Chapter 95 Buying a House to Turn Things Around
Shi Yue took Shi Qiu Shui and separated from everyone else, and boarded another departing bus.
After getting in the car, Shi Qiushui asked eagerly, "Dad, what are we going to buy at the department store?"
Shi Yue looked down at her and said, "Silly girl, did you really think I was going to take you to the department store?"
Shi Qiushui's eyes widened, and he asked with his mouth open, "No?"
Shi Yue: "Of course not."
He said, "I want to take you to see the house."
Shi Qiushui: "Looking at houses?!"
Shi Yue nodded. "Yeah, right. Do you remember that house Dad told you about that was really expensive?"
Shi Qiushui thought for a moment and said, "Is it the house of the old man who sold it because he was going abroad with his son?"
Shi Yue: "Yes, that's it."
Shi Qiushui: "Are you going to take me to see his house? But you've already been there once, why do you want to go again?"
Shi Yue: "Let's go over and take a look. His son is anxious to go abroad. Maybe in order to sell the house, he can get a lower price."
Shi Qiu Shui nodded in agreement. Since her father said so, she decided to go and take a look.
Soon the bus arrived at the bus stop near the old man's house. Shi Yue led Shi Qiu Shui off the bus and walked towards the old man's house.
Today is Sunday, and everyone in the compound where the old man lives is resting. They suddenly see a strange man leading a little girl into the compound. They are all stunned. It was the round-faced lady in the compound who looked at Shi Yue and felt that the man looked familiar. She thought about it and spoke in surprise.
"Hey, young man, aren't you the one who came to see the old stubborn man's house last time? Why are you here again today?"
Shi Yue smiled and said, "I came here today because I wanted to take another look at Uncle Qu's house."
When he came back last time, he asked the round-faced aunt about it. The old man who sold the house in the backyard was nicknamed "Old Stubborn Man" because of his stubborn personality, but his real surname was Qu.
When the round-faced woman heard what Shi Yue said, she muttered quietly, "That old man's house is only worth two hundred thousand, and he still wants to look at it again? He must be quite rich!"
Shi Yue pretended not to hear her and asked, "Auntie, please tell me, is Mr. Qu home right now?"
The round-faced woman said, "Oh, yes, he's at home. I've been keeping an eye on him. He hasn't left the house since this morning. If you want to go and see the house, go ahead."
"Okay, thank you." Shi Yue thanked him and led Shi Qiu Shui to the backyard.
The round-faced woman watched him go and then grumbled to her neighbor, "With two hundred thousand dollars, you can do anything. Why do you have to buy that stubborn old man's house?"
The person next to him asked in surprise, "The old stubborn man's house is still selling for 200,000 yuan?"
"That's right!" The round-faced woman curled her lips. "If this old man's house can really be sold for 200,000, I'll register mine in the newspaper tomorrow."
"Why, you want to sell the house too?"
The round-faced woman said, "I want to! If I sell it for 200,000, I can spend more than 100,000 to buy another apartment and still have tens of thousands left. It's such a good deal. Let me ask you, if I say I want to buy your house for 200,000, would you be willing?"
The aunt next to her thought for a moment, swallowed her saliva, nodded and said, "Of course I am willing."
Round-faced aunt: "That's it!"
The aunt next to her said, "Let's see. If the old stubborn man's house can really be sold for 200,000..."
The round-faced lady said, "Well, let's take another look."
Shi Yue didn't know that there was someone in the front yard waiting to see how much money he would spend on the house. He went straight to Lao Qutou's house. The weather was hot today, and Lao Qutou left the door wide open for ventilation. Shi Yue stood at the door and looked inside. He didn't see anyone, so he shouted loudly.
"Uncle Qu, Uncle Qu, are you there?"
Old Qutou's voice came from the room on the right: "Who is it? Who's looking for me?"
As he spoke, he walked out of the house and saw the father and daughter of the Shi family standing at the door. He frowned and thought for a while, as if he was trying to figure out who these two people were.
Seeing this, Shi Yue took the initiative to step forward and introduce himself: "Uncle Qu, do you still remember me? I came to your place to look at the house before, I..."
Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by Old Qutou.
"Oh, I remember now. You're the one who came to see me on Tuesday. I remember you." Old Qu frowned and asked, "Didn't you leave because you thought my house was too expensive? Why are you back? And with a little girl?"
He glanced at Shi Qiushui and said, "I'm telling you, I hate children the most. Don't think I'll give you a discount just because you bring a child. My house is priced at 200,000 yuan. It's 200,000 yuan. There's no way I'm going to give you a discount. It doesn't matter who you bring."
Shi Qiu Shui puffed up her little face in anger.
What does this old man mean?
He hates children the most. How did the children provoke him?
Shi Yue was also frowning. He pursed his lips and explained, "No, uncle, you misunderstood. This is my daughter. Today is Sunday and she doesn't have classes. I was worried about her being home alone, so I brought her with me."
Old Qu glanced at Shi Yue. He noticed that Shi Yue was talking about the child being home alone, and realized that there was probably no one else at Shi Yue's home.
Thinking of his parents who passed away early, and his wife who passed away due to illness when his child was still young, and thinking of the hard work he had put in to raise his child over the years, Old Qutou's attitude softened a little.
But the old stubborn guy is the old stubborn guy. He won't say anything softer. He just nodded slightly and said, "Oh."
He paused, then spoke again: "You haven't told me why you came here today?"
Shi Yue smiled and said, "Uncle Qu, this is what I mean. I came here today to take another look at the house. By the way, I want to ask you if we can negotiate the price. I really like this house, but your price is a bit too high, isn't it? I'm not lying to you. I don't believe you don't know how much the houses around your house sell for. Your house is twice as much as they're asking."
Old Qutou also wanted to be nicer, but when he heard Shi Yue say that he wanted to discuss the price of the house, he couldn't help but droop his face.
He waved his hands and said, "No, no, no, there's no room for negotiation. I said, this house is priced at two hundred thousand. I'll stick to this price. I can't go any cheaper."
He glanced at Shi Yue and said, "If you think other people's houses are cheaper than mine, then go buy someone else's house and don't bother me."
Shi Yue gritted his teeth and continued with a smile, "Uncle Qu, what you said is too mean. Buying a house is a big deal. In other places, buyers and sellers always negotiate and make advances and retreats. How come you don't even have room for negotiation here?"
"I don't care about others. I'm not negotiating. I've set a price of two hundred thousand. If you can afford it, the house is yours. If you can't, then get out of here." Old Qu said, waving his hand to send him away. "I don't think you can come up with two hundred thousand. You'd better stop talking nonsense with me. I won't sell it to you cheaply anyway."
Shi Yue was really unhappy when he heard this.
Shi Qiu Shui was also very unhappy. Since she and her father came to the 1990s, she had never seen such a difficult person!
But it was useless for the father and daughter to be unhappy, because Shi Yue really couldn't come up with 200,000 yuan.
Shi Yue gritted his teeth, realizing that he probably couldn't communicate with Old Qutou today. So forget it, he could come back another day.
Shi Yue turned around and wanted to leave, but just as he was about to push the door open, the door was opened from the outside, and a young man wearing glasses walked in. When he saw Shi Yue, he exclaimed in surprise, then looked at Lao Qutou questioningly and asked, "Dad, what is this...?"
Lao Qutou said with an unnatural expression: "Oh, no one, just a..."
Shi Yue immediately realized that this young man must be the son of Old Qu who went abroad. He stepped forward decisively, shook his hand, and said, "Hey, buddy, you are Uncle Qu's son, right? I'm Shi Yue, and I came here today to buy Uncle Qu's house."
The man opposite was startled by Shi Yue's sudden enthusiasm and was stunned for a moment, but after he reacted, he also shook Shi Yue's hand: "Hello Mr. Shi, I am Qu Chong."
It had been such a long time since Shi Yue came here, but this was the first time someone called him "Sir". He felt pretty good and a smile appeared on his face.
But Old Qutou was unhappy. He sulked and muttered, "What's the use of being a gentleman or not? You're just messing around with that kind of foreign stuff."
There were only a few people in the room, and no one was talking at the moment, so everyone could hear Old Qutou's mumbling clearly.
