Chapter 156 Chapter 156 Let’s talk it over

Zhou Jiangang couldn't help but smile, feeling that the arrow that had just hit his knee had moved to a new location, now hitting his heart.

Zhou Jiangang was a little confused as to where this strange feeling came from, and then he was attracted by the food again.

Sun Xiuping's cooking skills have always been good, and in order to welcome Jiang Xi, she naturally showed off her special skills. There were seven or eight dishes on the table, including fish, pork elbows, and meat. Sun Xiuping even bought shrimps early in the morning.

Jiang Xi sat down and sighed, "Auntie Sun, your cooking skills are really good. Every dish looks delicious. I can really enjoy a feast today."

Zhou Jiangang also said: "It looks delicious, the auntie's cooking skills are really good." Although it was a bit dry and not as lively as Jiang Xi's words, it still expressed praise.

Sun Xiuping was even happier: "If it tastes good, eat more. Come back next time and I'll make it for you if you want something!"

Jiang Xi hummed, and stopped being polite and started eating naturally. Zhou Jiangang was not a person who would neglect his mouth. Since he often went out to eat out, Zhou Jiangang knew every restaurant's specialty dishes well. He commented on the dishes while eating, and his comments were very accurate, which made Sun Xiuping very happy.

Sun Xiuping kept serving food to Zhou Jiangang, who accepted it all. He had a big appetite to begin with, so he ate with noisy grunts and finished his plate immediately.

Both the host and the guests enjoyed the meal very much. Sun Xiuping even regretted that she should have prepared a few more dishes, as there were only two women and one man in her family.

Liang Guangzhi is old and can't eat much, let alone her and Liang Jie, who also have small appetites. Now that Zhou Jiangang has suddenly appeared, Sun Xiuping realized that young people have a good appetite.

When people get old, they can’t eat as much as they want, but when they see young people eating well, they feel like they are eating together and they feel full of energy.

After dinner, Jiang Xi said to Sun Xiuping, "Auntie Sun, I came here for another thing today."

Sun Xiuping didn't wait for Jiang Xi to finish and said directly: "I know what you want to say, and I'm thinking about it too. Wait for me."

Sun Xiuping stood up and took out a property deed from the house. "This is the deed to my shop. Take a look. We'll go transfer the ownership tomorrow when the Land Administration Bureau opens."

Jiang Xi came to Sun Xiuping just to buy Sun Xiuping's shop. Now Jiang Xi rents the shop, but renting is definitely not as good as buying.

Sun Xiuping's shop was originally used by her and Liang Jie to do business together, but now she is old and has no interest in doing business.

It was unrealistic for her daughter to run a business alone, especially since she worked in that store. Sun Xiuping also wanted to have a good relationship with Jiang Xi, so when Jiang Xi proposed to buy the store, Sun Xiuping agreed without hesitation.

Jiang Xi and Sun Xiuping agreed on a price. Sun Xiuping originally wanted to give a cheaper price, but Jiang Xi insisted on not taking advantage and gave the market price.

Sun Xiuping didn't expect Jiang Xi to bargain back. She also understood that Jiang Xi was not someone who would take advantage of others, so she agreed with a smile. As for Liang Guangzhi, he had never had much say in the family, and everything was decided by Sun Xiuping.

Liang Jie even breathed a sigh of relief. Logically, she was Jiang Xi's employee, but because of the shop, she had another identity, that is, Jiang Xi's landlord.

However, Liang Jie felt very uncomfortable with the identity of the landlord. She always felt that she had taken a backdoor. Now that the shop was sold to Jiang Xi, Liang Jie just worked peacefully as Jiang Xi's employee. There was no extra identity to bother her anymore.

Sun Xiuping handed the house deed to Jiang Xi: "Xiao Jiang, keep the house deed safe. The house is yours."

Jiang Xi pushed back: "Auntie, the house is still yours now. Let's talk about it after the transfer tomorrow. There's no rush now."

Jiang Xi paid so much attention to rules that Sun Xiuping smiled and said, "Okay, okay." She put the title deed back into the room.

