Shi Zhen explained in detail how he bought the house.
He has actually bought quite a few houses. In his past life, he bought land directly, buying large tracts at a time.
So now that he's bought a small house, he's not excited.
Shi Dalin is different.
He was even a little dazed: "You bought a house! Ah Zhen, you bought a house... It's a house..."
For most ordinary people, houses have special significance.
Shi Dalin's biggest wish is to go back and build a house.
But if you have a house here... it seems like you don't have to go back and build a house?
Shi Dalin immediately said, "Azhen, take me to see the house you bought later."
Even Zhao Meiyun said, "I want to go and see too."
"You shouldn't go, you have a fever," Shi Dalin said to Zhao Meiyun.
Zhao Meiyun's health is indeed not very good right now... She could only say, "Then I'll go another time."
Shi Zhen then looked at Shi Dalin: "Dad, that house is dilapidated, there's nothing to see there..."
Shi Dalin said, "Dilapidated? Can it be as dilapidated as our old house?"
Yes, there really is!
When Shi Zhen brought Shi Dalin to the place, Shi Dalin was a little confused.
The house that Shi Zhen bought was a solitary building on a corner. It was built with old blue bricks, and the exterior walls were not plastered, making it look particularly dilapidated. Further up, the roof was also missing many tiles.
The house had only one small window, which, although made of glass, was broken. The door was also dilapidated. Pushing the door open...
The floor inside the house was covered with many things, including two stone slabs and some broken bricks, but it was damp and dirty.
The key point is that the house is also very small.
Shi Dalin was initially very happy that Shi Zhen had bought a house, but now, seeing this house, he couldn't help but feel disappointed and even somewhat unwilling: "Zhen, this house... this house costs eight thousand?"
Eight thousand yuan can buy a lot of bricks! Now, to build a brand new house this big in the countryside, without painting or decorating, one or two thousand yuan is enough!
This room is so small! It's probably only thirty or forty square meters.
Shi Zhen said, "Dad, what's valuable isn't the house upstairs, it's the land downstairs."
Shi Zhen knew that Shi Dalin couldn't understand, and at this time, most people also couldn't understand.
He stopped talking about that and changed his tune: "Dad, I'll get Da Niu and the others to renovate this house. It won't cost much to refurbish it, and you can open a shop here. How much rent can you save?"
Shi Dalin understood what Shi Zhen meant, but still felt it was a bit expensive: "Eight thousand..."
Shi Zhen said, "A house like this, which can be rented for business, would cost at least 500 yuan a year, and 8,000 yuan over 16 years. Now that I've bought it, I can use it for more than 16 years."
This house certainly won't last sixteen years; it will be demolished in a few years.
Rent is unlikely to remain unchanged for so many years. In fact, in the next few years... there are countless examples of renting a shop for 500 this year and doubling to 1,000 next year.
In a few years, even a small shop in town will have to pay several thousand to tens of thousands of yuan in rent per year.
No, it won't even take a few years... Starting from the end of this year, Anshan Town will begin various construction projects.
Shi Dalin couldn't foresee the future, but after hearing what Shi Zhen said, he felt it was still worthwhile and started talking to Shi Zhen about how to open the shop in the future.
Shi Zhen said, "This is not difficult, Dad. You should rest for a while and wait until I have finished repairing the house."
"Okay... By the way, is everything alright with your uncle?" Shi Dalin asked again.
Shi Zhen sold the fried food stall to Shi Dashan, but Wang Zugen's parents are still selling fried food.
Moreover, Wang Zugen's parents knew Shi Dashan.
Shi Dalin was a little worried, fearing that his older brother and the others would be targeted by Wang Zugen's parents, just like him.
Shi Zhen said, "Dad, today is the first day that Uncle and his family set up their stall in town. Shall we go and take a look?"
Shi Zhen took Shi Dalin and went to find Shi Dashan and the others.
He sold the stall to Shi Dashan not because he wanted to dump the Wang family's troubles on Shi Dashan, but because he was confident that Shi Dashan and his wife could handle Wang Zugen's parents.
And this... is related to his aunt.
In this world, there are women like Zhao Meiyun who hesitate to do anything, and there are women who are very decisive. His aunt belongs to the latter.
She has always been bold.
Shi Zhen can no longer remember what happened when he was three or four years old, only occasionally recalling a few fragments.
