"Hello, miss, are you here to look at houses?" The saleswoman was very friendly and did not judge people by their appearance.

China's economy was just starting out, and many people became rich overnight. There were many people who dressed poorly but had a lot of money at home.

"Yes, I've come to look at the apartments." Shu Yan smiled at the saleswoman. "What types of apartments are available? Could you tell me about them?"

"Of course." The saleswoman took out a floor plan from inside and gave it to Shu Yan, carefully explaining the layout of the house.

The developer is a local from Nancheng, but the houses were designed by a design company from Gangcheng. According to the saleswoman, the designer has won international awards, so the houses here are in line with international standards and are very fashionable and high-end.

The exterior and overall layout are indeed very impressive, and it will still look grand even 20 years from now. I just don't know what the apartment layout will be like.

There are four apartment types in total: 60 square meters, 80 square meters, 90 square meters, and a large suite of 120 square meters, with only about ten 120 square meter units available.

Housing has always been scarce in the southern part of the city, with many locals crammed into apartments of only 20 or 30 square meters. A 120-square-meter apartment would undoubtedly be considered a luxury home. Considering the price, at 1,500 yuan per square meter, a 120-square-meter apartment would cost at least 150,000 yuan, which is an astronomical figure for the average monthly income of 400 yuan in the southern part of the city.

The designers in this port city have truly maximized the use of space in their apartments. A 60-square-meter unit has three bedrooms, one living room, and an extra balcony. An 80-square-meter unit has four bedrooms, one living room, and an extra balcony. A 90-square-meter unit has four bedrooms, two living rooms, and two extra balconies. If we calculate the common area as 10%, the usable area of ​​a 90-square-meter unit is only 81 square meters, which is just four bedrooms, two living rooms, and one bathroom – illustrating just how small the rooms are.

The largest 120-square-meter apartment has 3 bedrooms, 2 living rooms, and 2 bathrooms. Shu Yan understands the designer's intention: people who can afford a 120-square-meter apartment are naturally wealthy and value comfort. Small rooms would not satisfy them.

The location is excellent. Nancheng University is a key university in China, and the surrounding area is expected to develop very well in the future. Houses here will definitely skyrocket in value. If she buys another house, she won't have to worry about renting out the one she left behind.

"I'd like to know what public facilities are nearby? Like schools and hospitals?" If she were alone, Shu Yan would have bought it without hesitation. But she has two children, so schools and hospitals are the most crucial issues. Schools are self-evident; everyone in China knows that. Young children have weak immune systems and are prone to minor ailments. In case of any emergencies, having a nearby hospital is key to saving lives.

"Yes, there is a kindergarten inside our community, and it's a bilingual kindergarten with several foreign teachers. As you know, it's best to learn languages ​​from a young age. Jiasheng Primary School is 300 meters to the south, and the Second People's Hospital of Nancheng City is 4 kilometers to the east. In addition, there is a vegetable market not far behind the community, making it convenient to buy groceries. Overall, our facilities are very complete, and I can confidently say that they are among the best in the entire Nancheng."

She knew that Jiasheng Primary School was just as famous as Chengxi Primary School. The two schools had always been rivals. Overall, Jiasheng Primary School might have better grades, but the ratio of students admitted to top universities was 3:7, with three students from Jiasheng Primary School and seven from Chengxi Primary School. The main reason for this big difference was that Jiasheng Primary School's grades were achieved through strict management, including early morning self-study, evening self-study, and an overwhelming amount of homework.

Shu Yan once tutored a student at Jiasheng Elementary School and was truly shocked by the amount of homework. Three test papers a day, one each for Chinese, math, and English, a diary entry, a 300-word essay, twenty repetitions of the new characters learned that day, twenty repetitions of the vocabulary words, twenty repetitions of the English words, plus various workbooks required by the school...

It is necessary for schools and teachers to be strict with children, but not all the time. Anyway, Shu Yan thinks that being too strict may not be a good thing for children. You can see from the college entrance examination ratio that when children enter junior high school and high school, they relax and become more unrestrained than other children, which leads to a sharp drop in their grades.

"Chengxi Elementary School isn't far, can I go there to study?" Having gone to school for so many years herself, she knows best the pain of studying o(╯□╰)o, do not do to others what you would not have them do to you.

The saleswoman looked at Shu Yan in surprise. Now, Jiasheng Elementary School is much harder to get into than Chengxi Elementary School. Many parents buy their houses because of the new national policy of allowing students to attend schools nearby. Being able to attend Jiasheng Elementary School means that their children are guaranteed a place in a key middle school and can then enter Nancheng High School.

"Chengxi Primary School is also an option; we have quotas there too." The developer who acquired this land must have considerable influence and resources, making it easy for them to secure quotas for these two schools.

Shu Yan was delighted to hear this. "My daughter is seven years old this year and should be in first grade. She was delayed because of something. Can she still enroll in school now?"