Jiang Xi waited for Sun Xiuping to come out and asked again, "Auntie, you told me before that someone wanted to sell the house. Is the house still available?"

In addition to talking to Sun Xiuping about buying a shop, Jiang Xi also asked Sun Xiuping to help ask if anyone was selling a house.

Jiang Xi is still renting a house now, but he will continue to do business in Shanghai in the future, so it is more convenient to buy a house. Houses in Shanghai are not easy to buy, and you need to look for them, so Jiang Xi asked Sun Xiuping, a local, to help ask.

Sun Xiuping was very concerned about this matter. She would ask about it every day when she went out to buy groceries, and helped Jiang Xi find out that someone wanted to sell a house.

In addition to purchasing the production line, Jiang Xi came to Shanghai because he heard the news from Sun Xiuping. Houses don't wait for people, and good houses are hard to come by.

Sun Xiuping said: "His house is still there, and it's a nice house. It should meet your needs."

Jiang Xi said, "Can we go and have a look now?"

Sun Xiuping glanced at the clock hanging on the wall and said, "Sure, he should be at home now. I'll take you to see him."

Sun Xiuping took Jiang Xi to look at houses, and a few other people who had nothing to do also went along, just to digest their food after dinner.

Zhou Jiangang was originally walking side by side with Jiang Xi, but later Jiang Xi and Sun Xiuping wanted to talk, so Zhou Jiangang had to walk backwards, and unknowingly he was walking side by side with Liang Jie.

Both of them were a little embarrassed, but Zhou Jiangang spoke first: "Auntie's cooking is delicious."

Zhou Jiangang broke the silence, and Liang Jie followed up: "My mother's cooking is delicious, and the happier she is, the better the food she cooks."

Zhou Jiangang was surprised: "Is there such a thing? If I make Auntie angry, won't it be hard to eat the food?"

Liang Jie said: "Yes, my dad used to make my mom angry, so she deliberately put a lot of salt in the food. My dad ate the food but didn't dare to say anything, so he could only drink a lot of water."

Zhou Jiangang sighed: "Your parents have a good relationship. I felt it when I was at your house just now."

Liang Jie casually asked: "They do have a good relationship, what about you? How do your parents get along?"

Zhou Jiangang's voice was a little depressed: "My father passed away before I was born. My mother raised me alone. I don't know how to get along with my father, let alone how the two of them get along."

Liang Jie was stunned for a second, then quickly apologized: "I'm sorry, I saw that you seemed quite positive, as if you had never experienced any pain, but I didn't expect your family. I didn't mean to ask."

Zhou Jiangang shook his head and said to Liang Jie, "It's okay. It's been so long. I don't think it's a big deal. I haven't experienced it anyway."

Zhou Jiangang said it calmly, but Liang Jie still felt a little embarrassed. She had unintentionally touched Zhou Jiangang's wounds, so she tried to make amends: "Yes, it will pass with time."

"Just like, well, like when I had an accident and lost an arm, I thought I was going to die and there was no point in living. But then I met Jiang Xi and Xiu Fen, and they persuaded me to stay alive. Now I'm living a good life."

Liang Jie had never told these things to anyone else, but for some reason she told Zhou Jiangang.

Zhou Jiangang was silent for a long time after hearing this. Just when Liang Jie thought she had said something wrong, Zhou Jiangang smiled at her and said, "Comrade Liang, you are a very brave person. I admire you very much. You will definitely get better and better in the future."

Liang Jie breathed a sigh of relief: "Yeah, I know." Liang Jie lowered her head and did not notice Zhou Jiangang staring at her with a somewhat overly passionate look.

Jiang Xi and Sun Xiuping walked in front. Sun Xiuping introduced the house to Jiang Xi: "The owner of that house is going back to the countryside, so they want to sell the house. The owner of the house is quite easy to talk to. He used to know me and my mother, but his son and daughter-in-law are quite difficult to deal with. You can take a look at the house first. If you think it's okay, I will help you talk to him."

