My identity as a collector was exposed by the village flower

Chapter 247 The Dilemma of the European Nobles

Liu Shijun's friend is Chen Huaqiang, a very Chinese name.

Generally, if you settle abroad, you have to, especially those who were born abroad, usually use a Western name, which is more convenient for studying, working, living, and making friends.

However, Chen Huaqiang's family is relatively conservative and still retains many traditional Chinese things.

In order to avoid Liu Shijun's embarrassment, Fang Xing and Xu Qing did not call him Uncle, but Brother Chen.

"When you first arrived in France, you made big news, what a joy!" Chen Huaqiang laughed.

Although he grew up abroad, he still feels that he is an out-and-out Chinese, at least an out-and-out Chinese, and he doesn't have much sense of identity with France as a country.

"Old Chen, my brother is very powerful. Next, it's up to you." Liu Shijun was very interested in digging out the old house.

"Don't worry! The other party is a declining aristocrat, and he still has some family property, so we won't let us run away for nothing. Now, their castles, manors, etc. have to spend a lot of money every year, which is actually very embarrassing, and they have to sell some treasures at a low price , to maintain their aristocratic life." Chen Huaqiang said.

To put it bluntly, it is to save face and suffer.

Even if they can't let go of the name and status of the nobility, plus the ancient castle and large manor, they need a lot of money to maintain it, and they are a bit hard to get off.

In fact, this is very common in Europe.

There are many aristocrats in Europe. A small country, such as Belgium, has 300-400 aristocratic families with more than 2 family members.The total population of Belgium itself is only about 1000 million, and one out of five hundred people is an aristocrat.

Almost all of these nobles gnawed away on the achievements of their ancestors, and their gold and silver were all gnawed away!

At present, many so-called nobles are actually living in a very difficult situation.

Chen Huaqiang told Fang Xing and the others that what they were going to was a marquis's family, who owned a big castle and a 20-hectare manor around it.

20 hectares is 20 square meters, or 300 mu, which is quite large.

"You don't know that the maintenance costs of the castle mainly include hiring people to mow the lawn and trees, paying property taxes and winter heating costs, etc., which add up to about 18 euros per year. The Marquis is a bit miserable.

Now, some commercial activities have begun to be held in the castle, such as holding seminars, concerts, plays, hosting weddings, etc., to charge some venue fees to make ends meet. "Chen Huaqiang said.

When the audience heard about Xu Qing's live broadcast, they immediately lost their envy.

Nima! 18 euros, more than 100 million yuan!So much money is thrown into it every year.

No wonder, no wonder the Marquis wanted to sell his property at a low price, and even rented out the house to host some activities.

"That's not counting. I heard that the inheritance tax in Europe is very high. Sometimes, these castles are completely tasteless, hot potatoes!"

"France's inheritance tax is very abnormal. It may be the highest in Europe. If the immediate family members inherit the inheritance, they have to pay up to 40.00%. need more."

"Fuck! Seriously?"

"So, think about it! If a castle is valued at 200 million euros, if the son wants to inherit it, he will have to spend 90 euros to pay taxes. If the nephew wants to inherit it, he will need 110 million euros."

"Speaking of a horrible thing, even if it is inherited, how much money will be spent on maintenance every year?"

"Horrible! I'd rather not have it."

"If I were to inherit it, I would sell it directly."

……

When they came to the house of the Marquis mentioned by Chen Huaqiang, everyone realized that the so-called Marquis actually did not look much different from ordinary people, he was an old man in his 60s or [-]s.

Chen Huaqiang first communicated with the Marquis in French to explain the situation.

It seems that the two know each other.

Although they couldn't understand, Fang Xing and the others could tell that the Marquis welcomed them.

Now, I can only rely on Chen Huaqiang to translate.

"The Marquis said, everyone is welcome. There are many Chinese treasures in his house. I believe we will be interested. Let's go in." Chen Huaqiang said.

As he walked, he also introduced, pointing to the left side of the manor: "Look over there, there used to be stables and horse farms, but now there are no horses."

"Is there not a single servant in such a big place?" Xu Qing couldn't help asking.

In fact, this was asked by the audience in the live broadcast room, and Xu Qing asked for it.Because since I came in, I haven't seen a servant. This is a bit misleading compared to European nobles!

Chen Huaqiang didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "What kind of servants are you looking for? European aristocrats, if they are not particularly rich, usually don't hire regular servants."

Take the Marquis in front of him as an example. Now he doesn't have a long-term servant in his family, and the gardeners who trim the grass and trees are all temporarily hired and paid by the hour.The Marquis also did not raise horses, on the grounds that raising horses requires stables, pastures and horse trainers.

In addition, many private castles hold paid visits on Sundays, but if the number of individual visitors is too small, the ticket revenue is not enough to pay the conductors and tour guides.Therefore, only ask for help when the tourist group arrives.

"Today's nobles have a lot of financial burdens. The Marquis once thought about selling the castle and manor. I heard that someone offered 800 million euros."

When everyone heard it, they felt a little unbelievable: Is it so cheap?

800 million euros, or about 6000 million yuan.

It seems a lot, but this is a castle covering an area of ​​more than one mu and a manor of 300 mu!

"What do you think? This is not a French city, but a village! How high can the house price be?" Someone pointed out the problem.

"That's right, don't compare us to the courtyard houses in our capital. The location and location are different. In the center of Paris, the housing prices are just as frighteningly high."

……

Walking into the castle, a beautiful western girl appeared in front of everyone. The male audience in the live broadcast room looked straight at her and called her beautiful.

According to the Marquis, it was his granddaughter Catherine. She didn't have class today, so she came to help with cleaning and the like.

What is surprising is that his granddaughter can speak Chinese. Although she is not fluent in speaking Chinese, it seems to be a little more standard than Cantonese speaking Mandarin.

This is overkill.

The Guangdong brothers had to curse and leave the studio.

"Welcome, you are the third group to see the collection today." Catherine revealed the information generously.

"You can speak Chinese well!" Fang Xing praised.

"Thank you! I have a few good Chinese friends..." Catherine chatted with Fang Xing and the others naturally, she was a familiar girl.

This is a little surprising. Aren't ordinary pretty girls a little cold?

The Marquis coughed twice, signaling to his granddaughter to let the guests see the treasure first.

(End of this chapter)