Chapter 85 Selling the House

Having talked about the daughter-in-law, it's time to show off the son.

"The second son runs a transportation company. It can't compare to yours, but we all think it's alright. I see... how many vehicles does Erming's company have again?"

Chen Yun quickly chimed in, not forgetting to be modest at the end: "Don't be fooled by the number of cars; they're all old and not worth much!"

"Sister Qiaoying is going to enjoy life from now on, she's going to enjoy life..." Dong Hui unconsciously raised his hand, and his smile began to become unnatural.

“Nian’an’s mother is telling the truth. Er Ming is just barely making ends meet; he can’t compare to you,” Dong Qiaoying said with a smile.

No one could tell what Dong Hui was thinking, but in an instant, a smile returned to her face, and she said to the two children, "Hurry up and call her aunt."

The girl pursed her lips and called out in broken Chinese, "Auntie," while her eyes kept glancing into the courtyard.

The eldest son, Dong Jieke, whose name is even foreign, nodded lazily. As if to greet him, he raised his hand and fanned his face, saying, "It stinks."

"No manners!" Dong Hui hissed, his gaze once again warning his son and daughter.

What Dong Jieke referred to as the "stench" was probably a faint musty smell in the house; it's inevitable that some mold spots would appear in places on the decades-old beams.

"We'll eat right away, you two rest for a bit." Dong Qiaoying didn't care whether the two children disliked her or not, but her attitude towards this family was naturally not as warm as before: "Then I'll go to the kitchen to cook, call me if you need anything."

"We're all family, don't be so polite."

"We can't let you drink porridge during the New Year," he said, patting Dong Hui on the shoulder as he stood up.

Chen Yun wisely followed him out.

"What did you hear them saying at the door? I'll go to the kitchen and ask Lao Gao and Shao to bring out a few dishes, but who cares..."

After secretly giving Chen Yun a task, Dong Qiaoying went into the kitchen and poured the freshly stewed pig's trotters back into the pot.

Soon, Dong Hui lowered his voice and reprimanded the two of them.

"If you dare to give me that attitude again, don't blame me for cutting off your allowances. Do you still think you're middle-class young masters and misses?"

"I'm telling you, we're going back to China..."

At this point, Dong Hui suddenly stopped and looked out the door, then continued speaking in a mix of foreign languages ​​and Chinese.

Chen Yun clicked her tongue twice in her mind.

They've started using encryption languages; it seems they really have some ulterior motives.

Others couldn't understand it, but Chen Yun, who had been learning foreign languages ​​since middle school in her previous life, understood it very easily.

Dong Hui did make some money doing secondhand business abroad ten years ago, but later he was swindled out of all his money by a friend and ended up owing a lot of debt.

They returned to China for two reasons.

Firstly, he wanted to take advantage of China's rapid development to earn money and pay off his debts; secondly, he wanted his son and daughter to stay in China to do business.

The eldest son, Dong Jieke, failed to get into a foreign university. If he stays abroad, he won't be able to find a job, let alone make ends meet.

My daughter... is in a similar situation.

As they were talking, Jiang Li suddenly interrupted Dong Hui: "We can't understand any of your foreign language!"

"I told you guys years ago that you should learn foreign languages ​​well... Even if you don't go to university, you can easily find a job teaching foreign languages ​​back in China. But look at the three of you, none of you can speak a foreign language fluently."

"You're no different!" Jiang Li sneered, her index finger almost poking Dong Hui's face. "We live in Chinatown, surrounded by Mandarin speakers. Who are we supposed to learn a foreign language from?"

Having lived abroad for decades, the whole family has lived in Chinatown, and both children attend Chinese-language schools.

They eat Chinese food, learn Chinese, and even earn money from overseas Chinese.

"Hmph!" Dong Hui could not refute it and could only snort coldly.

Jiang Li lowered her voice even further.

Chen Yun heard her suggest that the whole family should stay and develop their careers in China, and she was even thinking of asking Gao Ming to introduce them to some profitable business opportunities.

"Still want help?" Dong Hui coldly glanced at Dong Jieke and his sister: "It's already a favor that you're allowed to stay for a meal before getting out."

Dong Qiaoying's displeasure was so obvious that even if they were siblings, let alone cousins, no one would give you a kind look if you were disliked.

Dong Hui even deeply regretted bringing his children along, as his attempt to build a closer relationship had backfired and caused a lot of trouble.

"I'm warning you, you're not allowed to say a word while we're eating. If you mess things up, you'll see how I deal with you."

