I Became the Richest Man in the Capital by Renting Out Courtyard Houses

In the twelfth lunar month of 1978, Su Muye transmigrated to Nanluoguxiang in Beijing and became the poorest unemployed young man in the whole courtyard compound.

His parents were gone, he had no job, and he had only three yuan and twenty cents in his pocket. His unemployment certificate would expire in seven days, and his only possession was a dilapidated, drafty room and a half in the back courtyard.

That was when he bound himself to the Landlord System.

[First property renovation grant: 18 yuan.]

[First successful rental: Earn three times the rent received in the first month as an extra bonus.]

[Earn points from real rent collection to gradually unlock property valuations, renovation subsidies, and business opportunities.]

Other people collected just one rent payment a month, but he could get extra System bonuses. He knew how to turn the old, run-down houses that everyone else looked down on into money-making gold mines.

Su Muye fixed up the main house and rented it to an out-of-town official visiting Beijing, while he squeezed into half a side room himself. Once the first rent payment came in, he started out by helping people repair their homes, meeting skilled tradesmen and building a customer base. Then he opened a shop and started a business, using the money he earned to buy houses.

The Yan family in the front courtyard laughed at him for not doing a proper job, while the Jia family in the middle courtyard was so jealous they ground their teeth. When they saw Su Muye eating meat, riding a bicycle, and getting married, they realized that the poor kid who had once barely had enough to eat no longer depended on a salary to get by.

In 1985, the same name appeared on the deeds to all twenty-seven courtyard compounds in Nanluoguxiang.

The neighborhood committee director read the list three times before finally looking up.

"Su Muye, just how many houses do you own?"

Su Muye thought for a moment. "I'm still counting."