Chapter 10 chapter Ten

On the west ramp, the office of Bao Qile, the head of the New Community Development Center, opened at eight o'clock. I know, it's because I've been sitting in the car paying attention since seven o'clock in the morning. The door was opened by the thin, quiet lady who was typing when I came yesterday. I gave her two minutes to take off her hat, take off the cover of her typewriter, and reapply her make-up.Then I opened the door and walked in. From the way she handled the typewriter, it seemed that she was going to work immediately, and there was no such thing as a prelude to drinking some tea and reading the newspaper.

When I walked in, she looked up and said, "Good morning." "Hello, is Mr. Bao there?" I asked. "No, Mr. Bao won't come before nine thirty." "His secretary...what's her last name?" "Miss Hua." "Are you there?" "She goes to work at nine o'clock." "Where's the salesman?" She said: "They are not there at present, but they must arrive between 8:00 and 8:30 as stipulated." I looked at the watch and said, "Unfortunately, I can't wait." "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"I want to buy a piece of land." "You came here yesterday, didn't you?" "yes." "You seem to have gone out with Mr. Cai." "correct." "So you have decided which piece of land you want to buy?" "not yet." "how could be?" I said: "Mr. Cai's statement about these lands is relatively unusual, and his ideas are quite special." "Yes," she said dryly, "it's conceivable." "My surname is Lai." I said, "Lai Tang Nuo." She said, "I'm Mary Yin. Maybe you want to see the map. Since you've seen it, maybe I can show you some more data on the map."

"Okay," I said, "let's take a look." She pushed the typing chair away from the desk.Go to a shelf, take out a map and lay it flat on the counter. She said: "If, Mr. Lai, you want to know what to pay attention to when choosing a new community. I will try my best to tell you what I know." I said, "I'd be very grateful for your kindness." She took a pencil and drew an arc around the new community and said, "It may be theoretical, but I think that if you want to sell a piece of land to a customer, both parties must be completely and truly satisfied to be considered a successful transaction."

"That makes sense," I said. She looked at me with no expression. She said: "As you can see from the picture, the lots with good sightlines are always divided as small as possible, one piece at a time, which is easy to sell and gives people more choices." "Of course." I said. "The real estate agent also thinks that this can make more money. But I found that when I bought the land, it seemed that the size of the land was enough to build a house and a garage, but it was difficult to design the access to the garage in the future. "Of course you will also find that these places with a wide view are places with steep slopes. There are many architectural difficulties when building a house. The back half of the house will be higher than one floor. If you consider setting up a garage in the back , the problem is even bigger. Either the garage is placed in front of the house, or the car has to drive up an extremely steep incline to get into the garage. This driveway is dangerous, inconvenient, and never satisfactory."

I nod slowly. She said: "Based on my experience. If you want to choose a piece of land in this kind of uneven new community, you must first choose a reasonable slope. Look forward to which rooms will be built in the front and which rooms will be on the slightly higher back. And the location of the garage should be paid attention to first. The person who buys the land is informed of these factors in advance, and he will have no regrets in the future. Besides, after you don’t regard the sight line as the first consideration, the price can be much more reasonable. "When a new community is launched, people will come to visit, see the newly opened roads and enjoy the scenery. The scenery is important, but once you settle in, comfort, convenience and satisfaction are more important. I don't know what you think, Mr. Lai .”

I said: "Miss Yin, you are an honest person. I didn't mean to do this." "How about intentional?" Me: "I'm a detective. Bao Qile and his wife were poisoned last night. I'm here to learn more about his work. I think I can learn more from you than anyone else. So I started this way just now." She looked at me with no surprise at all, but a little hurt feeling in her eyes: "Is this fair?" "No." I said. She rolled up the map, put it back on the shelf, and said, "At least I'm glad you told me the truth." I said, "You took the map too early. I want to pay a deposit for a piece of land."

"Which one?" "Any piece you choose." "Is this also for investigation purposes?" she asked. I took out my wallet from my pocket and said, "I only have about 150 yuan. Can 100 yuan be used as a deposit for a piece of land?" "A hundred dollars will keep a piece of land until you come to pay the first installment. We'll pay in three installments." "How much does a piece of land like the one you just suggested cost?" "I suggest you buy a piece of land around 2,500 yuan." "Can I keep the one hundred yuan deposit until I pay the down payment?"

