Meng Shuyun slowly walked out of the doctor's office; the woman who had been pestering her and crying outside was nowhere to be seen.
The surroundings were eerily quiet, as if the air itself had frozen, with only the old-fashioned wall clock ticking away, each tick pounding against her taut nerves.
Just then, Su Xiangnan and Gu Xue returned.
Su Xiangnan sat in his wheelchair, his expression calm on the surface, but his hands, gripping the armrests tightly, were white at the knuckles and trembling slightly, revealing his inner unease and fear.
"Mother, what did the doctor say?" Gu Xue asked anxiously, her voice trembling slightly.
Meng Shuyun sighed, "I just had an X-ray taken, and I won't get the results until tomorrow. But the doctor told me that Xiang Nan's leg..."
She paused, her gaze falling on Su Xiangnan's face, her expression grave.
"Surgery will most likely be necessary. If the bone misalignment is severe, the chances of success are probably not high."
Even if it is cured, follow-up rehabilitation will be necessary, which will take at least half a year.
Moreover, even if you recover, you might not be exactly the same as before, and there might even be some aftereffects...
Upon hearing this news, everyone felt a mix of emotions.
Su Xiangnan forced a smile and said in a relaxed manner, "This is already the best result. The doctor didn't say there was no hope or that it couldn't be cured. It can be cured, and a few aftereffects are no big deal."
Gu Xue quickly turned around, covered her mouth, and tears streamed down her face through her fingers.
She dared not cry out loud, for fear that Su Xiangnan would hear her and only add to his troubles.
After a long while, she forced back her tears, turned around, and said in a light tone, "Xiang Nan is right. Since the doctor said we need to do rehabilitation, let's rent a place here so it will be easier to take care of him."
Meng Shuyun shook her head and said with a determined look, "Why rent a place? Just buy one here. Renting is never a long-term solution. It's inconvenient for you two to live together, and you might even have to squeeze in with other people. That would be so stressful."
Su Xiangnan and Gu Xue both stared wide-eyed, their faces full of surprise.
Su Xiangnan hurriedly said, "Mom, we're only staying here for six months. Buying a house is too expensive."
Gu Xue also chimed in, "Yes, Mom, it's only six months. There's no need to buy a house. Besides, buying a house isn't that easy. You can't just buy a suitable one right away."
Su Xiangnan looked at Meng Shuyun and asked earnestly, "Mother, is now a good time to buy a house?"
Meng Shuyun paused for a moment, then said decisively, "Why not? As the population grows, housing will only become more scarce. I'm confident this area will develop in the future, so buying now will definitely be the right decision."
Su Xiangnan pondered for a moment, then nodded, "Okay, let's buy a house then."
The inspection report won't be available until tomorrow. Since they've decided to buy a house, they spent the afternoon looking around for potential buyers.
In those days, very few people sold houses; most were rental properties or company dormitories.
They looked at two houses, but Meng Shuyun wasn't very satisfied with either.
One apartment was too high up, making it difficult for Su Xiangnan, who was in a wheelchair, to get up and down; the other apartment shared a courtyard with others, had poor lighting, and felt cramped.
The woman who showed them the house was named Zhao Di. She was in her thirties and was panting heavily as she said helplessly, "Auntie, what kind of house do you want? This is pretty much all the houses around here."
Meng Shuyun said, "I want a house with a separate yard, preferably not too close to the neighbors, so it won't be too noisy. The house also needs to be relatively new; it's too old to live in."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Di looked at Meng Shuyun in surprise, thinking to herself that this was no small request.
However, she quickly came up with a solution and actually thought of a place to live.
"I do have that house you mentioned, but it's very expensive. The owner is in a hurry to leave and is asking for 20,000 yuan. If you can afford that much, I can take you to see it."
Meng Shuyun's eyes lit up, and she nodded without thinking.
They hailed a tricycle, and it took them more than forty minutes of bumpy travel to get there.
It's a bit far from the hospital, but the surrounding area consists of detached buildings.
Looking at the house in front of her, Meng Shuyun was startled. Could this be a villa?
In later Guangzhou, such a location close to the city center would be extremely valuable.
The house belonged to a couple who had to sell it to pay off debts because their company went bankrupt and they could no longer continue operating it.
The house looks very new, and you can tell that the owner takes good care of it.
If they weren't desperate, who would be willing to sell such a nice house?
Meng Shuyun walked around the house and nodded in satisfaction. "I'm quite satisfied with this house, but 20,000 yuan is too expensive. Can we discuss it some more?"
Twenty thousand yuan was no small sum back then; there weren't many people with ten thousand yuan.
The couple exchanged a glance, and the woman said, "Auntie, you see, our house is newly renovated, and the front and back yards are separate. We're not taking any of this furniture with us, so it's only 20,000 yuan, that's the lowest we can go."
Meng Shuyun bargained, saying, "Twenty thousand yuan could buy two houses like this ten kilometers away. This price is indeed a bit high. I'm buying it for my son and daughter-in-law. I sincerely want this house. How about 18,000 yuan?"
The couple exchanged another glance, their faces showing reluctance. "Ma'am, we're so sorry, this price..."
Meng Shuyun knew in her heart that such a good house could not be easily negotiated.
But she really loved the house; it was furnished and practically ready to move in.
Once it's settled, just have someone clean it up.
"In that case, I'll take my leave." Meng Shuyun said, and started to walk out.
Seeing that Meng Shuyun was about to leave, the man quickly called out to her, "Auntie, if you can come up with 19,000 yuan right now, we'll sell you the house. That's our lowest price."
Meng Shuyun forced herself to remain calm, nodded, and agreed.
Afterwards, they went to complete the transfer procedures, and found someone to notarize the transaction, exchanging money for the property.
When transferring the property, the staff were a little hesitant because Meng Shuyun was not a local. However, after giving her some kickbacks, the matter was completed smoothly, unlike the strict procedures in later generations.
After settling on the house, Meng Shuyun gave Zhao Di a referral fee of twenty yuan and asked her to find someone to come and clean the house in the next couple of days, especially instructing her to make sure the bathroom was thoroughly cleaned.
"Auntie, you can rest assured, I promise I'll clean it spotless." Zhao Di patted her chest and assured her.
She figured to herself that since she was free these past two days, she could come and clean herself, and the ten yuan cleaning fee would go straight into her pocket.
It was already evening when we got back to the guesthouse.
Gu Xue and Su Xiangnan were both in Meng Shuyun's room, with food laid out on the table.
"Mom, you're finally back! I've got some food, it's still warm." Gu Xue greeted her with a smile.
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