Chapter 36 Chapter 36 Oh no, my heart is moved again. ...

Chapter 36

Ah Hui also had a bit of a mischievous streak. Seeing her new friend's look of disbelief, she let out a satisfied laugh before speaking seriously. "Actually, when I first decided to study this, I was determined to succeed or die. The tuition alone was several thousand yuan, and all the tools the teacher used in class were extra. A full set of makeup and other tools would cost another one or two thousand yuan. Plus, this course is full-time, just like school, with a few classes in the morning and a few in the afternoon. The course I signed up for lasts three months, and I need to pass an exam to get the school's certificate and job recommendation. If I don't pass, I have to continue studying. So I need to save at least three months of living expenses. The school took into consideration that many of us students are from other places and need food and accommodation, so they provided us with dormitories and a small cafeteria. However, everything has to be paid for, so the cost isn't cheap..."

"But living in a shared dormitory is still much more cost-effective and safer than renting a place on your own." Ah Hui went into great detail, highlighting the pitfalls she'd encountered during the training. Finally, she concluded, "I later calculated that the total cost of completing the program was nearly 5,000 yuan, nearly double the tuition they initially advertised!"

Amin knew her friend was just being blunt, and fearing Liu Suqin might misunderstand her complaints, she quickly explained, "It can't be helped. If you want to learn a useful craft and don't want to spend years becoming an apprentice, you'll have to spend more money. Besides, there's only one professional training school in Shenzhen, so they can charge whatever they want. But at least this school will teach seriously and can actually find jobs for students. They're pretty trustworthy."

"That's true. Most of the teachers at our school are quite nice. They teach seriously and responsibly. If you don't understand something, just ask and they'll teach you step by step. The students with the best graduating grades were indeed recommended by the school for internships, and the others who weren't recommended have basically found jobs with their certificates. It's not a scam in that regard. It's just the tuition. They could have made it clear from the beginning. Later I found out that many students were like me, excitedly registering with tuition, thinking they could start classes as soon as they paid, only to be told they also had to prepare money for tools and at least three months of room and board. I was completely stunned. I had no idea where I was going to come up with such a large sum of money."

The tuition fee of nearly three thousand yuan was all of Ah Hui's savings over the years. She felt really helpless at that time. She thought she was about to start a new life, but the next second she was struck by a bolt from the blue and lost all hope. Fortunately, she had a good sister named Ah Min. When she learned about the difficulties she encountered, she asked her husband Ah Liang to send her two thousand yuan without saying a word.

Of course, Aliang is also a very good person. Not only does he listen to his wife, but when he gives her money, he also constantly comforts and encourages her, telling her not to rush to pay the money back, to attend classes well, and to focus on learning the skills so that she won't have to worry about making money in the future.

Some of her classmates were not as lucky as her. In the end, they could only scrape together money from everywhere, borrowing from friends, colleagues, relatives, and almost everyone they knew, before they could barely get together the follow-up expenses.

There is no other way. Such a large amount of tuition fees cannot be wasted. I have to grit my teeth and finish this course.

Because of this, the atmosphere in their training class was very heavy, and most people were burdened with unprecedented psychological pressure.

Perhaps pressure can motivate them to study harder and get the best graduation results, but no one who has experienced this feeling would want to experience it again.

Yes, Ah Hui did taste the sweetness of having a skill. She earned back all her expenses with interest within a few months of work. Her income in the last two months was something she had never dared to dream of before. But when she mentioned the training school, the first thing she thought of was those dark days, which left her with a lingering fear.

So whenever someone asked about the training school, she would always patiently list all the costs clearly, not wanting them to fall into the same trap.

Even if Liu Suqin didn't know Ah Hui's original experience, she knew that the person who described Ah Hui in such detail was well-intentioned. Moreover, similar routines were so common decades later that it could be said that "every day there is a different trick."

Liu Suqin understood Ah Hui's feelings and agreed, "They do have some deliberate misleading when it comes to recruiting students. In Shenzhen, especially within the city limits, salaries are pretty good. If they advertise a tuition fee of just over 2,000, people will think it's okay, and that saving up a year's salary to learn a craft is still worth it. But if they told you it would cost around 5,000, I think most people would just give up. What else could they do with that money?"

Ah Hui agreed. "That's right. If I'd known it would cost five thousand, I wouldn't have considered it. If I really had that much money, I would have gone straight into business. Some people buy goods from here and then open a shop back home selling clothes and shoes. They can make a lot of money there."

Liu Suqin encouraged her, "Ahui, your current income is not much different from doing business. What's more, there are more opportunities in the big city than in my hometown."

"Not really. I've made more money these past two months because I've been working overtime a lot, plus I've been taking on some private work. You don't know, but my first month's salary after becoming a regular employee last year was about the same as my previous salary at the factory. My family even made fun of me, thinking I was just wasting my time."