There was much more room for maneuver in the 1990s than in the future, since the enforcement wasn't as strict back then.

The saleswoman said with difficulty, "I don't know either, since we need the school to answer that."

Shu Yan nodded, "Take me to see the house first. We can talk about other things after we've seen the house. Otherwise, it's no use saying anything more."

"Which apartment type are you interested in?" The saleswoman flashed her beautiful, even teeth. Having worked in sales for so long, she could tell who was just asking questions and who genuinely wanted to buy. The woman in front of her, who wasn't good-looking and dressed rather plainly, clearly wanted to buy a house. However, she was targeting Shu Yan with a 60-square-meter apartment. Even the smallest unit would cost over 100,000 yuan, and she could still get a considerable commission.

"Show me each apartment type." At this point, all the apartments were ready for immediate occupancy, so I could go see them directly.

Passing by the building, Shu Yan asked, "Is this an office building?"

"Yes, this place is currently available for rent. If you're in business, this is the perfect place to rent. There are several universities nearby, making it easier to attract college students," the saleswoman said, stopping to introduce the property to Shu Yan.

Shu Yan just listened to these words and didn't take them seriously. Nowadays, college students are guaranteed job placement, so who would want to work for a small private company?

"It must be hard to rent, right?" Shu Yan asked with a faint smile.

Actually, 1992 was not a good time to buy property for investment. Property prices didn't change much in the following years, so it was better to use the money to start a business. When property prices fell between 1997 and 1999, you could buy a dozen or twenty properties and then stay home and sleep soundly.

"How could that be? Most of the houses here are already rented out. Would you like to take a look?"

Shu Yan shook her head. Why would she rent an office? She wasn't going to start a company. She should look at apartments first.

The saleswoman didn't say anything more. She would be surprised if Shu Yan actually went and rented it.

As I walked into the residential complex with the saleswoman, she kept introducing the facilities and environment to me: "This is the security room, a 24-hour security system that protects the safety of residents at all times. This is our own bilingual kindergarten. There aren't many children yet, but it will be lively once the residents move in."

Upon entering the second building, the saleswoman said with great pride:

"We are the only building with elevators in the southern part of the city, and all of our elevators are imported, so you don't need to worry about safety."

The apartment building has twelve floors, and they first went to see a small 60-square-meter suite.

60 square meters is really small; the rooms are small, the bathroom is small, and the kitchen is small. Two people can barely pass each other, and three people would have to squeeze together. 80 square meters looks about the same as 60 square meters, just with one more room. 90 square meters looks much bigger. Because there's an extra balcony, the view feels more open. There are a total of 4 rooms; she and her two children each have one, and there's one that can be used as a study. This layout is worth considering, but Shu Yan still wants to look at a 120 square meter apartment.

The 120-square-meter apartment is truly impeccable. The rooms are the perfect size, the living room is bright and spacious, there are three large balconies and two bathrooms, and the overall feel is excellent.

"How much does it cost?" The so-called starting price is the price of the worst house, which is dark and damp, and would make a weak person sick. The house we are looking at now is definitely not the starting price.

"Are you interested in this apartment?" The saleswoman wasn't really happy. Many people had seen the 120-square-meter apartment and loved it, but they were all scared off when they heard the price. The saleswoman was afraid that Shu Yan would also turn away after hearing the price, so she maintained her enthusiastic smile, "We've hired the best designer, the best construction company, and used the best materials..."

"Just tell me the price." All this talk is just to say that their high prices are justified, isn't it?

"4,200 yuan per square meter."

Shu Yan suddenly chuckled. What happened to the promised average price of 1500 yuan? 4200 is way too far off! It's just as unreliable as the average wage in later generations.

4200 yuan doesn't seem like much, but this was 4200 yuan in 1992. In the southern part of the city, a regular worker only earned a little over 300 yuan a month. That means that even if a person worked for a year without eating or drinking, they couldn't buy one square meter of housing.

Shu Yan hesitated about whether to buy such a large house. It cost nearly 500,000 yuan; the interest on that money in the bank would be more than the house price had increased.

The saleswoman looked at Shu Yan nervously.

"What's the lowest price? Oh, and what about the parking space?" Shu Yan looked around the house again. The house was really great; she really liked it. It was probably the best domestic house in the southern part of the city right now, apart from foreign-owned properties.

"If you can pay in full, we can give you a 2% discount. The 120-square-meter apartment comes with a parking space, which is considered a bonus, so it's a great deal," the saleswoman said quickly, noticing Shu Yan's hesitation.

Shu Yan nodded. Giving away a parking space was a good idea. "Round the price down to 4,000 per square meter. Also, you need to help me with my child's school enrollment."

"These questions are beyond my authority; I need to go back and consult my supervisor."

"Okay, let's go."