One of the segments is related to his aunt.
Once, the chickens raised by his aunt accidentally ate millet that had been mixed with rat poison in the village.
The millet was used to poison rats. After the chicken ate it, it immediately collapsed and started convulsing. Shi Zhen remembered that Shi Xingchao cried loudly and called his aunt. When his aunt arrived, she did something unexpected.
She used scissors to cut open the chicken's crop on its neck, then forcibly dug out the grain the chicken had just eaten, and then sewed up the wound...
The chicken later came back to life!
At that time, Shi Zhen thought his aunt was very capable, just like everyone else.
Later, he specifically asked his aunt about this matter. His aunt said that back when the village was established as a commune, in order to prevent chickens and other animals from stealing the grain, they would spread rat poison around the area. For a while, the chickens in the village often fell victim to it. At first, the chickens died, and everyone had no choice but to accept it and take the dead chickens home to cook and eat. Later, she made a tough decision and treated the dead chickens as if they were still alive... Unexpectedly, she managed to save the chickens.
After that, whenever she encountered a similar situation, she would take immediate action.
However, not all chickens can be saved; some will still die, it all depends on luck.
If a chicken gets a problem where its belly suddenly swells up and is full of water, it will definitely die if left untreated. But if you make an incision in its belly and drain the water, it might survive.
Of course, whether chickens' lifespans will be shortened is unknown. Most people kill and eat chickens during the Lunar New Year.
In short, his aunt was a very bold person.
She can even deliver babies.
This wasn't something she was born knowing; it was mainly because she was brave. When women in the village were about to give birth, some would be at a loss and look for help everywhere. She would go and watch over them, and after watching a few times, she learned how to do it herself.
However, she only ever offered to help and never made any promises. After all, childbirth is a life-threatening experience for women, and she was afraid something might go wrong. Over the years, she has consistently advised people to give birth in hospitals.
Shi Dalin is good-natured and doesn't talk much, but when he encounters the shameless Wang Zugen's parents, he doesn't know what to do. If it were his aunt... Wang Zugen's parents would definitely not get the better of him.
Most importantly, Shi Zhen also gave his uncle and aunt a new idea.
He chose to sell fried skewers because during that period, there were some things he wanted to sell but couldn't.
For example, fried chicken cutlets and boneless fried chicken strips. Many years later, it's easy to buy pre-processed chicken cutlets and strips that can be fried directly in a pan, but at this time, there's nowhere to buy these.
In Anshan Town, you can't even buy meatballs.
Make it yourself; he doesn't know how.
However, not long ago, when Shi Zhen went to Changxi City, he saw someone selling processed "pork tenderloin".
The meat was marinated, bright red, and skewered with bamboo sticks... It's the kind of tenderloin that you can add to egg pancakes or similar dishes in later generations.
He bought some for his uncle and aunt, and even had a blacksmith make them a flat-bottomed square iron plate pot.
He recalled that around 2000, this kind of grilled pork tenderloin was all the rage in Changxi City, and some stalls even sold only grilled pork tenderloin at that time.
His uncle and aunt, in addition to selling fried skewers, added grilled pork tenderloin to their business, and their business was sure to be good.
However, because it takes time to customize this teppanyaki pan, the fried skewer stall also needs to be modified... His uncle and aunt only came to town to sell things today.
Even from a distance, Shi Zhen and Shi Dalin saw a stall surrounded by a crowd. Upon closer inspection, they realized that the stall being surrounded belonged to Shi Dashan and his wife.
Shi Zhen's aunt was more efficient than Shi Dashan, so she sent Shi Dashan aside to do things like sprinkling chili powder for the guests, while she herself fried pork tenderloin on a hot plate.
This grilled pork tenderloin is a novelty and it's expensive, with small skewers costing 50 cents and large skewers costing 70 cents, but everyone still flocks to it.
Shi Zhen's aunt even developed a deluxe version, which involved adding an egg to a large skewer of pork tenderloin and selling it for one yuan.
Quite a few people want this one-yuan skewer!
Shi Zhen looked around and saw another item on the stall that he had never sold before—quail.
The slaughtered quail were stretched out and skewered on bamboo sticks, looking incredibly tempting.
"I want a skewer of 50-cent hot plate pork tenderloin."
"I want a skewer of pork tenderloin for 70 cents, with an egg!"
