Chapter 22 Buying a House?
Making money is enjoyable, and using your talents at work is equally invigorating.
Yao Fanghua has been humming tunes every time she gets off work to earn extra money these past few days, which shows that she is in a really good mood.
Wu Peng saw Yao Weimin off, refilled Yao Fanghua's water bottle, and only after Yao Fanghua put away her tools did he say, "You've always wanted to buy a house, haven't you? I found one, it's alright, I checked, the paperwork is all done, but it's expensive!"
Yao Fanghua was delighted; it was good that there were any for sale.
"How many?"
Wu Peng had a toothache. "Twenty-two thousand." No bargaining! What a bastard! How dare he ask for so much? I've only managed to save three thousand yuan through hard work!!! And that includes the money from selling those gold ingots. You just ask for twenty-two thousand! And you won't budge an inch!
Did this person look at her bankbook? Is he trying to get the money in her bankbook? Yao Fanghua looked at Wu Peng scrutinizingly.
"What kind of look is that! Do you think I'm after your commission?" Wu Peng jumped up and down. It's true what they say, good deeds don't always pay off. He went to so much trouble to gather information for her, and she actually suspected him of overcharging!
Wu Peng turned and left, thinking, "I'm not going to take this lying down!"
Yao Fanghua quickly pulled him back, "No, no, I just think that since it's so expensive, this house must be good. You must have gone to a lot of trouble to find out information. Come on, have some water to calm down."
Wu Peng readily agreed, grunted, and drank some water. "The house is indeed alright. There's a lake in front, and you can enjoy the scenery not far from the door. The house is new, made of good materials, and has a good layout. It's just that it's been neglected, and the inside is quite empty, with only two beds and a set of tables and chairs."
Wu Peng clicked his tongue. The house was indeed nice. "It had two courtyards inside. It was a little smaller than my courtyard." Overall, the house was made of good materials and in a good location, but it was empty inside with basically nothing.
“I think 20,000 yuan is too expensive for it. You can buy a bigger and better one for 20,000 yuan. If you don’t like it, just wait a little longer. Maybe you’ll find something better. That kid is waiting to study abroad. If it can’t be sold, he’ll be the one who gets anxious in the end.”
Wu Peng said mysteriously, "This kid's mother just passed away not long ago. The two of them have been living in the countryside, suffering a lot. Their house was repeatedly requisitioned, and they only recently got it back. I heard that his biological father ran away abroad a few years ago. They were mistresses who were abandoned. I wonder if this kid is so eager to go abroad because he wants to find his father and take revenge."
However, Yao Fanghua still pulled Wu Peng aside and asked him to take her to see it first.
Wu Peng looked at the sky, then at Yao Fanghua's legs, and then at his own. That place wasn't close at all. "How about I give you a ride?" He was worried that Yao Fanghua wouldn't be able to ride back and forth, but he was also worried that he wouldn't be able to ride back and forth if he carried Yao Fanghua.
Yao Fanghua hopped on her bicycle and rode off. Who did she think she was? She was a fine young woman too.
Then, it turned out, she was somewhat proven wrong. Having spent years doing mental and manual labor, she had indeed neglected physical labor.
However, upon seeing the house on the corner, her fatigue vanished. It offered a view, and since they had just passed a police station, the area was undoubtedly safe, plus it was close to the city center.
As soon as Yao Fanghua saw the main entrance, she felt the house looked familiar, especially the door. She stepped back to examine the exterior of the house, then moved closer and touched the thick wooden door. She remembered—wasn't this the house from the picture she'd gotten from the safe? It was extremely similar, except this door had an extra white couplet on it. She'd have to go inside and take a look first.
Wu Peng knocked on the door, and a bespectacled, refined-looking man came out.
Yao Fanghua walked around the courtyard. The front yard was relatively small, used for receiving guests, while the back yard was more spacious. A table and chairs were set up under an ancient tree in the center of the yard, and two crabapple trees stood to the side. Several stalks of vegetables grew where flowers should have been planted. The yard was paved with bluestone slabs and was spotlessly clean and empty. Everything matched perfectly; every unalterable detail matched exactly.
