Chapter 23 Chapter 23: Deciding on the first house.
Chapter 23
As the saying goes, one may plant flowers with care but they may not bloom, but one may plant willows by accident and they may grow into a shade. Liu Suqin and Lin Nanjiang looked at houses for the whole morning but did not officially decide on any one. Instead, they fell in love with the street-facing shop that Brother Li recommended on a whim.
This shop is very close to the office building they viewed that morning, less than a ten-minute walk. Yet, it's much busier than the residential complex, with a constant stream of traffic and people. Brother Li also mentioned that hospitals, schools, and newly opened supermarkets are all nearby, making it a highly sought-after shop. "The landlord, Mr. Zhang, used to live upstairs and rented out the shop downstairs to a hi-fi store. The monthly rent alone was hundreds of dollars, and countless people envied him. He'd just bought the shop back, and before he'd even announced the sale, someone had already approached him, offering to pay 10% above the market price. But Mr. Zhang wanted to upgrade his son to a duplex, and selling just the shop wasn't enough. He was determined to sell the upstairs apartment and move in with his son."
When the three of them arrived, the door of the shop on the first floor was wide open, and the inside was empty. It was said that the previous merchant had just packed up the remaining goods and taken them away. The landlord then called the scrap dealer to the store, and they started to knock down and dismantle everything. All the tables, chairs, cabinets and iron frames were disposed of without leaving a single one. The demolition team was so efficient that they praised it as professional.
Liu Suqin and Lin Nanjiang saw a bare house.
As I said, an empty house has its advantages. You can see the end at a glance and know clearly what the situation of the store is.
But Brother Li still took them inside for a tour, chattering away as he introduced the place. "The first floor is about 100 square meters, which is definitely more than enough for a restaurant. The upstairs is a bit smaller, around 80 square meters, but it has three bedrooms and a living room, which is more than enough for your family of three. There's also a nice-sized open-air balcony facing the street, which is convenient for drying clothes and quilts, or drinking tea and relaxing..."
Liu Suqin nodded secretly in her heart. The size, location and traffic flow of this shop were all impeccable. The other problems were also more than enough to outweigh the shortcomings. So she looked at Lin Nanjiang with a smile, "Hubby, what do you think?"
Like her, Lin Nanjiang also liked the shop on the first floor from the bottom of his heart. He rubbed his hands and started to think about it. "This street is really lively, with people coming and going, whether they are shopping or going to work or school. The shop is also spacious and bright. If I could open a shop here, I could paint the walls white, lay tiles, and put new tables and chairs in. It would look clean and tidy, which would be so reassuring."
There was another thing he was embarrassed to say in front of the real estate agent, for fear that others would think he was worldly-wise. In their hometown, no one could live in such a clean and decent house, but he used it to do business. He was really proud of it.
Brother Li obviously had no time to care about the client's perspective; his attention was focused on sales. He was delighted to discover the couple's undisguised preference and was about to intensify his sales pitch, focusing on the advantages of the first floor to further win over the client's mind, when he saw Lin Nanjiang, who he thought was the most talkative, suddenly change the subject. "The storefront is great, but the living space is too small. It's only 80 square meters, so it must be very cramped. Even with a family of three and the brothers who help me with the work, we can barely squeeze in. But we worked so hard to earn some money to buy a house in the city, just to live a good life and live in a spacious and comfortable place. If we can't even move around in our own homes, why spend so much money on buying a house? Can't we just continue to rent?"
He looked at Brother Li expectantly and said, "Can't we really just discuss and buy the shop? As for living space, I still prefer the house provided by the company over there. It happens to be close to each other, and it's convenient for us to go home after work."
