Chapter 40 Chapter 40 A Great Dream.
This was the first time for Lin Nanjiang to eat steak, but it was not the first time for Liu Suqin.
In her previous life, she had seen some of the world with her daughter. The mother and daughter had traveled together, soaked in hot springs, watched performances, drank milk tea, and experienced barbecue, hot pot, and steak buffets.
Because of this extra "knowledge", she was able to show off in front of Lin Nanjiang again.
No matter how well Lin Nanjiang did his homework, he was very relaxed from the moment he sat down to ordering. However, when the dishes were served one after another, he couldn't help but feel awkward seeing that he had never seen tableware before. He tried hard to imitate other guests in picking up the knife and fork, but the plate made a harsh scraping sound from time to time, which made it impossible for him to continue to put food on it.
Liu Suqin, who was sitting opposite him, was already cutting the steak into medium-sized and uniform pieces with a fork in her left hand and a knife in her right hand. As she moved, the knife and fork in her hands would occasionally collide and rub against the plate, but the sound was very slight and not harsh. The whole process looked quite elegant.
Lin Nanjiang had been secretly observing his wife's movements, but once his gaze came over, he couldn't move it away. His bewildered eyes turned into stars, like a little fanboy worshipping a goddess. "Suqin, how come you can even use such a complicated knife and fork? Is there anything else in the world that can stump you?"
Liu Suqin tried not to get carried away and said modestly, "Maybe it's because I usually cook, cut vegetables, and peel fruits, so I'm more used to knives and forks. I'm also less strong than you, so I'm more adapted to Western cutlery. If you can't cut it, don't move. I'll have this steak cut short. We can switch later."
"That's great." Lin Nanjiang immediately released his hands holding the knife and fork, sat upright like a primary school student, and waited eagerly for his wife to feed him.
Liu Suqin laughed again, "Then don't just sit there. Look at your daughter, her saliva is about to flow three miles. The mashed potatoes just served are not bad, the texture is quite delicate. Feed her a few bites and see if she likes the taste."
"Yeah, okay." Lin Nanjiang immediately picked up the spoon and started feeding the greedy girl, strictly following his wife's instructions. She said that after feeding her two bites to let her taste the food, she would never scoop a third spoonful.
So little Lin Weizhen tried the new delicacy. After just two sips, she tasted some flavor and happily opened her mouth, waiting for her father to fill her little tummy. However, she didn't get the delicious mashed potatoes with a strong milky flavor for a long time. Instead, she ate a stomach full of air. Finally, she couldn't help but turn her head to look at her father.
Then I saw that the father did not feed the baby, but instead buried his head in eating the cut steak, enjoying each bite with relish.
Xiao Wei really felt unwell.
She blinked her eyes to make sure she was not dazzled, then she pouted her lips in grievance, but did not cry. Instead, she reached out and slapped her father, making an "ah ah" sound to remind him.
Lin Nanjiang then switched the fork to his left hand, touched the little head with his right hand and said soothingly, "Don't worry, dear. Daddy will come and play with you after he finishes eating steak."
Xiao Weizhen:???
It was clearly a very ordinary scene, but for some reason Liu Suqin was mesmerized. She put down her half-cut steak and stared intently for a long time before sighing, "If only I had a camera. I could capture Fangfang's growth moments and help us preserve beautiful memories."
Liu Suqin's tone was a little vague, and Lin Nanjiang's attention was focused on the little girl at the moment, so he only noticed the key words. He looked up blankly and asked, "Oh, honey, you want to buy a camera? That will probably take a while. Brother Li came over today and said that he has found a house for us and will take you to see it next time he's on vacation. So the plan to buy a camera will have to be put on hold. After all, this thing is high-tech, and a good camera is more expensive than a car."
For Liu Suqin, no matter how many houses she owned, this one was still her most precious treasure. Everything else could be put on the back burner. Upon hearing the good news, she immediately sat up straight and asked, "Are there really any signs of a house? I was saying Brother Li was a bit disappointing this time. I've been waiting for so many days and there's still no news."