Jiang Xi thanked him, and Sun Xiuping took her to the house: "Look, this is his house, it's not bad, isn't it."

Jiang Xi followed Sun Xiuping's gaze and saw that it was a two-story, detached building similar to a small villa. The decoration of the house was rare in rural areas. The walls were covered with white tiles, which looked clean and bright. There was also a small garden outside the house.

The gate to the courtyard was an iron fence. Sun Xiuping pushed it open and said, "Let's go in and take a look."

Sun Xiuping knocked on the door: "Old Xie, are you there?"

A voice came from the other side of the door: "Who is it?"

Sun Xiuping: "It's me, Xiuping. Uncle Xie, please open the door!"

The door creaked open, and the person who opened it was an old man, about sixty years old, with gray hair, sunken cheeks, and extremely thin, so thin that he seemed to be just a skeleton, with his clothes hanging on his body.

Sun Xiuping saw the person who opened the door and said with a smile, "Uncle Xie. Didn't I hear you were selling your house a while ago? I have a friend who wants to buy a house, so I came to take a look today."

The old man called Uncle Xie also smiled, but because of his sunken cheeks, the smile was a little bitter: "Come in and take a look, I'm cleaning up, it's a little messy, please bear with me." Old man Xie nodded at Jiang Xi and others, and stepped aside to let them enter the house.

Jiang Xi followed Sun Xiuping into the room. The room was very clean, the cement floor was mopped to a shine, and the coffee table and desk were spotless.

Old man Xie took the mop and said, "I'll put the mop in the toilet first. You guys just sit down and watch. I'll pour you some water later."

Sun Xiuping said, "You're welcome, Uncle Xie. You've been busy for so long, you should take a break."

Old man Xie still insisted, put the mop back into the toilet, washed his hands, and poured water for several people.

Afterwards, Old Man Xie took Jiang Xi around the room a few times and asked, "Uncle Xie, can we go to the second floor to take a look?"

Uncle Xie frowned, feeling a bit embarrassed. "I'm sorry, comrade, my son and daughter-in-law are still sleeping. I'm afraid of waking them up. Can you go up and check on them after they wake up?"

Sun Xiuping: "Still sleeping? It's already this late, why are you still sleeping?"

Sun Xiuping couldn't help but grumble, "Uncle Xie, don't spoil the children too much. You're the one who cleans the house inside and out. Look how thin you've become. The two children are already grown up, how can they still treat you like a servant? Now they should be serving you, not you serving them."

Old man Xie waved his hand, the sorrow on his face deepening. "Alas, there's nothing I can do about it. I can't stand watching them do it. It's too dirty, so I have to do it myself."

"Besides, I'm old and weak, and I don't have the energy to argue with my son. Instead of relying on him, I might as well do it myself."

Old Man Xie and Sun Xiuping had known each other for a long time and were old friends of the Sun family, so he spoke without reservation.

Besides, all the neighbors know what kind of person his son is. Besides, Old Man Xie has long been heartbroken about his son being so unfilial, and he will not help his son cover up.

It’s okay not to go to the second floor. Jiang Xi took another walk around the first floor. The house was very clean and well maintained, so he thought the second floor should be similar.

Jiang Xi doesn't have much time to stay in Shanghai this time, and he has to take Professor Wang back to build machines, so Jiang Xi wants to secure a house as soon as possible.

Therefore, when he came across a house that suited his taste, Jiang Xi did not hesitate and exchanged glances with Sun Xiuping. Sun Xiuping understood that Jiang Xi liked this house.

Sun Xiuping said to Old Man Xie, "Uncle Xie, I told you before that Comrade Xiao Jiang wants to come and see the house. If it's suitable, he plans to buy it. I'd like to ask, how much do you want this house for?"

When Mr. Xie was buying the house, he also asked about the price. Since he was an acquaintance, he didn't say much: "I'll sell this house to you for 60,000 yuan."

As soon as Old Man Xie finished speaking, a voice came from upstairs: "Dad, what are you talking about? Are you getting senile? Why is our house so good only selling for 60,000 yuan?"

