coming here, but there's still a future. As long as you're willing to work hard, buying a house and a car really isn't a problem," Mao Xiaoyu said sincerely.

After all, Mao Xiaoyu thought she needed to buy too many houses. Although she wouldn't get much money from the landlords, she could get a commission from them. With so many houses she bought, it wouldn't be a problem for her friends to take a cut and make tens or hundreds of thousands of yuan.

When Mao Xiaoyu thought of her brothers back home, she felt she had already done right by them. If they didn't come, there was nothing she could do; it was fate, and she couldn't possibly hand the money over to them.

"Okay, just one sentence: you just wait and see. I'll resign today, and then I'll go find those two guys and see if they're willing to go to Shanghai. If they are, I'll take them with me. Of course, if they're not willing, there's nothing I can do, but I'll try to persuade them a couple more times. If they still don't want to come in the end, then that's just how it is. But I can guarantee that I'm willing to come." Li Yong almost patted his chest on the phone to make a promise.

"That's settled then. Just call me on this phone if anything comes up. Also, whether they come or not, you'd better get here as soon as possible. It's been a long time since I've seen you. Once you get here, let's have a good drink together," Mao Xiaoyu said with a smile.

"You have the nerve to say that? Last time, half a bottle of beer knocked you out. Have you increased your alcohol tolerance in the past three years and can now drink a whole bottle?" Li Yong said provocatively on the phone.

"Look at what you're saying, how could I possibly drink a whole bottle? At least a bottle and a half. Hehe, okay, okay, okay, that's settled then, just come over as soon as possible." Hearing her embarrassing moment, Mao Xiaoyu said defiantly, but she couldn't help but laugh.

After all, when Liu Yong was preparing to join the army, a few of his close friends each chipped in to buy some alcohol and food. Because they didn't dare drink at home, they gathered in the haystack to see him off. Well, they were all kids back then. Each person didn't even have enough money for a bottle of beer, so they would share one bottle between two people, taking turns sip by sip, without caring about the mess. Thinking back to that time, Mao Xiaoyu felt quite warm and nostalgic!

"Kid, just you wait. When I get to Shanghai, I'll drink you under the table. No, I can't wait any longer. That's it, I'm hanging up now. Once I quit my job, I'll go find those two guys. No matter what, I'll try to persuade them. I'll try to convince them today, and we can all come to Shanghai together tomorrow," Liu Yong said impatiently.

"Okay, come over early. Also, call me after you buy your train tickets. Make sure you remember, otherwise it will be too late for me to pick you up after you arrive in Shanghai, since it's an hour's walk from here to the train station." Mao Xiaoyu reminded her again.

"Okay, okay, don't worry, I'm 20 years old, and I've been out in the world for a few years now. I know what I'm doing." After saying that, Li Yong hung up the phone.

Seeing that the other party had hung up, Mao Xiaoyu put her phone away and started riding her bicycle towards the hospital building.

Next, Mao Xiaoyu began doing the same thing every day.