money trouble

Chapter 206 The Corrupted Lifestyle

Rosalind quickly finished the task Wu Qian gave her, and then chatted about other things along the way, introducing Wu Qian to the various scenery on both sides of the road.

After leaving the city, the phantom wandered on the narrow path. Wu Qian felt that this kind of road was really not suitable for him to drive himself. Although the roads in the country were flat, they were winding and narrow. If he hadn't been driving in this environment for a long time It is difficult for an old driver to get used to it for a while. Fortunately, there are few cars, and you will not see one after driving for a long time.

Speeding along the road beside the Thames River, you can see small houses looming in the forest by the river, because it is already September, and the fields and trees in the distance on the other side of the window show a touch of yellow-green.

The famous writer Lin Yutang once expressed his feelings: the ideal life is to live in the English countryside, with American water, electricity and gas pipes in the house, hire a Chinese chef, marry a Japanese wife, and find a French lover...

The soul of the UK can only find its home in the countryside. Traveling in the countryside of the UK, you will find many small towns that maintain the simple rural scenery all over the place. In other words, except for some important industrial centers and metropolises, the entire UK is still It maintains an idyllic scenery, just like the appearance chanted and depicted by many poets and painters a hundred years ago.

The famous literati Xu Zhimo's most famous poem "Farewell to Cambridge" is now translated into Cambridge. It was written in 1928. Now the poet has passed away, but the golden willows beside the Cambridge Bridge and the blue waves under the bridge are the same as what the author saw more than 90 years ago. .

It was the first time for Wu Qian to appreciate this idyllic beauty like a scroll. Although he has not yet arrived at the manor, he has basically made a decision in his heart, one word, buy!

Set aside 50 square meters in this poetic beauty as your own manor, and invite a group of servants to take care of the house and take care of your life.On weekdays, why not go boating, playing in the water, riding a horse, shooting and hunting!I'm afraid that when the servants go out to buy, they have to use helicopters.

Looking at the distant sky from the gaps in the trees, white clouds that are fuller than cotton candy float in the sky, blocking the sun from time to time and casting a large shadow on the grass. The shadow moves at a speed that can be seen, from The yellow brick buildings passing by in the distance, this feeling is very peaceful and wonderful.

"It's no wonder my parents have so many emotions when they come out to play. It's really beautiful." Wu Qian said with emotion. At that time, his parents had taken a lot of photos to show him when they were traveling in Europe, but those photos were not at all. It can't show the essence of the beautiful scenery, and only when you are on the scene can you feel the most real.

The distance of tens of kilometers was quickly completed. Under the direction of a road sign, the Rolls-Royce Phantom turned into a wide avenue beside the main road. The road was wider than the main road and was paved with fine cobblestones and concrete. The avenue, which was once funded by a certain manor owner.

The forest avenue will be included in the land deed of the manor, which already belongs to private territory, and there are related notice boards standing aside. If it wasn't because it was hung in the auction house for auction, someone would have come to remind Wu Qian that he couldn't Go further.

In some European and American countries, the concept of private territory is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and there are a lot of relevant laws and regulations to protect the rights and interests of private property. As early as 1763, the then British Prime Minister William Pitt delivered a speech.

"Even the poorest man in his hut should have authority against the king. The hut may be shabby, the roof may be crumbling; the wind may blow in the house, the rain may pour in the house, but the king must His mighty army could not cross the threshold of this wretched house, having been allowed to enter it."

The old William Pitt's speech was condensed into a sentence: "The wind can enter, the rain can enter, but the king cannot enter."

In the 19th century, there used to be a place called Potsdam Mill in Germany. The Prussian king and later German emperor William I built a palace. When overlooking the whole city, his sight was blocked by the Potsdam Mill next to the palace. William I demolished it with the mill owner. When the negotiation failed, soldiers were sent to demolish the mill.

Unexpectedly, the owner of the mill brought the emperor to court with a lawsuit. The court not only accepted the case, but also ordered the emperor to restore the mill to its original state and compensate for the loss.Although William I was the emperor of Germany at the time, he had to execute the judgment after receiving it.

"What a big private land." Wu Qian said with emotion, there is still a distance of nearly 100 meters from the avenue to the entrance of the manor.

Various trees are scattered along the avenue, such as larch, twisted pine, birch or beech. Each tree is nailed with a nameplate. It is not known who owns the right. Some trees have appeared due to seasonal reasons. Yellow leaves, but pines are still green.

Vehicles are walking on the cobblestone avenue. At the end is an iron fence and an iron gate. The iron gate is very elegant but a little rusty. You can see the traces of time. There are two square stone pillars beside the iron gate. The old metal lamp, I don't know if it can still be lit.