"What if they refuse to help?" Jiang Li worried.

"Now you know how to worry!" Dong Hui replied irritably, but his tone was clearly not so serious: "Even if they refuse to sell the house to us, it shouldn't be a problem to introduce me to two people who want to sell their houses."

So... he had the same purpose as that Mr. Cui from this morning.

Chen Yun nodded and went into the kitchen to tell Dong Qiaoying and Gao Ming what she had overheard.

Gao Ming looked up into the courtyard and saw Jiang Heping and Zeng Suyun setting off firecrackers at the door.

The crackling sound of firecrackers echoed through the alley.

“I think I know why!” Gao Ming raised an eyebrow and put the dishes he was about to serve back on the stove: “Did you know that the vegetable market at the entrance of the alley was demolished?”

"Of course I know!"

Gao Tiejun also lamented that he would have to go to the farmers' market two kilometers away to buy groceries in the future, which would be much farther.

“I heard from a friend in the municipal government that they are planning to build a subway station there.”

Subway construction resumed in the northern part of the city in 1984, and three lines have been planned this year, mostly around the first and second ring roads.

Guanming Hutong is located between the first and second ring roads, so it would be perfectly normal for a subway to be built there, given its geographical location.

However, due to the large number of nearby residential areas and historical buildings, the construction of a subway line would be too difficult, so the project has been shelved.

Suddenly they announced they were going to build a subway, without even the residents living nearby being informed.

"No wonder so many people are flocking to Guanming Hutong," Gao Tiejun said.

“Not a single one of them bought it intending to live there themselves; they all plan to resell it and make a fortune,” Gao Ming said.

"Do you think... Guanming Hutong will be demolished?" Chen Yun was more concerned about this.

"Let me ask around."

Dong Qiaoying pouted and said, "No matter what he says later, we should pretend we don't hear it!" After saying that, she picked up the plate of vegetables and stepped out the door.

Even without the braised pig's trotters, the lunch menu was still quite varied.

Jiang Li and Dong Jieke, siblings, showed the most dramatic changes in expression, imagining that their relatives in China, who were eating coarse food, had a much more abundant meal than they did.

The table was laden with chicken, duck, fish, and meat, and even large prawns.

Not only did he eat just as well, but his expression was also quite interesting when he saw Gao Nian'an fiddling with the mobile phone that Gao Ming had bought to call his grandfather to wish him a Happy New Year.

Later, the mother and her two children visibly became more affectionate towards Gao Nian'an and his sister.

But Gao Nian'an, who was quick to notice, ignored the others and, after eating a few bites of food, went to set off firecrackers.

Firecrackers, which most girls avoid, are her favorite. This morning, she pestered Gao Tiejun to buy two large boxes, determined to set them off as much as she wanted during the Spring Festival.

"Be careful, your hands might get burned."

All that remained for Chen Yun were two figures running away at full speed, while the older children, Gao Xiaojuan and Gao Yi, also chased after them.

"Gao Yi, keep an eye on your younger siblings."

"Okay, Auntie!"

Twenty-year-old Gao Yi looks exactly like Gao Fei, but their personalities are completely opposite; in some ways, he is more like Gao Ming.

Chen Yun felt that Gao Ming might have spent more time in contact with Gao Yi.

Qiu Zhifang was so angry she almost ground her teeth to powder; jealousy nearly overwhelmed her.

They raised their son with great care, but now that he's grown up, he's not close to his parents and prefers to be closer to his uncle and aunt's families.

Qiu Zhifang felt like she had raised an ungrateful child.

She still doesn't know how much Gao Yi earns repairing cars at the company, and every time she asks Gao Ming and Gao Yi, they give her the runaround.

I've been working for almost three years now and haven't seen a single penny from my family.

"Uncle, please eat more." Gao Lan smiled and served food to Dong Hui, then casually asked, "Where do your uncles stay when they go back to China?"

"Foreign-related hotels on Jianshe Street."

"That's quite far. Let my second brother take you back later... His car is parked at the entrance of the alley."

"Is that new car at the alley entrance yours?" Jiang Li blurted out, then realized she shouldn't have said it and quickly smiled, "We just saw a black sedan parked at the alley entrance on our way here."

"Why does my cousin live so far away? There's a hotel catering to foreigners right in front of our alley, and the environment is much better than the foreign-related hotels on Jianshe Street."

The difference between a hotel and a guesthouse is obvious just by looking at their specifications.

Of course, it's because hotels are much cheaper...

