At six o'clock in the evening, the Chen family
"Fourth Sister, why didn't Fifth Brother come back with you?"
Chen Lao Er craned his neck and looked outside the door. Behind Chen Xiuhua, he couldn't see Xiao Wu and the others. The two sisters had always come home together for the holidays.
“…Dad, Xiao Wu will be back tomorrow. She’ll stay at school for one night. As you know, she… she doesn’t like taking crowded buses; she gets carsick. The whole city is closed this afternoon, and there are too many people.” Chen Xiuhua wasn’t good at lying and explained with a slight stutter.
"Oh, really!" Chen Lao Er pretended to believe him and casually replied that he knew.
But in his heart he thought, "That girl Xiao Wu must be busy with her business in Jiang City."
They even kept it a secret from their own parents. None of their daughters are cute at all, and Xiao Bao is the same; she's very tight-lipped and has been corrupted by Xiao Wu.
Thinking this, Chen Lao Er glanced at Xiao Bao with annoyance.
Chen Xiaoliu immediately turned his head, his eyes darting away, with a slightly disgusted expression: "Dad, really, he always tries to ask me what kind of business Fifth Sister is doing. Is he so easy to trick into telling me?"
Chen Lao Er was a little angry: You brat.
Then wait until tomorrow. He wanted to ask Xiao Wu for another two thousand yuan. Yesterday, he saw a leather sofa he liked, which cost more than three thousand yuan, but he didn't have enough money.
Some time ago, Chen Lao Er bought a color TV for four thousand yuan for his home in the family compound.
He also bought some beds, cabinets, and other furniture for his new house in the northern part of the county. The 20,000 yuan was gone in no time. He had originally planned to keep some pocket money for himself, but it wasn't enough.
At 4 p.m. the next day, Chen Xihua and Chen Meihua returned to the family quarters.
As soon as they entered the courtyard, they heard several middle-aged women talking about the opening of Leiting Haoxuan.
"Did you know? This morning at ten o'clock, the Leiting Haoxuan residential complex in the northern part of the county opened for sale. The layouts and decorations of those houses are all very different."
“My aunt’s sister-in-law’s younger sister bought a 98-square-meter apartment for 100,000 yuan in cash.”
“My daughter is the same. She said she wanted to buy us two old folks an apartment, about 50 or 60 square meters. It's a bit small, but it would still cost 60,000 yuan. She offered to pay the down payment, but I said it wasn't necessary, that I had the money. But she insisted on buying it for us…”
"Auntie, it's good that your daughter is filial. Have you heard?... That woman Li Juan wants her daughter Shuiqin to make a down payment on a house. Her eldest son has found someone, but I don't know..."
"Tell me, how can Li Yumei's family of eight, with so many people, fit into a two-bedroom apartment?"
"I heard that Chen's son sleeps in the living room. Li Yumei is really willing to do that. If it were me, I would send all my daughters away."
"Shh, listen to me. I have some inside information. Actually, Chen Lao Er has already bought an apartment in another development in the northern part of the county. It was several years ago. It's a three-bedroom, one-living room apartment, and it only cost forty or fifty thousand yuan back then, half the price. He recently bought furniture for it."
"Really? Can Chen Lao Er really hold back? Shouldn't he have been bragging about it all over the residential area by now?"
"I don't know, but it's true anyway."
"Old Chen is very clever! He bought the pastry shop building a long time ago and is making a fortune in silence."
"If I had known, I would have bought it a few years ago. Who knew it would be so much more expensive now?"
"..."
"Xiao Wu, do you think I should buy one too?" Chen Meihua tugged at Chen Xihua's right hand and whispered.
"Third sister, it's up to you, but I suggest you save up more of your dividends and buy a bigger apartment in Yun City, the provincial capital," Chen Xihua said after a moment's thought.
“Okay, hehe, that’s what I think too,” Chen Meihua said, somewhat pleased.
When Chen Xihua and her sister went up to the second floor, they heard a commotion coming from the Wang family's house on the left.
"Shuiqin, you have money, so you can pay the down payment. Your older brother and younger brother can pay the loan afterwards." Li Juan's tone left no room for discussion, as if she were giving a direct order.