Brother Li also wanted to nod. He didn't know how great it would be to have closed two sales at once, but he couldn't. "Many people have come to me or directly to Uncle Zhang to beg him for the shop, but his attitude is that he won't negotiate. To put it bluntly, if Uncle Zhang changes his mind so easily, it won't be our turn. There are many people around here who want to buy. Brother Lin and his wife really should consider it. This kind of prime shop is always hard to come by. You may not even be able to rent it normally, let alone buy it. If you think about it carefully, you will find that the shop rents out for several hundred yuan a month. Not only will there be no shortage of tenants, but the rent increases every year. It is definitely a sure-win investment. Anyone with a little spare money won't want to miss it."
Brother Li could tell that Lin Nanjiang was a sincere man. He was genuinely dissatisfied with something and had no intention of deliberately trying to stir up trouble. So he quickly turned the topic to Liu Suqin, "Sister-in-law, is this true?"
Fortunately, Liu Suqin didn't let him down and nodded readily. "That makes sense. The location of this shop is really good. Let's go upstairs and take a look first. I wonder if it's convenient?"
"That's convenient. Uncle Zhang should be home. I'll go up and knock on the door."
Liu Suqin didn't follow Brother Li upstairs because the hesitation on Lin Nanjiang's face was too obvious. She stayed behind to persuade him and started with a joke, "What's wrong, Boss Lin? Is an 80-square-meter house so tight?"
Lin Nanjiang shook his head frantically, "How could that be? Wife, you don't know me. If I'm on my own, I can sleep anywhere. I'd be happy to sleep on the floor in my own shop from now on. I just promised you and your daughter a good life, but you're still feeling cramped after moving to the city. Besides, this street-facing house is great for business. Living here will definitely be noisy, and it's not safe with all the people coming and going every day. When our Fangfang grows up a little, she'll be one or two years old and like to run outside. Are we going to let her run out to play on the street?"
In the final analysis, he just couldn't bear to give up the company housing he had previously liked and wanted to provide the best living environment for his children.
Liu Suqin admitted that he had been very thoughtful this time, and without further ado, she whispered, "I like that house, too, but this shop is really nice. I noticed on the way here that very few shops on either side of this street have transfer notices posted. The agent wasn't exaggerating; opening a shop here is indeed doing well. The landlord insisted on selling everything, so we have no choice but to try and buy them all."
Only children do multiple-choice questions, adults of course want everything.
Lin Nanjiang, who was still struggling to make a choice, was dumbfounded. He had never expected his wife to be so bold as to want to buy two, oh no, a shop and a house would make two, his wife wanted to buy three at once, which was too bold. Even though Lin Nanjiang had always boasted that he would meet all the needs of his wife and children, he couldn't help but feel a little weak at the knees at this moment, and cautiously reminded her, "Wife, wife, we don't have that much money, right?"
But his wife was very confident. "It's okay. Let's go up and take a look first. We can figure out a way to deal with the money problem later."
Lin Nanjiang: ...
His wife got it wrong. These days, you can lack anything but not money. If you have no money, what else can you think of?
Liu Suqin heard the sound of the door opening and the sound of the agent communicating with the landlord. She hurriedly ended the topic and went to look at houses. However, seeing her husband's upset expression, she knew that he would not be able to recover unless she explained clearly. She hurriedly said, "Didn't Brother Li say that the upstairs is only over 80 square meters and the first floor is only 100 square meters, so it is definitely not as expensive as the company's housing. I estimate that the three units together will cost about 200,000 yuan? At least it won't be more than 240,000 yuan. We saved up 200,000 yuan before the New Year, and you and Brother Quansheng worked day and night at the stall and made tens of thousands more. It should be enough if we put it together."
After hearing his wife's analysis, Lin Nanjiang managed to straighten his back a little. "Yes, we made a lot of money during the post-New Year rush, but it only lasted a little over a month. If we used all the money on hand to buy a house, what would happen to our food, Fangfang's diapers and formula, and the renovations for the house and shop?"
