At sixteen, Liu Suqin graduated from junior high and went south with her cousin to work. Like most factory girls, she met a young male colleague she liked, quickly fell in love, got married, and th...
Chapter 144 Chapter 144 The best arrangement.
Fangfang's birthday party was a great success. The parents of the invited children were very cooperative. They sent their children to the entrance of McDonald's at the appointed time, greeted Liu Suqin and Lin Nanjiang and thanked them for the hospitality. They came back to pick up their children after the event and then waved goodbye and left.
Liu Suqin and Lin Nanjiang certainly could not let them down. Although the staff said that they were experienced and parents did not need to worry about the safety of their children during the event, the couple still insisted on guarding outside the store.
I wasn't watching in the store because, of course, I didn't want to disturb the children's happy time.
But they were not the type to be unwilling to endure hardships. They had already prepared and communicated with the person in charge, and obtained special permission to park the car in front of their store. The couple sat in the car and watched the children jumping and making noises through the glass door from a distance.
Liu Suqin was tired of sitting, so she left Lin Nanjiang and went shopping at a nearby mall. She bought a bunch of dolls and brought them back for the children to choose from.
When Lin Nanjiang accompanied Fangfang to invite the little guests, he was afraid that the parents would feel pressured to find out the venue for the birthday party, so he told them in advance that they didn't need to prepare gifts. However, the parents prepared them anyway, and compared with the gifts the children usually exchanged, they were a little more expensive. Liu Suqin felt a little sorry for it. They arranged the venue at McDonald's simply because their daughter liked it and didn't want to increase the financial burden on the children's families, so they prepared some return gifts that they would like as a token of their appreciation.
Liu Suqin returned to the car carrying a bunch of dolls, and Lin Nanjiang was fiddling with the digital camera in his hand.
I brought this big baby with me specifically so that I could go in and record the happy moments of my daughter and her friends every once in a while, as precious material for her growth.
Lin Nanjiang just went in to take pictures for a few minutes. When he saw his wife finished shopping, he immediately showed her the pictures. "Look how happy our daughter is today. Her smile is so sweet. She looks good from any angle."
Liu Suqin leaned over to take a look and greatly approved of Lin Nanjiang's filming. "Did you bring your camera?"
"I brought it, what's wrong?"
Liu Suqin suggested, "Let's take a few group photos of them before we finish. We can develop them later and give a copy to each child."
The photo-taking function of Lin Nanjiang's latest imported digital camera is not outstanding. Given a choice, it is better to use a camera to match his skills.
"That makes sense. When this semester is over, Fangfang and her friends will be entering first grade. Even if they remain in the same elementary school, they may be assigned to different classes, making it difficult for them to be together like they are now. This will also be a precious memory they share."
At the end of the event, Lin Nanjiang took out his camera and took pictures of the children carefully. Coincidentally, the parents also arrived early, so everyone took a very lively group photo.
The last group said goodbye at the entrance of McDonald's. The children skipped away holding their parents' hands, while Xiao Fangfang held her sister Tingting who was upstairs. The two girls climbed into the back seat skillfully. Liu Suqin also considerately gave up her seat and quietly sat in the passenger seat so that the two little girls could cuddle with each other as much as they wanted.
Tingting is one and a half years older than Fangfang. What her grandmother said at the beginning, that the older sister should play with the younger sister, has come true. Before Fangfang went to kindergarten, she was basically the little follower of the neighbor sister. When she was not in school, she also liked to follow her sister Tingting to play with other girls in the community. Even though she had not learned how to jump rope as the girls did, she was very happy to stand there and serve as a stump for them.
In addition, the little guy accepted the fact that he started taking interest classes before going to school. In addition to the subtle influence of Liu Suqin and others, it was also partly due to the influence of Tingting.
The little girl's parents are both intellectuals. They attach great importance to her education and have arranged her interests and talents early on. When Fangfang saw that her older sister, whom she liked and admired, was also taking the class, she not only felt repulsive but also looked forward to it.
However, as neighbors for so many years, Liu Suqin and her family usually interact more with Tingting's grandmother, and can only recognize Tingting's parents when they walk on the street. But this does not affect the two children's familiarity with each other visiting each other and eating free meals.
So the little girl's parents had something to do and couldn't leave today, so they simply entrusted the child to Liu Suqin and Lin Nanjiang, and let her follow the neighbors.
After getting off the car at the community, Tingting followed directly to Liu Suqin's house. The two little girls skillfully went in to change their shoes, and then went to the children's room holding hands. They agreed in the car to play puzzles together when they came back.