Amin comforted her gently, "Now they know you are right. They all praised you when they went home for the New Year."

Liu Suqin analyzed it from another perspective, saying, "In just one year, her income has increased several times, which further proves that this industry has unlimited prospects. I also believe that practice makes perfect. The longer you work, the better your skills will be. With word of mouth from customers, I'm sure in a few years, Ah Hui will become a trusted 'veteran' and be so busy with orders that she won't even have time to count the money."

Ah Hui burst out laughing. "Although what you said is exaggerated, Ah Qin, there is still one thing that is true. In our industry, the older you are, the more popular you are. As time goes by, your skills will become more sophisticated, and clients will trust you and introduce other clients to us, so your income will continue to increase. So I also advised Ah Min not to always stay at home and revolve around your husband and children. While you are still young, you should learn a skill. Our training school is professional in teaching and has a wide variety of courses, including beauty, hairdressing, and makeup. But if Ah Min also learns makeup, I can guide her in the future and introduce clients to her, helping her gain a foothold in this industry earlier and avoid taking some detours, right? But she didn't listen to me -"

Amin was coaxing her son nearby, occasionally teasing the little guest Fangfang. She simply smiled at her friend's "accusations" and slowly explained, "It's not that I don't listen to you. Aliang also supports me taking makeup classes. It's just that Zaizai is still young and not yet old enough to go to kindergarten, so I can't take him to class. And even if the school agrees, I won't be able to find a job after graduation. No boss would agree to let me work with a child on my back. Just wait a little longer, there's no rush."

"Then how long are you going to wait?" Ah Hui still disagreed. "Your mother said she would stay home to help you take care of Zai Zai until he started school. It would have been better if she had just agreed."

Amin still shook his head, his voice soft but firm. "When we got married, Aliang scraped together money and borrowed from everyone he knew to buy a house here. It was so that we could settle down in Shenzhen and have children together as a family."

Li Liang, who came out with the fruit, smiled good-naturedly, "Don't worry, Ah Hui. I'm working hard to make money and saving it. I'm going to move to a bigger house in two years. Then I'll bring my mom over to help take care of the kids and cook. Then Ah Min can go out to work like you."

Liu Suqin wasn't surprised to hear they'd bought this house before they got married. She was just a little curious, "Brother Li, your house is quite large, with two bedrooms. And Zai Zai will be sleeping with Mom and Dad for a few more years. Isn't this a ready-made guest room?"

Brother Li explained, "The house is barely big enough for us to live in, but I didn't think too much about it at the time. The biggest problem was that we had no money. Besides the first floor, we could only afford the fifth floor and up, so we ended up choosing this one. Ah Hui and I aren't afraid of climbing stairs, but my parents are old and have difficulty walking. Plus, they've lived in a bungalow in the countryside all their lives. I'm also worried that asking them to help take care of the children and climb so many stairs every day might cause them to accidentally fall and get hurt, which would be more trouble than it would take. So I'm thinking of working harder in the next two years. Even if we can't afford a building with an elevator, we'll move to a lower floor so we can invite them over."

"Then our families are similar. We both came from impoverished families and had to work to make ends meet. We had to rely on ourselves for everything." It was only during this visit that Liu Suqin realized that the Northeastern hunk she had always considered, Brother Li, was only twenty-eight years old. Perhaps from years of working in the sun, he was not only tanned, but also aged faster than his peers. Of course, Amin was younger than him, at twenty-five, and like her, had married young.

Looking at the couple, Liu Suqin felt very involved and said with great emotion, "But you were able to buy a house in Shenzhen so early, which is really amazing."

If she didn't have the golden finger, she couldn't even flatter others as much as others.

"No, no." Li Liang thought she was bragging about her business dealings, so he quickly praised her and her husband for their ability, courage, and exceptional vision. He then briefly explained, "Just like what I told Amin, when I bought the house, I only had a little over 10,000 yuan. My parents gave me all the money they had saved for their funeral, which was still less than 20,000 yuan. Amin's parents also took out the money she had previously given me for household expenses. I had no choice but to ask my boss if he could advance me the next few years' salary. He knew I was buying a house, so he lent me 5,000 yuan in one go. That's how I bought the house."

Perhaps because he was talking about his expertise, Li Liang, who had rarely interrupted today, could no longer control his desire to share, or rather, to recommend something. "Aqin, don't underestimate this building because it's old. It's in a great location, and there were rumors of demolition. In just a few years, it's increased by over ten thousand. I've been selling houses for so many years, and apart from commercial properties, I've never seen an old house appreciate more than this."

Li Liang's performance has improved by leaps and bounds in the past two years. His highest monthly salary plus bonus is close to 3,000. He has long paid off the foreign debt for buying a house, bought a motorcycle, and also saved some money.