Lin Nanjiang nodded. "He promised us that even if he can't make it this Sunday, he won't keep us waiting forever. He's confident he can find a place this month. I don't think he's bragging. We need to prepare the cash. The two houses combined will cost no less than 100,000."
When he heard this number, Lin Nanjiang felt quite stressed. He felt that the speed at which he earned money would never catch up with the speed at which his wife spent money.
Liu Suqin confidently comforted her, "Don't worry, our family is not short of money. Brother Quansheng's salary plus the monthly dividends are close to 30,000. You made over 50,000 last month from the store and the stall dividends. You still have 20,000 or 30,000 in savings after buying the house. The account has long exceeded 100,000. Even if you go to see the house and transfer the ownership now, there will be no problem."
Lin Nanjiang breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good."
Li Liang was indeed not bragging. On the second day off after school started, Liu Suqin was taken by him to see a house.
The reason why he searched for so long was to meet the requirements of the two customers 100% and found them two apartments in the same building and even on the same floor. Although there were several houses in between, the distance was beyond Liu Suqin's expectations.
She thought it would be great if they could be in the same building, but if that wasn't possible, being next door or adjacent would also be fine.
The house Li Liang finally found for them was a building across from his own, so they were still neighbors.
As the saying goes, sharpening the knife does not delay the chopping of wood. Brother Li found such a house that perfectly met his requirements, and the rest of the things were easy. He bargained with the landlord for a few days, but still reached a deal within a week.
However, Liu Suqin's training class has the same holiday schedule as her workplace, which is one day off every Sunday. When she finishes class at noon or in the afternoon, her workplace has also just finished get off work, so she can only ask for leave if she wants to go in person to handle the formalities.
But the tuition was so expensive, and Liu Suqin had been very devoted to her studies recently, so she didn't really want to ask for leave. She went back to discuss it with Lin Nanjiang and decided to ask Brother Li to help with the transfer this time.
They have been working together for so long that they know each other well. Li Liang is a smart man and he can definitely tell the difference between eating one meal and eating every meal. Liu Suqin thinks it is not a big problem and just asks Brother Li to handle the transfer. She will still go to the site to hand over and pay the balance in person. She can make an appointment with the landlord before nine o'clock so that she can get the key and pay and rush back to class.
It can be seen that Liu Suqin has evolved from a newbie who has to do every step by herself to a veteran who is too lazy to even go to the Housing Authority. However, Lin Quansheng is still looking forward to the first real estate certificate in his life, and it may be the only one. After all, he does not have big ambitions, and he does not have a wife and children to take care of. He could not be more satisfied with his current life, and he would be happy to live such a stable life for the rest of his life.
After hearing about Liu Suqin's idea, Lin Quansheng volunteered for a rare opportunity, saying that he could sacrifice an afternoon of rest and follow Brother Li to the Housing Authority to transfer the property.
Seeing his good brother so enthusiastic, Lin Nanjiang also said he would accompany him. Liu Suqin immediately made the decision, "Okay, you two will handle the formalities this time. Your husband will bring the passbook and hand it over to the seller on site. Then we can go directly to transfer the ownership."
After handing over her passbook and ID to Lin Nanjiang, Liu Suqin felt relieved and continued to study happily. However, on the day when they went to transfer the property, she came home from class and personally cooked a big meal for them to celebrate.
Lin Nanjiang and Lin Quansheng also took advantage of the closing time to go through the formalities and get the freshly issued real estate certificate. Before they could enjoy it for two minutes, they rushed to open the store for business. After that, they set up a night snack stall in the urban village regardless of rain or shine. Celebrations would have to wait until they came back from their busy work late at night.
Liu Suqin was in a good mood and not feeling sleepy, so she waited for them in the living room. However, she didn't expect Aunt Zhang to join in the fun.
"You're old now. If you can avoid staying up late, then don't. Go home and get some rest." Liu Suqin advised. Aunt Zhang, who always followed her every word, shook her head firmly this time. "Today is a good day for you guys. I'm happy to see this and I want to have some fun with you too."