"Put some chili powder on it!"
"I don't want spicy food!"
"Fry me one of those sausages."
...
It wasn't a holiday or festival, but because of the new items on the stall, it was surrounded by people.
Despite the large number of people, Shi Zhen's aunt remained calm and even remembered what everyone wanted.
Amidst her busy work, she looked up and saw Shi Zhen and Shi Dalin, immediately saying, "Dalin and Zhen are here! Dashan, throw two quails into the pot!"
Shi Zhen's aunt is named Chen Xiaofen. Like Zhao Meiyun, she is not particularly beautiful, but she looks much more energetic than Zhao Meiyun, after all, she is five or six years younger than Zhao Meiyun.
Chen Xiaofen is not yet 45 years old. She got married and had children early. When Shi Xinghuo was born, she was not yet 20.
Actually, Shi Dashan is a year younger than Zhao Meiyun.
On their stall, there were two pots. One was for making sizzling pork tenderloin, which was always managed by Chen Xiaofen. The other was an ordinary pot for frying things, which was managed by Shi Dashan.
Upon hearing Chen Xiaofen's words, Shi Dashan immediately threw two quails into the oil pan.
Shi Zhen didn't see anyone asking for quail, so he knew it was fried for him and Shi Dashan, and quickly said, "Auntie, no need..."
"Yes, yes, just wait a moment! Fry the quail a little longer," Chen Xiaofen said.
The quail was already in the pot, so it was too late to refuse. Shi Zhen said, "Thank you, Uncle and Aunt."
"No need to thank me!" Chen Xiaofen said to Shi Dashan, "Quickly move the stools to Azhen and the others."
Shi Dashan then moved the stools they had brought to Shi Zhen and Shi Dalin to sit on—they were too busy to sit themselves.
Shi Dalin sat down on the stool, watching in surprise as his elder brother and sister-in-law did business.
He had never seen such a lively scene at his stall before!
Shi Dalin was stunned, but Shi Zhen was not surprised at all.
When he first started his stall, he was managing more than one stall, so he didn't have much time to focus on making good fried skewers.
Because he was too busy to handle everything by himself, he didn't prepare many different kinds of things.
After he handed the stall over to his father... his father was not innovative at all. He just kept selling it the way he was taught and never changed his approach.
But his aunt is different!
Although he brought back a lot of pork tenderloin for his uncle and aunt and taught them how to make sizzling pork tenderloin, the idea of adding eggs and fried quail to the pork tenderloin was probably his aunt's own idea.
This person is born to be a businessperson.
As Shi Zhen was thinking this, he saw Wang Zugen's parents glaring at them from the side.
He was in a good mood.
Today, his uncle and aunt have some new products, and Wang Zugen's business is probably about to be taken away.
Most people only buy one or two fried skewers to try. If they've already bought pork tenderloin, they won't buy fried sausage or fried rice cake.
After exchanging a few greetings, Chen Xiaofen was busy. When she had a moment to spare, she turned to Shi Zhen and Shi Dalin and said, "Thanks to you guys! This stall is doing really well. I think we should be able to earn quite a bit in a day! I finally don't have to stay at home embroidering those flowers anymore. That job is so frustrating."
Shi Zhen laughed upon hearing this.
Zhao Meiyun and Zhao Qiujuan are exceptionally patient; they can work all day on tasks like embroidering clothes.
But his aunt didn't have the patience. Back in the village, his aunt liked to visit other people and chat with them... so it was naturally difficult for her to stay home and do needlework.
Shi Xingxing is actually the same kind of person, but in terms of patience, he can't even compare to Shi Xingchao.
You should know that this was the girl who used to fight with him!
However, his family had spent a lot of money recently, so even though he was impatient, his aunt still embroidered clothes every day.
Shi Zhendao asked, "Auntie, how did you come up with the idea of putting eggs on pork tenderloin and selling it?"
Chen Xiaofen said, "Yesterday at home, I was too lazy to cook, so I just cracked an egg on the pork tenderloin and made it a dish for my family. They all said it was delicious!"
Frying eggs in oil on a griddle is delicious no matter how you do it. But with pork tenderloin wrapped in the middle and seasoning sprinkled on the outside, it's even more delicious!
While we were chatting, the two quails were fried.
Chen Xiaofen scooped it up and asked Shi Zhen and Shi Dalin what they liked.
