Every letter from his hometown flew thousands of miles to reach Zhang Guoqing. Seeing that his parents were in good health, he would watch TV or go for a walk when he had nothing to do.
He also felt relieved.
Especially when Zhang Laoer mentioned that the eldest brother and his wife were now living apart, not only did he have peace and quiet, but his eldest brother had also gained a little weight and smiled more.
Zhang Guoqing was even happier.
No matter whether Boss Zhang takes the next step or whether he needs to get divorced in the future, as long as he can live a happy life, that's enough.
Let go of your concerns about your hometown, and the days will pass by in the blink of an eye.
Not long after we stored the cabbages at home, the first snow of early winter began to fall in the blink of an eye.
The arrival of snow also brings a happy event.
When Zhou Jiao received a call from Aunt Zuo and heard the cheerful laughter on the other end of the phone, she congratulated her repeatedly.
"Does my second sister-in-law know?"
"Shitou has already sent a telegram back home. That silly kid was so happy that he almost turned sideways while walking. Jiaojiao, I've picked out two courtyards. Are you free? Come with Auntie."
"Whether you have time or not, you have to make time. When do you think we'll be there?"
"The sooner the better. I'm worried about the couple living in school right now. I'll go over and look after them for a while after they move in."
Zhou Jiao raised her arm and glanced at the watch on her wrist. "It's almost time to get off work. I'm going out now. Where should we meet?"
"How about the bus stop in front of Yue'er's school?"
Zhou Jiao laughed and said "OK". Now Yue'er, Xinyi, all at once, used their full names and nicknames at the same time. If she met someone she didn't know well, she would probably be confused.
After hanging up the phone, Zhou Jiao immediately called Zhang Guoqing's office.
"Hello, who is this?"
Zhou Jiao smiled and said, "Your wife. I'm in a hurry to go out now, so I'll make it short. Xinyi is pregnant, and Aunt Zuo asked me to go look after the yard. I'll be back later tonight, so you don't have to come to pick me up."
"It's so cold, can't we wait until the weekend?"
Zhou Jiao shook her head with a smile, "You called me just as you were getting off work, and my second sister-in-law isn't here, so I should have gone over earlier. You call my second brother and tell him the good news."
"Okay, be careful."
Aunt Zuo must have spent a lot of effort, as the two courtyards she picked for her granddaughter and her granddaughter are both nice.
Although the small courtyard is not big, the environment is very good.
The courtyard has a relatively common layout, with the main gate in the southeast corner. The owner, an old lady, said there are seven or eight rooms, and if you really count the back house, there are ten rooms in total.
——Three main rooms, one bright and two dark, four side rooms in the east and west, and three back rooms.
It is said that when the family was rehabilitated and the property was returned in the summer, there were still a bunch of messy small buildings there, and traces of the demolition were still there. It has only just been restored to its original appearance.
"I returned three courtyards, but unfortunately, all the furniture inside is gone. I'm really scared. I'd be happy if I could just get the courtyard back. I wouldn't dare keep any more courtyards. I was planning to retire here when I get old, but who knows? Sigh... I won't say anymore."
Zhou Jiao's eyes flashed when she heard this, "If you sell everything, where will your family live?"
"I am the only son, so I don't need to mention my daughters."
Zhou Jiao smiled apologetically when she heard that.
The old lady shook her head indifferently, "It's all in the past."
How could they have gone all over? The old lady was clearly frightened, otherwise why would she have sold both of her yards? But everyone was understanding, so no one said anything.
Then I looked at another yard.
The two courtyards cover about the same area and are equally small. To be honest, there's nothing much to choose. At first, the small courtyard was near the entrance of the alley and close to the bus stop.
This courtyard is located deep in the alley, and even if you have a car, you can't drive in. It is surrounded by mostly slums, and the environment is quite complicated.
Without much thought, Aunt Zuo started bargaining after getting Zhou Jiao's opinion.
Unfortunately, although the other party is old, he is still stubborn and insists on paying 4,500 yuan for the yard.
money?
Zhang Laoer had already told Zhang Guoqing about the estimated amount of 5,000 yuan, so it wasn't that he didn't have enough money.
As we left for the bus stop, Aunt Zuo quietly asked, "Will it be too expensive?"
Zhou Jiao shook her head and offered a rare suggestion: "Aunt, if you have the money, you can buy that courtyard. If you rent it out room by room, you'll make back your money in a few years."
"You're buying it."
Zhou Jiao looked at her speechlessly, "I have no choice in the short term."
Aunt Zuo laughed happily and patted her comfortingly, "I hadn't thought of this before you said it. It's quite cost-effective to rent it out. After a few years, the house will be yours."
"Yeah. You have a big family, so you can buy it for the children."
"You think buying a yard means buying cabbage. But yards are hard to find. If you miss this opportunity, you'll never find one again. I'll discuss it with your uncle tonight. If it's okay, I'll buy them all tomorrow."
Zhou Jiao smiled in agreement.
The yard was indeed difficult to find. Shitou and his wife had been searching for it in this area for over six months before finally finding it through an acquaintance of Zuo Lin, who worked at the police station.
And Yi Jiefang... How many buddies does he have with Zhang Guoqing? There were rumors that he wanted to buy a yard near Houhai, but so far there's been no action.
She often heard colleagues talk about housing, saying that there was simply no room for their entire families to live in. Those over 40 were especially worried.
——Every family has several sons.
It would be better if the family had a private house, as they could free up a room when their children got married. But I live in a house allocated by the work unit, which makes my family miserable.
"Jiaojiao, is that Xiaowu? He's old, so his eyesight isn't good."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Jiao followed the direction of her finger and saw a bus slowly driving away in the distance, revealing a corner of it.
A military vehicle was parked near the bus stop, and a tall figure was leaning against the door.
Isn't that her man?
Zhou Jiao smiled brightly, "It was him. Who said your eyesight is bad? I didn't see it."
"It's dark and I can't see clearly, but the car is parked under the bus stop. It should be your Xiaowu. This is good. We don't have to squeeze into the car."
"Hahaha, Auntie, are you afraid of crowded cars too?"
"Well, the capital city is good in every way except for this one thing: it's too big and there's not even a carriage."
“When I first started college, you could still see tricycles and horse-drawn carriages.”
"I still remember that before you went to college, you came to visit me. Xiaowu told me that in Beijing, apart from the three major coupons of grain coupons, sugar coupons, and meat coupons, you can buy anything with money."
“It will get better and better.”
"Ah... I wish I could see it while I'm still alive." Aunt Zuo smiled and changed the subject: "Has your Aunt Cheng written to you recently?"
"She's been in contact with my mom. My mom told me she's still thinking about you leaving, saying she has one less place to visit, and she's also asking if you guys want to go home for the New Year.
My mother laughed for a long time and said that you and my uncle Zuo's family are originally in the capital. She even wrote her a letter asking her to find a way to come over and stay for a while during the New Year.
"Tell your mother to stop listening to your Aunt Cheng's nonsense. She ran away to the provincial capital with her husband earlier than I did. Now she hangs out with your godmother every day."
Hearing her jealous tone, Zhou Jiao laughed happily - the feelings between old sisters are really hard to describe.
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