The ceiling fan was whirring, and I thought about how my sister-in-law's room during her postpartum period couldn't even have its windows open. The room was stuffy and smelled terrible, with a strong stench of milk and urine.
Especially for Chen Hong, who was used to the salty smell of the sea, the moment she entered that room, she felt intoxicated. The timing of this postpartum period was really bad; a month later, the temperature would have been just right for both mother and baby.
Chen Hong chatted with her sister, and the children, exhausted, quickly fell asleep. After talking about the newborn for a while, her sister asked Chen Hong, "Sister, why didn't your husband come? Is he still working in Jinan? How's he doing?"
Chen Hong listened and noticed that the people who had helped outside were still there, drinking and chatting noisily. She whispered to her younger sister, "Xiaoyun, Yu Hai and I are divorced, but I haven't told you. I'm taking this opportunity to tell you this when I come home. From now on, if you see Yu Hai in Jinan, just pretend you don't know him!"
My sister was startled: "No wonder you seemed a bit strange this time. Yu Hai is in Jinan, why didn't he come to our house? Why did you two get divorced? Did he have an affair in Jinan and hook up with another woman?"
Chen Hong smiled and said, "Keep your voice down, don't startle us and wake the child up! Let me tell you, it's nothing serious. We've been separated for more than three months, and we've long since gone our separate ways and have nothing to do with each other."
My sister's voice choked with sobs: "How have you been all this time? Why didn't you write home sooner? What will you do now? Will you have custody of the child?"
Her younger sister asked a barrage of questions. Chen Hong knew she was worried about her, but little did she know she was doing quite well: "Xiao Yun, what are you sad about? Your sister is living a very comfortable life now. I've practically monopolized that area of the sea. I can catch whatever fish I want. You know how capable I am!"
"What do you know? Don't think you can do whatever you want just because you're a good swimmer. Are you not planning to go home? Are you going to stay in that little fishing village for the rest of your life?"
“What’s wrong with staying there for the rest of my life? The resources there are much better than at home. What can’t you get in the sea? I left the house, the orchard, and the fishing boat after my divorce.”
My father and son, Yu Hai, used to forbid me from going to sea. I didn't want to cause family discord while doing all that work, so I honestly farmed for several years. But the income from farming was too little and too slow; the sea is more suitable for me.”
Her younger sister asked her with a stern face, "I heard Mom on the phone saying that you bought Dad a lot of expensive honey and asked her to give it away. You two had another fight because of this. Is it because of Mom that you don't want to come back? It's just the two of us today, so tell me the truth."
Chen Hong smiled and said, "Don't look so serious. Let me tell you, it's really not for Mom's sake. You don't know, the policies over there are getting better and better. This year they're giving subsidies to fishermen. Each boat can get at least 10,000 or 20,000 yuan. My family's boat can get 20,000 yuan a year."
I heard that in some places the money has already reached the fishermen, and it'll be soon where we are. With the development of tourism and hosting more tourists, we'll make more money there than in Jinan. Even now, your sister is earning quite a bit. By the way, Xiaoyun, haven't you thought about buying a house in Beijing?
My sister sighed. “Houses in Beijing are too expensive. In a decent location, the price is easily 10,000 or 20,000 yuan per square meter. We can’t afford it right now. I heard from your brother-in-law that their base is planning to release land and build a batch of apartments with the military. They’ll reserve a few buildings specifically for military families like us. The prices won’t be too high. We’re planning to save up to buy one.”
Chen Hong nodded: "Buying a house is a serious matter. Xiaoyun, could you go back and find out for me if I want to buy a house in Beijing, how easy is it to get a loan? How much money would I need?"
The younger sister's eyes widened: "Sis, you want to buy a house in Beijing? Even if the bank can give you a loan, the down payment won't be small! Do you have that much money? You're dreaming!"
Chen Hong was fearless: "What's there to be afraid of? If we don't have money, we'll go to sea. There are plenty of valuable things in the sea. Ask around for me, I'm serious. How much is the down payment? I'll try to scrape together the money."
Chen Hong's younger sister laughed: "Sister, stop teasing me. Do you know that the lowest price for a house in Beijing is over 6,000 yuan per square meter, and the highest is 20,000 to 30,000 yuan per square meter? Where are you going to find the money to buy a 100-square-meter apartment for 600,000 to 700,000 yuan?"
Chen Hong was delighted, as the price hadn't gone out of control yet: "Then ask me if I'm eligible to buy? It would be best if I could pay in kind, and both of us could buy. Let me tell you, don't save up any money yet."
"Your savings can't keep up with the rate at which house prices are rising. Grit your teeth and take out a loan to buy two properties. If the pressure gets too much, you can sell one later and make a pure profit."
The younger sister felt uneasy after hearing what Chen Hong said: "If prices really go up, isn't it true that we're all going to be mortgage slaves and it's best to rent in the future? If we really want to buy, our kindergarten principal's husband works for the Beijing Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development. He has a lot of connections and can help with everything from buying a house to getting a loan."
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