"Then take your time. You can renovate while earning money. I believe in your ability." Liu Suqin was initially enthusiastic, then proposed a second plan. "If you want to move into the city and open a store sooner, you can also take the property certificate to the bank for a mortgage. I heard that the government encourages individual businesses, and it's easy to get a loan with a house as collateral. The interest rate is not high, and it's a formal bank. As long as we repay the money on time, or pay off the loan early, we can redeem the property certificate sooner."
Having deposited over 200,000 yuan in the bank, Lin Nanjiang now has great trust in the bank. His first reaction is not fear of going into debt, but rather eagerness to try. "So, next time I go to the bank to deposit or withdraw money, why not ask about the relevant policies?"
"Sure." The ideological work had been done, so Liu Suqin didn't waste any time and turned to go up the stairs.
The agent has been chatting with the landlord at the door for a long time. If he doesn't go up, people will start to complain.
Lin Nanjiang was no longer timid this time. He followed his wife's steps and whispered, "If possible, we can also apply for a loan from the bank where we deposit our money. Everyone from the employees to their managers are very welcoming. They even gave us a lot of rice, flour, grain and oil during the New Year."
Liu Suqin didn't even turn her head: "Yes, it's up to you to decide."
As they were talking, the two of them had already reached the second floor in a few steps. The landlord and his wife were waiting at the door. The landlord's wife, Aunt Zhang, greeted them warmly, "Xiao Lin, Xiao Liu, come in and sit down first. I heard you had dinner? Then sit down and have some tea to help you digest your food."
In stark contrast to the bare walls of the first floor, the second floor has a strong atmosphere of life. From the living room to the kitchen, it is filled with various utensils. The terrace mentioned by the agent is even filled with vegetables planted in foam boxes.
Aunt Zhang was a very talkative person. Seeing Liu Suqin looking at the terrace in surprise, she proudly introduced the various vegetables, onions and garlic she had personally taken care of. "Since moving here, we basically don't have to buy vegetables. Sometimes we even give some to our neighbors when we can't finish them. My husband originally wanted to sell the house, but I refused. If he sold the house, where would we find such a nice balcony to grow vegetables? But my son said that the new house we bought is on the top floor, and the rooftop is all ours. We can grow as much as we want..."
Liu Suqin praised Aunt Zhang for her vegetable-growing prowess, but she felt ashamed. If they continued chatting, would Aunt Zhang reveal her bank password? She should get to the point.
They have almost finished looking at houses. Her current idea is to leave the second floor alone and rent it out as soon as possible to ease some financial pressure. When business gets better and there is a need to expand, she can take the second floor back at any time. Of course, it would be even better if there is a chance to buy the shop next door and connect it. No matter how they arrange it, they don't plan to live there themselves, so after looking at the house and finding no major problems, they were fine with it and began a long bargaining.
Just as she expected, the two-story building was less than 200 square meters in total, and the landlord did not ask for an exorbitant price, offering 150,000 yuan.
But it was still a bit expensive. In Liu Suqin's opinion, the shop on the first floor was not big, but it had a good location, so it was worth 80,000 or 90,000 yuan. However, the second floor would definitely not be sold for 60,000 or 70,000 yuan, so it was just a bonus. Therefore, she cut the price by 20,000 yuan without hesitation.
Of course, Mr. Zhang absolutely refused to accept this and was nearly furious. The negotiations were on the verge of collapse several times, and the real estate agent had to mediate and smooth things over. Lin Nanjiang also played the victim whenever possible, saying that the migrant workers had no help and were reluctant to let their children become homeless like them. The young couple worked tirelessly and scrimped and saved just enough money to buy a new house.
After such a double act, the landlord did not really overturn the table. After several negotiations, they finally decided on the auspicious number of 138,888.
Liu Suqin was very satisfied. The bargaining went so smoothly here. They only needed to get a thousand or two lower for the company housing, so the total of the two would not exceed 210,000. The money they had on hand would be enough to buy a house and renovate it.