"yes." "Get me a contract," I said.At the same time put five twenty-dollar bills on the counter. "Which piece of land?" "You help me choose." "Mr. Lai, are you doing this just to be a good person?" I said: "I thought you would bring out the old salesmanship, sweet talk, as long as the business is done. Then I will tell you a little bit of information." "And you changed your mind." "It was you who made me change my mind. I think that following your advice to choose, I will definitely buy a genuine ideal land."

She spread the map on the counter again.After looking at the land numbers of the two or three lands, I went to the filing cabinet to get the reference data.Walking back, he drew a circle with a red pen on a piece of land and said, "I think this piece of land is good." "what price?" "Two thousand seven hundred and fifty dollars," she said. "Get a contract and I'll sign it now." She walked back to the typewriter, pulled out the paper she was typing, rolled a contract onto the typewriter, and typed all the required information with her confident hands.She came back carefully and checked the land number on the map again to make sure that she could not make a mistake.She said: "As you can see, this contract has already been signed by Mr. Bao Qile. Mr. Lai, if you sign here, I will give you a receipt for one hundred yuan."

I signed this contract. She walked back to the typewriter and typed out a receipt for a one hundred yuan deposit, signed by herself, with Bao Qile's name on it.She handed me the receipt for receipt. "Mr. Lai, if I didn't personally think this is a good piece of land, I wouldn't ask you to buy it. Please believe me, even if it's a pure investment, it's worth it." "I trust you completely. Also, without violating your loyalty to your boss, can you give me some news?" "My loyalty to my boss is to do everything possible to keep the administrative track and files here neat and tidy." "What does Miss Hua do?" "Miss Hua is Mr. Bao's personal secretary." "Is she also in charge of this new community?" "So to speak, yes." "His personal correspondence?" "yes." "How long has she been with Mr. Bao?" "About three months." "And you?" "Twelve years." "You must be very proficient in business." "of course." I said, "If this question is rather disrespectful, please forgive me. Isn't her current position as Mr. Bao's personal secretary more important than your position, and her salary is also higher?" She looked at me calmly and replied, "Yes." "You must know the first Mrs. Bao?" "yes." "Of course you know Mr. Cai." "yes." "I suppose you hate him?" "Won't." "Miss Hua hates him?" "I know." "Is he coming to take a bite of Bao Qile soon?" "yes." "But you don't hate him?" "Don't hate him." "why?" "Because, number one, Mr. Tsai is not what he appears to be. He's not a periodic alcoholic at all, that's just pretending. When he comes here asking for money, he's not without money to spend. I think he's doing it in Stimulate Mr. Bao to see if his spirit will break down." "why?" "I do not know then." "So he's playing a deeper game?" "I don't know. To be honest, Mr. Lai, I wish you could find out." "Find out what?" "For example, why did Mr. Cai ask someone to test human hair?" "He did?" "yes." "how do you know?" "Because of his letter from this office. He said he wanted a business address." "What kind of letter?" "A letter to the Chemical Analysis Inquiry Company." "Did you see that letter?" "No, I don't know the content. I only know that he sent this letter when Mr. Bao left here for his honeymoon. When the reply came, Mr. Bao had already returned. A secretary of Mr. Bao was responsible for Mr. Bao's Open all the letters. She didn't notice that it was addressed to Mr. Cai, but she had already opened it. When she looked at the contents, it was the chemical analysis report of human hair. Looking at the envelope, it turned out that it was addressed to Mr. Cai. " "Mr. Cai found out that his letter was opened and read by others, are you angry?" "He's not happy." "How long has Mr. Bao been married for the second time?" She said: "You can check the population movement registration." "Since you can find out by looking it up," I said, "why tell me?" "More than two years, I think exactly two and a half years." "Did Mr. Bao's secretary tell Mr. Bao about that letter...the mistakenly opened letter?" "I have no idea." "Did the first Mrs. Bao die suddenly?" "She became ill suddenly. She started to recover, but then suddenly relapsed two weeks later." "What