There was a knock on the study door, followed by the door being pushed open.

"Li Chu, Brother Meng is here."

"Brother Meng is here! Hello, sister-in-law! It's rare for you to come all this way."

"Who said that? I came to Wenxuan's wedding too."

"Sister-in-law, you should come and visit more often when you have nothing to do. It's lively and crowded here."

"Okay, I'll come more often when I have free time."

"Qiu Nan, take good care of your sister-in-law. Meng Ge, please sit in my study first. There's no rush to eat now, is there?"

"I just put down the lunch bowls, no rush. I just had nothing to do at home, so I brought your sister-in-law over. Where are Uncle Wang and Aunt Wang? Are they resting?"

"Yes, I've gone inside to rest after dinner. Here, have some tea."

"I heard the other day that Wang Bing's unit was rotated. Didn't you go to the Northwest last year?"

"That's right, and Wang Bing has been transferred back to their unit headquarters this time."

"Young man, does that mean we're going back to Beijing?"

"Yes, he sent a letter a few days ago. He'll probably be back after the Spring Festival, and his wife and kids will come with him then."

"It's rare that Uncle Wang would think of bringing the second son back as well."

"You're really mistaken. Wang Lao Er's return this time has nothing to do with Uncle Wang. It's just a normal transfer within the military."

"Hey, what level is the second brother at now?"

"I don't understand. Their organization is different from other units. He seems to be some kind of captain, but I don't understand it either. It should be normal after this restructuring."

"Let's see when the third brother can come back. If he can come back, then Uncle Wang's family can finally be reunited."

"Who knows, but I think it's unlikely."

"Brother Ziwen, how are you feeling about your retirement?" Zhang Meng turned to chat with Wang Ziwen again.

"I'll be here to keep you company in a few years."

"I wasn't used to it at first, but now I take it easy every day, wander around, and play chess with people. It's pretty good."

...

Including the guards, there were more than 20 people in total. The hot pot dinner was served at two separate tables, and all the diners were meat lovers. They ate more than 50 kilograms of mutton and beef in total.

They drank quite a bit of wine, and even Uncle Wang was allowed to have a small sip today.

"Sis, wait a minute, I need to talk to you about something."

After Li Qin finished tidying up, she was about to go home through the side door when Li Chu called her back.

"What's wrong?"

"Sister, please sit in the living room for a moment. I'll put the coal on the boiler."

In the living room, Li Qin saw her younger brother and sister-in-law come in and asked, "Qiu Nan, Xiao Chu said he wanted to talk to me about something. Do you know what it is?"

Ding Qiunan was about to close the living room window when she heard this and paused for a moment, then said somewhat uncertainly, "I guess he was telling you that he's planning to buy another house."

"Buy a house? Has he gone mad?" Li Qin was stunned. What was her younger brother thinking? Why was he so obsessed with buying a house?

"Sister, it's that courtyard house over there, the one where our parents left their house."

"Huh? There are about ten households living there, how can I buy it? Besides, that yard is too big, what would I do with it?"

“I don’t know what he wants to buy it for, but he did say that those three-courtyard houses will become increasingly rare in the future, and if we don’t find a way to get one now, it will be even less likely in two years.”

Li Qin nodded: "That's true. As far as I remember, only that one courtyard in that area has its property rights entirely in private hands. The property rights of the remaining large courtyards are all in a mess, mostly in the hands of the street office. It seems that they are no longer allowing them to be given to private individuals."

“That’s right, sis, that’s why I wanted to buy it.” At this moment, Li Chu also lifted the curtain and walked in.

"No, what are you going to do with it? It's too big, and if you leave a house like that uninhabited, it will fall into disrepair even faster."

Also, I doubt it will be easy for you to persuade all those people to sell to you.

"Of course I know it won't be easy, so I just want to give it a try."

Just as Li Qin was about to say something more, she suddenly seemed to think of something, stopped and thought for a while before saying, "But it seems that you really might succeed this time."

"How so?" Li Chu perked up immediately upon hearing this.

Ding Qiunan, who was about to go to the bedroom to change into her pajamas, also stopped.

“I remember their newly built staff housing complex is almost finished. This time they are allocating housing to current employees, but they also allow retired employees who do not own a house to buy it.”

Li Chu's eyes lit up when he heard this. Given how everyone wants to live in apartment buildings these days, it should be easy to persuade those people!

"Sis, if that's the case, my idea this time might actually come true!"

"It's possible. I won't make the decision for you. You need to think it over carefully and decide whether you want to buy it or not. You and your husband should discuss it yourselves. If you don't have the money, you can come to me."

"It's okay, sister. We have the money at home. As for whether to buy it or not, let him decide for himself. I'll listen to him." Ding Qiunan walked back to the sofa and sat down again.

"Qiu Nan, you can't just listen to him. Look how many houses he's bought over the years, and he's never going to stop. You have to remember that you're the boss, and you can't let him do whatever he wants."

Li Chu's heart skipped a beat at her sister's words.

Yes, I have indeed bought quite a few houses over the years. What is the reason for my persistence in buying houses?

He felt that his own home was already big enough, and he was becoming somewhat obsessed with these houses.

"Phew~" He let out a soft breath.

My sister was right earlier. What's the point of buying the house then? Are they going to move there? That's obviously not going to work.

Living nearby makes it convenient for them to take care of Mr. and Mrs. Ding, who are already getting old. In two more years, my sister and brother-in-law will be seventy years old and will also need their care.

It's a bit unfair of them to move out after we've brought both families here.

Thinking of this, Li Chu said, "I won't buy the house."

"Uh... Xiao Chu, I didn't mean to stop you." Li Qin thought that what she had just said had made her brother make this decision again.

"No, sis, it has nothing to do with you. It was my own decision, and there really was no need to buy it," Li Chu said, waving his hand.

"What about Uncle San? Your explanation to him is no different from simply agreeing to it."

Besides, given how eager Uncle San is, he might have already contacted several places for you. If you suddenly tell them you don't want it, they'll curse you to death.

Only after Ding Qiunan said that did Li Chu realize that a whole day had passed, and perhaps a few families had actually agreed.

"Xiao Chu, since you've already promised them, then buy it. A person can't stand without integrity. If you can buy it all, then buy it all. If that yard can be properly tidied up, it'll be much prettier than yours!"

"Invincibility Begins with Sacrificing to the Ancestral Master"

Li Qin waved her hand and made the decision for him directly.

(Announcement: Dear readers, this is the first update of the day. The next chapter will be released at 11:00 AM. Thank you for your support and encouragement.)