novelraw Chapter 205
Chapter 205
Ah-choo~~~
Pei Zhengnian rubbed his nose.
"Zhengnian, do you have a cold? Drink more hot water."
Pei Zhengwei looked at Pei Zhengnian with concern.
"It's nothing."
Pei Zhengnian picked up the enamel teacup beside him, took a sip of hot water, and continued discussing the serious matter.
"Elder Brother, let's do it as you said."
"Alright."
A shrewd glint flashed in Pei Zhengwei's eyes.
After being recognized and brought back, Pei Zhengwei had been reinstated to his original position.
This was a special arrangement by the higher-ups.
On the surface, everyone was following Pei Zhengwei's lead.
Waiting for him to show his true colors, his fox tail.
Pei Zhengwei was clearly reveling in the feeling of strategizing and controlling the situation.
It had been over half a month now.
Even the most cautious hunter should be making a move soon.
Pei Zhengnian looked at Pei Zhengwei, his face full of smiles.
He hoped this Pei Zhengwei would be more proactive, so he could go home for the New Year.
...
Back home, with Pei Yunxi, Pei Yunzhou, and Aunt Tian there to take care of Pei Anchen, Shen Nanchu felt completely at ease.
Taking advantage of having some free time today, Shen Nanchu went with Pei's Mother to look at houses.
Jiang Jie had already helped make inquiries in advance.
All that was left was for Shen Nanchu and Pei's Mother to find one they liked.
"The first place is just ahead. It's an old professor's courtyard. He's planning to move to another city to be with his children, which is why he wants to transfer the house to a reliable person."
Jiang Jie pointed towards a vermilion lacquer gate deep in the hutong, above which hung an old plaque that read "Farming and Reading, a Family Legacy."
"It's a two-courtyard compound. There's an old jujube tree in the front courtyard, and the back courtyard is suitable for growing some vegetables. It's also close to the market, very convenient for daily life."
Jiang Jie knocked on the door, and the old professor came out to open it.
Inside, the courtyard paved with blue bricks was clean and tidy. The jujube tree was lush, casting a large patch of cool shade.
Pei's Mother walked under the eaves and touched the carved wooden window lattice.
"This house is well-maintained."
The old professor nodded.
"You have a good eye, comrade."
"The price is quite fair for this hutong. If you're sincere, we can discuss it."
Shen Nanchu, however, wasn't focused on the price. Her gaze swept over the layout of the courtyard, and she walked to the back to check the sunlight. She then turned to Jiang Jie and said,
"Eldest Uncle, I've noted down this courtyard. Let's go see the next one."
Her tone was as casual as if she were talking about buying a cabbage, which made both Pei's Mother and Jiang Jie pause in surprise.
Why wasn't this girl the least bit hesitant?
The second courtyard was in the neighboring hutong, a three-courtyard compound. Two stone lions, though somewhat weathered, stood at the gate, exuding the grandeur of old Beijing.
Inside the courtyard, there was a small rockery and a little fish pond, though it had accumulated some fallen leaves from lack of care.
The owner, a retired cadre, pointed at the beams in the main house and said,
"This house was passed down from my father. The beams are all made of premium pine wood, a huge expense back when it was built. I wouldn't part with it now if it weren't for my grandson working out of town."
Pei's Mother's eyes went wide with admiration. She pulled Shen Nanchu's hand and whispered,
"This courtyard is so spacious! Anchen could run around in it when he grows up. But... how much would this cost?"
Jiang Jie also started calculating,
"This three-courtyard compound is much more expensive than the two-courtyard one from before."
Before he could finish, Shen Nanchu turned to the owner,
"Your courtyard seems suitable to me. If you can lower the price a bit more, I can decide today."
The owner was taken aback, clearly not expecting such decisiveness.
"Don't you need to discuss it with your family? This isn't a small sum."
"No need for discussion. Buying a house is for the family to live comfortably. This courtyard is spacious enough, my mother-in-law likes it, and the price is right. That's all that matters."
