"No way, Third Sister-in-law, you're renting this out, how can you let me live here?" Xu Minghe quickly refused, he was not willing to take advantage of this.

“It won’t cost much to rent it out, it’s perfect for you.” Zhang Xuemei smiled at him, then turned to Xu Mingjiang at the other end and said with a smile, “Mingjiang probably doesn’t need one, your third brother has found him a place, what do you think? Does he like it?”

Xu Mingjiang had previously said he wanted to buy a house, and after searching for half a year, he finally found a suitable one. I don't know if he has made a decision yet.

Xu Mingjiang got excited when this was mentioned. He stood up from his chair and said, "I've already paid the deposit. I'll go to transfer the property tomorrow. I'll finally be a homeowner."

"How are the houses? Are you in such a hurry to decide? Should we look at a few more?" Granny Liu asked with a worried expression. Buying a house is a big deal, so it's always good to look at several options.

"Mom, I've been looking at apartments for over half a year now, and I've seen enough of them. This one is quite tall, though a bit too tall. It's on the fifth floor, in an old building without an elevator. It's 80 square meters, with three bedrooms and a living room. The orientation is good, and most importantly, the price is right. I got it for 58,000 yuan."

Of course, Xu Mingjiang had also looked at other houses with elevators, but they were expensive. After looking around, this house was the most suitable. In just over half a year, the house price had risen a lot. He was afraid that if he didn't buy now, the price would rise again. It was better to buy sooner rather than later.

"Oh dear, this is a bit high, and it's a staircase. It's hard to carry anything up here." Granny Liu said with a look of disgust. Ever since she took the elevator, she didn't want to climb to the second floor.

"I also want to buy an apartment with an elevator, but I don't have enough money. I have to be realistic about what I can afford," Xu Mingjiang said, shrugging with a helpless expression.

"Yes, Mom, Mingjiang is so amazing. He bought a house on his own merits. He's much better than me, his older brother."

"Fourth Brother, I've noticed that housing prices are rising quite fast these days. If you're thinking about buying one, I have some money that I can lend you 20,000 yuan. Add that to your own savings, and you can buy one like mine."

Xu Mingjiang felt that the earlier he bought, the more cost-effective it would be. By the time his fourth brother wanted to buy, the price had already increased significantly.

“Yes, Minghe, if you’re interested, you should act soon. If you don’t have enough money, we can lend you some,” Zhang Xuemei added.

Granny Liu glanced at her fourth son, who was clearly tempted, patted his hand, and said, "If you really want some, I have a few coins here, and I can help you out."

Xu Minghe looked up at his younger brother and hesitated, "Fifth brother, are there any houses like yours left? Are there any cheaper ones?"

"Fourth Brother, there are definitely cheaper options, but I'm afraid you might not like them. Why not spend a little more and buy a better one?" There are definitely cheap houses, but they all have their own drawbacks.

Zhang Xuemei also chimed in, "Minghe, it's not a big deal. Besides, haven't you and your third brother started calculating your profit sharing yet? I'll talk to him tonight and have him calculate the profit sharing for the past six months. That way, you'll have some extra money."

"Oh, Third Sister-in-law, no need, let's settle it at the end of the year, it's too much trouble."

"What trouble? Your ledgers are already in place, it's simple, don't worry about it."

“That’s right, Third Sister-in-law knows, Fourth Brother, you don’t need to worry about it.” Xu Mingjiang stepped forward, put his arm around his shoulder, and pulled him aside to talk about the house.

...

Zhang Xueshan brought Le Rong home just as his family was having dinner. Liu Taohua's chopsticks trembled as she picked up some food, and she quickly stood up and called out, "Xiaoshan, why are you back at this hour? Haven't you had dinner yet? Come on, sit down, Mom will make you a bowl of noodles."

Zhang Xueshan plopped down, then tugged at Le Rong beside him, introducing her with a smile: "Xiao Rong, look, these are my parents. Mom and Dad, this is my girlfriend, Le Rong."

Le Rong was very outgoing and immediately greeted Zhang Guodong and Liu Taohua, saying, "Hello, Mom and Dad, I'm Le Rong. You can just call me Xiao Rong."

Liu Taohua was stunned by the overly familiar girl and didn't know what to say for a moment. Zhang Guodong was the first to react, and he coughed twice, "Old woman, go and make two bowls of noodles."

"Mom, poach an egg. I've been eating steamed buns on the train for days, and my mouth has lost its flavor," Le Rong said crisply, tilting her head back.

Liu Taohua paused, then reluctantly took two eggs out of the cupboard; she really owed her one.

Looking at Le Rong, who was tall and had thick eyebrows and big eyes, Zhang Guodong asked hesitantly, "Miss, didn't your parents say anything when you came back with my Xiaoshan?"

"Dad, just call me Xiao Rong. My parents are happy to. Anyway, they don't really care about me. So I went home with Xiao Shan. He said the house was newly built, but it was dark, so I couldn't really tell."

Zhang Guodong: "..." So you were just tricked into coming back like that?

Zhang Xueshan looked at his father somewhat guiltily and said in a low voice, "I wasn't wrong. My older brother's house is newly built. I'll be able to build a new house sooner or later."

Le Rong wasn't angry when she heard this. She had long known that Zhang Xueshan's words were exaggerated, but as things stood, the Zhang family's conditions were much better than her own family's, so it wasn't a loss for her.

Besides, she was drawn to Zhang Xueshan because he was a good person. Although he was a bit ugly, he cared about her. He would eat steamed buns on the train himself but still buy her a boxed meal. For that alone, she felt it was worth it.

If Zhang Xuemei knew what Le Rong was thinking, she would definitely roll her eyes again. She was tricked out of a box of lunch, and she would have to strengthen the education of her two daughters.

However, what she didn't know was that for a child like Le Rong who grew up in a remote mountain area, Zhang Xueshan was one of the better choices she could grasp. Of course, she also had better options, but she just thought Zhang Xueshan was the most foolish and easy to manipulate.

Looking at it now, Zhang's parents aren't difficult people. As long as she lives well with Zhang Xueshan, she will eventually be the head of the household. Isn't that better than her sisters who are subservient to their husbands?

"You little brat, you just tricked them into coming back like that? You..."

Liu Taohua reached out and punched her youngest son a few times, glancing at Le Rong beside her as she did so. Although she didn't particularly like people from other places, she was still happy that her son, with his character, had found a wife. Right now, she was afraid that Le Rong would get angry and leave.

"Mom, Mom, why did you hit me?"

"If I don't hit you, who will I hit? You'd better apologize to Xiaorong right now, look what you've done to her."

After beating her son, Liu Taohua smiled and looked at Le Rong, "Xiao Rong, although Xiao Shan exaggerated a bit, he's a hardworking kid. As long as you two live well, I'll call his third sister tomorrow and ask you to go there to find work. His third sister and brother-in-law are very capable; they own a house and a shop in the city. You can make a lot of money there, and building a house won't be difficult."