Jiang Li couldn't just reply like that, so she smiled nonchalantly and said, "It's because your cousin had an appointment to discuss business over there, and since we're unfamiliar with the area, we chose the closest one."

"What kind of business does your cousin do? He's making a little money with his niece too..." Gao Lan smiled.

Thanks to Jiang Li's prompting, Dong Hui was able to successfully state his purpose for the day.

“A friend of mine is planning to go back to China recently and asked me to find him a courtyard house. I think Guanming Hutong is a good choice in terms of both location and environment… Do you and your brother-in-law know anyone in the hutong who wants to sell their house?”

"..."

Dong spoke eloquently about that non-existent friend, emphasizing that the person simply preferred traditional Chinese courtyard houses.

“Most of the houses in Guanming Hutong are factory-owned properties, so even if someone wanted to sell them, they couldn’t!” Gao Tiejun said with a troubled expression.

This wasn't entirely a lie to Dong Hui. The right half of Guanming Hutong was public housing belonging to the grain factory, with seven or eight families living in each large courtyard.

Even if some people converted their public property to private property a few years ago, as long as there is still one room in the courtyard that belongs to the public, it cannot be sold.

The Gao family's house is indeed mostly an old house passed down from their family, but it has been home to several families.

Boss Cui didn't buy Zhang He's two houses today, because even if he did, they wouldn't be of much use.

Dong Hui pursed her lips tightly, and the smile on her lips gradually disappeared.

"Public housing?"

“That’s right.” Gao Ming replied with a sincere smile: “If you don’t believe me, just go out and ask around. Lots of people come to our alley to ask, but not one of them can buy it.”

Dong Hui remained silent for a while, then suddenly asked Gao Ming, "Er Ming, you've earned so much money, haven't you thought about buying your parents an apartment? Apartments have good lighting and toilets... Old houses are inconvenient in every way."

Chen Yun took the opportunity to put a few more bites of food into her bowl, listening to Dong Hui and Gao Ming talk as she ate.

Dong Qiaoying smiled just right: "Erming bought a new house, but my wife and I don't want to move. We're used to living in Guanming Hutong!"

"I can't bear to part with my old neighbors," Gao Tiejun also said.

They've made it very clear that they don't intend to sell the house, so there's no need to bring it up again.

Dong Hui indeed did not mention the house again afterward, and quickly said goodbye and left Guanming Hutong after finishing his meal.

Jiang Li originally wanted Gao Ming to drive the family home, but Gao Lan stopped her at the last minute with a single sentence.

"Look at my terrible memory, Zhou Jianguo will have to borrow my brother's car to haul goods in a bit."

Even though Dong Qiaoying warmly invited them to come again next time, Dong Hui knew that he would never be able to leave his cousin's side of the family again!

The appearance of the Dong family was just a minor incident for the Gao family.

But it was precisely because of this trip that Gao Ming and Chen Yun deeply felt that the housing market in Beicheng would experience explosive growth.

After seeing Dong Hui's family off, Chen Yun and Gao Ming went next door to check on Ruan Qiu.

Li Huguo didn't even come home for the New Year's Eve dinner, and it seems that Li Zhong and his wife are unaware of their son's situation.

"Brilliant." As soon as they returned to their front door, Chen Yun nudged Gao Ming: "Look."

Aunt Liu sat in front of the door, panting heavily, with mud still visible on her cotton shoes.

"Where has Aunt Liu gone?" Chen Yun greeted her, pretending not to know anything, with his hands in his sleeves. "Still so busy during the New Year!"

"Don't pretend, do you think I could hide the fact that my family is selling the house from you?" Aunt Liu rolled her eyes.

With such a commotion in the morning, she couldn't believe Chen Yun hadn't heard it. Plus, the fact that Zhang Quan and his wife were kicked out during the Lunar New Year meant that word of the Zhang family selling their house had probably spread throughout the entire alley by now.

Chen Yun grinned foolishly and shamelessly moved closer: "Auntie, don't be angry! I was just too embarrassed to ask you in person!"

"Selling a house is nothing shameful. I can sell my house to whomever I want."

Since they were moving anyway, Aunt Liu gave Chen Yun an even more unfriendly look, and rolled her eyes as she spoke.

Chen Yun wasn't annoyed and replied with a smile, "I just wanted to check on you since I didn't even hear from you, Auntie, who was panting and exhausted!"

Aunt Liu: "..."

Chen Yun was right; she searched the entire alley but couldn't find a single person who wanted to buy her two rooms.

Either they think the house is too small and too expensive, or they can't come up with that much money right away.