was the cause of death?" "An acute gastrointestinal illness." "Food poisoning?" "I don't know. Mr. Bao said it was an acute gastrointestinal illness. It's serious." "Did you dissect the body?" "I know of a doctor in charge. With the doctor's death certificate, presumably the autopsy can be avoided." "Yes, do you know whether the body was cremated or buried?" "Cremated." "Where are the ashes?" "Scattered from the air behind the mountains of one of their villas. The first Mrs. Bao loved nature, especially mountains. She loved birds and was an expert." "Oh, she's not a pure housewife, she's not just eating and playing." "no." "For this new community, Mr. Bao is very busy?" "yes." "The first Mrs. Bao often worked on her birds in that villa?" "yes." "How far apart do they live?" "yes." "Did Ms. Hua be introduced by the agency, or did Mr. Bao get to know her first and then hire her?" "He got to know her first, and then hired her to help." "how long?" "About two weeks." "By chance? Or is she here looking for a job?" "By chance." "You're being treated like this, why are you still working here?" "This is a private matter, Mr. Lai?" "Yes, this is a private matter." "I'm not going to answer that question." "Is Miss Hua particularly capable?" She suddenly said: "Miss Hua has a beautiful body, especially in a tight sweater. She has curves. She has the confidence and boldness of the world, but she doesn't know anything about real estate business, and she will never Can't learn. Because I understand, but she doesn't understand, so she always puts on an air and is domineering. But she can't leave me, and always wants me to do her things...not begging me to help her, but using Her power order said that she assigned work to me." Suddenly Yin Mali started to cry.I reached across the counter and patted her on the shoulder: "But you still helped her do everything?" She wept and nodded. "Why don't you do something wrong on purpose so that she can't finish eating?" She went to her desk, opened a drawer, took out a tissue, wiped her tears, blew her nose, and threw the tissue in the wastebasket. She said: "I can't do this. First, Miss Hua has a way to lie and get away with it. But I am here to serve Mr. Bao. I try to do his job well, he pays me, and I give everything to him. Do it well. I think I've... told you...too much." She began to cry again. I asked, "Is the hair Mr. Cai sent out for chemical analysis his sister's hair?" "No, I don't think so. It was six months after his sister died. It was a little lock of hair anyway, just a . . . Talking too much." "It's all good for you to talk about," I told her. I looked out the window and said, "Looks like a salesman is coming. Go wash your hands, put some cold water on your eyes, and when you come back, it'll be all over." She gave me a quick look and said, "I don't know why I'm so restless today. I think you've got a lot going for you. You seem reliable." "yes." "I'm jumpy this morning. I'm not feeling well," she said. "Have you heard about Mr. Bao?" "yes." "How is he this morning? Do you know?" "Much better. Much better already." "How about Mrs. Bao?" "I didn't ask. Jesus, is she sick too?" "Yes, she was poisoned too." "Food poisoning?" "Arsenic poisoning." "Oh, I'm afraid so." "What are you afraid of?" "Poisoned. I always thought someone wanted to poison... Mrs. Bao." "why?" "Just a feeling from me." "But you didn't feel that someone would poison Mr. Bao." "No, it's just Mrs. Bao." "why?" "Oh...the way she treats people." I said, "Okay, go wash your hands and put some cold water on your eyes." However, it was Miss Hua Susu, not the salesman, who came out of the car that climbed up the hill and parked in front of the office. She walked in like a gust of wind.Seeing me, give me a sweet smile: "Oh, Mr. Lai, you are here." I nod. She glanced at Yin Mali's table and said strangely: "God, this girl hasn't come yet?" I said, "Oh! Here it comes. She's here... Isn't that coming?" Yin Mali came out of the bathroom and said, "Good morning, Miss Hua." She walked towards the typewriter. "What do you want?" Hua Susu asked me. I said, "Yes. I'm here to buy land." "Oh, you see what you want." I said, "Miss Yin has done it for me." "You said you signed the contract." "yes." "Let me take a look." I handed her the copy of the contract in my pocket. She said: "Well, this piece. Seventh District, No. 10. Miss Yin, have you found out that this piece has not been sold?" "Absolutely not," she said, rolling the paper