Chapter 46 (Combined)
The alley was a bit narrow, and Yan Ruyi was almost pressed against Song Yiping. Feeling a little uncomfortable, she whispered, "What are you doing?"
Song Yiping said, "Let me check to see if I'm just saying one thing and meaning another."
After saying that, he cupped Yan Ruyi's head in one hand, leaned down, and kissed her lips.
Unlike the previous kiss that ended quickly, Song Yiping's kiss was a bit long.
Yan Ruyi felt as if an eternity had passed.
She felt like she was suffocating from the kiss, her head was spinning, her legs were weak, and she clung tightly to Song Yiping's arm. Otherwise, she felt like she would slide down the wall at any moment.
She felt like she was suffocating before Song Yiping finally released her.
Even though she let go, her heart was still pounding wildly, as if it was about to jump out of her chest.
Song Yiping wasn't much better off; his chest heaved violently. He raised his hand and wiped Yan Ruyi's lips, his voice low and hoarse, "I've checked, and she's definitely lying."
Yan Ruyi retorted instinctively, "No, that's not true."
"Really? Should we check it again?"
When Yan Ruyi came to her senses, her face felt so hot that she could light a match.
She reached out and pressed against Song Yiping's chest, preventing him from kissing her again.
Although there were very few people on the street at this time, there were still occasional passersby. If someone looked over and saw them kissing, it would be too embarrassing.
Song Yiping pressed his forehead against hers. "I found an apartment on Wutong Road with a small courtyard. Go check it out when you have time and see if you like it."
Yan Ruyi snapped out of her daze and asked him, "Why are you looking for a place to live?"
Song Yiping said, "After we get married, you'll most likely be working there. Whether it's the military family compound or the housing I applied for in the army, it's too far. It's okay if the weather is good, but if the weather is bad, it'll be too much of a hardship to get to work. So I asked a friend to find a place on Wutong Road. He told me yesterday that there's a suitable one. I've already looked at it. When you have time, you can go and take a look too."
Song Yiping took a bunch of keys out of his pocket and placed them in Yan Ruyi's hand.
"No. 68 Wutong Road is not far from the First Construction Engineer Training Center. It should only take about 10 minutes to walk there."
The heat that had finally subsided on Yan Ruyi's face returned. "Isn't it too early to talk about the wedding house now?"
"It's not early. It's not easy to find something suitable. Besides, it takes time to set up. Go and see if it suits your taste tomorrow. If not, we'll look for something else."
According to him, he plans to marry Yan Ruyi before the end of this year.
However, judging from the wishes of her father-in-law and mother-in-law, they want to keep Yan Ruyi for another year.
He didn't dare say much, afraid of angering his mother-in-law and having the wedding postponed for another year.
However, you should look for a house in advance. If you find one you like, buy it first and then decorate it slowly.
Yan Ruyi was a little embarrassed and pushed him to leave, saying, "You should hurry up, or you'll miss the last bus."
After taking a few steps, Song Yiping remembered something and said to Yan Ruyi, "The fish I brought today was for Xiaohua."
Yan Ruyi exclaimed "Ah!" She hadn't expected Song Yiping to bring a gift for Xiaohua.
She remembered there was fish soup at lunchtime. Could it be the same fish that Song Yiping gave to Xiaohua?
A bus just happened to be coming. Afraid of missing the last bus, Yan Ruyi didn't have time to talk to him about the fish anymore. She grabbed Song Yiping and ran. When the two of them reached the bus stop, the bus arrived.
Song Yiping got into the car and waved to Yan Ruyi through the window.
The bus drove away quickly, and Yan Ruyi slowly went home.
Despite the wind blowing all the way, her face was still burning hot. Her face must be very red right now, and if her mother saw it, she would probably think she had a cold and fever.
Song Yiping is really annoying.
When she got home, Ye Hongzhen and the others were watching TV. When they saw her return, Ye Hongzhen asked her, "Did Xiao Song get on the bus?"
Yan Ruyi: "I'm sitting down, Mom. Where's the fish Yiping brought today?"
Ye Hongzhen said, "They made fish soup for lunch. Their customs are really different from ours. They even brought a fish when they first visited."
Yan Ruyi, "..."
