Back at the courtyard house, the gate was still closed. As usual, I climbed over the wall again.

After returning home, I took out my bicycle, glanced at my younger brother who was still sleeping, and then went outside to practice martial arts.

First, he warmed up by standing in a stance. Half an hour later, Sun Zhengguo began practicing his moves. After six years of continuous practice, Sun Zhengguo's moves have reached a high level. It is believed that it will not be long before he reaches a state of perfection and breaks through to the peak of Ming Jin (a type of internal strength).

The family ate breakfast together in the morning, and the younger brother didn't ask anything, probably because he didn't notice. After breakfast, Sun Zhengguo pushed his stroller to school.

When passing by the vicinity of the black market, Sun Zhengguo made a point of stopping for a few minutes to check the surrounding area, so that he could find a place to trade later.

Sun Zhengguo discovered that there were many houses and crisscrossing alleys near the black market, which he guessed was a place Tiger deliberately chose to make it easier for him to escape. Since he had to go to school, he could only take some time to look around and see if he could rent a room.

After a quick glance, Sun Zhengguo rushed to school. The college entrance examination was just around the corner, and the studies were quite intense. If he was late, the teachers wouldn't care about his grades; he would still be criticized.

When Sun Zhengguo arrived at school, his classmates were already there and studying. He was the last one to arrive, and he returned to his seat feeling a little embarrassed. His best friend Zheng Wenhua started making fun of him again.

"Sun, how do you manage to arrive at school on time every day? With such an attitude, how did you manage to get first place in the entire grade? What's your secret?"

Zheng Wenhua asked in a serious tone.

"Comrade, please speak Chinese. We don't understand your way of speaking."

"Hahaha……."

Sun Zhengguo's words amused Zheng Wenhua, and the two bantered for a while before the math teacher walked in and began the first lesson.

...

"Ding ding ding..."

As the bell rang, the teacher next to the podium announced the end of get out of class. This was the last class of the morning, so the students all rushed to the cafeteria.

Sun Zhengguo and Zheng Wenhua went to the cafeteria together. After eating, Zheng Wenhua went back to the classroom to study, while Sun Zhengguo made an excuse that he had something to do at home and pushed his bike out of the school gate.

Before long, they arrived near the black market and prepared to rent a place. They asked around, but no one knew anything about it.

Finally, someone told him that there was a man named Ding Qizhen nearby who worked part-time as a real estate agent, and he could try contacting him.

So, following the address given to him, Sun Zhengguo arrived at Ding Qizhen's house.

"Knock knock knock..."

Is anyone home?

Sun Zhengguo knocked on the door and asked.

"Who is it? Coming, coming."

Hearing that someone was looking for them, the person inside quickly came over and opened the door.

When the door opened and he saw who it was, Sun Zhengguo almost burst out laughing.

The newcomer was dressed in a long gown, wearing a melon-shaped hat and old-fashioned small glasses. His two small mustaches were very lifelike, making him look exactly like a Qing Dynasty clerk.

Ding Qizhen saw the young man at the door looking him over and quickly asked.

Who are you looking for?

Coming to his senses, Sun Zhengguo realized that it was impolite to stare at others like that, and quickly said something.

"Sir, I'm looking for Ding Qizhen. Does he live here?"

"That's me. Is there something you need?"

Sun Zhengguo was surprised to find that the old man was Ding Qizhen, and then said.

"Oh, it's you! Okay, I'll get straight to the point. I'm looking to rent an apartment around here, and someone recommended you to me. I was wondering if you've heard anything about me?"

Upon hearing that there was business, Ding Qizhen immediately became polite.

"Sir, please come in. Let's talk inside."

The two entered the house, and Ding Qizhen served tea, then found an account book and started flipping through it.

Soon, he found information on several houses, but Sun Zhengguo shook his head. These houses were either large courtyards or too small, and none of them were suitable.

Ding Qizhen saw that it wasn't appropriate, so he simply stopped flipping through it and then said...

"All the houses around here are here. There's only one that suits you, but it's for sale only, not for rent, and it's not cheap."

After Ding Qizhen finished speaking, he picked up his teacup and used the lid to gently brush the tea leaves off the surface.

Sun Zhengguo realized that this old man was trying to kick him out!

Sun Zhengguo didn't want to buy a house at first, fearing trouble when the wind picked up, but then he thought it wouldn't hurt to buy one. At worst, his grandparents could move in, and then no one would bother them.

Thinking of this, Sun Zhengguo picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and said calmly.

"Tell me about this house. If the price is right, I'll buy it."

Ding Qizhen, who was playing with the cup lid, trembled slightly upon hearing Sun Zhengguo's words. His expression immediately brightened, and he respectfully replied.

"Alright, sir, I'll tell you right away."

Through Ding Qizhen's description, Sun Zhengguo gained a certain understanding of the house.

The house belongs to an elderly couple whose children live in Hong Kong. The couple is now planning to move there as well, so they are going to sell the house.

This small courtyard house is located in Juhua Hutong. It has three main rooms, two side rooms, and a kitchen and a toilet built later. The total area is 220 square meters. Because the house is too big, it has not been sold yet.

After learning about the house, Sun Zhengguo felt that the size of the house was just right. Even if he was found out later, he wouldn't be afraid. After all, he had a large family. With so many people, it wasn't unreasonable for them to have a few rooms, right?

Sun Zhengguo glanced at his watch; there was still more than an hour before class, so he should have enough time. He then said to Ding Qizhen.

"Can I go take a look?"

"I'm afraid it's not possible now. We'll have to wait a few more days because the homeowners have gone to Tianjin and won't be back for a few days."

After Ding Qizhen finished speaking, he glanced nervously at Sun Zhengguo, fearing that Sun Zhengguo might not be willing to wait.

"You can just show me the house from outside. If I feel it's suitable, I can wait until the other person comes back to take a look."

"Okay! Anyway, it's not far from here."

After Ding Qizhen finished speaking, he took out his bicycle and led the way, with Sun Zhengguo following behind.

Five minutes later, the two arrived at the gate of an exquisite courtyard house. They walked around the courtyard house and Sun Zhengguo was very satisfied. The decorations in front of the gate were beautiful and the outer wall bricks were all new. He just didn't know what the inside was like.

Sun Zhengguo looked around and, seeing no one, leaped forward and was already leaning against the wall. This action startled Ding Qizhen, who almost cried out, but he was relieved to see that Sun Zhengguo was only looking from the wall.

After looking around the courtyard, Sun Zhengguo was even more satisfied. The houses inside were also quite nice and well-maintained. There were also pomegranate trees, grape trellises, lotus leaf pots, and other things that other courtyards had.

Looking at Sun Zhengguo who had jumped down and then at his expression, Ding Qizhen understood what was going on and then said.

"Not bad, right? Let me tell you, this house is filled with antique furniture from the Ming and Qing dynasties. The calligraphy and paintings on the walls, and the porcelain and bronze ornaments on the tables are all antiques."

"Alright, let's talk about it when the landlord gets back. Also, find me a bigger empty house or storage room. There aren't any nearby, so any further away is fine!"

Even though Sun Zhengguo bought such a nice house, he couldn't bear to use it as a warehouse and decided to rent another one.

The two then discussed the fees. If the rental agreement was successful, Ding Qizhen would need to pay 5 yuan. If the purchase agreement was successful, the fee would be 1% to 3% of the total price, depending on the transaction price.

After the two reached an agreement, they agreed to meet again the next day. Seeing that there wasn't much time left, Sun Zhengguo rode his bicycle towards the school.

Otherwise, our classmates will laugh at us again!