“I know Auntie wants to move into a new apartment and enjoy life… If no one else is willing to buy, we can help her out.”

What! You want to buy a house?

“The two children are growing up, and this house will be too small for them to live in.” Chen Yun started by talking about the children, then changed the subject: “If my parents weren’t unwilling to move, Gao Ming and I would also like to buy an apartment for them to enjoy their retirement.”

Aunt Liu looked Chen Yun up and down, then snorted irritably, "If you want to buy, just say so. Why beat around the bush so much!"

"If the price is right... Gao Ming and I are still planning to buy a commercial apartment."

Gao Ming immediately objected, saying, "Why didn't you discuss it with me first?"

"I……"

"Stop putting on this act!" Aunt Liu raised her hand with a half-smile: "Selling to whomever you want is the same, as long as you can afford the money... I'll sell!"

"We've made a fool of ourselves!" Chen Yun smiled and stopped arguing. "I wonder how much you're planning to sell it for, Auntie?"

The other families in the courtyard came out one after another after hearing the conversation.

Among them was the wife that Yan Jun had spent a lot of money to marry a few years ago.

The woman's name was Qian Jinhua. She was burly and looked quite fierce. Although she was the city girl that Grandma Jia longed for, she was even more ruthless than the country girls.

Ever since Qian Jinhua entered the family, Yan Jun has become henpecked and doesn't dare to utter a single word.

A few years ago, Grandma Jia started having trouble remembering things. Chen Yun thought it looked like she had Alzheimer's, but Yan Jun and his wife couldn't bear to spend money on her medical treatment. So, in the past two years, Grandma Jia has almost forgotten all of her neighbors in the courtyard.

“Ten thousand per room, we need cash,” said Aunt Liu.

"Ten thousand is too high, isn't it?" Jiang Heping pointed out first, then directly brought up the afternoon: "I clearly heard you tell Tailor Sun that it was six thousand two per room, how come the prices in the same courtyard have doubled!"

"I'm willing! Take it or leave it!" Aunt Liu retorted confidently, "How much I sell it for is none of your business."

Chen Yun pouted: "I can't afford two rooms for 20,000 yuan."

"Young Chen was trying to negotiate with you nicely, Lao Liu, why are you getting angry..." Aunt Luo chimed in, "He genuinely wants to buy, which is much better than those people in the alley who try to take advantage of you to lower the price!"

Aunt Liu: "..."

Why did she angrily retort when Chen Yun spoke? It was because she was angered by those heartless people in the alley.

The news that Zhang He desperately needed money had been leaked by someone, and those who wanted to buy it were driving the price down to extremely low levels, hoping to take advantage of the situation.

Aunt Liu got into a big argument with those people and had just returned in a huff when Chen Yun came to talk to her.

"Instead of haggling with those people in the alley, you might as well sell the house to Erming. They're all from the same courtyard, they're unlikely to cheat you!"

Aunt Luo earnestly advised him.

Aunt Liu calmed down and thought it over carefully, then looked up at Chen Yun and Gao Ming, who were about to enter the house.

"Erming, don't go yet!"

Although she didn't get along with Chen Yun and his wife, Aunt Liu actually thought that what Aunt Luo said made a lot of sense.

It doesn't matter who I sell to...

Chen Yun turned her head and looked at him quietly.

Aunt Liu gestured with her lips and held out both hands: "Seven thousand yuan a room, no less!"

Gao Ming asked, "Including the kitchen by the door?"

The area next to the courtyard gate used to be a shower room. Later, during the land reform and housing allocation, Aunt Liu insisted on turning it into her own kitchen, which she shared with Aunt Luo's family.

"Kitchen 1500."

"Two rooms plus the kitchen cost 14,000 yuan. I won't take a penny more," Gao Ming waved his hand.

"Fourteen thousand is not a small amount. Normally, you could only sell these two rooms for a maximum of ten thousand," Aunt Luo chimed in at the opportune moment.

Aunt Luo knew Aunt Liu too well; she knew when to say what, making her, in Chen Yun's eyes, the best wingman.

Aunt Liu slapped her thigh and spat out a single word: "Sell!"

Originally, the mother made the difficult decision to sell the house in order to raise capital for her son's business. However, when the news reached Zhang He, he was so angry that he smashed the pager he had only bought not long ago.

Before leaving, Boss Cui told Zhang He that if he could persuade a few more people to sell their houses, he would pay 20,000 yuan to buy Aunt Liu's two houses.

Just as Zhang He was starting to suspect something was amiss and began to inquire around, Aunt Liu had already sold the house to Gao Ming without hesitation.

