When Xia Qingqing received the telegram from Xiao Hui, he had already boarded the train.
The telegram simply stated that he was coming to Beijing soon, without specifying the exact time of his train. Even if Xia Qingqing wanted to pick him up, she didn't know when to go, and she couldn't possibly wait at the train station entrance.
Fortunately, Xia Qingqing had already given Xiao Hui her home address when they were in their hometown. She was a grown woman and wouldn't get lost, so he felt very reassured.
Two days later.
Xiao Hui struggled out of the train station carrying a large bag: "Phew~, this is Beijing. It's definitely not comparable to small places."
The train station in Beijing was much larger than the one in Pingxi County, which made Xiao Hui even more excited about his trip to Beijing.
He was worried about how to get to the Xia family, but he didn't expect that there were many tricycles parked at the entrance of the train station. He was stopped by a tricycle driver as soon as he walked out of the train station.
Xiao Hui gave the Xia family's address and then leisurely sat in the car with his eyes closed to rest.
Just as Xiao Hui was about to fall asleep, the tricycle finally came to a steady stop in front of the Xia family's house. After settling the fare with the driver, Xiao Hui, carrying his luggage, knocked on the Xia family's gate:
"Is anyone home?"
Gou Dan, who was doing his homework, rushed out of his room when he heard the noise. His eyes lit up when he saw Xiao Hui: "Brother Xiao, you've finally arrived! My sister told me about your visit a couple of days ago. Come in with me!"
"Oh, it's Lele. Where are your parents and sister? Are they home?" Xiao Hui asked with a smile, letting Gou Dan pull him into the house.
"She's not home. My parents went out, and my sister hasn't gotten out of school yet, but she should be home soon," Gou Dan estimated based on Xia Qingqing's usual home arrival time.
"Brother Xiao, please sit down first. I'll go to the kitchen to wash a cup and pour you some water," he said, and then he ran towards the kitchen.
Xiao Hui didn't want to sit alone in the main room, so he got up and followed Gou Dan to the kitchen.
Gou Dan was very self-aware of his role as a young master, pouring tea for Xiao Hui, getting him snacks, and even chatting with him in a seemingly respectable manner.
When Xia Qingqing returned, she saw an adult and a child sitting by the main room, chatting and eating melon seeds.
"Brother Hui! When did you arrive?"
Upon hearing Xia Qingqing's voice, Xiao Hui quickly put the sunflower seeds back on the plate, stood up, and said with a smile, "Qingqing, you're back from school? I haven't been here long."
Xia Qingqing casually put her schoolbag on the table: "You didn't even tell me a specific time you were coming, otherwise I would have asked my dad to pick you up."
"Hey, I'm a grown man, I'm not lost, it's not that complicated," Xiao Hui said nonchalantly.
He deliberately didn't mention the train's exact time because he didn't want Xia Qingqing and the others to pick him up; it would be too much trouble to pick them up and drop them off.
"If you're being so polite with me, then I'll be too embarrassed to ask you for help in the future," Xia Qingqing said jokingly.
Xiao Hui raised an eyebrow: "It's my fault. I should ask you for help next time."
Before they could exchange more than a few words, Xiao Hui changed the subject to the courtyard: "Qingqing, when did you buy this courtyard? It looks very nice."
"It was the year I first came to Beijing to study. What's up, Mr. Xiao? Are you thinking of getting one too?" Xia Qingqing asked with a smile.
Xiao Hui nodded: "I have some ideas, but I don't know if housing prices in Beijing are expensive."
He didn't intend to move to Beijing; he just felt that having a house in Beijing was impressive, and it would give him a place to stay when he visited Beijing in the future.
But if the house price is too high, he definitely won't be willing to buy it.
When the topic of housing came up, Xia Qingqing's expression became serious: "It depends on where you compare it to. It's definitely more expensive than houses in Pingxi County, but you have to understand that Beijing is the capital."
“That’s true. In ancient times, this place was right under the imperial city. People who could live here were either rich or noble, so the houses here wouldn’t be cheap either,” Xiao Hui agreed.
Xia Qingqing gave him a knowing look: "To tell you the truth, I bought this courtyard for 6,500 when I was young, but now you can't get it for less than eight or nine thousand. Of course, buying a house isn't that easy; it depends on luck."
The current housing market is experiencing a supply shortage, with many large families crammed into small apartments of only 10 or 20 square meters.
High housing prices are one issue, but whether or not one can buy a house is another. Unless there are special circumstances, most people would not sell their houses.
"Prices are rising so fast? Beijing's housing prices are too expensive!" Xiao Hui asked incredulously, his eyes wide.
In just two or three years, the price has increased by one or two thousand yuan, enough to buy a large courtyard house in Pingxi County.
Xia Qingqing scoffed, "This is nothing expensive. Commercial housing is what's expensive. Guess how much a 70 or 80 square meter apartment costs?"
"It won't cost ten thousand yuan, will it?" Xiao Hui asked tentatively.
"No, let's just triple the number you mentioned," Xia Qingqing said with a smile, making a three-pointed hand gesture.
Xiao Hui: "......"
He had just taken a look around the Xia family's courtyard, which was about 400 square meters. A house like that would cost less than 10,000 yuan, but a small commercial apartment cost 30,000 yuan!
Good heavens, this trip to Beijing has certainly broadened the horizons of this country bumpkin.
He thought that as long as he didn't squander his savings, he could live comfortably for a lifetime, but it turns out he's nothing in Beijing.
Xia Qingqing could tell that Xiao Hui was genuinely shocked. Since he had the idea of buying a house, she was willing to offer some advice.
"If you want to buy a house, you should make a decision as soon as possible, because house prices will only rise higher and higher in the future."
She estimated that Xiao Hui had made a lot of money over the years, but while it seemed like a lot now, it wouldn't amount to much in ten or twenty years. However, it would be a different story if he were to convert it into a house.
Xia Qingqing and Xiao Hui were having a great time chatting when Zhang Hongyan and her husband returned.
Since the business of selling sailor shirts stopped, the couple started making chili sauce. Although they didn't earn as much as they did selling sailor shirts, they were happy to make money at all, so they couldn't complain.
Yuan Xin had already bought the courtyard he had rented before. Although he later withdrew from the partnership, he agreed that Zhang Hongyan and the others could use the courtyard for free, since it was just sitting empty anyway.
Zhang Hongyan and her husband certainly couldn't take advantage of him, so they gave Yuanxin 10 yuan in rent every month.
When Xia Heping arrived home and saw Xiao Hui, he immediately greeted him with a smile: "Xiao Hui, you're here! Why didn't you tell me the time in advance? I could have picked you up from the train station."
"Hello Uncle Xia, hello Auntie," Xiao Hui stood up and greeted the two.
"No need for all that trouble. Qingqing gave me her home address. I just took a tricycle from the train station entrance. It's very convenient."
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