In Shanghai, a land full of infinite possibilities, Zhu Cuifang held the longing for the big city, leaving behind the broken marriage and monotonous countryside behind her, and she broke out in this corner of the city alone. After several setbacks, she not only bought a property in the suburbs, but also rented it out and lived a worry-free life. The good times didn't last long, and a sudden lease dispute made her torture, so that her hair turned white overnight. What happened to the landlady? Who is her tenant Qi Xuanbin? Is the story between them just a simple lease relationship?
It all started 20 years ago, when Zhu Cuifang and her husband left their hometown and came to the bustling city of Shanghai with a dream. However, the cruelty of reality and the pressure of life soon destroyed the immature marriage of the two. After her husband returned to her hometown in disgrace, Zhu Cuifang did not choose to give up, but was more determined to pan for gold in the city.
In 2003, Zhu Cuifang finally used the funds she had saved to buy a two-story building in the suburbs. This decision became a turning point in her fate. Although the small building is not in the city center, with the government's development plan, land prices and rents have begun to rise year by year. Zhu Cuifang realized that renting out her house would not only make ends meet, but also bring extra income for herself.
In this way, she put the house for rent, but this hanging was more than ten years. The initial tenants changed one after another, until the appearance of Qi Xuanbin, and the lease relationship seemed to have finally stabilized. Qi Xuanbin and his wife not only opened an electric car shop, but also set up a chess and card room on the second floor, and the business is booming. With the passage of time, the relationship between Zhu Cuifang and Qi Xuanbin has slowly changed from a pure landlord and tenant to a friend.
With the sharp increase in rents in 2017, this seemingly peaceful relationship suddenly changed. The annual rent, which used to be 16,000 yuan, has risen to 40,000 yuan in 2017. In this regard, Qi Xuanbin was dissatisfied, thinking that Zhu Cuifang was taking advantage of their good business and deliberately raising the rent. Zhu Cuifang believes that this is a market behavior, housing prices have generally risen, and it is reasonable to adjust rents.
Behind the intensification of the contradiction is the revenge plan planned by Qi Xuanbin. He presented a so-called IOU in court, claiming that Zhu Cuifang not only owed a large amount of rent, but also borrowed 100,000 yuan from him. Faced with this sudden accusation, Zhu Cuifang was shocked and angry because she had not borrowed any money at all. Her name and phone number were clearly written on the IOU, which made her defense in court pale in comparison.
The atmosphere in the courtroom was extremely tense, and Zhu's lawyer tried to prove that the IOU was forged, but there was no direct evidence. Qi Xuanbin hired shrewd lawyers, who reasoned layer by layer and constructed a seemingly complete lending relationship. Zhu Cuifang fell into passivity for a while, and the unwillingness and helplessness in her heart were intertwined into despair.
During the trial of the case, Zhu Cuifang's life was in trouble. Her tenants began to doubt her credibility when they heard about it, and the number of inquiries from new tenants gradually decreased. Her daily expenses became stretched thin, and her health began to deteriorate under stress, and her hair turned gray overnight.
In the end, the court ruled that Zhu Cuifang lost the lawsuit and needed to return 260,000 yuan to Qi Xuanbin and pay relevant legal fees. This is undoubtedly a heavy blow to Zhu Cuifang, who is already short of funds. Her friends and neighbors were very sympathetic to her plight, others questioned her character.
After the dust settled on the case, Zhu Cuifang did not choose to leave the city that once brought her hope. She began to reflect on the whole affair and realized that she had been too careless in her handling of the tenancy relationship, neglecting the importance of the contract and the in-depth knowledge of the tenant's background. She decided to start over, repair her reputation, and reorganize her finances.
Qi Xuanbin's business does not seem to have become more prosperous because of winning the lawsuit. Rumor has it that his reputation in the community has also been affected to some extent, after all, the dispute and quagmire between the two sides in this lawsuit have upset many onlookers. Regardless of who wins, such an outcome is not a real victory for both sides.
The story of Zhu Cuifang and Qi Xuanbin is not only a simple lease dispute, but also a microcosm of the fate of individuals in the process of urbanization. In this war without gunpowder, both landlords and tenants have deeply experienced the fragility of trust and the coldness of the law. Through this story, we can see that transparent and honest transactions are the long-term way to maintain the relationship between the two parties, no matter what the field. And for Zhu Cuifang's failure this time, it may be a reflection on her past success, and it is also a new starting point for the future.