She didn't mention that the fish was bought by Song Yiping for Xiaohua.
No one would have expected that Song Yiping would bring a gift for a cat.
I'll buy another supply for Xiaohua tomorrow.
Yan Ruyi returned to her room.
After closing the door, I first took out the key and placed it on the table, then took out two red envelopes.
First look at the thick red envelope, which contains a total of 200 yuan, all brand new "Big Unity" bills.
Whether it's a new bride or a new son-in-law, Ye Hongzhen treats them all equally, giving them a 200 yuan red envelope on their first visit.
My aunt's red envelope was much more meager; it only contained 5 yuan.
However, her mother had given Li Chenghai a 5-yuan red envelope back then, so they were even.
The two red envelopes totaled 205 yuan, and now they're all hers.
After putting the red envelope away, she picked up the bunch of keys again. The more she looked at them, the redder her face became. She covered her face with the blanket and rolled around on the bed a few times.
Then that night, the scene in the alley was repeated, and Song Yiping went even further and became even more shameful, doing this and that.
It was performed continuously, over and over again.
She got out of bed the next morning before the alarm clock even went off.
My face is even redder than it was before I went to bed yesterday, and it won't go down no matter how many times I wash it with cold water.
Ye Hongzhen noticed it too and reached out to touch her forehead. "Why is your face so red? Did you catch a cold and have a fever?"
Yan Ruyi: "Maybe a little."
He even coughed twice, pretending to be serious.
Ye Hongzhen said, "You should go to the hospital to get it checked out, lest it get worse."
Yan Ruyi said, "No need to go to the hospital, just drink more hot water. Mom, I'm going out for a bit."
"Why are you going out so early? Aren't you coming back for breakfast?"
"I'll be back in a little while."
She had heard her mother say that there was a mobile fish stall at the street corner that only set up in the morning. The fish sold were caught by the stall owner in the river and were very fresh, but the fish were a bit small.
Last month, her mother bought two pounds of small crucian carp there, coated them in batter and fried them until even the fish bones were crispy and fragrant.
After leaving the residential compound and turning left, I walked a few steps and saw that narrow alley.
She couldn't help but think of what happened last night, her face flushed, and she quickly went over.
When I got to the street corner, I saw that the fish stall was already there. There was a large iron basin on the ground, and small fish were swimming around in the basin. The largest of them was only about three inches long.
She bought a pound of small fish and took it home.
Ye Hongzhen thought she wanted to eat fried fish, so she said to her, "Leave it there, I'll clean it up when I have time, marinate it with salt, and fry it tonight."
Yan Ruyi said, "This is for Xiaohua."
Ye Hongzhen, "..."
Yan Mingtao came out of the house. "Xiaohua is getting pretty good treatment today."
Yan Ruyi said, "Yiping took that fish yesterday for Xiaohua, and we ate it. I have to make it up to Xiaohua today."
Ye Hongzhen laughed immediately, "I was wondering why my new uncle brought a live fish when he came to visit. I thought it was a custom in his area, but it turns out it was for Xiaohua. He didn't even say a word and asked me to cook it into fish soup."
“He was pulled away by his uncle and others as soon as he entered the door, and later he got drunk. He only told me about it when he left at night.”
Ye Hongzhen said, "That's something we should give to Xiaohua. She wanted to eat it yesterday, but I chased her away."
Little Flower smelled the fishy smell and circled around Yan Ruyi, tilting her head back and meowing for food.
Yan Ruyi gave it one first, and Xiaohua took a big bite and ate it with gusto.
Yan Ruyi patted its little head and whispered, "Yiping brought you a gift yesterday, but you didn't get to eat it. Now I'm giving you the gift again. When he comes next time, you're not allowed to bite him."
She gave Xiaohua two fish to eat, and then she removed the innards from the rest of the fish, strung them together, and hung them in a shady place for Xiaohua to eat slowly.
After lunch, she couldn't resist going to see the small courtyard that Song Yiping had mentioned.
Wutong Road is right next to Yanjiang Road, and it's only a 10-minute walk away.
The area along the river is mostly residential compound for the families of the First and Second Construction Engineers.
On Wutong Road, most of the houses are private residences, and they are mostly courtyard houses with yards.