Maybe they will be a little tight on money with opening a shop, but according to Lin Nanjiang's plan, after buying the house they will go to the city to renovate it during the day, and continue to set up stalls at the night market at night, earning hundreds of dollars every day, and they will be able to get through this difficult period soon.
Now she can make ends meet without taking out a loan, how can she not be happy?
Liu Suqin was very happy, but the landlord, Mr. Zhang, was exhausted by her ruthless bargaining style. He almost drove her away with a broom several times. In the end, he reluctantly agreed to the deal because the young woman was decisive and not only signed the contract and paid the deposit on the spot, but also promised to pay off all the balance this week.
Yes, Liu Suqin and the landlord signed the house purchase contract under the witness of the agent. Afterwards, accompanied by them, she went to the bank to withdraw 8,000 yuan in cash and gave it to Mr. and Mrs. Zhang. This was a down payment. The remaining balance of 130,888 yuan would need to be settled separately when the handover came on Friday.
After all, the handover of a second-hand house means exchanging money and keys. From now on, this building will have nothing to do with Mr. Zhang and his wife, so naturally they need to take away all the furniture and luggage they want to take away before that.
Liu Suqin and Lin Nanjiang didn't mind them moving out the furniture, but Uncle Zhang offered to leave the tables, chairs, and beds behind, which they were happy to do. This would save them the trouble of buying new furniture, and they could just clean up and start renting out the place.
The landlord hasn't cleaned up anything yet. The old couple didn't expect that there would be such a casual person in the world. It took no more than two hours from viewing the house to signing the contract and paying the deposit. They were completely unprepared. In the next few days, they still have to clean up and decorate the old house that has not been lived in for many years. Moving and handing over the house is also a big project.
The reason why the handover was scheduled on Friday instead of Sunday was because the company was closed on Sundays, and the transfer could not be processed on that day. The agent said that they would come early on Friday or Saturday morning, and process the transfer immediately after the handover, and the property certificate could basically be obtained on the same day.
It was also because of his guarantee that Liu Suqin agreed to pay the full amount first and then go through the transfer procedures.
Of course, there was nothing she could do if she disagreed. This was the general process for second-hand housing transactions. Uncle Zhang was defeated step by step when she bargained for the price, but this aspect was completely non-negotiable. If Liu Suqin talked too much, he would look at her with a defensive look.
After all, as old residents of the Special Administrative Region, they have heard and seen all kinds of scammers and have a strong awareness of fraud prevention.
There was no other way, so they had to adapt to the local customs. After saying goodbye to the landlord couple with mixed feelings at the bank, Liu Suqin and Lin Nanjiang took the agent's motorcycle back with him again.
Brother Li was no less happy than them for closing a deal so quickly. He was beaming with joy all the way and was very attentive when he arrived at the company, serving them tea and water. He also offered to treat them in the evening to celebrate the fact that they had finally owned their own home in Shenzhen after years of hard work.
Unfortunately, Liu Suqin and Lin Nanjiang had been out for most of the day and were eager to return home. They couldn't wait to fly back to see their plump daughter. They politely declined the agent's offer, but the agent reluctantly saw them out and patiently reminded them, "Brother Lin, remember to bring your household registration, ID card, and marriage certificate when your sister-in-law comes over on Friday. In addition to applying for the property ownership certificate, you also need to transfer the child's name here and register the house under your name. Make sure all the documents are prepared."
Liu Suqin paused, "Oh, right, our child is less than two months old, and we didn't have time to go back to our hometown to register him after he was born. How do we transfer his household registration?"
"Do you have a birth permit and a birth certificate?"
Lin Nanjiang suddenly became nervous and said, "We haven't heard of people needing a birth certificate to give birth in the countryside, have we? Birth certificates do exist. My wife gave birth at the health center, and the doctor asked if we wanted a birth certificate. I thought it would be good to keep as a souvenir, so I asked them to issue it."
