Li Chu followed his sister to the neighborhood office. Li Qin asked him to sit in her office first, while she went to the director to inquire about housing prices.
Li Qin returned shortly afterward, carrying a set of keys. As soon as she entered, she said, "Our director said that the yard costs 1,300 yuan. If you want it, we can go through the formalities and change the land deed and house deed for you. I brought the keys. Let me take you there to have a look first. You can go back and discuss it with Qiu Nan before making a decision."
After saying that, she asked Li Chu to go with her to see the courtyard.
Looking at the courtyard in front of him, Li Chu was quite satisfied. Although the house inside was indeed uninhabitable, he didn't care at all. With a place to live, how could he not be able to fix it?
The yard is overgrown with weeds. The main structure of the house is still there, but it needs to be reinforced before people can live in it. The roof tiles also need to be replaced, and the window frames need to be replaced as well.
They walked around inside for a bit and then came out. Li Chu had already decided to buy the house. He planned to discuss it with Qiu Nan that night, and he believed that Qiu Nan would agree.
Standing by the roadside, Li Chu said to her sister, "Sis, remember to keep this yard for me. I'll discuss it with Qiu Nan tonight."
"Are you really going to buy it? Aren't you going to think it over carefully? You'll have to renovate the yard after you buy it. Do you have that much money?" the older sister asked.
"I'm not buying it and moving in right away, I'll take my time tidying it up, no rush."
Li Qin sighed, "Sigh! You're married now, so I can't control you anymore. But for something this big, you have to discuss it with your wife. If Qiu Nan doesn't agree, don't do anything rash."
"Don't worry, sis, I promise I'll discuss it with her." Li Chu thought for a moment and then asked, "Sis, will there be any problems with the paperwork for this courtyard?"
"You can rest assured about the procedures. Don't you know what I do? If there were any problems, would I be talking to you?"
This courtyard is considered part of the case and was confiscated by the state after the judgment. The land deed and house deed for the courtyard are still in place. It is normal for the street office to sell it after taking over. Although there is a sibling relationship, the price of the house was determined by the street office in a meeting, and all procedures will be handled officially without any private shady dealings. Therefore, Li Qin is not afraid that someone will investigate in the future.
The siblings stood by the roadside and discussed for a while before Li Qin got on her bicycle and rode away. Li Chu stood there, looked back at the courtyard one last time, and then slowly pushed his bicycle home.
That courtyard isn't far from home; it only takes less than half an hour to walk back.
When Li Chu got home, it was already lunchtime. He started kneading a large bowl of dough, planning to make some noodles for himself later and leave the rest to rest so he could steam buns in the afternoon.
After dinner, Li Chu saw that Xiao Hei, who had recovered, was wandering around the living room, so he took it out for a walk.
The little dog was quite obedient; it stayed close to Li Chu's feet when they went out and didn't run around. Li Chu took it to the place where the rich boss who had cleaned his house last time was staying.
When we arrived at their courtyard gate, the eldest son and his younger brother were sitting by the wall, smoking and sunbathing.
When the eldest son of the wealthy family saw Li Chu approaching, he stood up and said, "Dr. Li, what brings you here today?" He then offered Li Chu a cigarette.
Li Chu took the cigarette and lit it: "I came here specifically to talk to you about something."
Upon hearing this, the eldest son of the wealthy family hurriedly invited Li Chu into his home. Li Chu had introduced him to a job in the summer, although he didn't end up doing it because the employer was too stingy and unwilling to spend money. He was still very grateful to Li Chu.
As soon as Li Chu entered the house, he heard Xiao Hei barking. He turned around and saw Xiao Hei circling at the door. The threshold of the house was too high for it to get in, so Li Chu ignored it and let it stay at the door.
The eldest son of the wealthy family spoke up, "Dr. Li, why did you suddenly decide to raise such a little creature?"
“I stumbled upon it by chance while I was out for a walk that day. It looked like it was about to die, but I took it home and cared for it for two days. I didn’t expect it to survive. Since that’s the case, I’ll just keep it as is. Don’t worry about it, just let it stay outside.” Li Chu said as he saw that Boss Fu wanted to bring Xiao Hei inside.
After hearing what the dog owner said, the eldest son of the wealthy family stopped worrying about the dog. After inviting Li Chu to sit down, he asked, "Dr. Li, is there something you need from me?"
"It's still about repairing the house. I might need you to repair another house for me later, not just one room, but a whole courtyard," Li Chu said bluntly.
When the eldest son of the wealthy family heard Li Chu say it was a courtyard, he glanced back at the entrance and asked in a low voice, "Have you changed courtyards?"
Li Chu waved his hand to indicate that it was nothing: "I haven't gotten the yard yet, but it's almost there. I just wanted to come and say hello. I'll still need you to find someone to help me fix it up later."
"You're giving me work, and you're not even asking for help? I'll thank you in advance!" The eldest son of the family couldn't stop smiling when he heard he was getting work again. With winter approaching, not many people were asking them to repair houses. "How big is that yard you're talking about?"
Li Chu thought for a moment: "The courtyard isn't very big, only about 200 square meters. It's a single-courtyard house, and the house will have to be rebuilt before people can live there."
After listening, the rich boss was stunned for a moment, and then asked, "Dr. Li, you're not talking about the house where the homeowner was...?" As he spoke, the rich boss made a gun gesture with his hand.
“Hmm, if there isn’t another owner of that place around here, then we must be talking about the same place.” Li Chu nodded. “Looks like, Boss Fu, you know that courtyard.”
“I know, we all know about that incident. I even saw that courtyard. Last year, the neighborhood committee asked me to fix it, but when they heard it would cost too much money, nothing happened.”
“It’s good that you know. I’m planning to buy that courtyard now. What do you think of it?” Li Chu wanted to hear the opinion of a professional.
“Dr. Li, to be honest with you, I don’t know how much you paid for that courtyard, but I think it’s really nice. Although it will cost a lot to renovate the house later, it’s worth it. It’s a lifelong investment. Look at where we live now…” The eldest son of the family pointed outside, “It’s called a courtyard house, but it’s really just a big tenement. Once that courtyard is renovated and you move in, close the door, and hey, that’s a real courtyard house. If you ask me, you got a good deal.”
Li Chu was delighted to hear this, which further strengthened his resolve to buy the property. "Brother Fu, you've seen that courtyard before. What do you think should be done with it?"
“Dr. Li, my second son is a carpenter. He went to see that yard the other day. He knows better than I do how to repair the house. Shall I call him in so we can discuss it together?” The eldest son asked Li Chu for his opinion.
Li Chu glanced at his watch; it was still early to pick up his wife, so he asked Boss Fu to call the man over.
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