Chapter 42
Tao Zhi smiled and encouraged him: "The more you share, the happier you will be."
Yuan Heng felt embarrassed: "Aunt Tao, I got a promotion."
Tao Zhi was surprised: "Didn't you say before that you would be demoted?"
"It's been changed to internal punishment."
"Punishment and promotion at the same time?"
"That's not the case. The promotion notice just came out."
Tao Zhi smiled and said, "Thank goodness the leader has a keen eye for talent and didn't miss out on someone like you."
"My former superior was transferred, and the new leader really appreciates me."
Tao Zhi was genuinely happy for him: "You don't want to resign now, do you?"
Officer Yuan scratched his head and said, "Auntie Tao, Xiao Wen, thank you, but I really prefer to stay in the police force."
"Then congratulations, your luck has turned." Yuan Heng is talented, courageous, and has strong professional abilities. If such a person were to sit on the bench or leave the police force, it would be a great loss to the people. Tao Zhi felt sincerely happy.
Tao Zhi asked, "It shouldn't be a problem if we just have a simple meal at home, right?"
Officer Yuan quickly said, "That's no problem."
Tao Zhi asked Sister Chen to add a few more dishes, and everyone celebrated together for Officer Yuan.
**
Tao Zhi talked to the old man on the phone.
Cheng Xiangqian complained, "As soon as Mingming arrived at the beach, he immediately took off his slippers and socks, ran and shouted, 'Wow, this is the ocean!' He took Cheng Jin to play in the sand, step on the waves, and even wanted to jump in for a swim. We were exhausted. But he had so much fun that he didn't even want to go back to the hotel."
Tao Zhi was so happy that he said, "You two can stay at the beach for one night."
"He's already stayed here for one night. We just came back because he was taking a nap."
"He's usually so quiet, I never knew he had this side to him."
"Azhi, I was just about to tell you about this."
"What's wrong?"
"Cheng Jun rented a car with a driver, and he's been taking us around for the past two days. After we came back today, Cheng Hui and Cheng Xing both said that if you really want to move to City S, you should buy a house here."
"Sure, buy it if you want."
“But aren’t you going to build a house?”
"Building a house and buying a house don't conflict. Young people always need a home of their own. It's not right for them to live with us every day."
"What about the money?"
"How much is it?"
"4,000 to 5,000 per square meter. They were looking at a 70-square-meter apartment, which works out to about 350,000 yuan."
“Can I get a loan?”
“Local household registration is required.”
"I still have about 80. How many do you have?"
"The advance payment from my brother-in-law, plus the profit from the past year, is almost 1 million."
"Then ask Cheng Jun and Cheng Man. If they want one too, just give each of them a set."
"What about the two of us?"
"Cheng Jun's and Cheng Man's, whoever's gets to live there first, I want to build a garden house."
"Okay, I'll go ask now."
"Old man, it's best to buy a house in District A. Talk to them. It's best to visit several properties and compare them with each other."
"Okay, I'll call you later."
As soon as I hung up the phone, Cheng Xiangmei came over with a lot of things.
"Big sister, why are you buying so much again?"
"Many of them were given to me by others. Sister-in-law, please help me digest them and give some to the neighbors around me."
"Isn't there an orphanage?"
"We don't send the more expensive ones. Lao Li says it has a bad influence."
"Then I'll just borrow flowers to offer to Buddha?"
"Thank you for your help, sister-in-law."
"Why are you free to come here today?"
"Even if I hang myself, I have to take a breath. I've been the daughter-in-law of the Li family for so long, I've been dignified and generous enough. Only in front of my brother and sister-in-law can I be myself again." After saying that, she really took off her shoes and lay down on the sofa.
"Did you have a fight with your brother-in-law?"
Cheng Xiangmei waved his hand, "There's no chance of quarreling."
"Why?" Tao Zhi felt very curious.
"He used to tolerate me, and now I tolerate him. We never argued when we were young, but now we're not used to it. So we just keep quiet."
Tao Zhi just found it funny.
"Sister-in-law, I know that he stopped me from coming to see you. He must have had other plans in mind. Fortunately, Cheng Man is fine, otherwise my heart would be frying in the frying pan every day, and I wouldn't have a moment of peace."
Tao Zhi patted her and said, "You are not stupid or deaf, and you are not a father-in-law. Just pretend you don't know."
"Sister-in-law, do you think his family looks down on me?"
"What do you mean?"
Cheng Xiangmei pouted: "If my family members don't help me, doesn't that mean they look down on me?"
Tao Zhi suddenly became stern: "Amei, you should be conscientious. Have you ever calculated how much your brother-in-law has helped our family?"
"Then why is he unwilling to say a word about such a small matter?"
"Because some favors cannot be owed."
"I didn't help you, so where does the favor come from?"
Tao Zhi was in a state of panic. "Amei, you saw the news. You should still remember who was brought down, right? If the Li family helped us, what if they were the ones who were entrusted with the job? And because of this incident, the Li family is considered an accomplice, or a part of the bribery. What should we do with the food factory then? How should your brother and I face you? What you should do most is to thank them for their caution, which gave you peace of mind."
Tao Zhi was also speaking to herself.
"Is it that serious?" Cheng Xiangmei's voice weakened.
"Corruption and bribery are never tolerated lightly. Do you think it's serious?"
"Then he could have told me directly."
Tao Zhi softened her voice: "Isn't this because I'm afraid you'll get stuck in a rut?"