In the past, this iron gate would be normally closed to prevent uninvited tourists.Because the manor is listed on the auction house and will be sold soon, the iron gates will be opened wide to welcome the bidders who come to visit.

Wu Qian looked beyond the iron gate and looked further away. There seemed to be the shadow of a vehicle. He said softly, "It seems that there are still people coming to see the manor."

"Boss, the location of this manor is extremely favorable. I think the original owner must have encountered a lot of financial troubles, otherwise such a manor would never be sold easily. Among the real estate auctioned by Sotheby's this time, staring at There will not be fewer people in this manor. But...it should not be as good as the other manor you are looking at." Rosalind said.

Kux drove through the iron gate and drove all the way to the villa. Unexpectedly, there were already three cars parked by the side of the road, two Rolls-Royces, and a Maybach. It was a real Maybach, no Mercedes-Benz Maybach, although the vehicle is a little old, is very well maintained and the paint is very bright.

Cars of brands like Rolls Royce and Maybach, no matter which country they go to, are the favorite cars of the top rich, almost without exception.

Cooks parked the car, Wu Qian got out of the car, took a deep breath, the faint scent of trees wafted, this was like building a manor in nature, such an environment is not comparable to a city made of steel and concrete.

Wu Qian stood by the car and looked around for a while, then the three of them walked towards the villa.

At this moment, a dozen people gathered in front of the main villa, and a man with the appearance of an old housekeeper was talking about something with a faint smile.Wu Qian could easily tell which of his would-be competitors were among the crowd, and his extraordinary demeanor was by no means comparable to that of bodyguards and drivers.

The preview of the lot has been going on for a while, and those who are interested will come to visit the site one after another. The auction of the real estate is scheduled for an auction the day after tomorrow, which is only one day away from the auction. I want to see it early Just came, so there are not many people.

Dozens of people looked at the three before Wu, and the old housekeeper gave a slight salute to the three before Wu, and then continued to explain to everyone.

"This manor was built by Gardner after returning from the East Indies in 1865, but it was sold to Charles Howard in 1898. It has passed through many celebrities in more than 100 years, and everyone is familiar with it..."

Rosalind translated the housekeeper's words to Wu Qian, and Wu Qian thought, what the hell is familiar, he feels that the names of foreigners are similar, there is no recognition at all, and he can't tell who is who.

"During World War II, the manor was used by the U.S. Air Force as an air force recuperation center... My owner bought this manor 10 years ago, and it took 2 years to repair it. The various systems inside the villa are very perfect , The sewer pipe is very smooth, even if you throw a little rubber product in the toilet, it will not be blocked."

The butler said coldly and walked towards the side, motioning for everyone to follow.

"There is an orangery, a garden, and a glass greenhouse that can be used to grow flowers. There are tennis courts and a helipad on the lawn. There is an open-air swimming pool at the back of the villa, beside the Thames. , naturally there is a dock, this villa has 6 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms..."

The butler must have worked here for a long time, and he knows everything about the manor like the back of his hand, telling the information about the manor to the bidders who came to see the manor.

Wu Qian was speechless. There are 3 villas in the manor, and there are 19 bedrooms in total. This is not counting rooms for servants. There is also a special small auditorium. A small ceremony was held in the center, which was very ceremonial.

There is no need to think about parking. Surrounded by 3 villas, there is a statue fountain. The special parking lot next to the fountain can park 30 cars at the same time. Even so, it is not crowded. If it is not enough, you can park on the side of the road. Dozens of vehicles.

This kind of manor is not for a few families at all, it should be the residence of a family, invite more than 100 beautiful servants, thirty or forty family members will not feel crowded here, it is really unimaginable The decay!
"It's no wonder the top rich people like to live in this kind of place. The real rich people go to live in crowded cities." Wu Qian said with emotion, this place is really great, like a paradise.

"This is a rare place next to the Thames, a rare little oasis, the gardens in the manor are like the secret garden in the book, you never know what you will find in the garden. It is a place that time has forgotten , it is a piece of pure land isolated from the world. On the banks of the Thames, such a large area of ​​classic English country house estate is very rare..."

The steward spared no words of praise, hoping that the owner's manor could be sold at a good price.

After Wu Qian listened to the introduction, he took Cooks and Rosalind around the manor. The environment really didn’t have anything to criticize. Perhaps it was necessary to do a good job of insect control. All kinds of insects in the dense jungle There must be many classes.

The Thames River flowing with blue waves flows under the eyelids, quietly.There were a few swans playing in the water in the distance. Wu Qian bent down to look at the river. The blue sky and white clouds and his own face were reflected on the water. A small motorboat and a wooden boat with a propeller were moored in the dock.