Wutong Road is a small road lined with sycamore trees on both sides. It has a better environment than Yanjiang Road and is also quieter.
Yan Ruyi followed the address and found it quickly.
It was also a courtyard house, with the main gate tightly locked.
Yan Ruyi checked the house number again before taking out her key from her pocket to open the door.
The lock opened, and she pushed the door open and went inside.
The courtyard house is square, with three main rooms, two west rooms, and a pomegranate tree in the southeast corner, covered with large green pomegranates.
In a corner next to the pomegranate tree, a shed was set up, and inside the shed were neatly stacked coal briquettes.
It's estimated that the original residents only moved out recently.
Apart from that, there were no other miscellaneous items in the yard.
Yan Ruyi opened the door to the main room first. It seemed that no one had lived there for a while. Although everything inside was neatly arranged, it was clearly covered in a layer of dust.
The main hall has three rooms in total, divided into two large rooms, with the innermost room being the bedroom, and a half-length floral curtain hanging at the door.
The bedroom has a bed and a wardrobe.
The outer room is the living room, with an eight-immortal table, four chairs, and three small stools.
The bed and furniture are probably quite old; they're all dark and heavy, and the styles are somewhat outdated.
Yan Ruyi didn't like these old-fashioned pieces of furniture; she preferred brighter colors.
She wants to replace all the beds and furniture with new ones.
She likes to roll around in bed. The bed she's sleeping on now is only 1.2 meters wide, and she can easily roll off if she's not careful.
The new bed should be at least 1.8 meters long, so she can roll around on it without worrying about falling off.
And the bedroom looks quite large; it should be able to fit a 1.8-meter bed.
We need to make two more bedside tables; she has a lot of odds and ends, and two bedside tables might not be enough to fit them all.
We also need to build a large wardrobe with a full-length mirror, and it must have three doors, because she has a lot of clothes and a small one won't be able to hold them all.
The walls also need to be repainted.
...
Oh dear, what is she thinking about? Song Yiping just visited her home, and she's already thinking about how to decorate the wedding room.
Yan Ruyi's face turned red again. She came out of the main room and had just locked the door when she saw an older woman coming in through the courtyard gate.
The eldest sister-in-law was in her thirties, with short hair that reached her ears, and dressed neatly and smartly.
The older sister-in-law spoke loudly, "I live next door. I heard some noise in this yard just now, so I came to check. Did you buy this house?"
Yan Ruyi said, "It's not decided yet, I came to take a look first."
"Just buy with confidence. This house is great. I've been their neighbor for 10 years. The old couple are both good-tempered and hardworking. Look how clean the house is, inside and out."
Why don't they live here anymore?
Logically speaking, older people generally don't like to move around.
Her mother had said that she wasn't going anywhere, and the only way to get her to move was to carry her out of the house.
Sister-in-law, “Our daughter took us away to live with us in our old age. The old couple only has one daughter, who went abroad the year before last. She was worried about the old couple, so at the beginning of this year, their paperwork was completed, and their daughter took them away. The old couple doesn’t plan to come back, so they asked their relatives to sell this house. The other day, I heard that someone was interested in buying it. So it was you who wanted to buy it.”
Yesterday, Song Yiping only told her that he had found a house with a yard, and Yan Ruyi thought he was going to rent it, but she didn't expect him to buy it.
Yan Ruyi said shyly, "It's not me who's buying it, it's my boyfriend who wants to buy it."
"That's the same thing. They're buying it as their wedding home, right? Oh my, that's a joyous occasion. As their neighbor, I'll get to share in the happiness too."
Thinking that they would be neighbors in the future, the woman became even more enthusiastic. "I live in the courtyard on the east side. My husband's surname is Hua, and everyone calls me Sister-in-law Hua. If you need anything, just call me over the wall. I don't work and am usually at home."
"Thank you, Sister Hua."
Aunt Hua then told Yan Ruyi where the nearby vegetable shops were, where the hospital was, and how far they were from here...
A little while later, another middle-aged woman came over after hearing the commotion.
The woman was a relative of the original homeowner, who had asked her to sell the house.
The older woman asked Yan Ruyi, "Are you Commander Song's girlfriend?"
