A bicycle blocked their path; it belonged to Tong Danian, Ye Jingchi's childhood friend, a native of Beijing.
"I've finally found you! Have you considered what I told you before?"
Ye Jingchi turned around and glanced at Li Ying.
Li Ying thought they had something to say, so she got out of the car and walked away.
"Wait!" Ye Jingchi instinctively grabbed Li Ying's wrist: "Li Ying, this is my childhood friend Tong Danian."
“This is…” Tong Danian looked at Li Ying with suspicion.
"This is my wife, Li Ying."
daughter in law?
Is Brother Chi already married?
When did this happen? Didn't you even notify me?
That's outrageous!
"Brother Chi, you're already..."
"Stop talking nonsense, what's the matter?" Ye Jingchi asked coldly.
"Old Shen went to work in another province, and he wanted to sell his old courtyard house."
Siheyuan (courtyard house)?
Li Ying was pleasantly surprised.
If you buy it now, it will be very valuable in the future.
But it seems that the ancestral home has been nationalized and has not been returned to the individual yet, right?
And individuals are not even qualified to sell their own homes, are they?
"Is it the return of the ancestral home?"
Seeing that Li Ying seemed to understand a little, Tong Danian nodded emphatically: "Yes, yes, the Shen family has a special situation. They were given a special exception this year. Old Shen is going to work in another province, and his girlfriend is also in another province. He may have to marry into her family there, so he wants to sell this old house."
Buying a courtyard house for 50,000 yuan is a good deal no matter how you look at it.
However, she plans to return to Donghu to visit her parents and buy a house there, which is not her original intention.
"Shen Chang'an is only offering such a low price because he's in a hurry to sell; his courtyard house is huge," Tong Danian chimed in, trying to persuade him. "Why don't you buy it, Brother Chi?"
Ye Jingchi shook his head, saying, "If Grandma knew I was building up a business outside, she would be furious."
Ye Jingchi is a dutiful grandson who listens to his family in everything except marriage.
Li Ying glanced at Ye Jingchi. This man was good in every way, except that he was exceptionally obedient to his family. With such a personality, she was afraid that he would need to be tested in the future.
Li Ying smiled and said to Tong Danian, "Can you take me to see it?"
"You want to buy it?" Ye Jingchi asked in surprise.
Li Ying thought for a moment and nodded.
Since it was returned early, there are no rules or regulations yet. In a while, it might be prohibited for individuals to sell it.
Even if you only rent it temporarily, it's not bad. In the long run, the house will be yours.
Li Ying followed the two men to the east of the city, met Shen Chang'an, and entered the courtyard house.
The house is very large, with two courtyards in the front and back.
“The Cultural Relics Management Bureau returned the house last month, but I work in another province and don’t have time to take care of it, so I want to sell it.”
Shen Chang'an wore glasses and was very refined; he clearly came from a scholarly family.
"I like the layout of this house." Li Ying looked around the house, which had an antique style. "And this study is quite nice."
“I like this study too.” Shen Chang’an was delighted to have found a like-minded person.
"I don't like this house, it's too big," Ye Jingchi said unhappily.
Li Ying glanced at Ye Jingchi; this man would probably never think about buying a house.
"I don't have 50,000 right now, but I'll have the money soon. Can you wait a moment?"
"sure!"
On the way, Ye Jingchi remained silent, and Li Ying guessed that he might be angry about her buying a house.
"Ye Jingchi, stop the car!"
Ye Jingchi stepped on the brakes, stopped, and turned to look at Li Ying: "Are you feeling unwell?"
Li Ying smiled and said, "Ye Jingchi, I don't know your personality very well. If there's anything I did that made you unhappy, could you tell me frankly?"
Ye Jingchi realized he had just looked sullen and coughed awkwardly, "Li Ying, Grandma doesn't like family members buying houses everywhere, you know that?"
“I heard you say that Grandma is an old lady who likes family harmony. But Ye Jingchi, have you ever thought that you will move out of the house sooner or later?”
The separation of the family is inevitable; it's a natural trend.
Right now, the eldest brother has sacrificed his life, the second brother is in business, and he is in the army. It seems like everything is peaceful, but that's because he didn't get married before. Hua Qingqing is practically invisible, often going out to film, and the time she spends at home can be counted on one hand.
But things are different now. He got married, and his sister-in-law is moving in with him. With the whole family living together, there are bound to be some bumps along the way.
She could certainly handle it, but she didn't want to come home after a long day only to have to deal with family conflicts.
"Li Ying, how could you do this?"
The idea of separating the family as soon as they enter the house is too dangerous.
Ye Jingchi's face turned red: "During our marriage, I can't move out, and you can't move out either!"
Ye Jingchi walked forward as he spoke, but after a few steps, he realized that Li Ying was not following, so he stopped and waited.
For the first time, Li Ying felt the difference in thinking between herself and Ye Jingchi, but she didn't particularly insist on anything.
Fortunately, it was just a marriage of convenience; otherwise, the mere thought of dividing the family property would have driven her crazy.
Li Ying got into the car: "Let's go home."
She absolutely had to buy that courtyard house!
Ye Zhonghong stood at the gate and saw her third brother riding a bicycle with Li Ying on the back. She was furious, but she was also afraid that her third brother would scold her, so she turned around and hid to the side.
Someone tapped Ye Zhonghong on the shoulder from behind, startling her so much that she almost screamed.
Shh, it's me!
Nuannuan pulled Ye Zhonghong to the entrance of an alley, pointed to a tall figure under a street lamp and said, "See that? A private investigator. Back in Hong Kong, he was worth a fortune."
"How much money does he want?" Ye Zhonghong patted her pockets; if it was too much money, she couldn't afford it.
"Not much, five yuan an hour."
"What?"
Ye Zhonghong almost shouted, but Nuannuan covered her mouth tightly: "Keep your voice down, are you afraid your family won't hear you? Five dollars is the lowest price! When they were in Hong Kong, they charged one hundred Hong Kong dollars an hour."
Ye Zhonghong's eyes twitched: "So powerful? What do you need me to do?"
"Of course, you should provide a photo of your sister-in-law. How can he help you find her without a photo?"
Ye Zhonghong was in a dilemma: "I don't get along with Li Ying, she won't give me the photos."
"Are you stupid! Even if she won't give it to you, your third brother and she must have it on their marriage certificate, right? Just take it to a photo studio and get a copy printed."
Ye Zhonghong nodded, then looked at the person under the light. He seemed to be looking this way, smoking a cigarette, and looked like someone involved in the underworld.
Ye Zhonghong thought it was a good idea and started thinking about how to get the photos from her third brother.
The night was deep, but the figure under the lamplight was still there. Ye Jingchi opened the door and walked towards the streetlight.
As the light brightened, his appearance became clear: thick eyebrows, large eyes, striking features, a tall and robust physique, wearing a black vest, and a prominent scar on his bare left arm.
"Brother Chi, what's up?"
"I want to find out who the woman who came into my room at night during the flood relief efforts in Donghu this June was," Ye Jingchi said, then shoved a photo and a wad of cash into the other person's hand: "As soon as possible!"
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