After half a month, the jury was finally successfully formed. However, Shan Jingfan also proposed that a key witness was not in place yet and needed careful investigation, so he applied for a ten-day extension.
During this period, Lu Ming and his family moved to No. 23 Hepu Road.
This is the small courtyard of a foreign-style house in the Blue Lake.
The entire courtyard covers an area of more than ten acres. In Lu Ming's opinion, the three-story building has a very similar architectural style that combines Chinese and Western styles in previous generations. It has the brightness of tall doors and large windows, and the elegance of cornices and corners. It has three floors and a total of two floors. More than a dozen rooms have running water, lights and telephones.
Behind the three-story main building, there is a large flat lawn with green grass, a swimming pool, sun umbrellas, lounge chairs, etc., and a colorful flower garden on the side.
Outside the backyard wall is the rippling lotus pond, with green leaves as far as the eye can see.
In the front yard, there is a slightly low long annex building on the far left. The first floor and basement are storage rooms, warehouses, etc. The second floor is more like a balcony extended from the main building. The north half is covered with a glass pergola for sun and rain protection. , there are several rooms on the south half, with shooting holes facing the outside of the wall. It seems that the original design should be a firepower point for counterattack when encountering bandits.
On the far right side of the courtyard, there is also a slightly low annex building. In the annex building are the kitchen, servants' room, nursing home and so on.
Such a residence only costs more than 30,000 yuan. Because there are property taxes in all parts of the empire, housing prices have never been a problem.
The economic trajectory of the big Western countries that Lu Ming knew in history was similar. One hundred and fifty years ago, there was a real estate tax, and more than a hundred years ago, there was a trend of real estate speculation. In the previous life, the big Western countries had It was in 1819 that the first financial crisis in the original sense broke out due to the frenzy of real estate speculation. Since then, the tool of real estate tax has been gradually improved in various places.
The historical trajectory of the empire's economy is similar. A hundred years ago, land prices plummeted due to real estate speculation.
Until now, each region has its own real estate tax policy.
Compared with per capita income, housing prices are low, car prices are low, and prices of large-ticket items are low, but daily consumption is high. This is normal.
For example, the property tax for this villa at No. 23 Hepu Road is more than 1,000 yuan a year, which is the annual salary of a white-collar worker in Donghai City.
In other words, if an ordinary white-collar worker inherited an inheritance and got such a house, he would have to sell it, otherwise he would not be able to afford it.
Similarly, for an apartment worth 6,000 to 7,000 yuan, you have to pay about 200 yuan in real estate tax a year. If you buy a second or third apartment, the tax rate is even higher, which makes it unwise to hoard real estate for investment.
Lu Ming wandered around, thinking wildly in his mind.
The entire courtyard of the single-family villa is surrounded by a green brick wall that is as tall as a person, and on the wall is a spiked iron fence that is half as tall as a person.
The courtyard gate is a tall black iron gate, which is tightly closed. From the outside, no trace of the inside can be seen. There are small iron windows on the iron gate, which can be opened to see what is going on outside.
Next to the doorway in the inner room, there is a small tin house, which is the concierge.
Sun Luting lives in this porter's house. Not only does he have to stay far away from the main building, but he also doesn't even go to the servants' room in the annex building, as if there is some savage beast in the main building that scares him.
On the other hand, Sun Luting's wife, Sun Erniang, lived in the servants' room in the annex.
Lu Ming also followed the suggestions of Liu Laocai and Wen Liangyu and hired a dozen workers. After all, the yard was large and there were many rooms. If there were few people, it would look empty and unpopular.
However, it was all handled by Sun Erniang. After a short period of contact, Lu Ming found that Sun Erniang was capable of doing things. Now that she had moved into a big house, it was good for her to handle all the miscellaneous things. He vaguely regarded her as a housekeeper.
But when Lu Ming actually saw these workers, he couldn't help but smile bitterly.
There are a total of fifteen workers, all of whom have lifetime employment contracts. In fact, they are former slaves. There are 7 black slaves and 8 Tudra slaves. All of them are young women.
Among them, there were 6 female black slaves with gnarled muscles. Sun Erniang said that they were all members of the chief guard training class of an emirate. The emirate had just been destroyed, and they were all trafficked to the East China Sea. Several people, each Equipped with a box cannon, it is a qualified nursing home.
If there is any physical work in the house, leave it to them.
Moreover, black slaves cherish the opportunity to enter a civilized society and are very loyal to their masters. After being trained by her, they will understand the etiquette, justice and shame of the people of Central China.
