80: Chapter 80 The Rich Buy a House

"Then I'll have to trouble you all! I'll have someone register the company. The training base and dormitories will be built outside Tianxing Garden; construction will start as soon as the land is approved." After saying this, he turned to Sister Li beside him and said, "Sister Li, please arrange empty rooms for everyone. Then prepare some food... Never mind, I'll do it myself!"

"Mr. Cao, how could we let you do it yourself? Besides being proficient in various combat skills, our wilderness survival skills are also top-notch. Over the years, everyone has picked up a trick or two in the kitchen. Let us handle this meal; it'll give Mr. Cao a chance to taste our signature dishes." Since Cao Xiao was now their boss, Wu Feng didn't think it right for the boss to cook for them, so he volunteered.

"Alright then. You guys pick your rooms first and put away your luggage. In a while, we'll head outside for a barbecue party. I have quite a bit of game meat here. There will be plenty of wine and meat for your welcome party." Cao Xiao thought to himself that being overly formal wasn't the way to go. Since they were all men, why act so fussy? It would be better to have a bonfire barbecue party with singing, dancing, large bowls of wine, and big chunks of meat to build camaraderie. It was a win-win situation.

Sure enough, Cao Xiao's idea received unanimous approval. While Sister Li led them to arrange their rooms, Cao Xiao went to the underground wine cellar to fetch ingredients. There was plenty of alcohol; considering he would often host guests, Cao Xiao had ordered a batch of high-end spirits to be kept in the cellar, and he had also stored some in his space. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was on the first floor, he brought out the packaged ingredients and four or five cases of Moutai into the living room all at once.

By the time everyone had settled into their rooms, it was already dark. They gathered some fruitwood outside the villa to build a bonfire and used large iron skewers to roast meat over the flames. There was wild boar, rabbit, pheasant, fish, shrimp, crab—everything imaginable. The sight made everyone salivate. Cao Xiao filled small bowls with Moutai—each bowl holding about three or four taels of liquor—and told them to drink as they pleased. In the end, everyone downed their drinks in one go, leaving Cao Xiao with no choice but to keep them company. This wasn't a business social, so there was no need to fake it. However, Cao Xiao was no match for these military stalwarts; he ended up dead drunk, having no idea how he even got back to his bed.

Cao Xiao didn't wake up until noon the next day. A splitting headache from the hangover was unavoidable. Hearing a commotion downstairs, he went down to see that these tough guys were perfectly fine, busily preparing lunch with great enthusiasm. Cao Xiao swore that he would never drink with them again; his alcohol tolerance was not even in the same weight class as theirs.

After a meal featuring a medley of regional specialties, he took Wu Feng and drove out. Today was his master's wife's birthday, and as a student, he had to arrive early. However, he first had to buy some property to settle Wu Feng and the others' families. He chose the Biyuntian residential area, as there were still many commercial houses for sale there. Wu Feng and his team's main mission was to protect his family, so settling them in the same neighborhood would make it convenient for them to go home.

He contacted Manager Wang from last time on the way. By the time the two arrived at the sales office, Manager Wang had already been waiting at the entrance for a long time.

"Mr. Cao, may I ask what kind of house you are looking to purchase this time?" Manager Wang asked after welcoming the two into the hall.

"Commercial housing, preferably three bedrooms and two living rooms," Cao Xiao said concisely.

"We have those. We have units ranging from eighty to three hundred square meters. Which layout does Mr. Cao require?" Manager Wang said.

"Between one hundred and two hundred square meters, with at least three bedrooms, two living rooms, and two bathrooms. Also, they must be fully renovated and furnished with appliances. How many such houses do you have?" Cao Xiao stated his requirements. He didn't have the energy to deal with renovations, so it was better to have everything ready at once to avoid making the soldiers' families wait.

"We do have such houses, but not many. How many units does Mr. Cao need?" Manager Wang asked after thinking carefully.

"How many fully renovated houses do you have in total? Even those without furniture and appliances count," Cao Xiao asked with a frown.

"I'm sorry, I'll have to check immediately to find out. Please wait a moment!" Hearing Cao Xiao's question, Manager Wang understood that Cao Xiao intended to buy quite a few houses and was in a hurry. This was bound to be a massive deal, so he excused himself and quickly disappeared from the hall.