Yan Ruyi nodded.
Auntie, “He’s really handsome. No wonder Commander Song is in such a hurry to buy a house to get married. Commander Song has already come to see it and said he wants to ask his girlfriend’s opinion. So I gave him the keys first. You can see if it suits you. If it does, we can sign the contract right away.”
The aunt also wanted to sell the house to Song Yiping.
Song Yiping is a member of the People's Liberation Army; I feel safe selling to him.
Moreover, when she saw Yan Ruyi today, she thought that not only was the girl pretty, but she was also well-behaved and seemed like a clean person.
Her family also lived here. Yan Ruyi bought the house, and from then on, they would be neighbors.
It's so rare to find an understanding neighbor.
If she encounters a difficult and unreasonable person, the neighbors will not have a peaceful time, and she might even be blamed later.
Neither of the young couple seemed like unreasonable people, especially since Song Yiping was a member of the People's Liberation Army.
Living next to the People's Liberation Army makes you feel more at ease at night.
He made up his mind to sell the house to Yan Ruyi.
When her relative asked her to sell the house, she only set a minimum price.
At first, she was thinking of raising the housing prices even higher.
With housing prices going up, her relatives can earn even more.
She didn't raise the price this time, and directly gave her relative the lowest price she had set, 5,000 yuan.
Yan Ruyi wanted to buy a house, so she knew a little about the market prices.
Nowadays, newly built apartment buildings and collectively funded housing generally cost 80 yuan per square meter, with the employer contributing half and the individual contributing the other half.
This courtyard house is about 200 square meters. If it costs 5,000 yuan, that's 25 yuan per square meter.
The current property tax is 30 cents per room. There are a total of 5 rooms here, so the property tax is 1.5 yuan. It is paid every six months, which is 3 yuan per year.
All things considered, it's only a little over 25 yuan per square meter, which is much cheaper than the housing provided by the work unit.
The main reason is that this house is indeed quite old; otherwise, it wouldn't be available at this price.
The house is in good condition and can be lived in with a little repair.
Most importantly, the location is excellent, only a 10-minute walk from the auction house building under construction.
The grocery store, hospital, and bus stop are all nearby, making life convenient.
She was also satisfied with the house layout. The yard was so big and still empty. She could grow some vegetables and fruits in the yard and pick them whenever she wanted.
She especially liked the pomegranate tree in the southeast corner.
This pomegranate tree is probably quite old; its trunk is as thick as an adult's arm, and it has many branches and leaves, bearing a lot of pomegranates.
She loves pomegranates, and with a pomegranate tree in her yard, she's guaranteed to eat her fill.
This yard is even bigger than the yard where she lives now. She doesn't know if she can raise chickens. If she can, she'll raise some chickens to lay eggs, and fatten up the roosters to slaughter and eat.
...
In just a short while, Yan Ruyi had planned out the uses of the courtyard.
Seeing that Yan Ruyi hadn't said anything, the aunt assumed that Yan Ruyi thought the price was too high.
Eager to sell the house to Yan Ruyi, she told Yan Ruyi, "5,000 yuan is the lowest price my relative gave me. I can't make the decision to lower it any further. If you're not in a hurry to move in, I'll hold the house for you and try to contact my relative to see if we can lower the price again."
Yan Ruyi said, "I can accept the price, but I need to discuss it with my partner again."
She didn't rule it out completely, since it would be just her and Song Yiping living there from now on, and she still wanted to ask Song Yiping's opinion.
Although there is a high probability that her opinion is Song Yiping's opinion.
When Yan Ruyi said this, the aunt felt that the matter was almost settled and was very happy. She said to Yan Ruyi, "My family lives in the back row of houses, the second one from the left. My surname is Liu and my name is Liu Hongxia. Once you and your partner have discussed it, just let me know and we can sign the contract anytime."
Liu Hongxia led Yan Ruyi around the yard again, inside and out. Yan Ruyi left when she realized it was almost time for work.
She met Song Yiping that evening, and Song Yiping asked her if she had gone to look at houses.
After a night and a day of mental preparation, Yan Ruyi was no longer so embarrassed to talk to Song Yiping about the house.
"I saw it, and I even ran into Liu Hongxia."