Another female black slave can drive a car and can be the driver for other concubines in the house.
There are eight Tundra maidens, four of whom are graceful and good at singing and dancing, one maid for Aunt Zhen, one maid for Aunt Pan, and two maids for the young master.
These were Sun Erniang's exact words, and Lu Ming didn't bother to correct anything. Indeed, let alone Hanzhu, let's talk about Pan Mila, who also moved here with Bisi. In the eyes of the maids, she was naturally a concubine or lover. relation.
Among the remaining four Tudra women, one was very good at handling flowers and plants, so she was assigned as the gardener; the other three were in the kitchen, and one of them had some cooking skills.
Sun Erniang also said that these prostitutes spent a total of 9,000 yuan, all of which was charged to the owner's account.
Lu Ming didn't know whether to laugh or cry for a moment, but he was now heavily in debt, a little more or less, that was all.
It seems that the upper class society is like this. Not to mention the established nobles and traditional families, it is difficult for newcomers to get in without being in debt.
…
Lu Ming walked around the more than twenty rooms in the main building. Entering from the first floor, there was an extremely luxurious living room. It had an area of more than two hundred square meters and was resplendent. The gorgeous chandeliers were dazzling. There were wide spiral staircases on both sides of the living room. Toward the second and third floors.
Several rooms along the corridors on both sides of the first floor are servants' rooms and bathrooms for servants.
The second and third floors are the activity areas for the owners of the mansion. The second floor is mainly a study room, a private reception room, a tea room, a chess and card room, etc. There are cloakrooms and washrooms on the east and west sides. Luxurious bedrooms; the bedrooms in the master room and lady's room on the third floor are even more luxurious. The entire floor has a traditional northern layout, with carved beams, painted columns, screens and other decorations everywhere. The master room and lady's room also have canopy beds. In addition, the three-story There are also several luxurious bedrooms, a maid's temporary lounge, a lounge with a view of the Bihu Lake, etc.
Lu Ming asked Bisi to choose a room first, whether to live in the children's room on the second floor or the children's room on the third floor. Bisi was timidly afraid of being born. She thought she was frightened by the luxury of the mansion. She had been running around with her mother since she was born, and I have never seen such a battle, and I am careful, and I know that this is not a matter of course. Living in Jing'an Lane with my mother and spending time with my uncle are two different things.
In the end, Lu Ming made the decision and chose the children's room on the third floor for her. Naturally, Pan Mira lived in the luxurious bedroom next to the children's room.
When Pan Mila visited each room, her blue eyes had mixed emotions. Thinking about it, she thought of her past life, or she was still hesitating whether to really move here.
In particular, Sun Erniang respectfully called her "aunt" and led the Tudor slave who specialized in serving Pan Mila's mother and daughter to meet the master. Pan Mila's eyes were even more dazed.
Hanzhu probably got up early because she was afraid that her master would forget to bring something. After working for a long time, she was too tired. Lu Ming advised her to go back to her room to rest for a while, and she became obedient. But not long after, she came out again, curious. She was turning around, obviously turning into Bizhu, so Lu Ming didn't bother to pay attention to her, he could just do whatever she wanted.
Standing in front of the large floor-to-ceiling glass windows, the curtains raised on both sides are very ancient. Outside, you can see the green lake scenery with lotus leaves.
"I live here, okay?"
Lu Ming heard Pan Mila's footsteps walking to his side, but he didn't look back, but he didn't expect that she would ask such a question?
Turning his head, Lu Ming looked at Pan Mira in surprise.
My heart says where have your confidence, your insistence on going your own way, your daring to love and your daring to hate gone?
At this moment, this Western beauty had hesitation and hesitation in her blue eyes. She was wearing a rose-red tutu skirt, revealing her snow-white shoulders and back, and her feet were wearing red high-heeled shoes with thin heels. She was so bright that she couldn't find anything. , a little confused at the moment, not as confident as before.
"I'm in Room 408 of Wendebao Club. Aren't you going to move in and occupy the magpie's nest? Why, you don't dare to live here anymore?" Lu Ming smiled slightly.
"That's different..." Pan Mila shook her head slightly and looked at the green lake in the distance, "I, I have a hunch that soon, you will be standing in a higher position, twenty years, ten years, no, Maybe in a shorter time, at that time, it may be difficult to see your back again..."
Lu Ming smiled: "No matter what, am I still me? I am still Bisi's favorite uncle and the boss who trusts you the most!"