into the typewriter. "I checked the files." Hua Susu said: "Could you let me see your contract and receipt, I want to check it, so as not to make a mistake." I handed her the contract with the receipt.She gave me a smile, almost like a kiss. She walked into Mr. Bao's private office. Yin Mali looked up at me from the typewriter, with tears in her eyes: "Please don't buy other land, Mr. Lai." I asked, "Other land? Why should I buy other land?" "Besides this one," she said, "don't you see what she wants to do? She..." Hua Susu came out of the office.She said: "There is a private memo on Mr. Bao's desk, Miss Yin. This piece of land cannot be sold." She walked to the counter, took out the map, and gave me another smile: "Sorry, Mr. Lai, I am very sorry for what happened. The land that Miss Yin gave you is not for sale. Since I have disappointed you, I will tell you How can I compensate you." She looks at a map, and her eyes, nose, butt all talk. "We have a piece of land here, which is 750 yuan higher than the price you chose. Of course, it is much better than what you chose. But since you have already paid a part of the deposit on the piece of land that our staff made a mistake, I'll sell you this one for exactly the same price as that one." She took out a receipt book and said, "I'll reissue the receipt for you, and the deposit of 100 yuan is on that land." She said to Yin Mali, "Miss Yin, make a contract, Mr. Lai, District 3, No. 19 The land. The price should be given to him exactly according to the one he originally chose, so that he can take advantage of it.” There was a moment of silence.Then Mary Yin gave me a desperate look, picked up the blank printed contract, and rolled into her typewriter. I shook my head: "Miss Hua, I don't want this piece of land. I want the piece of land that I signed the contract with." "Sorry, Mr. Lai, there is no way to sell that land to you now." I said, "I paid the money and signed the contract, how can I not sell it?" "However, Mr. Lai. You can understand that the land I chose for you is definitely much better than that piece of land. The terrain is higher and the view is better..." I said, "If the one I bought doesn't work, I don't want either." She said, "That's going to cause a lot of trouble, Mr. Lai. I..." "I'm sorry too, but that's the place I chose with my own hands." She said: "Then I will call Mr. Bao to ask what is going on with this land. The memo only says that the sale is temporarily suspended." "That's your business." Her voice was icy: "Okay, I'll call Mr. Bao." She walked into Mr. Bao's office again. Yin Mali looked at me gratefully. "what happened?" "There was no memo," she said. "I knew she was up to something." "why?" "Because then she will give you a new contract, a new receipt. It is her sales achievement. She will tear up the contract I gave you. According to the records, it is also her achievement." "Do you think she made so much of it just to sell a piece of land?" "There is another effect...that makes me lose the achievement of selling a piece of land." I smiled and gave her another promise: "Don't worry, I will stick to it to the end." She couldn't speak for a while, waved and blew me a kiss. It was a common silent gesture of gratitude, but it was a clumsy way of doing it, and she didn't even blow kisses easily. The private office door opens.Hua Susu came out and said coldly: "Okay, I've finished everything. Mr. Lai. I must call Mr. Bao and ask him to lift the ban himself. But you can buy the piece of land you chose." I held out my hand for a receipt and a contract.She pushes these over the counter like I have bad breath, body odor, and just had garlic. "Have you talked to Mr. Bao on the phone?" I asked. She nodded. "How is he this morning?" "Very good." She said coldly. I said, "That would be great. The last time I knew he was alive or dead!" "How?" she asked suddenly. I said, "He poisoned people last night, didn't you know?" I noticed the color suddenly disappear from her face.Her hands gripped the edge of the counter to support her weight, and I thought her knees were going to give in, but she held herself in check.She asked, "You said it was Mr. Bao, not Mrs. Bao?" "Both of them," I said. "Are you sure?" "yes." "Thank you." She said, turned and walked to Mr. Bao's private office, opened the door and walked in. I folded the contract in half and put it in my pocket.Before leaving the house, he didn't forget to blow a kiss to the girl sitting in front of the typewriter.