In less than five minutes, Manager Wang reappeared before Cao Xiao and said, "Mr. Cao, we have a total of ninety-seven fully renovated houses. Among them, fifty-two are between one hundred and two hundred square meters. Out of those fifty-two, twenty-four come with furniture and appliances."

"I'll buy all fifty-two. However, for those not yet equipped with furniture and appliances, you must furnish them as quickly as possible. Give me the maximum discount. Throw in whatever you can, like property management or parking spaces. Each household must be guaranteed one parking space. Calculate the total for me. I'm in a hurry!" Cao Xiao checked the time; it was already nearly three o'clock. He didn't have time to pick and choose, so he decisively bought them all.

"Ah! Buy them all? All fifty-two units?" Manager Wang could hardly believe his ears. He thought Cao Xiao would at most buy a few floors or a dozen units as a real estate investment, but he never expected him to buy them all.

"Is it not allowed to buy them all?" Cao Xiao asked back impatiently.

"Mr. Cao, please don't be angry. Of course you can buy them. It's just that the quantity is so large, the houses are scattered, and the prices vary, so it's hard to calculate immediately. Also, may I ask if Mr. Cao is buying them in your own name or in the name of a company?" Seeing Cao Xiao's displeasure, Manager Wang quickly apologized and explained. His heart was racing with excitement. He had actually encountered the legendary, once-in-a-blue-moon tycoon who could blind people with his wealth. Cao Xiao spending tens of millions on a house last time hadn't shocked him this much, but this time, not only were there many houses, but the transaction amount would definitely exceed a hundred million. Selling a single villa worth over a hundred million might be seen by others as good luck in meeting the right client, but selling fifty-two large, fully renovated apartments at once—that was true skill. This would become the highlight of his career, something worth bragging about to his colleagues eight hundred times over.

"What's the difference?" Cao Xiao asked.

"If you buy them in your private name, you might need to pay a significant amount of property tax. If you buy them in the name of a company, you won't," Manager Wang replied.

Only then did Cao Xiao remember this point. The more properties one owned, the higher the property tax rate. The property tax for over fifty houses would be a massive sum. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I'm using them as employee dormitories. Nineteen of the units with furniture and appliances will be bought in the names of the employees, and the rest will be bought in the company's name. There's no rush to handle the procedures today; I'll have the employees and company staff come over tomorrow to handle it. First, calculate how much it will cost. I'll pay the money first, and then Mr. Wu here will coordinate the rest with you."

"Mr. Cao, we can just find anywhere to live. When our families come, we can rent houses ourselves. There's no need to buy houses, right? It's too much of a waste of money!" Only then did Wu Feng realize that Cao Xiao wasn't preparing dormitories for them, but was buying them houses outright. Huanghe City was a metropolis, and the housing prices in such high-end neighborhoods would not be low. Each unit would cost at least a million. For nineteen of them, that meant nineteen houses—and fully renovated ones with furniture and appliances at that. The price would be even higher, adding up to an astronomical figure. They had just arrived and hadn't done anything yet, but were already getting a house of their own. This made him feel uneasy, so he immediately spoke up to persuade Cao Xiao otherwise.

"Brother Wu, the lives of myself and my family are in your hands. What does this bit of money matter? Besides, I can't let your families travel thousands of miles to work here only to have to rent a place to live. Don't refuse," Cao Xiao said seriously.

"I'm not very good with words, so I'll accept the houses on behalf of my brothers. From now on, we're entrusting our lives to Mr. Cao! We will risk our lives to ensure that not a single hair on the heads of Mr. Cao or your family is harmed!" Wu Feng said solemnly.

"Don't talk about 'lives' from now on. If anyone is going to die, it'll be my enemies. Everyone needs to live well; life will only get more exciting in the future!" Cao Xiao knew Wu Feng was serious—a soldier's promise never fades—but he would rather reveal some of his trump cards than let these iron-blooded men risk their lives for him. The Third Brother sent them here so they could have a better life, not so they would still have to risk their lives after retiring. Cao Xiao had to be responsible for them.

"Mr. Cao, please wait a moment. I'll have someone calculate the total price right away and ask the boss for instructions to get you the best discount. Xiao Zhang, please bring out our best tea and brew it for our two honored guests," Manager Wang interjected after the two finished speaking.