"Mom, I can pay the down payment, but my name has to be added to the deed," Wang Shuiqin said somewhat sullenly.
"What do you mean by adding your name? You're a woman, you're going to get married anyway." Li Juan started to get angry, her tone unfriendly.
"Mom, it's just because I'm a woman, and a divorced woman at that, that they want to add my name to the house so I can have some security. Besides, it's hard to say when I'll remarry. Right now, I just want to focus on my work." Wang Shuiqin's tone became very firm.
Deputy factory director Zhang Xiaolan also bought a large 200-square-meter house, which was registered under both her and Li Shisheng's names.
Zhang Xiaolan would often tell her female employees that women should be more self-reliant and independent. She also reminded them to think more about themselves, and if they were planning to buy a house, they should remember to add their own names to the deed, instead of foolishly just contributing money.
Therefore, Wang Shuiqin was particularly clear-headed at this moment, and seeing her mother's matter-of-fact attitude, she felt even more determined to add her own name to the deed. Alternatively, she could buy the property herself and pay off the loan herself.
"You ungrateful wretch! Your older brother and Xiaoqiang stood up for you so much back then, supporting your divorce. What's wrong with you paying the down payment for a house for them now? Your job is stable, and your salary is high..."
Chen Xihua, who had already entered her home, was unaware that some of the things she had casually said to Sister Xiaolan in the office were often used by Sister Xiaolan to tell the female employees in the factory.
...
During the holiday, half of the more than 500 apartments in Leiting Haoxuan were pre-sold, with prices ranging from 1,000 to 1,300 per square meter.
With economic development, housing reforms, and the gradual rise in housing prices, many ordinary people and families have seen the signs and are thinking it's better to buy sooner rather than later. Those with some savings want to buy a house, and those who don't have enough money can take out a loan.
On the morning before returning to school after the holiday, Chen Xihua also went to Leiting Haoxuan for a stroll.
She was in a good mood, as she would soon be able to start building her company headquarters. However, she would still need to buy more land if a suitable opportunity arose.
At 2 p.m., Chen Xihua and Chen Xiuhua were about to return to school when Grandma Chen came to their door.
"Second brother, did you buy a commercial apartment in the northern new district of the county a long time ago?"
"Mother, who told you that?" Chen Lao Er didn't intend to hide it anymore and asked sheepishly, touching his nose.
Last month, he happily and proudly told his children that he had bought a house in the northern new district of the county.
However, the girls and Xiao Bao didn't show much surprise or excitement. Xiao Wu wasn't excited, which he could understand, because Xiao Wu already knew.
However, the other daughters and Xiao Bao also had indifferent expressions, and Chen Lao Er immediately lost his excitement to show off.
At this moment, Grandma Chen had already pulled up a chair and sat down. "Don't worry about who I heard it from. I'm just saying, your pastry shop makes one or two thousand yuan a month. How could you not have money after so many years?"
Well, you even lied to your parents, was that Li Yumei's idea?
Li Yumei, come out here! I knew you weren't a good woman.
What? Are you afraid that we, as your parents, will steal your money?
"Hmph, your father and I are old now. You all need to contribute to our retirement. Your family will contribute 100 yuan a month, and your older brother's family will be responsible for taking care of us."
Grandma Chen was very angry. After she finished speaking, she was panting and glared angrily at Chen Lao Er.
“Mother, it has nothing to do with Yumei. Besides, she just went to the pastry shop and isn’t home.”
No, Mom, you and Dad both have pensions, and it's 100 yuan a month. Isn't that a bit too much?
"Currently, the average monthly cost of living for the elderly in the county is around twenty or thirty yuan."
Chen Lao Er glanced at Chen Xihua, who was heading back to school. Where would he get any money? The money from the pastry shop was all in his wife's hands, and Xiao Wu's money would be too much for her to handle.
The day before yesterday, I asked her for another two thousand yuan. Xiao Wu agreed, but also said that if he dared to use it for other frivolous things, he could forget about getting another penny.
"...No matter what, at least...it has to be fifty yuan a month." Grandma Chen clutched her chest, furious. Her son and grandson were both unfilial.
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