People Who Don't Know Their Limits (2)
Sam pondered over Rockefeller's proposal and spoke up.
"So, once the loan is fully repaid, I can get back the ownership of the mansion?"
"Of course. But until then, we need to hold the ownership."
Sam, who wanted to invest in real estate, soon showed a convincing attitude.
There was no other choice.
"Alright. I'll take the loan with the mansion as collateral."
"Good choice. I hope your real estate investment goes well. That would be good for both of us, wouldn't it?"
There were people silently watching their conversation.
It was Bell and Bob, who were feeling a bit of stomachache.
Seeing Sam taking over the mansion through a loan, the two had a lot to feel.
The successful guys do well in whatever they do.
Who would have thought that a mere shoeshine boy would now take over a mansion?
'He's really doing well.'
'It feels like just yesterday when he was working under me. When did he grow so much?'
A moment later.
Bell, who came out of the Banco store, spoke to Bob.
"Sam seems to be doing really well. I've heard the rumors, but..."
At Bell's words, Bob immediately reacted.
"Yeah, he must be. I heard he made a fortune investing in trade ships. His carriage is different from ours. How can ordinary people like us even compete with a six-horse carriage? It's ridiculous."
"But investing in a mansion seems to make some money? I didn't know that."
What can you do if it makes money?
They didn't even have the means to invest in the first place.
"What can you do if it makes money? It's not a place that costs just a penny or two. It's a different world altogether. We don't need to pay attention to it."
"Yeah, that's tLou... But the shoeshine boy Sam suddenly became successful overnight. You never know what's going to happen in the world. Who would have thought Sam would turn out like this?"
The two, who came out, saw a six-horse carriage parked in front of the store.
The carriage, drawn by six well-fed horses, looked more splendid and expensive than Bell's.
Bell felt his own carriage shrinking in comparison to what she assumed was Sam's six-horse carriage.
'Standing together, my carriage looks pathetic. And it's not even cheap...'
"Let's get going... Staying here will only make us lament our lives."
At those words, Bob quickly agreed.
"Let's do that. What's the point of staying here? Besides, I'm so jealous. I should be successful too..."
A few days later.
An unexpected visitor came to Rockefeller's store.
It was a man named Lou, who had previously taken a loan from Rockefeller's store to buy a carriage.
He was stimulated by the fact that Bell, the owner of the clothing store, bought a similar carriage and came to buy a bigger one.
"Where did Mr. Rockefeller go? I want to have a long talk about the carriage loan."
Secretary Elise hurriedly called Rockefeller and arranged a meeting.
In front of Rockefeller, Lou quickly asked about the loan.
"Can I get a loan to replace my current carriage with a bigger one?"
He was already riding a four-horse carriage.
It was a somewhat burdensome carriage for ordinary people to ride and had a considerable maintenance cost.
When he wanted to change to a better carriage, Rockefeller naturally questioned him.
"No, you came here before and got a loan related to a carriage. And now you want to change your carriage again? It doesn't seem like much time has passed."
At that, Lou, the owner of the general store, reacted.
"No, well, how long has it been since I bought a four-horse carriage? Everyone is riding a four-horse carriage now, and I'm embarrassed to ride mine."
At that, Rockefeller couldn't help but smile faintly.
When he allowed ordinary people to take out carriage loans, they all began to ride four-horse carriages that were beyond their means.
And that wasn't all?
A few commoners with good income or credit started moving to bigger houses or building new ones, all using loans from the bank.
Lou continued speaking.
"I could understand if it were just one or two people, but when I saw Bell, who runs a shop next door, change to a new carriage, I thought something was off. My income is better than Bell's, so why should I ride the same carriage?"
It would have been better if they had used the bank loans to buy a house.
However, the carriages were nothing more than expensive consumables.
Luxury items with high maintenance costs.
"Recently, I see more and more people riding in two-horse carriages. So, if I can get a loan, I'd like to change to a six-horse carriage. Is that possible?"
"I see."
If Rockefeller were a good person, he would have advised Lou to know his place instead of encouraging a loan.
But Rockefeller had no intention of doing so.
'If I don't give him a loan, he'll get one from another bank anyway.'
So, isn't it better to let him borrow from his own bank rather than sending him to another one?
'If he really wants a six-horse carriage, there's no need to stop him.'
"Alright. Let me check the ledger first. I need to see if an additional loan is possible."
At that, Lou said,
"I plan to sell my current carriage, so I only need a little more money."
"Then you'll be at a loss, won't you?"
"I have to accept that. I'm not going to ride two carriages."
After checking Lou's ledger, credit, and income, Rockefeller informed him that he had some leeway.
"It seems possible according to the ledger."
However, he couldn't help but think:
He could get a loan, but does he plan to live in the carriage from now on?
If not, the six-horse carriage would be too much for him.
"Do you really plan to buy a six-horse carriage? It seems a bit... excessive."
Read ahead by supporting me on Ko-fi. Access 5 advance chapters with the Imperial Dalants Tier ($10) or 10 advance chapters with Dwarven Sovereigns Tier ($18) or 20 advance chapters with Goblin Dollars ($35). For every $25 collected on Ko-fi, I will release an extra chapter. Choose your tier by clicking the 'Support me' button! Rate and review this novel on NU to help people find this novel. Happy reading!
I still wonder why people thought it's good to take a loan for unnecessary expenditures.
ReplyDelete