Xiao Jing, holding a large sum of money, simply couldn't remain calm about it.

Like a squirrel hiding its food, she kept burying her precious savings book, sometimes so well that she almost couldn't find it the next day because she hid it so deep. In just a few days, the torment caused her to develop dark circles under her eyes.

Xiao Jing finally made up her mind. She looked dejected and found Fang Qiao. She stuffed the passbook into her hand, took a deep breath, and said, "Sister-in-law, I still need you to keep this passbook for me. I don't feel at ease holding it by myself."

Fang Qiao chuckled: "People say they don't feel at ease without money in their hands, so why don't you feel at ease with money in your hands?"

Xiao Jing smiled bitterly: "I'm used to being poor, and I've never had this much money in my hands before. I'm always afraid that someone will steal it from me one night."

"You're worrying unnecessarily. Where your older brother is, what foolish thief would dare to come?"

Xiao Jing shook her head again: "Sister-in-law, I don't usually have any expenses, so you can keep it for me."

Fang Qiao didn't really want to help Xiao Jing keep the savings book.

Even close brothers keep clear accounts. When it comes to money, if a mistake is made, it can be difficult to explain over time.

Fang Qiao pondered for a moment and suggested, "How about this, you keep this money with me, and instead of buying a small house?"

"Buy a house?" Xiaojing had never thought about it.

Fang Qiao nodded: "These days, house prices rise quickly. Last year, two single-story houses in my hometown were only 5,000 yuan, but this year they've risen to 8,000 yuan before they're willing to sell. Next year, they might even rise to 10,000 yuan. If you leave your money with me, it will still be the same amount no matter how many years pass. You might as well buy a house. Even if you don't live there, you can sell it in a few years and make a profit. Do you think that makes sense?"

Xiao Jing thought about it and felt that Fang Qiao was right.

"Okay, sister-in-law, I'll do as you say and buy a house."

"Then let's go look at houses tomorrow."

Fang Qiao was very proactive; she immediately went to a well-known middleman in the area to help her find a house.

The next morning, the two rode a bicycle, following behind the middleman, to the city to look at houses.

In one morning, the two of them looked at four houses in total, some large and some small, some in bustling city streets and some in shacks in remote suburbs.

As for the prices, they were all within Xiaojing's budget of six thousand yuan.

The houses weren't very nice. Fang Qiao and Xiao Jing first ruled out the shacks in the remote suburbs, as they were too dilapidated to be habitable.

Both apartments were shared by multiple families, and both were single rooms, each less than ten square meters.

One room was empty, the other cramped. The small room contained a single bunk bed, a wardrobe, a coal stove, and a small square table. The small table, against the wall, held a lard jar, a salt shaker, and a kitchen knife; it served as both a cutting board and a dining table. Although it was tidy and free of clutter, it still felt like there was hardly any room to move.

A bungalow is a much better option. Although the area is not large, it comes with a small yard where you can build a shed and move the kitchen.

The seller simply exceeded the budget.

Xiaojing hoped to settle the matter for under 6,000 yuan, but the seller was asking for 6,800 yuan. After the middleman mediated, the seller reluctantly agreed to lower the price a little, but still wouldn't sell for less than 6,666 yuan.

“These days, houses are easy to sell, and prices rise every year. You see the neighbor next door? Last year, someone offered him 5,000, but he didn't sell. This year, around Mid-Autumn Festival, he sold it for 8,000. Of course, his two rooms are a bit bigger than mine.” The landlord was wearing a big cotton-padded coat, his hands tucked into his sleeves. He had a smile on his face, and his eyes were shrewd but honest, which was not off-putting.

"I'm asking you for 6,666 yuan for this house, I'm not asking for more. If it weren't for my son getting married and needing money to buy a new house, I definitely wouldn't be selling this house this year. If I leave it for another two years, I might be able to sell it for 10,000 yuan."

Xiaojing: "Why weren't these two rooms used for my son's wedding?"

The landlord snorted, though it was a complaint, he couldn't hide his pride: "My daughter-in-law's family are cadres in the city. This house is a bit out of the way and a bit dilapidated, but she doesn't look down on people and agreed to marry my son, a worker. We can't make her suffer any longer and force her to come and live in our suburbs, can we?"

"That's right." Fang Qiao smiled and said, "Grandpa, you are so understanding. Your daughter-in-law is willing to marry into your family because she thinks you are a good family."

"Of course, everyone in the neighborhood talks about my character." The old man gave himself a thumbs up, his face beaming. "No one doesn't praise me."

Fang Qiao said, "I'm not buying this house for anything else, just for peace of mind and to avoid future disputes. You're a kind person, so I won't beat around the bush with you. We'll take this house."

"Okay, if you're happy, I'm happy too. I'll round it down to six thousand six."

The old man selling the house was a straightforward person. He had just received the deposit the day before and hadn't received the final payment yet, but the next day he hurriedly took them to the housing management bureau to transfer the property.

After the transfer of ownership was completed, he accepted the final payment in front of the middleman and the housing authority staff.

He counted the money on the spot, put it in his cloth bag, wrapped it up carefully, and stuffed it into his chest pocket, saying, "It's just right, no more, no less. We've settled it. The house is yours from now on."

"Okay." Xiaojing carefully put the freshly printed little green book into her handbag.

The old man strode out, but halfway there, he turned back and said to Qiao, "Young lady, there's something I need to tell you in advance."

"Sir, please speak."

“That house is quite old, and it might leak one day. If you don’t want to have to do minor repairs every two days and major repairs every five days in the future, you’d better do a major renovation before you move in.”

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