Liu Suqin couldn't help but let Aunt Zhang share their joy, so she sincerely thanked her, "We are where we are today thanks to Aunt Zhang's efforts. If you hadn't done so much to wash clothes, cook, and take care of Fangfang, leaving us with no worries, we wouldn't be able to devote ourselves to business."
"Don't say that. I'm just doing my job. You guys have to strive to be great," Aunt Zhang said with emotion. "Suqin, you two are so smart and hardworking. I'm not surprised by how much money you make or how many houses you buy. I just didn't expect Quansheng to be raised so hard by you. When I see Quansheng, I always think of our Adong. Although Adong is two years older than Quansheng, he has also been away from home and worked hard for many years. I dream of having good friends like you by his side. Not only can I help him get rich, but I would be satisfied if you could just take care of him and treat him with sincerity."
Liu Suqin always knew that Aunt Zhang and Lin Quansheng had a good relationship, but she only thought that it was because of the few months they rented a house outside the customs. The kitchen was set up in Lin Quansheng's house. Aunt Zhang did the laundry and cooking on weekdays, and Lin Quansheng would help out whenever he was at home. As a result, their relationship naturally improved.
But now it seems that Aunt Zhang still has some empathy for Brother Quansheng.
She was really overthinking it. How could Quansheng's situation compare to her son Adong's? Although he had an inhuman Lao Deng and an ex-wife who cheated on him, Adong had a building in Shenzhen and an old mother who was weak and indecisive but wholeheartedly cared about him!
The end point of their lifelong struggle may just be the starting point for Adong. Aunt Zhang's mother filter is really outrageous.
But just like Aunt Zhang, who was only happy and relieved to see their lives getting better and better, Liu Suqin didn't envy or begrudge the landlady's daily life with them. Seeing a hint of loneliness flash in Aunt Zhang's eyes, she naturally asked with concern, "Come to think of it, Brother Dong is about the same age as Uncle Chen's Brother Ming? It's really time for him to consider stability. Does he plan to work away from home forever?"
Liu Suqin had found it strange before. Aunt Zhang's son was an only child, and their family rented out several buildings. Young people of his age in the village all lived near their homes. Uncle Chen's son, Chen Jiaming, came to the interior to find a job and run business, and worked his way up from a small employee to a manager in the company with dividends. He was considered quite promising in the village. Why did Aunt Zhang's son choose to go far away instead of near home?
The key point is that if he wants to work hard, he can go to big cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, or even Hong Kong. Why does he go to an unknown small city in the Northeast?
However, considering the mess in Aunt Zhang's family, Liu Suqin suppressed her curiosity and didn't ask. This time, it was Aunt Zhang who brought it up first, and then she tried to ask.
As expected, Aunt Zhang didn't mind and told her proudly that her son Adong had joined the army with several young men in the village in his early years. The others retired and returned to their hometown to farm. Only he was lucky and able to endure hardships, and was favored by the old leader. When the leader retired and returned to his hometown, he took Adong, who was about to retire, away.
He was initially assigned to the street police station, but perhaps he was born to do this job. Adong was bold and careful, and had made several contributions. In addition, his old leader was promoted to the Municipal Bureau, so Adong was also promoted and given a raise. He was already the youngest criminal police captain on their side. In the words of the villagers, their Adong had made it big.
Liu Suqin suddenly realized. When she heard that the village committee was doing its best to help Aunt Zhang and her son and to protect their property interests, she really thought that the villagers were united and protected their own shortcomings and did not want the younger generations in the family to suffer a big loss. It turned out that Aunt Zhang's son was a promising person.
Although Adong is from a small city in the Northeast, which is far away from the village, he is still an official after all, and is definitely more popular than the selfish Lao Deng in the village.
It turns out that there is no kindness without reason in the world.
Liu Suqin was feeling emotional in her heart, and she did not forget to compliment Aunt Zhang's son on his promising future. Of course, she really admired him from the bottom of her heart.
Aunt Zhang looked proud, but she couldn't help but say with melancholy, "The last time I called, Adong told me that our old boss seems to be getting promoted again, to the provincial department or somewhere else. He won't stay in their city forever, and it's impossible for Adong to be taken with him. He'll have to rely on himself from now on, and I don't have the ability to do anything to help him..."