Shen Nanchu's tone was firm. She then turned to Jiang Jie and said,
"Eldest Uncle, could you help me negotiate further with the owner? I'm going to take a look at that small courtyard next door."
It turned out she had noticed upon entering that next to this three-courtyard compound was a single-courtyard house, its door closed with a note posted seeking a reliable person to take it over.
Before Jiang Jie could react, Shen Nanchu had already knocked on the small courtyard's door. The owner was an elderly woman whose son was serving in the army. With no one to care for her, she wanted to transfer the small courtyard and move to the army base to be with her son.
Although the courtyard was small, it was neat and orderly. A grapevine trellis was set up in the west wing room, with clusters of green grapes hanging from it, a delightful sight.
Shen Nanchu's heart stirred. This small courtyard was adjacent to the three-courtyard one. If she bought them together, they could be connected, providing ample space for everyone to live comfortably while still having their own private areas.
This was simply perfect.
By the time Shen Nanchu returned to the three-courtyard compound, Jiang Jie had just finished negotiating the price with the owner.
Before Jiang Jie could speak, Shen Nanchu smiled and said,
"Eldest Uncle, come out for a moment. Let's discuss something."
Once outside the courtyard and after carefully ensuring no one was around,
Shen Nanchu spoke up,
"Eldest Uncle, I want to buy both this three-courtyard compound and the small courtyard next door. Also, the two-courtyard house we saw earlier, all three."
At these words, the bag in Pei's Mother's hand fell to the ground with a thud. Jiang Jie was so shocked his mouth hung open.
"Nanchu! Wh-what did you say? Buy three courtyards at once? Th-that will cost a fortune! Do you even have enough money on hand?"
Pei's Mother also anxiously grabbed Shen Nanchu's hand.
"Nanchu, don't be impulsive! One courtyard is enough for us to live in. What do we need so many for?"
Shen Nanchu picked up the bag from the ground and handed it to Pei's Mother, smiling reassuringly.
"Mom, don't worry. I've saved up some money before, and with Zhengnian's allowance, it's more than enough to pay for these three courtyards."
"Besides, these three courtyards are next to each other. Once connected in the future, they'll be spacious enough. No matter how many of us there are, we'll all have room to live comfortably."
"Acquiring more property now means we'll always have a secure home, no matter what happens in the future."
Shen Nanchu paused, then added,
"And these courtyards are in a good location, convenient for getting anywhere, and close to the police station."
"It's not easy to come across such suitable courtyards now. If we miss this chance, it might not come again."
Shen Nanchu was even planning to sneak out another day herself to buy a few more properties!
Jiang Jie looked at Shen Nanchu's clear and logical manner, and remembered what his elder sister had said about her efficiency in running the rabbit farm and making shampoo in Wangjia Village. He gradually felt convinced.
"You girl, you're even more decisive than a man! As long as your mother agrees, your Eldest Uncle will go talk to the owners right away. We can get the household registrations transferred today!"
Shen Nanchu looked at Pei's Mother.
"You manage the money, you decide."
Pei's Mother reluctantly agreed.
However, she was very happy in her heart.
"Eldest Uncle, let's do it this way: schedule meetings for all three, staggered by half an hour each."
Jiang Jie nodded.
If people found out one person bought three properties all at the same time, there would be endless gossip.
After all, in these times, being too wealthy wasn't necessarily a good thing.
That very afternoon, Jiang Jie helped contact the three owners one by one and obtained housing transfer certificates from their work units.
In the late 1970s, for a private property transfer to feel secure, you needed a certificate from the work unit or the neighborhood committee.
Shen Nanchu pretended to go to the bank and withdrew stacks of cash. She counted out the payment clearly in front of each owner, her efficiency earning praise from all of them.
By the time all three courtyards were properly transferred, the sun was already setting in the west.
Jiang Jie handed the three keys to Shen Nanchu and couldn't help but sigh with feeling,
"Nanchu, with this, you've become a major courtyard owner in the hutong! If your Eldest Aunt ever kicks me out in the future, I'll have to come to you for meals!"
Shen Nanchu held the keys, her smile radiant.
"No problem, we'll make sure you're stuffed!"
……