Qu Chong sighed, frowned, and said to Old Qutou, "Dad! What are you talking about? It's just a title. What's the foreign or foreign thing about it? It's not like we Chinese can't call someone 'sir'. Many people used to call him that. Could it be that they are just imitating foreigners?"
Lao Qutou: "We Chinese are just imitating foreigners. We call each other comrades!"
Qu Chong: "Dad!"
Old Qutou: "Now that you know I'm your dad, stop shouting."
Qu Chong's eyebrows were furrowed so tightly that they were almost knotted. He said, "Dad, what's wrong with you? Are you angry? Why do you always quarrel with me when I come? Are you upset when you see me?"
Old Qutou: "Yes, I get annoyed and unhappy when I see you, especially when I see you learning those foreign tricks from foreigners. You say you are a good Chinese, why do you have to go abroad? What's so good about going abroad? It's only because the times are good now. If it were in the past, you would be a traitor that everyone would shout and beat!"
After being scolded so harshly in front of others, Qu Chong couldn't hold his composure anymore. He said with a pale face, "Dad, can you please stop talking nonsense? I'm not going abroad to betray my country. I just..."
"Don't explain to me!" Old Qutou said, "Do you think I don't know? You've even discussed changing your nationality with your wife. Isn't that a betrayal of the motherland? I get angry when I think about giving birth to a wicked descendant like you who worships foreigners, fawns on foreigners, and forgets his roots!"
Qu Chong: "Dad! If you don't understand, don't talk nonsense! I..."
Old Qu glared, "Okay, okay, now that you've grown up and become independent, you're actually lecturing your father, aren't you? If you think I don't understand, then stop talking nonsense. Okay, I don't understand, I'm talking nonsense, but I can't match up with a college student like you, okay?"
The father and son started arguing while talking, and Shi Yue and Shi Qiu Shui were very embarrassed.
Shi Qiu Shui tugged at Shi Yue's sleeve, raised his head and asked Shi Yue with his eyes: Dad, should we leave now?
Shi Yue shook his head slightly. Qu Chong had been calling him "Sir", so strictly speaking, he was the fuse of the quarrel between the father and son. It would be inappropriate for him to leave like that.
Shi Qiu Shui pursed his lips: Okay.
It was really embarrassing, but he couldn't just let these two people quarrel like that. There was no other way, Shi Yue could only go up and smooth things over.
"Well, Uncle Qu, Qu Chong, don't get excited. Let's talk it out nicely. Especially you, Uncle Qu, you and Qu Chong are father and son. How can you say such things? It's so inappropriate. If someone doesn't know, they would think you two are enemies instead of father and son."
Uncle Qu: "Humph, he wants to immigrate to the United States and try his hand at capitalism. He's our enemy!"
Qu Chong was so angry at his own father that he was speechless. He took a deep breath and finally calmed down. He wiped his face and said to Shi Yue, "Comrade Shi, I'm sorry to have made a fool of myself."
This time he changed the way he addressed Shi Yue from "Mr." to "Comrade," but Old Qu was still unhappy.
Lao Qutou: "Humph, you are laughing at a joke. Whose joke are you laughing at? You, a traitor?"
Qu Chong's anger, which had finally subsided, flared up again after hearing what Old Qutou said. He turned around and yelled, "Dad, can you please stop talking? You keep calling me a traitor. Do you think others won't laugh at you if they hear you?"
Old Qutou: "Just laugh at me, I gave birth to a traitor like you, and I don't know how many times others have laughed at me behind my back."
Qu Chong was almost angry to death, but Old Qu probably felt that not making him pass out was not enough to express his hatred for the traitor, so he actually swung a big broom at him.
"Get out of my house, you traitor!"
No one present expected that he would suddenly attack. Shi Yue took two steps back in fear. Shi Qiu Shui was so frightened that he hid behind Shi Yue, holding on to his pants and refusing to let go.
Qu Chong was the one who least expected Old Qu to take action. He opened his mouth and said, "Dad! You...ah!"
He wanted to say something, but before he could get his words out, he was hit in the face by Old Qutou's big broom. He cried out in pain and quickly hid outside. Old Qutou kept driving him out of the house with the big broom.