"Didn't I tell you? I won't sell this house for less than 100,000! So many people want to buy it. Didn't someone offer 120,000 a few days ago? And you won't sell it. Now someone I know is here and you're selling it for 60,000? Are you kidding me?"

The person who spoke was a man, about thirty years old, with messy hair and sleepy eyes. He must have just woken up. He was wearing slippers and looked sloppy.

She hurried downstairs and saw Sun Xiuping. The man just nodded slightly: "Auntie Sun."

Then he turned to Old Man Xie and said, "Dad, how many times have I told you, why don't you listen? Let me talk about the price. You don't understand the market and think it's the same as before."

"It's different now. Now that it's open, our Shanghai market is developing so well, and house prices have increased several times. If you don't understand, don't talk nonsense, otherwise others will think we are stupid and taking advantage."

The man was furious and scolded Old Man Xie. His words were not pleasant. After he finished talking about Old Man Xie, he turned to Sun Xiuping and said, "Auntie Sun, our two families are old acquaintances. I won't waste any more time talking to you. We won't sell this house for less than 100,000 yuan."

"You can go out and ask around. Our location is so good in the city center, and the house is so nice, one hundred thousand is not a small price."

Sun Xiuping's face looked a little unhappy. She had long disliked Uncle Xie's son. He was already an adult but still called "Dad" every day. He loved to take advantage of others and was also sneaky and cunning.

The smile on Sun Xiuping's face disappeared. She said, "Sun Wei, I've watched you grow up too. You're asking a really high price for this house."

"A house in the village is only 600 yuan, and you want 100,000 yuan for this one. Don't ask for too much."

"You know the market, and I know the market too. The price is not what it says. You can't just get whatever you want."

"Last year, the real estate agent next to me only sold a house for over 30,000 yuan, and you tripled the price. You're really treating people like fools."

Sun Wei curled his lips and said, "How can a house in the countryside compare to a house in the city? My house has such a great location, is so big, and is kept spotless inside and out. 100,000 is not enough."

"If we weren't in a hurry to return to the village, I would have asked for 120,000 yuan, Aunt Sun. What you are saying now is the same old stuff as my father."

"House prices fluctuate every day. You can't buy a house this year for last year's price. If you don't believe me, go out and ask around. Anyway, my house is priced at a minimum of 100,000 yuan. Take it or leave it!"

Sun Xiuping couldn't stand it anymore: "It's still 120,000. Just wait a hundred years and see if anyone will buy it!" Sun Xiuping was always kind to her neighbors, but she was so angry that she turned her head away without looking at Sun Wei after saying that.

The atmosphere was a bit tense, so Liang Guangzhi tried to smooth things over: "Alright, alright, we're all here to buy and sell houses sincerely, so calm down and stop arguing."

"Besides, we're all neighbors. What's there to argue about? Let's talk it out nicely. As the old saying goes, harmony brings wealth. Business doesn't come from friendship, but from friendship. Everyone, calm down."

Liang Guangzhi said in a deep voice: "Xie Wei, although you are old now, you still have to take care of this family. After all, he is your father. No matter what, you have to be filial."

"The price he mentioned is the market price. It's not particularly low. Even if you sell it at this price, you won't lose money."

Xie Wei snorted and stiffened his neck, saying, "Everyone knows that you two are just playing the good cop and the bad cop. Anyway, you're just trying to take advantage of me. I won't waste my words on you. Anyway, I won't sell this house for less than 100,000 yuan."

Seeing that Xie Wei was unmoved, Liang Guangzhi's face turned unhappy and he simply stopped talking.

Old man Xie looked a little embarrassed. His son had been spoiled by him since he was young. Now that he was old, he was still lazy and didn't know the difference between grains. He offended people as soon as he opened his mouth. It was all because of his poor parenting.

No wonder people say that children are a debt. Old man Xie’s wife died early, and Old man Xie raised his son by acting as both a father and a mother.

After much difficulty in raising his son, he began to arrange for him to get married. Finally, his son got married. However, due to his wife's instigation, his son, who was already lazy and greedy, became even worse.

