After entering the main room, Chen Chongshan went to the kitchen and poured two cups of hot water. Chongming, who was in the inner room, also came out to greet him.
After they were seated, Chen Chongshan finally spoke and asked, "Second Uncle, what brings you here?"
That's right.
Chen Futian took a sip of water, paused, and then said, "Chongshan, the main reason we came here this time is about this old house."
"For this house?"
Chen Chongshan was taken aback for a moment, then asked, "What's wrong with this house?"
"There's no problem with the house."
Zhang Lan couldn't contain herself any longer and spoke up before Chen Futian could: "It's like this, Chongshan, look at how capable you are now. At such a young age, you've raised so much money to cure Chongming's leg. I think you'll definitely have a bright future. Maybe you'll even go to Yizhou, Tanzhou, or even big cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou to develop your career. Our little Meishan definitely can't keep you here..."
"Auntie, what exactly is going on? Just tell me..." Chen Chongshan felt a chill run down his spine from Zhang Lan's insincere words and couldn't help but interrupt her, asking directly.
“Chongshan, if you go to develop in a big city in the future, this old house will definitely be useless here. Your uncle still has a lot of feelings for your Chen family. The foundation of this house was left by your grandfather’s generation. So, we want to spend some money to buy your family’s old house.”
As Zhang Lan smiled, she looked at Chen Chongshan and spoke slowly, while Chen Futian nodded in agreement.
Looking at this scene, Chen Chongshan suddenly found it somewhat amusing. Did Chen Futian have feelings for this place?
He himself probably wouldn't believe it if he said that before today, the last time he stepped into this courtyard was when Chen Chongshan's father, Chen Fulin, passed away.
Two years have passed in the blink of an eye. He has been living in the county town. If he really had feelings for it, why wouldn't he come here?
Moreover, Chen Futian originally owned half of this house, but in order to marry Zhang Lan, he sold the land to his brother Chen Fulin. Chen Fulin couldn't afford it, so he cut down most of the trees in his own mountain to buy Chen Futian's half of the land.
Chen Chongshan still wore a faint smile on his face, but his heart was terribly cold.
Chen Chongshan now clearly understands the purpose of Chen Futian and Zhang Lan's visit. They probably also received news that the land was going to be expropriated, so they wanted to buy back the homestead at a low price and then collect the expropriation compensation.
Zhang Lan's brother appears to be an official in the county's planning bureau.
The thought of this made Chen Chongshan feel even colder.
After a pause, Chen Chongshan looked at Zhang Lan, who had a hopeful expression on her face, smiled, shook his head and replied, "Auntie, it's true that this house was passed down from my grandfather, but now it's also been passed down to me by my father. If I sell this house, how can I face my father's spirit in heaven?"
“Chongshan, it’s good to be filial, but you’re not selling this to anyone else. You’re selling it to your uncle, your father’s own brother, who is also a member of the Chen family. Your father won’t blame you if he finds out. Besides, didn’t your uncle own half of this house before?” Zhang Lan continued to patiently persuade him.
“Auntie, I don’t know what happened to this house before. I only know that it was passed down to me by my father, and I can’t sell it. Don’t you have such a big building in your county? Why would you buy this one?”
With a decorative smile and an air of complete ignorance, Chen Chongshan looked at Zhang Lan and said...
“Hey, isn’t that building in the county being used as a hotel? After your brother Chongjun gets married, the house will go to them. Your uncle and I are thinking of retiring here in the suburbs.”
Zhang Lan smiled and continued, "Look at you two now. Chongming's leg has just been healed and he still has a recovery period that costs money. You, on the other hand, need some money to build your career since you haven't gone to school. Your uncle and I will buy this house for you, and the price will definitely be fair."
"So, Uncle and Aunt are here to help me?" Chen Chongshan continued, smiling as he asked Zhang Lan.
Yes, yes.
Zhang Lan nodded repeatedly: "Uncle and Aunt may not have any other abilities, but we will definitely help if we can. You two brothers don't have any other relatives in this world."
"Then how much money is Auntie planning to spend to buy this house back?" Chen Chongshan continued to ask.
How much does it cost?
Chen Futian paused for a moment, then said, "Our house has a building area of 240 square meters, and the yard and vegetable garden outside the gate are about 600 square meters, right? I'll give you 200,000 yuan to buy the whole thing, how about that?"
Two hundred thousand?
Chen Chongshan stared straight at Chen Futian and sneered a few times: "Uncle, do you really think our house is only worth 200,000?"
Zhang Lan hurriedly said, "Hey, Chongshan, this house is, after all, just a village house. It can't compare to a house in the county. Two hundred thousand is a good price."
"Not bad at all. If we had had this 200,000 earlier, Chongming would probably have stood up a few years earlier." Chen Chongshan sneered and said indifferently.
"Hehe, Chongshan, there's nothing we can do about it. A few years ago, our hotel business wasn't doing well either, and we had a lot of expenses at home, so we didn't have much money to help you. But it's not too late now."
Zhang Lan continued with a smile, "With this 200,000 yuan, you can buy a house in the county, or even make a down payment on a small apartment in Tanzhou. You can also take better care of Chongming and help him recover better. You'll also have some capital to strive for yourself."
"Yes, with this 200,000, I should be able to live a better life."
Chen Chongshan sneered and said, "However, I'm sorry, Uncle and Aunt, Chongming and I have already passed the period when we needed money the most. We feel that we are doing quite well now, so we still don't plan to sell this old house."
“I’m afraid that if I sell the ancestral home, the villagers will gossip and curse me behind my back.”
Chen Chongshan said with a cold smile.
Seemingly sensing the hostility in Chen Chongshan's tone, Zhang Lan and Chen Futian realized that Chen Chongshan wasn't simply unwilling to sell; he had probably already received word of the impending expropriation.
Chen Futian and his wife exchanged a glance, paused, and then Chen Futian continued, "Well then, Chongshan, since you're not going to sell, I can't force you. But I originally owned half of this ancestral home. Now, can you give me back that half of the land? I'm willing to pay ten times the original price."
"Ten times?" Chen Chongshan chuckled at Chen Futian's suggestion. "Second Uncle, you're really willing to spend money. You sold it for 18,000 back then. Ten times that is 180,000. Is it worth buying half of this homestead for 180,000?"
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