After driving Qu Chong out, Old Qu's eyes fell on Shi Yue and Shi Qiu Shui, father and daughter, fearing that he would use the broom on himself and his daughter as well. Shi Yue quickly said, "Well, Uncle Qu, I think it might be inconvenient for you today. In that case, my daughter and I won't bother you anymore. We'll be leaving first. Goodbye."
After saying that, Shi Yue led Shi Qiu Shui out in a hurry.
As soon as the father and daughter came out, they saw Qu Chong in the yard, his clothes disheveled and his face covered in dust.
Old Qu showed no mercy just now. He hit Qu Chong in the face with the dusty broom, making him look very embarrassed. He was tidying himself up at this moment.
Hearing the footsteps, Qu Chong took off his glasses and squinted his eyes to look forward. He stared at Shi Yue for a while, and after confirming that it was Shi Yue and not his father who came out, he breathed a sigh of relief.
He looked at Shi Yue apologetically and said, "Comrade Shi, I'm so sorry. My dad is... well, I'm sorry for delaying your house viewing today. Well, if you are interested in my house, I can introduce it to you now."
Shi Yue: "No, no, I've been to your house before to see it, no need to introduce it again."
"Oh?" Qu Chong asked in surprise, "You came to see my house?"
Shi Yue: "Yes, I came here a few days ago, but the price your father offered was too high, so I left. I came here today to see if I could bargain with him. But unexpectedly, your father still insisted on the price of 200,000, so... Well, actually, when you came in, I was just about to leave."
Qu Chong asked in disbelief: "What? My dad asked for 200,000 for our house?"
Shi Yue was stunned for a moment. From what Qu Chong said, did he not know that Old Qu asked for such a high price?
He pursed his lips, pretending not to hear Qu Chong's words, and said honestly: "Yes, Uncle Qu asked for 200,000 yuan, and it was a fixed price. He would not give a discount at all. I really can't afford it..."
Shi Qiu Shui rolled her eyes, feeling that her father's words were a bit deliberate.
Shi Yue didn't care what his daughter thought. As long as Qu Chong in front of him didn't realize his deliberateness, it was fine.
He complained, "Dude, you've been abroad, so you might not understand the situation here. An ordinary worker like me only earns two hundred yuan a month. Two hundred thousand yuan, even if I starve, I'll have to save for over eighty years. How can I afford it? But your old man is quite a character. I heard from the people in your front yard that your old man's asking price of two hundred thousand scared off a bunch of buyers who came to see the house. I'm just an ordinary person here at best."
Taking advantage of the fact that Qu Chong didn't know him and didn't know his situation, he spoke nonsense in a serious manner.
Qu Chong hadn't given any thought to why Shi Yue, despite earning only 200 yuan, was so persistent in buying a house for 200,000 yuan. It wasn't entirely Qu Chong's naiveté; it was mainly because he had been abroad for seven or eight years and had only been back a few days. His impression of China was still the same as it was seven or eight years ago, when he considered a worker earning 100 yuan a good wage. So he hadn't doubted that Shi Yue's claims of low wages were false.
He didn't even think about where Shi Yue got the money to buy the house. All his energy was focused on being shocked that his father actually asked for a price of over 200,000 yuan for the house.
Qu Chong never doubted the truth of this matter because it was too obvious. If he asked the people in the front yard how much his father asked for, the truth would be exposed. It was impossible for Shi Yue to lie.
That's why Qu Chong was shocked, very shocked.
He was saying, why had he put the house sale notice in the newspaper for half a month, but his father still hadn't sold the house? It turned out that it was because his father offered such a high price!
As for why his father asked for such a high price, he understood it after thinking about it for a while.
Isn’t it because his father doesn’t want to sell the house and go abroad with him?
Seeing Qu Chong's face turning blue, white, and red, Shi Yue raised his eyebrows, knowing that he should have figured out why Old Qu did this.
"Ahem"
Shi Yue deliberately made a noise to call Qu Chong back to his senses, then said with a bitter face: "Okay, buddy, I won't talk nonsense with you anymore. Anyway, I can't afford your house. I'd better go look somewhere else."