Time seems to slow down here.

Wu Qian and his group strolled around the manor. Wu Qian found out that the pictures were really inaccurate, because the pictures couldn't reflect the beauty of the place. It seemed that the photographer of Sotheby's Promotion Department had to deduct their wages.

Standing in the middle of the open lawn, Wu Qian looked around, he found the feeling of being in Yangyun Aman, the magic capital, this place is what he wanted, and he had to take it.

"Let's go, next one." Wu Qian ordered as he got in the car.

Coincidentally, the Rolls-Royce Ghost that they visited the manor with before actually traveled with Wu Qian's vehicle.

"Boss, the vision of the owner of that Gust seems to be as high as yours." Rosalind said.

Wu Qian smiled helplessly. It would be great if no one competed with him. Wouldn't it be great to win the manor with a bidder slightly higher than the reserve price.But just think about this kind of thing, Sotheby's autumn auction, the unsold rate is very low, not to mention these top-quality properties that he has set his sights on, there must be a lot of eyes on it.

Sure enough, as Rosalind expected, when Phantom and Gust arrived at the Partridge Green estate in West Sussex, the parking lot was bustling with a total of ten luxury cars parked. I was startled by this posture.

"Boss, what I said before is correct, the manor you are looking at must be more sought-after, I guess it is one of the best properties in this auction." Rosalind said.

"It seems that Adele's influence is not small. The manor she lived in is so popular." Wu Qian said with emotion that this manor was the residence of the British queen singer Adele from 2012 to 2013. manor.

Adele is not only a British queen-level singer, but also a "house-buying maniac". He has bought countless manors and townhouses, but the Partridge Green manor was not purchased by Adele at the time, but by Rent here for 1 pounds a month.

Later, Adele bought a beach house in Brighton, facing the sea and having a private beach at the door.The owner of the Partridge Green estate here has sold and transferred it.From 2014 to the present, I don’t know how many manor owners I have experienced. Anyway, this meeting will be auctioned again.

"I don't know if Adele will hide some song scores in a corner of the manor. If I find them, they will be mine, haha." Wu Qian joked.

Rosalind shook her head and said, "No, boss, even if you find it, Adele has the right to ask for it back."

Wu Qian was a little speechless and gave Rosalind a blank look. Could it be that the tone of his joke just now was not strong enough?How can it be true.

Standing by the car, Wu Qian glanced at the young man who came down from Gust, a gentlemanly man, about 30 years old, with brown hair and blue eyes, whose face could fascinate countless women. Gracefully raised his hand to Wu Qian to salute, Wu Qian also smiled and nodded in return.

Whether it's for Wu Qian or for the one who came down from Gust, competing to buy a manor is just a small pleasure in life, it is absolutely impossible to be anxious and don't care what he thinks in his heart, but he looks like a gentleman on the outside. more than anything else.

Because there were too many people looking at the house, and I don’t know whether it was the auction company or the original owner who invited a special real estate consultant to accompany him. A handsome British guy saw Wu Qian coming in a Rolls-Royce Phantom, and he was very attentive. Walking over, there was no contempt for Wu Qian because he was an Asian face.

Wu Qian walked around the manor with the real estate consultant. He saw a well-dressed lady, an old man with a gray beard and a pipe in his mouth, and an Asian woman who didn't know where she was from.

Along the way, Wu Qian learned a lot of information from Rosalind's translation.

The manor was built in 1900 and has a history of 120 years, which is slightly younger than the previous set.

The villas in the Partridge Green Manor are different from the previous manor villas by the Thames River. The villas in the PG Manor are a whole building, including 13 bedrooms and 13 bathrooms, equipped with two indoor and outdoor swimming pools, underground wine cellars, banquet halls, etc. The manor There are special helipads, tennis courts, horse farms and other facilities.The entire estate covers an area of ​​85 acres, about 35 square meters.

Because of the land area and geographical location, the valuation of this estate is much lower than that of the Gardner estate by the Thames River, only 600 million pounds. Of course, this is the valuation, not the transaction price.

Although the area of ​​this manor is not as large as the previous one, and it is not built near the water, but the environment is also unique, and the interior decoration is newer, obviously recently renovated, and it is very gorgeous.

Standing on the lawn with a wide view, you can see a castle from a distance. According to the real estate consultant, the castle has a very long history and is a royal landscape property that is not for sale.

Wu Qian didn't care too much about other aspects. He focused on visiting the racecourse. This is a setting he is very fond of. Riding a tall British purebred horse galloping under the blue sky and white clouds is enjoyable.

The two rows of stables in the stables are neat and clean, without a trace of miscellaneous smell, and there are some old harnesses hanging on the wooden walls. It should be that the horses have not been raised for a long time.The facilities are dated but still functional and the stables can be put into use immediately if horses are bought.