Shi Dalin can't eat spicy food, but Shi Zhen can. Chen Xiaofen sprinkled salt and pepper powder and chili powder on the quail, and then gave one quail to each of them.
The quail is intact, with its head still on top. Because its entire body has been stretched out, it looks quite large.
Shi Dalin took it and bit off the quail's head in one bite.
Bird bones are naturally brittle, and after quail is fried, the bones can be eaten directly.
Shi Dalin cracked the quail's head with a loud "crack," making it look particularly appetizing.
Seeing this, Shi Zhen also took a bite.
The two were sitting there eating quail when some shoppers saw them and asked about the price of the quail.
Chen Xiaofen said, "This one costs five yuan each."
Shi Zhen was taken aback when he heard the price Chen Xiaofen mentioned.
Five yuan...that's really a bit expensive!
However, the person who asked the price actually bought one: "Give me one."
Chen Xiaofen immediately put a quail into the pot.
After the customer left satisfied with the quail, Shi Zhen and the others finished eating it. Taking advantage of Chen Xiaofen's free time, Shi Zhen asked her, "Auntie, why is this quail so expensive?"
Chen Xiaofen said, "Some people just like to buy expensive things."
Chen Xiaofen was absolutely right.
Some people just like to buy the expensive ones.
For example, when everyone goes shopping together, if others buy fried sausages that cost 50 cents each, while you buy fried sausages that cost one dollar each, you suddenly feel... more prestigious.
Many people have this kind of mentality, especially people in this situation.
Chen Xiaofen's fried quail is the most expensive item on the stall, and many people will probably buy it to show off to others.
They just want people to know that they are rich!
Shi Zhen and Shi Dalin sat there for a while before going back. When they returned, Zhao Meiyun was sitting on a recliner in the outer room, watching TV with Zhao Qiujuan.
However, she was only watching TV, while Zhao Qiujuan was still embroidering clothes.
Upon seeing Shi Zhen, Zhao Qiujuan asked, "Zhen, I heard you bought a house?"
“Yes,” Shi Zhen said.
"Can you take me to see it?" Zhao Qiujuan wasn't there before, but now she wanted to go too: "It doesn't have to be today, you can take me whenever you're free."
"I'm free today." Shi Zhen smiled and then took Zhao Qiujuan to take a look.
When Zhao Qiujuan saw the house, she was also a little disappointed. But what Shi Zhen said to her was different from what he had said to Shi Dalin: "Sister, although the house is dilapidated, it can be repaired. When buying a house, you can't look at the house itself, you have to look at its associated value! Let me put it this way, if you have a house here, you can transfer your household registration here, and your child can study here without paying tuition fees!"
He paid a considerable amount of money for Shi Ting's tuition when she enrolled in the school.
But there was nothing he could do. At the time, he didn't have the money to buy a house, nor were there any suitable houses for him to buy. Transferring his household registration would also be troublesome.
A few years earlier, wealthy people in this rural area would spend thousands or even tens of thousands of yuan to buy a household registration for their children.
In recent years... presumably in order to increase the urbanization rate, some villages near Anshan Town have recently required each household to send one person to change their household registration to the town.
Most families changed their children's household registration to non-agricultural. However, a few people couldn't stand that their children's household registration wasn't on their household register, so they changed the household registration of their elderly relatives in their seventies and eighties to non-agricultural.
Shi Zhen explained the differences in education between the two schools to Zhao Qiujuan, and then talked about the tuition fees for students attending schools outside their registered area. Zhao Qiujuan immediately became even more eager to buy a house.
However, at that time, most houses were not as cheap as the one Shi Zhen bought. Some houses were allocated by the factory and were not easy to buy or sell... It was not easy for Zhao Qiujuan to buy a suitable house.
Shi Zhen felt that she didn't need to rush. If she waited a few more years and saved up, she would be able to buy a newly built nice house.
After showing the house to his family, Shi Zhen went home.
Today is Thursday, and tomorrow is Sunday. Guan Baiyu should be back by now.
He will definitely take Guan Baiyu to see that dilapidated house tomorrow.
In addition... he also needs to design how to repair the house.
Demolishing the entire house and rebuilding it into two or three stories is definitely not an option, but making it slightly taller is absolutely fine.
Shi Zhen plans to renovate the existing structure and add a small attic for storing goods.
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