If he wants to replace his house, he can actually move to a bigger, newer and more livable one at any time and bring his parents to live with him.

But he would rather save money to buy another one, and even hopes that the loan policy can be introduced and implemented in Shenzhen as soon as possible. He has never thought about selling his current house. He is just gambling on that possibility.

For people like them who come from the lower classes and can only work hard to survive, this is a gamble that determines whether they will have mountains of gold and silver or live on coarse food for the rest of their lives. Winning is undoubtedly a way to change their destiny.

If you lose the bet, just continue to work and make money.

However, when Li Liang bought the house, there was no such rumor. He was in this line of work, so he was extremely patient in searching and investigating for himself after work. He repeatedly tested the landlord's bottom line and finally closed the deal at the most favorable market price.

In other words, he didn't pay any money for this gamble, and if he lost, he wouldn't lose anything. Even if his house wasn't demolished in the end, the house price would still be rising steadily. It had increased by over 10,000 yuan in just three or four years. Where else could you find a more profitable investment? In short, even if Brother Li was dreaming, he had a very stable mentality.

He wasn't the only one who didn't want to give up this glimmer of hope. Liu Suqin's eyes also lit up after hearing this. "What? Is this news true?"

Li Liang laughed and shook his head. "If anyone tells you it's true, then it's probably a lie. If there really were such accurate inside information, others would be hiding it too late."

Liu Suqin thought she had a chance to catch such a good thing, but after hearing what he said, she felt a little discouraged.

Seeing this, Brother Li patiently explained to her, "Speaking of demolitions, similar rumors have been heard in many places, with all kinds of true and false news flying around, and in the end, far less than 10% of them are actually implemented. However, those of us who have been in this industry for a long time know that most of the areas that were eventually demolished had rumors about them a long time ago. It's just that this kind of news comes out every once in a while, but no confirmed news is available for a long time. After a long time, some people start to think of it as a joke, just like the story of the wolf in the book. The situation where there is no news or rumors at the beginning and then suddenly receives a demolition notice is a rare case among the rare ones."

Liu Suqin understood. If she wanted to take a gamble, instead of looking for a needle in a haystack, she might as well choose a place where the rumor had spread. The probability of it coming true would be relatively higher.

Of course, the probability is very limited, and this kind of thing mainly depends on luck.

And everything has its pros and cons. She was hoping to find a bargain, and the seller would definitely raise the price based on this news, whether it was true or not.

I just don't know how much higher than the market price it is.

Thinking of this, Liu Suqin began to inquire about the market conditions near Brother Li's home.

Li Liang was somewhat surprised. He talked about this mainly because of his occupational disease and told the guests about it as a topic of conversation. Unexpectedly, Liu Suqin was moved again.

The key point is that she had just bought a house a while ago. When she bought it, she told him that she had no money and had spent all her savings. But she fell in love with the building where he lived so soon. How rich must she be to buy a house like a cabbage?

Brother Li was indignant and no longer believed his client's claim of "no money." However, that didn't stop him from quickly replying, "There aren't many houses around here, especially the two rows we live in. But as far as I know, no house of my size or layout has sold for less than 45,000 yuan in recent months, even on the top floor."

Li Liang recommends houses to clients. Like all real estate agents, he likes to exaggerate the value of the house, saying that missing out on it will result in a loss of 100 million yuan. However, he is still relatively conservative. When selling, he always starts with the value and practicality of the house itself. Things like investment appreciation and a certain probability of demolition are just icing on the cake and are not decisive factors.

Especially when it comes to demolition, unless you happen to catch it like him, or really have inside information, it might be faster to just buy a lottery ticket instead of spending a high price to buy an apartment and wait for the demolition notice that may come at an unknown date.

Buying a house for investment is a bit far-fetched. With so much money, it is better to invest in stocks. Investing in shops is also a good choice, or going to Hainan to speculate in real estate. The houses there have completely become commodities. Anyway, it is more profitable than buying a house in Shenzhen.

Seeing that Liu Suqin wasn't asking casually, Brother Li gave her a fairly objective analysis of the pros and cons. "Demolition and relocation are still too vague, and even if they can be demolished, there's no telling when it will happen. Let's put that aside for now and look at the conditions of the house itself. You've already seen the condition of my place. It's a bit old, but it has a separate bathroom and kitchen, which is better than many old houses. The lighting is also pretty good. With a little sprucing up, it should be quite comfortable to live in. Most importantly, it's conveniently located. There's a large bus stop just a few hundred meters away, connecting to all parts of the city, so finding a rental is pretty easy. The rent is also higher than in the urban villages. Our area is relatively safe, unlike the mixed crowds in the urban villages. Many women with good salaries prefer to rent in these family housing buildings. But there's also a major drawback: the price is too high. If you're simply interested in the demolition and don't care about anything else, there's no need to hang your head on one tree. I'll look for other properties and compare prices later. What do you think?"