In the past, Xie Wei would listen to what Old Man Xie said, but now when his daughter-in-law whispers something in his ear, Xie Wei treats Old Man Xie as air.

Old man Xie really had no choice. Now, in front of outsiders, his son was still not giving him face. Old man Xie was unwilling to quarrel with Xie Wei. If it got out, it would be a shame.

Old man Xie sighed and sat on the stool without saying a word. What else could he do? He was already half buried in the earth. Even if he quarreled with his son, what could he achieve?

But the atmosphere was so tense that it was no use. Old man Xie was silent for a long time before he said to Xie Wei, "Your Uncle Liang and Aunt Sun are your elders. You should show some respect. How can you speak like that?"

Xie Wei raised his eyebrows after hearing what Old Man Xie said, and said with a nonchalant look: "Dad, you are wrong to say that. I respect my elders. I also called them when they came."

"But if the elders are disrespectful, I won't tolerate their disdain. Today, they suddenly came to my house to lecture me and put on airs. I won't fall for that. They're just neighbors, and they really take me so seriously."

Liang Guangzhi and Sun Xiuping's faces turned pale when they heard Xie Wei's words. Xie Wei acted as if he hadn't seen anything, and his attitude didn't soften at all: "I'll say it again, it's my house and I have the final say. I won't sell it for less than 100,000."

As Xie Wei finished speaking, a woman with curly hair and a sleepy look came down from upstairs. She echoed Xie Wei's words: "Yes, we won't sell it for less than 100,000."

Old man Xie was already unhappy because of Xie Wei's words. He couldn't control his son, who kept coming up with a lot of nonsense. When he saw the woman coming down, Old man Xie became even more unhappy.

Sun Xiuping looked at Jiang Xi with some guilt. She originally thought that this house was pretty good and wanted to introduce it to Jiang Xi, and she could even be Jiang Xi's neighbor.

However, he did not expect that Old Man Xie's son and daughter-in-law would be so difficult to deal with. The price Old Man Xie mentioned was a real price, but the price Xie Wei mentioned was too high. Although the housing prices have increased now, it would not be as high as 100,000 yuan.

Jiang Xi observed the expressions of the crowd and stood up: "Since it's not suitable, I won't buy it. Let's go." Jiang Xi said it bluntly and directly, leaving no room for maneuver.

Everyone was stunned, even Xie Wei, who had been making a lot of noise just now, changed his expression.

Although Xie Wei did not have any great abilities, he was clever. Although he did not go downstairs just now, he had been secretly listening to the noises downstairs. Based on the conversation between Jiang Xi and others, Xie Wei judged that Jiang Xi really wanted to buy his house, so Xie Wei offered such a high price.

Xie Wei thought Jiang Xi was a sucker and wanted to take advantage of him whenever possible, but he didn't expect Jiang Xi to simply leave without even talking to him.

Xie Wei became anxious. The reason why he wanted to sell the house was because he was jealous of others doing business, so he took out all the money in his family to invest, but he didn't expect to be cheated and his family's assets were emptied, so he thought about selling the house and moving to the countryside. This money was a life-saving straw for him.

Houses are not easy to buy, but they are not easy to sell either. These days, there are as few people selling houses as there are people buying houses. People who buy houses have to take a chance, and people who sell houses have to wait.

Xie Wei released the news of selling the house, but after such a long time, only two or three people came to see the house, and even fewer asked about the price directly. No one except Jiang Xi showed a strong desire to buy.

When Xie Wei got anxious, his brain became even more unable to think. He stood there blankly like a ball of paste.

His wife glared at Xie Wei and said quickly, "Oh, let's talk it over. We can negotiate the price. We're neighbors anyway, and we're selling our house because we're going back to the countryside. Why don't you take a look at the second floor? My house is in great shape, and you'll understand once you see it."

The situation on the field was reversed in an instant. Xie Wei asked for a sky-high price, not wanting a penny less, while Xie Wei and his wife were anxious to sell and said the price could be negotiated. All this was because of Jiang Xi's firm attitude.