Wu Qian stroked the stable grille made of white maple with his hand, and imagined the picture of tall horses galloping in the horse farm in the manor, feeling really looking forward to it.If you put a few more elk in the forest, you can experience the hunting of kings and grandchildren in ancient times with bows and arrows.

"At that time, invite friends over and hold a horse race, haha. Interesting!"

While speaking, Wu Qian walked out of the stable and walked towards the Rolls-Royce Phantom. He saw two manors in the morning and was very satisfied. He only waited for two days to win them with real money.

It was almost 12 o'clock when he left Partridge Green Manor. Sitting in the back row of the Rolls-Royce Phantom, Wu Qian was enjoying the beautiful scenery outside the window when suddenly a video call notification sounded from his mobile phone.

"Who is looking for me at this time..." Wu Qian took out his mobile phone and looked, it turned out that it was a video invitation sent by Xiao Xiaoxiao.

"This silly girl still knows to think of me, haha." Wu Qian smiled and clicked on.

It can be seen from the video that Xiao Xiaoxiao is staying at home, as if he is sitting at the dining table. It is not surprising for people living in the capital to have dinner around 8 o'clock.

"Wu Qian, are you in the car?" Xiao Xiaoxiao put his face close to the screen, his big eyes looked scary.

"That's right. Pedestrians keep to the left in the UK. I'm afraid that if I don't drive well, I will accidentally hit someone else. What will I do if I lose my entire family?" Wu Qian said with a smile.

"You're a great driver, you won't crash. Have a good time in England?"

"It's not bad, what's the matter, what do you want me for?" Wu Qian asked, Xiao Xiaoxiao couldn't possibly send a video to him for nothing.

"Qiang Qiang Qiang~ Qiang~! Wu Qian, look, this is my dinner tonight, how about it?" While talking, Xiao Xiaoxiao turned the camera to the rear and pointed the camera at a plate of food on the dining table.

Wu Qian was very puzzled, what happened to this little girl, her brain circuit became more and more strange, and she had nothing to share with herself what to do for dinner, but before Wu Qian could think more, when he saw clearly the plate of food in front of Xiao Xiaoxiao After that, his face changed instantly.

It was a plate of hairy and maggot-filled food. From his mobile phone, it was difficult for him to tell what ingredients were made of it. The green soup on the side of the plate had dried up, and white maggots were lying on the food. , a few tufts of blue-green fur grow on the side, how disgusting it is, it is hard to imagine what kind of smell such a plate of food will emit.

"Wu Qian, you don't mess with me in the capital, and no one takes care of me. I'm going to eat this kind of food to satisfy my hunger. Woohoo, how pitiful, haha." Xiao Xiaoxiao pretended to be pitiful at first, but then he was holding back She couldn't help laughing, now Xiao Xiaoxiao has turned the camera around, facing herself.

Wu Qian secretly cursed the phone camera, what are you doing with such high-definition, it's really harmful!

"Smile, don't make trouble, quickly wrap up this plate of something and throw it away, everything!" Wu Qian said with a speechless face. He was about to go to London for dinner at this moment, but he came It's very embarrassing to do this.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Xiaoxiao went too far. She brought the plate close to her mouth and said, "Wu Qian, let me take a bite for you."

"Hey, you..." Just as Wu Qian was about to speak, he realized that something was wrong. The stack of food in Xiao Xiaoxiao's hand didn't move at all, and there was no response when the plate was tilted.

"Fake?" Wu Qian immediately realized.

"Hahaha, isn't it hard to tell?" Xiao Xiaoxiao was very happy. She put the plate on the table and looked at Wu Qian with a smile. Her two eyes were like crescent moons in the sky. I can feel her happiness.

"Xiaoxiao, is this a model prop you made?" Wu Qian remembered what Xiao Xiaoxiao had told him, and suddenly understood.

Xiao Xiaoxiao nodded, and said: "Yes, these are needed in the follow-up plot. I made this dish that has been rotten for a year. Is it realistic? Compliment me." Xiao Xiaoxiao said. Turned the camera to the dish again.

After Wu Qian knew it was a fake, he felt less intimidated immediately, and he said, "It's really well done, I can't see it, smile, you still have such a talent, you rely on this skill to get into the production of a big crew There is no problem with the props."

Wu Qian wasn't exaggerating. Without any processing on the phone camera, he couldn't tell it was a fake. What's more, when shooting programs, there will be post-processing, so it can be more realistic.

　Thanks to the book friends for the 500 rewards on the second day of February in the year of Yihai, and the 500 rewards for the sinking silent fish.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)