As for why it's so empty, it's probably because the things inside were cleared out when the house was returned.
Yao Fanghua took a liking to it. Even without the painting itself, she would have liked it. It's just expensive.
Compared to Wu Peng, the bespectacled man seemed somewhat dull, repeating only one sentence over and over: "This house is good. If I weren't going abroad to study, I definitely wouldn't be selling it. No bargaining."
"Twenty thousand. If you agree, we'll transfer the property tomorrow."
The bespectacled man shook his head. He firmly believed that as long as he didn't lower the price, he wouldn't lose out.
"Your house is clearly overpriced. How can you sell it if you don't lower the price? How can you go abroad if you don't sell? Even 20,000 is too much."
The bespectacled man lowered his head. Indeed, 20,000 was the highest price offered recently. There were still more than two months until enrollment; he could wait, in case he could sell it for a higher price. Anyway, he remained silent, head bowed.
Seeing his demeanor, Yao Fanghua was speechless. Who could be so unenthusiastic and so dejected when selling things?
"I'll give you another three hundred US dollars, cash. Think about it." With that, Yao Fanghua turned to leave. Twenty thousand plus three hundred in foreign currency was her limit. She planned to use the two thousand dollars left in her savings account for renovations. She couldn't spend every last penny.
Yao Fanghua: "Think about it, and we'll come back in a couple of days."
The bespectacled man remained silent, head bowed, as he saw the two off.
Back home, Yao Fanghua began to tally up her money. In her bag, she found over four hundred US dollars and over three hundred yuan. Her bankbook held twenty-two thousand five hundred yuan. There was also a small gold coin, which she decided to return to Li Lian at her baby's one-month celebration. She wasn't short of the money, and taking it made her uneasy; losing her job and being scorned for it wouldn't be worth it.
Actually, she felt that her most precious possessions were the books her teacher had given her, and her toolbox. These were her source of confidence.
Yao Fanghua put the money and bankbook into her bag, intending to carry them with her for the next couple of days. She was planning to buy the house, but the high price was frustrating. She planned to go back in a couple of days; if the bespectacled man relented, they would proceed with the transfer of ownership. Even if he wouldn't budge, Yao Fanghua was still determined to buy. She had her eye on it; just looking at that picture had given her an urge to buy. She wanted to see what secrets the marked areas on the picture held.
If she weren't also a semi-businesswoman, well aware of the tricks of the trade, and that transactions need to involve some back and forth to avoid seeming abrupt, she might have just handed over her money today.
With things on her mind, she was somewhat absent-minded at work. However, no one in either department gave her any trouble, and the fan factory was never particularly busy, so even though she managed two departments, she didn't seem that busy.
Guo Xiaojuan assisted in the technical department, two team leaders oversaw the quality inspection, and Yao Fanghua was responsible for managing the overall situation.
Zhao Aiguo and Zhang Hua were studying far from home when their hideout was raided. After learning about the situation in the technical department, Zhang Hua wasn't worried anymore. He no longer needed to see Zhao Aiguo gloating; now they were evenly matched. He'd heard that Yao Fanghua was truly capable—her drawings were fast and excellent, and most importantly, better than this Zhao fellow's! That was great. He didn't even need medicine for his lip blister anymore; it went away in a couple of days.
This time, it was Zhao Aiguo's turn to be anxious.
Zhang Hua always teased him, saying he was slow and dragging everyone down. Anyway, he had learned most of the quality aspects, but his technical skills were still clumsy and hesitant.
Anyway, Zhang Hua would occasionally make a sarcastic remark. Ha, this old Zhao must be out of his mind, arguing with the technicians and accusing them of withholding information. His outburst even dragged him down; the quality control director who usually greeted him was noticeably less enthusiastic than before. Zhang Hua cursed Zhao Aiguo inwardly, thinking, "Does he think he's in his own factory? He's used to throwing his weight around, acting like a tyrant in someone else's factory. He doesn't know what he's doing." He deserved the sarcastic remarks.
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