Although Sun Zhengguo rode his bike quite fast, he was still a little late when he arrived at school.
They ran into Teacher Ma, who was there to teach. Luckily it was Teacher Ma; if it had been any other teacher, Sun Zhengguo would have given him a lecture.
After the first Russian lesson, Zheng Wenhua started his sarcastic remarks again. Sun Zhengguo remained calm and unperturbed. After Zheng Wenhua finished speaking, he replied, "My grades are better than yours."
Enraged, Zheng Wenhua exclaimed, "This is outrageous! This is outrageous!" and then pretended to be dead and lay down.
When Sun Zhengguo got home that evening, he wanted to talk to his parents about the house, but then he thought better of it. He didn't want his parents to worry, and if they kept asking where the money for the house came from, it would be even harder to explain.
After dinner, Sun Zhengguo finished his homework and prepared to go to bed. He had been suffering from insomnia or visiting the black market lately, and was severely sleep-deprived. His younger siblings wanted to play with him, but Sun Zhengguo fell asleep as soon as he lay down on the bed.
The next morning, Sun Zhengguo perked up again, all his fatigue gone. He was more energetic during martial arts practice, ate better, and arrived at school on time. Zheng Wenhua had nothing to say to him.
At noon, Sun Zhengguo's lunch partner was still Zheng Wenhua, but he didn't enjoy his meal today.
The flamboyant Zheng Wenhua actually brought a female student with him. Seeing the two chatting and laughing, Sun Zhengguo exclaimed, "It's an eyesore!"
Zheng Wenhua is very happy today. He finally won a round. It turns out that Sun Zhengguo is not better than me in everything.
After dinner, Zheng Wenhua went to chat with his junior about their dreams, while Sun Zhengguo, still using the excuse of having something to do at home, rode his bicycle to Ding Qizhen's house.
"Master, you've arrived. I spent the whole afternoon yesterday searching and finally found a small courtyard about two miles from here."
Ding Qizhen was a seasoned veteran; in reality, he hadn't even left the house. He deliberately exaggerated to make Sun Zhengguo more willing to pay.
"Alright, alright, let's go ahead and see. If it works out, I'll make sure you get everything you deserve."
Sun Zhengguo understood perfectly well that Ding Qizhen's explanation was simply a way of being direct because he was afraid that Ding wouldn't be able to pay up easily.
Before long, the two rode their bikes to a dilapidated courtyard. Since Sun Zhengguo didn't intend to live there, he didn't pay any attention to it and simply watched from the side.
After seeing the house, I felt it was alright. Although the house was old, it was very clean. It was a detached house with three rooms, which was big enough. There weren't many residents nearby, so it wouldn't attract too much attention.
"Uncle Ding, what's wrong with how this house is rented out?"
"Sir! The rent was originally 8 yuan a month, but I managed to get it down to 6 yuan a month by saying the house was old and run-down. However, the landlord has made a new demand: the rent must be for at least one year."
Ding Qizhen spoke cautiously, afraid that the landlord's request would offend Sun Zhengguo.
"Alright, this price is reasonable. You can make arrangements to reserve this house."
Seeing that Sun Zhengguo agreed, Ding Qizhen breathed a sigh of relief and said happily.
"Alright! Sir, you rest first, leave the rest to me."
Sun Zhengguo didn't need to worry about the rest. Ding Qizhen went out and found the landlord. Soon after, both parties signed the rental contract, Sun Zhengguo paid a year's rent, and got the keys. The matter was settled.
After the landlord left, Ding Qizhen rubbed his fingers awkwardly. Sun Zhengguo immediately understood and quickly paid the commission to save the old man from worrying about it.
He also instructed Ding Qizhen to keep an eye on the small courtyard house and to notify him at the school once the owner returned.
Ding Qizhen readily agreed, saying that he could only earn a little money from renting out the house, while buying a house was the real expense.
Now that we have the house and can trade it, there's still one thing missing: what to do with the bags to pack things in? Just thinking about it gives me a headache. Oh well, let Tiger deal with that problem.
Back at school, it was still early. Seeing that the "romantic and talented scholar" Zheng Wenhua was studying, Sun Zhengguo didn't disturb him and picked up a textbook from the table to look through it.
After school in the evening, Sun Zhengguo went to the vicinity of the black market and contacted Xiao Hei, who was the man in black who sold tickets that night. His real name was unknown; Xiao Hei was his nickname.
"Brother Hei, I've already found a location. The transaction can take place tomorrow night."
"Wow, that was fast! You're amazing, bro!"
Xiao Hei said happily, not forgetting to give a thumbs up in praise. After all, he was the one who introduced Sun Zhengguo. If the deal goes through, Tiger will definitely reward him handsomely.
"However, a new problem has arisen: I have the items to trade, but I don't have enough bags."
Sun Zhengguo said with difficulty.
"Hey! What's going on? We'll bring our own bags later. Is there anything else?"
Xiao Hei said confidently, "They're in the black market, how could they be short of bags?"
Sun Zhengguo thought for a moment, then continued.
"Could you find me a few more tarpaulins? Otherwise, there's nowhere to put things. We can't just put them on the ground, can we?"
Sun Zhengguo was a little embarrassed. Just a few days ago, he had been bragging to others that he had plenty of supplies and could have whatever he wanted. But after all this time, he didn't even have a bag or an oilcloth.
However, Xiao Hei didn't pay attention to these details and said cheerfully.
"It's nothing. We have our own warehouse and always have spares. I'll have someone deliver it to you in a bit."
Sun Zhengguo hadn't expected that Tiger had everything. The problems that gave him a headache were no big deal to him.
Sun Zhengguo then went over the time, place, transaction volume, and other details again until Xiao Hei indicated that he understood, and then the conversation ended.
Soon, someone brought over the tarpaulin. After tying it up, Sun Zhengguo took his leave and rode his bicycle away into the distance.
When they got home, it was already dark. Lin Wencui noticed that her son was a little late and asked him what was wrong.
"Jung-guk, why are you back so late today?"
"Mom, isn't the college entrance exam coming up soon? A few classmates got together and studied for a while."
Sun Zhengguo casually made up an excuse to brush it off.
Lin Wencui assumed her son was genuinely studying, so she stopped asking.
In the evening, after the family finished dinner, Lin Wencui began to clear the dishes while the children played around.
A cough suddenly came from outside the door!
An uninvited guest has arrived. Who could it be?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com