A blush appeared on Cheng Xiangmei's face.
"It's okay. It's not too late to understand now. Go back and talk it over with my brother-in-law. We can live a good life together."
"Also, I heard from your brother that your brother-in-law has placed a large order this time and will make millions after delivery."
Cheng Xiangmei was very well-informed at this point: "How long is the order cycle?"
"It seems like half a year."
Cheng Xiangmei snorted coldly, "Only a few hundred thousand a month. What a bullshit order! They're just trying to fool me."
Tao Zhi laughed: "The problem is, your brother has more than just his brother-in-law as a client."
"Fortunately, our family doesn't rely on him for food now. It's because you, sister-in-law, had foresight and said that the worst thing to do in business is to rely on relatives and friends for support."
"What I mean is that if you want to expand your business, you have to explore new markets. And if it weren't for my brother-in-law, our family wouldn't have been able to grow so quickly."
Cheng Xiangmei snorted, "Let's just give him credit for now. Forget about him, where are Cheng Xing and the others? Why are you the only one at home?"
"They're all out having fun."
"Don't you have to go to work?"
"Amei, sister-in-law wants to tell you something."
Cheng Xiangmei sat up immediately.
"Your brother and I are planning to move to S City."
"Why so sudden?" Cheng Xiangmei looked reluctant.
"I should say I've thought about it before, but there's never been an opportunity. Now the opportunity is ripe."
"What about the house here?"
Tao Zhi smiled proudly: "Fortunately, I had the foresight to build all the houses into rental houses."
"Sister-in-law, you don't want to leave then, do you?"
Tao Zhi laughed heartily: "Even earlier than that."
Cheng Xiangmei felt slightly comforted.
"Then we won't be able to meet often in the future."
"Ask the driver to take you here. You are always welcome at my brother and sister-in-law's house."
Cheng Xiangmei lingered until dinner was over, and only when Li Qize came to pick her up did she leisurely go back to her home.
Tao Zhi then called the old man back. They had booked a suite in the hotel and had left their number for Tao Zhi.
The old man said, "I've asked the two younger ones. Cheng Jun doesn't like it, and Cheng Man doesn't want it."
"Where are they?"
"I went shopping."
"Why don't you come together?"
"Forget it. My old bones can't keep up with the pace of young people."
"What did they actually say?"
"Cheng Jun said, 'I'm planning to develop my own property, and buying someone else's house is just making a fool of myself.' Cheng Man said she still had a few years of university left and didn't know where she would end up, so she didn't want to buy a house and just wanted to live with us."
"Okay, let them be. So, should we buy a house before it's built?"
"Will you live separately from Cheng Hui and Cheng Xing then?"
"Of course. I'm already an adult, and I want some peace and quiet."
Cheng Xiangqian laughed at him: "You are afraid that your grandchildren will bother you."
Tao Zhi denied it: "No, they are all so well behaved. It's mainly because I don't have time."
The old man didn't hesitate, "So what size should we buy?"
"Since the younger ones don't want to buy a house, then count them all in? Four people, four rooms, that's the minimum."
"But when I went to see it, I found that there were few four-bedroom units, the design was not reasonable, and the price was relatively high."
"So what do you mean?"
"Just buy a two- or three-bedroom apartment. If that doesn't work out, have them move in with their older brother or sister. That should be fine as a transition."
"If that's the case, then Cheng Hui and Cheng Xing, do you want to just buy a three-bedroom apartment?"
"Hey, you reminded me. I forgot to tell you that there's something very strange about buying a house here. 70 square meters isn't the actual floor area, but includes a 'common area'. What do you think about this?"
Tao Zhi had heard of the term "common area." While chatting in the underworld, some newly arrived young people were slamming Hong Kong's real estate developers, saying they had filth in their blood because of this so-called "common area."
But there was no way. Tao Zhi clearly remembered that this common area could not be cancelled in the next 30 years.
She had no choice but to persuade the old man: "I've heard that this public pool refers to the common area, including elevator shafts, pipe shafts, stairwells, substations, lobbies, corridors, etc. The higher the building, the larger the public pool area."
"Then we buy a shorter house?"
"I should say buy a house without an elevator."
If Tao Zhi remembered correctly, residential communities with 6 to 8 floors would be the main targets for demolition in the future.
"When you look at houses, do the math yourself. If the common area is too high, don't buy one. Otherwise, the house will be too small and uncomfortable to live in. If there is a common area, why don't we just buy a three-bedroom house? What do you think, old man?"
"I want to see it in person." The old man replied to her.
"Also, if you buy several sets at once, you can get a discount. If the salesperson doesn't tell you, just ask."
"I've taken notes. Any other instructions?"
"Tell Cheng Jun to call me back."
"I don't even know what time he left. Why don't you tell me and I'll tell him?"
"That's fine. Tell him to go and try his luck tomorrow and see if he can get a loan. I've heard it's possible if you find the right channels."
Cheng Xiangqian didn't know what was going on in his mind. He suddenly became nervous and covered his mouth and whispered, "Old woman, Cheng Man is going to military school. We can't do anything wrong."
Tao Zhi rolled her eyes. "If it works, I'll take out a loan. If not, I'll pay in full. What bad things can I do?"
Only then did Cheng Xiangqian feel relieved.
"Then you have to go and run around more. The children can take care of themselves. We will stay as comfortably as possible. I will join you after I am done."
"Okay, don't worry."
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