A high-speed rail station is to be built in front of Guanming Hutong, and nearby factories will be demolished to build a new shopping mall.

Once these things are built, the houses in Guanming Hutong will increase in value several times over. How could someone with inside information possibly sell their house so easily?

But it was all too late. By the time Zhang He returned to Guanming Hutong with the news, the property certificate was already in Chen Yun's name.

Aunt Liu was waiting for Zhang He to come back and move in; everything in the house had already been packed and tidied up.

Zhang He didn't even dare to tell Aunt Liu the truth...

Zhang He had considered starting a transportation company, but after learning more about it, he realized that without connections, the transportation company would be impossible to operate, and even the vehicles would fail the annual inspection.

Zhang He didn't dare to think about what would happen next... His mother could throw a tantrum in the yard to get more money.

When the two sides were evenly matched, Zhang He only felt hatred towards Gao Ming and Chen Yun, but after these years of hardship, all that remained was the thought of "avoiding them if possible."

Zhang He quickly moved out of Guanming Hutong with Aunt Liu.

The two rooms were left empty, but the Gao family members were so busy that they didn't even have time to change the locks.

***

Just after the Lantern Festival, news came that Li Huguo and Ruanqiu were getting a divorce.

On the day the two went to get their divorce certificate, Chen Yun used her first day off since entering the hospital to accompany Ruanqiu to the Civil Affairs Bureau.

They obtained their marriage certificate in Panshui County, but their divorce certificate in Beicheng.

"I'm sorry to have troubled you to make this trip." Ruanqiu smiled at the two of them.

On the third day of the Lunar New Year, Ruanqiu told her son, Li Shuaishuai, about her decision to divorce Li Huguo.

Unexpectedly, this nine-year-old child had already sensed that his father had a problem and had sound values, so he supported his mother's decision to divorce without hesitation.

Subsequently, Ruanqiu truthfully informed Li Zhong and Fang Fang of Li Huguo's infidelity and divorce.

Unexpectedly, her in-laws showed a side that surprised Ruanqiu once again.

Li Zhong personally went to Cui Niang's house to call Li Huguo back, and also invited all of Li's relatives to his home to ask Li Huguo in person if he wanted a divorce.

Li Huguo was naturally unwilling to divorce, but under Li Zhong's persistent questioning, he hesitated and still refused to break off his relationship with Cui Niang.

Li Zhong only said four words: "Expel him from the family genealogy."

Although they could not sever their father-son relationship by blood, from this moment on, Li Zhong no longer had Li Huguo as his son, and he wrote a letter severing their father-son relationship on the spot.

No matter how much her in-laws opposed their marriage in the past, their current support for their daughter-in-law deeply moved Ruanqiu.

When Gao Ming and Chen Yun arrived at the Li family home after receiving the news, Li Zhong was discussing the division of property in their divorce with Li Huguo.

Chen Yun never expected that the division of property in her son and daughter-in-law's divorce would be negotiated by Li Huguo's own father.

Li Zhong proposed that Li Huguo and Ruan Qiu split the family savings and car equally, while Li Shuaishuai would receive the 5% dividend from Gaoming Company.

Before the child reaches adulthood, the dividends will be jointly managed by Gao Ming and Li Yi.

Li Huguo didn't want a divorce and kept nagging in the main room, refusing to agree.

But then Ruanqiu suddenly dropped an even more bombshell, instantly causing Li Huguo's attitude to change drastically.

Cui Niang is pregnant...

Cui Niang personally went to the Li family to tell Ruan Qiu this news, and no one could possibly be unaware of her purpose.

Li Huguo finally agreed to the divorce.

Gao Ming, who witnessed the divorce negotiations firsthand, was deeply saddened.

Li Huguo changed his mind as if he were possessed, becoming so unfamiliar that it was as if the memories of the past few decades were all fake.

"Don't say anything, I'll go in with you."

"No need!" Ruanqiu waved her hand: "You guys just wait for me at the door. In case that woman is there, don't let a fight break out in the Civil Affairs Bureau!"

"I'm not a shrew."

Chen Yun glared at her.

"Do you think Li Huguo readily agreed to give Li Shuaishuai a share of the company's profits?"

"Li Shuaishuai also has the surname Li, so he is in the Li family's hands."

"no."

Why is that?

Gao Ming chuckled and pointed to the black sedan parked not far away: "Li Huguo thinks he's capable too!"

That black sedan by the roadside...it looks exactly like Gao Ming's!