Brother Li smiled and said, "It's OK to have a birth certificate. Then we can find someone to register the child here, saving a step."
But there will be no savings. He didn't say this, and even if he could just buy a house worth hundreds of thousands of yuan, he probably wouldn't be short of money to get his child registered.
Liu Suqin and Lin Nanjiang were indeed not short of money. She said casually, "Then we won't register the child's household registration this time. We'll register the child's household registration after we buy the apartment provided by the company. It will also make it easier for them to go to school in the future."
The real estate agent was stunned. "Sister-in-law, do you mean you still want to buy that apartment?"
This one client could sell three apartments? The surprise came so fast like a tornado that he couldn't believe his ears.
Lin Nanjiang nodded happily, "Yes, the second floor we just bought is still a bit small. It's a bit too small for our group. It's best to bite the bullet and buy the company apartment we saw this morning. It's close anyway, and it will be convenient for me to open and close the shop in the future. As for the second floor here, I can clean it up and rent it out. I'll also ask Brother Li how to write the rental contract and receipt, and how much they usually rent..."
The real estate agent was in a daze, with only one thought in his mind: can you buy a house just by gritting your teeth? If it were him, even if he gritted his teeth, he still couldn't afford it.
This wave really made him show off.
But he quickly adjusted himself. The more the customers bought, the more he would earn. So he continued to put on a warm and considerate smile and escorted Liu Suqin and Lin Nanjiang to the three-wheeled motorcycle. As the car gradually drove away, he was still waving and watching them go.
Lin Nanjiang drove into the city at lightning speed, and his speed back home was no slower at all. He kept muttering as he drove, "We've been out for almost a whole day. I don't know how our Fangfang is doing at home. Is she eating well and sleeping well? Is she crying and looking for mom and dad?"
Even though Liu Suqin was also concerned about her daughter, she felt that he was overthinking it. What did a little baby who was still breastfeeding know? How could she possibly think of looking for her parents when she could eat, sleep and be taken care of at home?
She had initially disregarded her father's fantasies, until he began to contemplate going to the city in a few days to transfer ownership, and making sure to bring her chubby daughter along so the whole family could witness this historic moment. She had no choice but to interrupt him, "Don't even think about it. The child is still too young and has no immunity. She won't be allowed to go for a proper walk until she's at least a hundred days old."
"Well, then it seems Fangfang can only wait until we move to the city." Lin Nanjiang kept quiet, but it didn't last long. He started to nag again, "I was too busy today. It's the first time I've left my daughter to go to the city. I don't have time to go shopping or buy her a little gift."
This time, Liu Suqin didn't pour cold water on him. She even asked, "What gift are you planning to bring for your daughter?"
Lin Nanjiang's first reaction was of course to buy all kinds of beautiful little dresses and dress his daughter up beautifully, but he rejected the idea as soon as he said it. "No, Doctor Chen said that it is best for babies to wear soft and comfortable cotton clothes. No need for fancy clothes, comfort is the main thing. Even if I want to buy a dress for Fangfang, I can't take her to the city to try them on for the time being. I don't know what size to buy. I'll decide later... The gold jewelry is not useful for the time being. The longevity lock prepared before the New Year and the gold bell bought for her by her uncle have not been used yet. We still have to wait until the child is older, when she is one year old, then we can get her a big gold collar. For now, I'll buy her a few more bags of milk powder and diapers, and then see if there are any cloth tigers. What do you think, daughter-in-law?"
"It's time to prepare some toys. A rag tiger or a doll will do. It depends on what she likes."
Suddenly she remembered that she had not bought many toys for her eldest daughter in her previous life. She was well-behaved and never asked for anything, unlike her younger brother who wanted to buy airplanes, cars and toy guns every day when he was a child, and would throw a tantrum on the ground if he was not given one. Liu Suqin secretly reminded herself that she could not ignore her child as a matter of course this time just because he was sensible. No child really doesn't like toys. Dolls, stuffed dolls, small airplanes and cars should all be bought. Interests and hobbies should be cultivated from an early age, instead of waiting for her daughter to satisfy herself after she becomes financially independent.