"Is the house still satisfactory?"
Yan Ruyi said hesitantly, "You're buying a house, just go ahead and buy it, why do you need to ask for my opinion?"
Song Yiping laughed and said, "From now on, you will be the mistress of the house, so I have to make you happy. Besides, it's your money that's being used to buy the house, so I definitely need your consent."
Yan Ruyi didn't think much of it and assumed that Song Yiping was short of money and wanted to use her money to buy a house.
He said with distress, "I don't have that much cash right now, maybe I should sell the gold?"
If all else fails, just redeem the treasury bonds ahead of schedule.
Seeing her conflicted expression, Song Yiping couldn't help but laugh and reminded her, "You forgot, I've already given you the passbook. The money in the passbook will be yours from now on. I'm just holding it for you now. I can't use the money in it without your permission."
Yan Ruyi had completely forgotten about Song Yiping's bankbook.
Her face flushed slightly, and she said to Song Yiping, "I'll only be yours after we get married, but right now I'm still yours. You don't need to ask me what you want to buy."
Song Yiping knew that she had agreed to buy the house.
"I'll come over tomorrow at noon, sign the contract with Liu Hongxia, and then we can go to the housing management bureau to complete the transfer procedures in the afternoon."
Song Yiping had already started planning as soon as he saw the house.
The house is quite old, and some parts need repair. He also wants to change the layout of the main room.
The main room is currently divided into two rooms, and he wants to convert it into three: one as his and Yan Ruyi's bedroom, one as a living room, and the other for the children to live in later.
He doesn't want many children, one is enough, so one bedroom is sufficient.
There are two west-facing rooms. One is used as a kitchen, and the other is currently a storage room. He plans to convert the storage room into a guest room so that there will be a place for family members to stay if they come to visit.
Two more small rooms were built on the east side to store miscellaneous items.
As for the furniture, we'll discard all the existing furniture and have a completely new set made.
Especially the bed, it needs to be a big one.
During a casual chat, my mother-in-law told me that Yan Ruyi is a restless sleeper who loves to roll around in bed. When she was little, she even fell off the bed because it was too small.
He had already measured the bedroom and found that it could fit a two-meter bed at most.
Another requirement is that the bed be sturdy and durable, not one that falls apart after a few movements or creaks when moved, which would affect its performance.
But finding someone to make the furniture is a bit of a challenge.
My brother-in-law does this job, so it's not appropriate to stop him and choose someone else.
But if he let his brother-in-law make it, Song Yiping was afraid that his brother-in-law would overthink it and think that he was having ulterior motives towards Yan Ruyi by starting to make the bed so early.
If this gets back to his mother-in-law, she'll treat him like a thief from now on, and might even stop letting Yan Ruyi go out at night.
Moreover, he couldn't directly tell his brother-in-law about his requirements for the bed; if he did, his brother-in-law would probably punch him in the face.
He then discussed with Yan Ruyi who should make the furniture.
In this matter, Yan Ruyi sided with her second brother, since that was his profession; they couldn't let the good stuff go to outsiders.
"If you won't let my second brother do it, are you going to do it yourself?"
These words reminded Song Yiping why he couldn't make his own bed.
He has been very handy since he was a child; he can make exquisite bows and arrows, wooden swords and spears, so making a bed shouldn't be a problem for him.
Moreover, this was his and Yan Ruyi's wedding bed, which he made by hand, making it very meaningful.
Make your own bed, and make it as sturdy and durable as possible.
Anyway, there's no rush to use it right now. He can take his time and it will definitely be finished before the wedding.
Once the bed is finished, I'll have my brother-in-law make the other furniture.
The following afternoon, Yan Ruyi and Song Yiping signed the purchase contract with Liu Hongxia and went to the housing management bureau to complete the transfer procedures.
Because the homeowner's name was Yan Ruyi, Yan Ruyi owned her first property.
As for why the homeowner wrote Yan Ruyi's name on the property certificate, it's because Song Yiping said that it was bought with Yan Ruyi's money, so her name should be on the certificate, and she would be the head of the household from now on.
Yan Ruyi knew that he was trying to make her happy in a roundabout way.
She was indeed charmed and felt a sweet warmth in her heart.