Liu Suqin comforted him, "Brother Adong is so young and promising, with a bright future. He can make a name for himself on his own, so just wait and enjoy the good life."
"I don't want to think about that anymore. All I want in this life is not to hold Adong back." Aunt Zhang pursed her lips. "But the old boss still cares about him. He knows about our family situation and said that he wants to resolve Adong's personal problems before he is transferred. He has been setting him up with blind dates recently."
"The girls introduced by the leaders should all be very outstanding, right?"
"I just heard Adong mention it once. The old boss introduced him to primary and secondary school teachers, doctors, nurses, as well as people from the art troupe and the cultural center. They all seemed to be city girls with formal jobs."
Liu Suqin couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Aunt Zhang had only been with them in the city for a little over two months, and she'd been talking to her son outside the community almost every weekend. Now she even knew the details of his work and blind dates. They'd probably talked more than they had in the previous year combined. It was clear her son Chen Xiangdong's previous coldness and distance weren't directed at Aunt Zhang; he simply didn't want to add to the villagers' gossip. Now that Aunt Zhang was in the city, few people knew about their family's affairs, so the mother and son were sharing everything they knew.
This reminded her of what Aunt Zhang had said before, that her son wanted her to live in the city where she worked. It seemed that it was not just a polite remark.
Unfortunately, both the mother and the son were thinking about each other, fearing that they would cause trouble to each other, but she got a good deal instead. The child was still young, and it was not easy to find an aunt like Aunt Zhang who was hardworking and treated the employer's home as her own. She felt that even if she invited her biological mother over next year, she might not be able to do better than Aunt Zhang. It would just be one more person and one more layer of protection.
In short, Aunt Zhang's value is still rising. She likes to hear people praising her son, and Liu Suqin is also willing to praise him a few more times. It doesn't cost any money to just talk.
Aunt Zhang said enthusiastically that she would also work hard and save more money. When her son finds a date and gets married, and becomes pregnant and has children, even if she doesn't need to take care of him, she can give her daughter-in-law some money to hire a nanny or something.
After all, Fangfang's mother said that asking about their well-being is not as good as giving them a huge sum of money, so she would not go and cause trouble for her son and daughter-in-law.
Liu Suqin reminded her, "Since you're considering taking care of your grandchildren, why not take a longer-term view? Brother Dong is in the Northeast, and the educational resources there are definitely not as good as in Shenzhen. Look at the international schools and foreign language schools in Shenzhen. The children there learn foreign languages from a young age, which makes it easier for them to study abroad in the future. Aunt Zhang, you're already from Shenzhen, so don't waste this good household registration."
Aunt Zhang was indeed very tempted and immediately asked, "Just having a household registration will allow my child to go to school in Shenzhen in the future?"
"It would be best to buy a house. If the child really comes to school in the future, won't he need a place to live?"
"You're right." Speaking of her grandchildren, who still haven't shown up, Aunt Zhang, who usually has no opinions, perked up. "When Adong comes back for the New Year, I'll talk to him about buying a house in the city. He doesn't have much to spend money on anyway, so he doesn't want the rent. He wants me to keep it for myself, and I'll put it in the bank for him to earn the interest. It's better to buy a house for the grandchildren to go to school. If they need it while studying abroad, we can sell the house."
Liu Suqin was surprised and asked, "Brother Adong, are you going back to your hometown this year? Is he coming back just to be with you?"
Liu Suqin had previously thought that Aunt Zhang's son was a man of blood. He had such an embarrassing incident last year, divorced his ex-wife, and separated his family. He would probably never have anything to do with the villagers again. If Aunt Zhang went back to the village alone to celebrate the New Year, it would be better to let her continue to live at home.
Although they are all alone, there is no gossip in the city, and when Aunt Zhang is bored, she can watch TV or go shopping.
However, Chen Xiangdong was still willing to come back for the New Year, so Aunt Zhang would definitely have to go back to the village as well. Liu Suqin said, "Then let Nanjiang drive you back to the village, and you can also prepare New Year's goods in advance."