Ahui has never been interested in buying a house. She feels that even if her monthly salary is over a thousand yuan, it is difficult to buy a house in Shenzhen entirely on her own. After all, she earns more and spends more. Her current job does not provide food and accommodation, so everything costs money.

What's more, her family is eagerly waiting for her to earn money to build a new house.

Ever since Liu Suqin and Li Liang started discussing house prices with great interest, Ah Hui became a little bored. She teased the two kids next to her and listened in on what they were saying.

When Li Liang mentioned their current house price, Ah Hui's pupils suddenly widened. It took her a long time to digest the news. Finally, she couldn't help but lean over to her friend's ear and ask, "Amin, did I hear wrong, or did I remember it wrong? It seems like you only spent 30,000 to buy this house. Does that mean you made a net profit of 15,000?"

Ah Hui felt that her worldview was shattered. She was still happily calculating that she earned more than a thousand yuan a month and could save at least five or six thousand yuan a year. But her best friend and his wife bought a house and could earn five or six thousand yuan a year for free without doing anything. At the same time, they could still live in their own house and save a lot of rent. How could such a good thing exist in the world?

Because it was too shocking, Ah Hui's whisper was also heard by the other two people who were chatting animatedly.

Li Liang took the time to turn around and explain, "No, the purchase, including miscellaneous expenses, cost over 31,000 yuan."

But it was true that he made a lot of money, so after he said that, he smiled and asked Ah Hui if she had changed her mind and was reconsidering buying a house in Shenzhen, and he could help keep an eye on it.

This time, Ah Hui didn't refuse outright. Instead, she murmured in a daze, "I really should think about it carefully."

Seeing this, Amin gently persuaded her friends to save more money in the future and come to her house for dinner when they are free after work. They don't need to buy so many clothes and shoes. That way, they can save 80% of their salary in a month, and buying a house will not be as difficult as they imagined.

Seeing this, Li Liang also withdrew his gaze and waited patiently for the big customer's consideration result.

Liu Suqin thought that 45,000 yuan was less than the child's father's monthly income, so it was worth a gamble. After all, even if the house was not demolished in the end, it was still a bargain, so there was no loss.

She decisively asked Brother Li to look for a house, preferably one near their area. Liu Suqin herself was also optimistic about this section of road. With such convenient transportation, it would not be difficult to rent or sell it in the future.

Li Liang happily agreed. He had only just been entertaining a friend, but unexpectedly, he landed another order while chatting. Wouldn't that make him work harder to serve his customers? He almost wanted to get to work right away.

Liu Suqin, having listened to his warning, knew that there were not many houses available here, and since her family was doing OK now, she did not expect to get rich quickly through demolition, and was not in a hurry for results. After talking about the house, she continued to discuss makeup with Ah Hui and the others.

It can be seen that Ahui really loves this job. She always carries cosmetics and tools in her bag when she goes out, and she can't wait to show her magical face-changing skills to every female friend.

But her best friend Amin was not interested at all. Every time Ahui came over excitedly with tools, she always came back empty-handed.

This time, meeting Ah Qin, who shared the same interests and hobbies as her, Ah Hui felt like they had met too late. She opened her makeup bag and showed it off like a treasure. Liu Suqin didn't hesitate to refuse, but agreed generously. "You want to do my makeup? That's great! Actually, I noticed Ah Hui's makeup as soon as I walked in this morning, especially her eyes. They're not as shiny as other people's eye makeup, and her eyelashes are not exaggerated, but they are just so beautiful, big and bright. I was just about to ask you how you did it."

Ah Hui smiled and took out a powder puff. "I'll explain while I'm applying makeup. Speaking of eye makeup, our teacher, Mr. Lin, is particularly good at it. Don't be fooled by his male teacher, he's very patient and meticulous, and speaks softly. Not only can you learn a lot from his class, but the atmosphere is also lively and the class will pass by easily with just a few laughs... Oh, Ah Qin, you put on foundation before going out, right? I'll cover it with the powder puff and set your makeup at the same time."

Liu Suqin nodded honestly, "Yes, I put on foundation, and drew my eyebrows and lips, but my eyes looked weird no matter how I drew them." She herself didn't expect that after watching so many makeup videos in her previous life and accumulating a lot of theoretical knowledge, she still found she had no idea where to start when she picked up the brush.

It’s okay if she just tinkers around at home, but when she comes to visit today, she naturally won’t have a messy makeup on her face.

"You are so beautiful and have good skin. You will look bright when you go out with just a thin layer of foundation. Your eyebrows are well drawn. It will be fine if you practice more." Ahui comforted Liu Suqin skillfully while brushing.

After a while, a beautiful woman with bright eyes and white teeth appeared in the mirror. Liu Suqin couldn't believe that she looked like this.