"Come on again, it's not me you trust the most!" Pan Mila's pretty face was full of helplessness.
Lu Ming just laughed.
Pan Mila sighed softly again, "I was thinking, what am I in your eyes? I may still have some value in your eyes now, but what about in the future? If I move here with Bisi like this, what will happen to me? What's your name? You're not interested in me now, let alone in the future. I don't want to become a joke in the future. I've already been a joke once, and I once swore that I would never make the same mistake again in this life!"
Lu Ming, who was originally smiling playfully, was slightly startled. After being silent for a while, he stretched out his hand and gently took her slender white jade hand.
Pan Mila trembled and looked over suddenly, her green eyes full of surprise.
Sighing softly, Lu Ming said: "I really didn't expect that I am so charming. Is it true that in this life, I can't find a wife who will love me and love her until I grow old? Is it really necessary to do so reluctantly and marry ten or eight people?" Auntie, are you raising a dozen lovers outside? Then, no girl will be sad for me? Alas..."
When Lu Ming gently held her hand, Pan Mila closed her green eyes slightly, her eyelashes trembling slightly, as if there was tenderness trembling, and she was a little uncomfortable, but she still gently tilted her beautiful golden bun. He went over and slowly leaned on Lu Ming's shoulder, but when he heard Lu Ming's words, he was stunned, his green eyes suddenly opened, he shook off Lu Ming's hand, and glared at Lu Ming angrily, "You, you bastard! "She has never said anything bad in her life, but this time she was really angry.
Seeing Lu Ming's half-smiling expression, Pan Mira was stunned for a moment, biting her red lips, "I don't tell the truth every day!"
Lu Ming snorted: "You are not always telling the truth, do you really want to be my lover? Why, we people in Central China have never repaid our kindness, and we have learned to promise you with our own bodies?" He looked at Pan Mila and stretched out his hand. He pinched her pretty face and said with a frivolous expression, "Beauty, you are so beautiful when you are angry!"
Pan Mila was about to push him away in anger, but suddenly, her green eyes blinked, she smiled slightly, gently held the finger that Lu Ming picked up, and then used her red lips to suck it.
Lu Ming was startled and quickly retracted his hand.
Pan Mila giggled, puffed up her chest proudly, turned around and walked out. When she reached the door, she suddenly stopped, turned around and chuckled, "I have decided, bring Bisi here, boss, your little That's all the bravery of a mouse!" He stretched out his slender white little fingers to compare, turned around, and left.
Looking at her beautiful figure, Lu Ming smiled. Pan Mila must be a very contradictory person. She is very proud, but deep down in her heart, she may have a faint sense of inferiority, and she gradually becomes less confident.
I still like the confident and proud Western beauty, so I made some jokes to tease her.
Speaking of which, since that day when she was "forcibly kissed", I always felt a little embarrassed to meet her. Today, it was the first time that I brought up the old incident, which can be considered as a revelation.
"Sir, your phone number!" A woman wearing a long red body-wrap skirt appeared at the door. The style of her skirt was like a long red cloth wrapped diagonally around her body layer by layer. It was the style of Tudra women. The traditional clothing makes the female body look particularly graceful, called "Sara". Tudra women have high noses and deep eyes, but their hair and eyes are mostly black, their hair is slightly curly, and their skin color is darker. They look a bit like the southwest of their previous life. Women in that extremely populous country.
The Tundra slaves who served a few of them were too lazy to name themselves, so they simply used numbers, such as Luo 1, Luo 2, Luo 3, Luo 4, etc.
Among them, Luo Yi and Luo Er are responsible for serving him. The one who is here to inform him that he has a phone call is Luo Yi.
It seems that she is still very beautiful at the age of seventeen or eighteen. Sun Erniang even said that the price of these dozen slaves is high because they are all virgins, including the black slaves, and they are all good-looking in their own ethnic group. Not bad, and they all taught simple Zhongzhou dialect, that’s why the price is like this.
But compared with the old society, the actual price is not high. After all, the market is small now and there are only so many customers. It is impossible for ordinary people to get into this circle. Even if they have money, they cannot buy it.
Thinking that Sun Erniang was still troubled by traditional thinking, Lu Ming shook his head and went to answer the phone.
But he didn't expect that the call was from Councilor Meng Dezhu. He was mysterious and wanted to introduce him to someone, a real big shot.
The big shot in his mouth was really a big shot, and Lu Ming's curiosity was immediately aroused.