The couple had a lively discussion about gifts for their daughter all the way home. When they finally got home, they were greeted by their chubby daughter's contented sleepy face after a full meal. Lin Quansheng was still full of relief and said, "Fangfang is very well behaved. At first, she whimpered and wanted to find her parents, but she was fine after a feeding. When she went to sleep, I covered her with my brother and sister-in-law's clothes, and it was as if you were still at home. The little one slept so soundly. Aunt Zhang and the landlady were so adorable that they kept saying they had never seen a child more sensible and easy to take care of than Fangfang."
Lin Nanjiang was filled with fatherly love but couldn't express it. He washed his hands and face and wanted to go back to the room to hug his daughter, but he didn't want to interrupt her sweet dream. He could only squat beside the bed for a long time, watching her without blinking.
Liu Suqin also came in to see her daughter as soon as possible. Seeing that she was sleeping soundly, she gently tucked the corner of the quilt and walked away. At this moment, Lin Quansheng, who was full of curiosity, pulled her aside to ask about the results of today's house viewing.
Aunt Zhang was still preparing dinner next door. As for Lin Quansheng, they hadn't even hidden their plan to move into the city and buy a house to open a shop from him, so there was no need to hide it now. Liu Suqin said truthfully, "We've got our eyes on a two-story building facing the street. The first floor is a shop. It's a good size and location, with a lot of traffic. We're opening our own shop, so we paid the deposit right away. We can go over and take over after the landlord moves the furniture and luggage out this Friday."
"Is that it?" Lin Quansheng was surprised and happy.
He knew that his good friend was planning to open a shop in the city, and he thought they were just renting a shop, after all, they were planning to buy an old house. He thought it was because they were short of money, but he didn't expect them to be so generous and buy both the house and the shop in one go. Lin Quansheng was naturally happy for them.
After the joy, I became worried. "Since it's a building with a shop, it must be very expensive. Will I have enough money?"
He had prepared everything, but his sister-in-law said it was not enough, so he told her to just use his share for an emergency. He had no place to spend the money at the moment, so he might as well lend it to his friend and boss in need. Anyway, he didn't have to worry about them not paying the money back.
As a result, Liu Suqin shook her head without hesitation, "Enough."
Lin Quansheng's prepared speech froze for a moment. "Is that so?"
Liu Suqin glanced at the half-open door and whispered, "I haggled with the landlord for a long time, and in the end we sold it for less than 140,000 yuan."
Lin Quansheng gasped, but quickly accepted the idea. "That's cheaper than I thought. It's a street-facing building with shops. You said it has a good location and area, and it's in the city center. I thought it would be at least 200,000 yuan, but it turns out it's cheaper than those commercial properties."
He left the factory a few years ago and has been helping Lin Nanjiang for several months. He doesn't need to calculate the daily income from setting up a stall to have a rough idea of it. One hundred thousand yuan is an astronomical figure for him, but with the couple's frugal spirit, they can really come up with it if they grit their teeth.
Now he was completely relieved, his brows filled with joy that his good brother's family had bought a house and opened their own shop in the big city. "That's great! Not only did you buy a house, you also have your own shop. You won't have to worry about making a living in the future. With this shop, you will have food and clothing and a stable life for the rest of your life. However, you just bought a house, and later on, renovating and opening a shop will cost a lot of money. If you're short on money, just let me know. The money in my passbook can also help you out in an emergency."
Liu Suqin knew that he was genuinely trying to help, and the refusal on her lips turned into a thank you. "Thank you in advance, I might need you in an emergency."
As for the need to raise money for another house, she didn't mention it for the time being. After all, she hadn't made any plans yet. She would wait until she decided on that house on Sunday.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