After leaving the housing management bureau, Liu Hongxia asked Yan Ruyi, "When are you and Commander Song getting married? I have to come and have a drink at the wedding."
Yan Ruyi said shyly, "The date hasn't been set yet."
She hasn't met Song Yiping's parents yet.
She definitely wants to see him, but she's not mentally prepared yet.
I wonder if any of Song's aunts and uncles will be there when she goes.
She didn't have Song Yiping's courage; she wasn't intimidated in front of so many people.
She needed to gather all her courage before going to his house.
When she got home, she couldn't help but show off the "Property Ownership Certificate" in her hand to her mother.
Yan Ruyi said, "Mom, did you see that? The landlord's name on this is mine."
Ye Hongzhen recognized her daughter's name and exclaimed, "Little Song is so thoughtful."
Which man would put his unmarried wife's name on the property deed? Only Song Yiping would do that.
After a while, as if she had thought of something, she pulled Yan Ruyi aside and whispered, "Even though you have a house now, you still need to be careful about the impact."
Yan Ruyi was still immersed in the joy of owning a house and didn't understand what her mother was saying, so she casually asked, "What kind of impact should we be aware of?"
Even mothers shouldn't say these things outright.
It all comes down to figuring it out on your own.
Ye Hongzhen hesitated for a moment, then finally managed to say, "Anyway, I can't do anything reckless. I have to wait until after I get married. I don't want to be a grandmother now."
Yan Ruyi finally understood what her mother was talking about, and her face turned bright red. "Mom, what are you talking about?"
She ran back to her house shyly.
The auction house building is now up to the third floor.
When Yan Ruyi arrived at the construction site, Cao Shengde was also there.
Cao Shengde was wearing a safety helmet and talking to a technician next to him.
Upon seeing Yan Ruyi, he gave a few instructions to the technicians and then came over.
"Director Yan, what brings you to the construction site today?"
"I didn't have anything urgent to do right now, so I came to take a look."
Cao Shengde pointed upwards, "Director Yan, why don't we go up and take a look?"
Yan Ruyi looked at the scaffolding outside and said with difficulty, "I probably can't climb up there."
Cao Shengde laughed and said, "There are repaired stairs, so we can use the stairs."
So it wasn't supposed to be her climbing the scaffolding? Well, then she can go up and take a look.
Cao Shengde then had a worker bring a safety helmet and handed it to Yan Ruyi.
Yan Ruyi put on a safety helmet and walked up the stairs with Cao Shengde to the third floor.
As the name suggests, Yanjiang Road is a road that runs along the river.
The auction building is built right by the river. Although it is only on the third floor, the view is unobstructed and the river view in the distance is unobstructed.
No wonder people in ancient times loved to climb to high places and look out into the distance; it certainly broadened one's mind.
Cao Shengde knew the surroundings like the back of his hand and introduced the various buildings to Yan Ruyi.
Finally, pointing to a vacant lot southeast of the auction building, he said to Yan Ruyi, "Director Yan, you see that large vacant lot? The municipal government intends to build residential buildings there. This will be the first batch of commercial housing in our city. The permit has already been issued, and it will be constructed by our Second Construction Company. Construction will begin next month, and the expected construction period is one year. The houses will be delivered around this time next year. Comrade Yan, if you want to buy, you should prepare as soon as possible."
Preparing early means having your money ready, since it's a commercial property and the price won't be cheap.
Cao Shengde and his team were just the contractors; he didn't know the final price.
His estimated price was 100 per square meter, which was about the same as Yan Ruyi's estimate.
Yan Ruyi looked at the spot Cao Shengde was pointing to; it was also overlooking the river.
If you buy the very first building, you can see the ships coming and going on the river from your home.
Yan Ruyi really liked this spot.
This further strengthened my resolve to buy a house.
As Yan Ruyi and Cao Shengde were talking, Xia Pengfei called out to her from below, "Director Yan, someone is looking for you!"
Yan Ruyi is the deputy director of the preparatory office. In private, Xia Pengfei calls her "Xiao Yan," but in public, he always calls her Director Yan.
Yan Ruyi: "Who's looking for me?"
"I don't know him, he's a driver."
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