"That's great." Aunt Zhang smiled from ear to ear. "I'm keeping up with the trend this year and doing some New Year shopping in the city."
Time flew by as they watched TV and chatted about family matters. Hearing familiar footsteps and conversations in the hallway, they both stood up. Aunt Zhang went to get bowls and chopsticks for the soup, while Liu Suqin took out the prepared cake from the refrigerator. Smiling at the two who had just changed their shoes and walked in, she said, "Today is a good day for Brother Quansheng. Come cut the cake and share the good luck with all of us!"
"Me? This... this is too grand." Lin Quansheng never expected that they would do this at home. He was stunned and at a loss for a moment.
Aunt Zhang placed the calming soup that had been simmering on the stove in the middle of the dining table and said with a smile, "Of course, of course. Now that you've bought a house, let's all share in the good news."
Lin Nanjiang gently pushed him and said, "Don't be shy, go cut the cake."
He smiled cheerfully, cooperating with his wife's teasing. In his heart, he felt so jealous. He turned around and leaned over to whisper in Liu Suqin's ear, "Quansheng bought his first house, and he gave him such a grand ceremony. Why didn't we have such things back then?"
Liu Suqin thought that they were still living in the countryside at that time and did not have such conditions. Moreover, all the property certificates in the house were in her name only, and it was not Lin Nanjiang's turn yet.
But he was already so jealous that if she told him the truth again, it would just add fuel to the fire. So he stood on tiptoe and patted his head good-naturedly, "Well, isn't this Quansheng brother who just happened to be here? Next time it's your birthday, I'll also order a big cake for you to cut, and put candles on it for you to blow out, okay?"
"Well, don't forget it when the time comes." Lin Nanjiang said reluctantly, but the joy in the corners of his eyes and eyebrows had already revealed his mood.
"Don't worry." Liu Suqin vowed.
Lin Quansheng was so overwhelmed by their grand ceremony that he was already quite drunk without drinking a drop of wine. It took him a long time to hand over the property certificate and keys that he had held in his arms all night to Liu Suqin with a flushed face, which was equivalent to entrusting his entire fortune to her.
This was also within Liu Suqin's expectations, but she was still very grateful for his continued trust, so she kindly said, "I'm going to take some time to clean up the house and let it air out. I'll rent it out after the New Year. Would you like to help take care of it together?"
Lin Quansheng was a little slow to ask, "Ah, what else do we need to do?"
He felt that this house was already very good. It was an apartment building with windows, a balcony, a bathroom and a kitchen. In short, apart from being a little old, it had no other shortcomings. It had all the necessary facilities and he could move in at any time.
Liu Suqin explained, "I asked around on the way to look at houses before. The building we bought is also very easy to rent because it has convenient transportation and a separate bathroom and kitchen. Young people, especially white-collar workers, like it very much. But if the decoration is a little more up-to-date, the monthly rent can be increased by ten or twenty yuan. In fact, all we need to do is paint the walls, lay the floor tiles, rearrange the electrical circuits while we're at it, install a shower, and add basic furniture. That's enough..."
"It'll only cost about two or three hundred to clean it up like this, which is quite cost-effective." Lin Nanjiang pondered, "But my wife, you still have to go to school. Wouldn't it be too tiring to take care of all this?"
Liu Suqin didn't care. "How can this be called hard work? I have lunch break at noon and Sunday off. I can take some time to finish it."
Seeing her relaxed tone, Lin Quansheng felt relieved to entrust the task to her. "Then I'll trouble you, sister-in-law. Just pack it up and tell me how much you want."
Liu Suqin replied nonchalantly, while Lin Nanjiang put his arm around his shoulder and jokingly said, "Don't bother two people with the same problem. How about renting out the house after you're done? That's what your sister-in-law loves to do."
This sentence teased the two of them, but Liu Suqin didn't mind at all. She nodded with a smile, "Yes, my dream is to be a landlady. My daily job is to carry a bunch of keys and knock on the tenants' doors to ask for money."
Lin Nanjiang broke out in a cold sweat after hearing this. "Ah... Wife, your dream is really great."
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