Seeing the closed door, Liu Suqin and Lin Nanjiang didn't bother them. The couple watched TV in the living room. When Tingting's grandmother came to pick them up after finishing her work, Liu Suqin greeted them with a smile, "Aunt Qi, Tingting and Fangfang may need a while to finish the puzzle. If you're not busy, would you like to sit down and have some tea and watch some TV?"
Aunt Qi sat down on the sofa without any hesitation. "Forget about the tea. I'm old and I don't sleep well. I'll watch TV with you for a while."
Then the two of them chatted about family matters while watching the replay of the Spring Festival Gala, while Lin Nanjiang went to cut a fruit plate and brought it back.
Aunt Qi looks serious and has the temperament of a retired veteran cadre. Once you get to know her, you will find that she is a great gossip-monger. The old residents here are basically her old colleagues, and she often has first-hand information. But she is not the kind of person who spreads rumors or adds fuel to the fire. Instead, she shares facts very objectively and does not easily comment on or belittle anyone. Liu Suqin likes to gossip with her.
During the conversation, Aunt Qi talked about her family.
It's not a big deal, the old lady is just a little worried. Her son has performed well at work in recent years and is going to be promoted and get a raise. His superiors are planning to transfer him to work in Shanghai.
"He's capable of transferring his wife's work relationship there, and the couple can continue to be workaholics, but what will happen to our Tingting?"
Liu Suqin knew that Aunt Qi's husband passed away early, and her son and daughter-in-law were focused on their careers and basically treated their home as a hotel for sleeping. After the old lady retired, she was responsible for taking care of her granddaughter, which had become her whole life. It was basically impossible for the two of them to live separately.
Besides, with the intensity of Tingting's parents' work, without the old lady's help, who would pick up and drop off their children? Thinking of this, Liu Suqin asked, "Aren't you and Tingting planning to go to Shanghai?"
Aunt Qi sighed, "We live under the same roof but we still don't see each other. What will happen if we separate? But if we go to Shanghai with them, food and accommodation will be a problem. Housing is tight there. Arranging a single dormitory for the couple is enough, but if we take Tingting and me, a two-bedroom apartment in the family building will be the worst we can afford..."
Liu Suqin nodded. "A single dormitory is definitely not an option. Without a place to live, how can Tingting transfer her student status there? But then again, if the housing problem can be solved, moving to Shanghai would be a good option. Tingting's parents would have a bigger platform for work, and it's more prosperous there than here, with better educational resources and even more advanced medical care. It would be beneficial for your family of four."
"My son analyzed it the same way. He said people tend to move up," Aunt Qi sighed. "But there's no way to solve this housing problem. They're new here, have no experience, and don't have deep connections. Counting on the company to allocate housing is probably going to be a struggle."
"If I can't wait for my company to allocate housing, maybe I can consider buying a house first."
Aunt Qi's eyes lit up at first, then she shook her head and smiled bitterly, "How can it be that easy to buy a house? I heard that the housing prices in Shanghai are even more outrageous than here. Fangfang's parents are on a fixed salary, and with their savings plus my pension, they can only buy a toilet at best."
"We traveled to Shanghai two years ago and took a look at housing prices there. They're really booming, and the price-performance ratio is very high," Liu Suqin analyzed slowly. "Plus, there's a policy there where people with jobs can apply for bank loans to buy houses. My friend took out a mortgage on a house last year..."
This friend is undoubtedly Julie. Liu Suqin knows all the details of her house purchase, including the fact that she had to provide a certificate of being unmarried when submitting the documents.
It just so happened that Aunt Qi was also interested in these things, so Liu Suqin told her everything.
Aunt Qi used to be a cadre in her unit. Although she has been retired for many years, her vision and perspective still remain. She immediately realized that there is great potential in buying a house with a mortgage. "The housing problem will only get worse. My son, although not a big shot, is at least a pillar of his unit. He can't even count on getting a house, which shows how serious the situation is. In other words, today's housing prices are just the beginning. If I can't afford it now, I will definitely not be able to afford it in the future. It's still that mortgage you mentioned that is the real deal. Compared with prices of hundreds of thousands of yuan, a loan of 20 to 30 years only requires monthly repayments of a few hundred yuan. How much easier..."
Her pension alone is enough to pay off the loan, and her son and daughter-in-law's salary is more than enough to cover daily expenses and various training fees for Tingting, and will not affect their quality of life.
Seeing Aunt Qi's eager expression, Liu Suqin gave her a thumbs-up, admiring the old lady's vision and courage. "You're right. No matter where you are, it's better to buy a house sooner rather than later. You can go back and be kind to Tingting's parents."
"We need to discuss this with them. After all, the down payment and renovations for a house are a huge sum of money. I don't have that much money, and their salaries are limited. Although they don't have time to spend with the child, they usually provide Tingting with the best food, clothing, and training classes. We don't have much money left, so I guess we have to sell this house to raise money."