"Hey, Comrade Shi, don't leave yet." Qu Chong quickly grabbed Shi Yue and said, "Comrade Shi, the price of this house is not something we can't negotiate. Don't leave in a hurry. Let's talk it over slowly."
Shi Yue: "Ah, what are we talking about? Didn't your old man say it all? The price is two hundred thousand and no negotiation."
Shi Qiu Shui looked up at his father.
Tsk tsk, her father, the old fox, is setting a trap for others again.
She looked at Qu Chong with a little sympathy. This silly uncle didn't know that he was about to be tricked by her father.
Qu Chong was oblivious to Shi Qiushui's sympathetic gaze and pulled Shi Yue aside: "Hey, Comrade Shi, don't go, don't go, let's have a good talk."
He said, "It's like this. I didn't know my dad had asked for such a high price for the house. I think you know a little about my family's situation. Even if you don't know anything, you saw what happened just now, so I told you the truth. My dad doesn't want to go abroad with me. He deliberately asked for such a high price for the house, hoping to use the house purchase as a delay in going abroad. But I'm telling you the truth, my dad is definitely going to pay for the going abroad, and he's definitely going to sell the house. If you want to buy it, the price is negotiable."
Shi Yue stopped and asked doubtfully, "But can you make the decision about selling the house?"
Qu Chong: "Yes, I'll just discuss it with my dad."
Shi Yue frowned. "Can you really convince your old man? I don't think he'll be able to be persuaded by you. I really want to buy your house, but don't make me wait for a year or two. If you don't sell the house in the end, wouldn't that be a waste of my time?"
Qu Chong: "Don't worry, this will definitely not happen!"
In order to reassure Shi Yue, he whispered to Shi Yue, "Brother, let me tell you something. The reason I'm in such a hurry to take my old man away this time is because my wife in the United States is pregnant and will give birth soon. Even if I settle down there, my old man must go with me."
Shi Yue's eyes flashed.
With Qu Chong's words, he was indeed relieved. After all, Old Qu had only one son, Qu Chong. Even if he was reluctant to go to the United States with Qu Chong, he would definitely compromise for the sake of his future grandson.
Qu Chong: "How about it, are you relieved this time?"
Shi Yue patted Qu Chong on the shoulder and said, "Okay, I feel relieved when you say that. But, buddy, let me ask you something. How much do you plan to sell this house for?"
Qu Chong thought about it and tentatively made a price: "What do you think of 80,000 yuan?"
When Shi Yue heard the price, there was no expression on his face, but he was satisfied in his heart.
But Qu Chong didn't know. He had just returned to China and didn't know the market price. Seeing Shi Yue's expressionless face, he thought he had asked too high, so he took the initiative to lower the price by another 10,000 yuan: "If you think 80,000 is still too high, then 70,000, how about 70,000?"
He was afraid that Shi Yue would be unhappy, so he patted Shi Yue and said, "Brother, to be honest, 70,000 is not much. You don't know, this house used to be the residence of a high-ranking official in the Qing Dynasty. The materials used to build the house were all high-quality. You can't see it from the outside, but inside, the beams are all made of the finest nanmu wood, and there are also these tiles..."
Shi Yue had a rough idea and interrupted him: "Okay, buddy, I can see it without you telling me. This house is good. I have an idea of the price. We can discuss it slowly later. The problem now is that you have to talk to Uncle Qu about selling the house."
He said, "I have already prepared the money, but you haven't agreed with Mr. Qu yet. That won't work."
After all, the name written on the house certificate was Old Qutou's, not his Qu Chong's name.
Qu Chong also knew this, and he nodded quickly: "I know, don't worry, I will definitely tell my dad about this right away. So, you can leave me your phone number, and I'll discuss it with my dad and call you to let you know, okay?"
"Sure." Shi Yue told Qu Chong the public telephone number at the entrance of the alley.
He said, "When the time comes, just call this number. When you get through, just say you're looking for Shi Yue."
Qu Chong nodded and gave Shi Yue a phone number: "This is the phone number of the hotel I'm staying at now. Write it down and call me if you have any questions."
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