Liu Suqin's efforts to comfort the old lady were certainly not just idle chats. She had been waiting for this moment in her heart. She immediately said with a smile, "Aunt Qi, if your family is interested in selling the house, you must give me priority."
"Why, are you interested?"
Liu Suqin nodded and didn't mention the second child. "My room is full. Sometimes when guests come over, we can't even spare a guest room. I actually want to make a study room like the one in the TV and a cloakroom. Fangfang is growing up, and her children's room is a bit small. I want to give her a bigger bedroom when I have the chance. If we can buy your house, we can connect our two houses and make a duplex. Then all these problems will be solved."
"Of course not! If we connect our upstairs and downstairs, the area will be comparable to some single-family villas. You and your whole family can live here until Fangfang grows up and starts her own family." Aunt Qi finished her joke and nodded. "But your family is really big. Even if we can squeeze in now, we'll definitely need a bigger house in the future. Your plan is really cost-effective. I'll find time to talk to Tingting's parents. If they plan to sell the house, you'll definitely be the first person they contact."
Aunt Qi agreed so readily that Liu Suqin was also happy. As she sent the grandparents and grandchildren out, she was still thanking them, "Thank you. We have been neighbors for so many years. We won't take advantage of you. The price and other things are negotiable."
This kind of opportunity is rare. As long as the whole family can live in a place that suits their needs, Liu Suqin doesn't mind spending a little more money.
Although she was looking forward to good news from upstairs, Liu Suqin did not stay at home waiting for the results.
Xiao Fangfang's birthday was over and the holiday was almost over. Considering that the family of three would be "alone" in Shenzhen, Qian Juxiang and her family returned to the city a few days earlier than in previous years.
This time, Liu Erge also packed his bags and went south with his parents and younger brother to make a living. Lin Nanjiang went to the station to pick him up and the house gradually returned to its former bustle.
After the family had a good reunion for two days, Liu Erge packed his luggage and went to Liu Ping's house. He would live with Liu Ping during his work. As for food, Lin Nanjiang would definitely solve the food problem before starting work at the construction site. He would invite a chef to cook at the construction site, or order boxed lunches from a nearby restaurant. Liu Erge would definitely eat and drink with his fellow workers when he was at work.
In short, this medium-sized project still has a lot of things to do and all aspects need to be taken into consideration. Lin Nanjiang has already been busy in advance, and Liu Suqin doesn't want to increase his burden, so she picked a time and called Qian Juxiang to accompany her to the hospital for examination.
As expected, she got pregnant and the fetus was fine.
With a stone lifted from her chest, Liu Suqin began to peacefully take care of her pregnancy. While Lin Nanjiang was busy, she lived a peaceful life at home. Her biggest activity every day was when she picked up Fangfang from school and took a visit to the photography studio and beauty salon. From time to time, she would give some loving cakes, milk tea, snacks, etc. to the employees who worked diligently to create KPIs for her, to show that she, as a boss, still cared about everyone.
A year later, there was a new look on the street. Liu Suqin accidentally discovered that a milk tea shop had opened.
Of course, today's milk tea is full of technology and hard work. Various flavor powders are mixed together, and the fragrance spreads from miles away. It is also under the banner of being introduced from Hong Kong and Taiwan to the mainland, and the business is quite prosperous.
After seeing this, Liu Suqin couldn't help but sigh that she was born at the wrong time. If she was reborn in the late 1990s, or even after the millennium, she wouldn't have to work so hard to set up a stall and sell fried noodles to make a fortune. She could just open a milk tea shop, which would immediately become popular among the nearby primary and secondary school students and she would easily make her first pot of gold.
Of course, if you think about it carefully, Liu Suqin still likes her current situation the most. She has everything she wants, and she can love her children again and accompany them in their childhood. She is simply the luckiest person in the world.
Everything is the best arrangement.
Satisfied with the current situation, Liu Suqin no longer envied others' prosperity, nor did she think of joining the trend. Instead, she enthusiastically took her daughter to queue up and ordered dozens of cups of pearl milk tea to be sent to the store.
However, she and her daughter didn't order any. After waiting in the milk tea shop for more than half an hour, their noses were almost numbed by the aroma. After finally delivering the two "orders" to their destination, Liu Suqin hurriedly drove her daughter home. "Honey, if you want milk tea, mommy can make it for you at home. You can also make pearls. It uses pure tea leaves and milk. It's guaranteed to be more fragrant and delicious than this."
-----------------------
The author has something to say: Oops, the prediction was wrong, the finale will be in the next chapter.