With some time left before the start of the new semester, An Moxue drove Old Ma and Aunt Ma around Kyoto, eating lunch and dinner wherever they could find nearby.
On the way home that day, Old Ma exclaimed, "There are so many things you don't know until you see them. Seeing them broadened my horizons, making the whole trip worthwhile! It was so enjoyable!"
Aunt Ma also said, "Especially the dishes, many of them I had only heard of before but never eaten, and some I had never even heard of or eaten before. But I really can't get used to the soy milk. It smells like swill and tastes even more like it. It's true that customs vary from place to place."
Old Ma said, "It's alright. During the hardest times of our war, we didn't even have spoiled food. We just had to go hungry. To put it bluntly, we couldn't even find water to fill our stomachs. There wasn't even any muddy water. We just had to endure it. We were so hungry and thirsty that our lips were cracked and bleeding."
"Uncle Ma, Auntie, is there anywhere else you'd like to go? Let's go tomorrow."
"We watched the flag-raising ceremony, visited the memorial hall for the great man, saw the monument to the martyrs, went to the Great Wall, shopped at Kyoto Department Store, ate Peking duck, ate hot pot, ate at the International Hotel, and even ate at Lao Mo's..." Old Ma recounted the itinerary of the past few days, saying, "That's about it. Once your aunt and I find something interesting, we'll go again!"
"Yes, strolling around for a day or two is fine, but if it goes on for too long, it gets a bit tiring. Besides, we've spent quite a bit of money these past few days," Aunt Ma said with some heartache.
An Moxue said generously, "Auntie, do you know how much money I earn in a day? I'm already planning to buy a private jet, so I don't need to worry about this little bit of money. Spend it as you please."
"Are you really buying it? Won't that attract attention? Safety first!" Aunt Ma exclaimed.
An Moxue replied matter-of-factly, "Buy it."
Otherwise, who would you give the money to?
Convenient transportation is the most important thing.
Just in case, so we can be prepared to deal with emergencies.
Old Ma said, "We're going home early today. Yesterday, Old Liao from our alley told me that there's a house for sale in the alley just two streets away from us, but the owner has some strange requirements and is asking for a high price, so it hasn't sold yet. Should we go take a look?"
An Moxue asked, "Do you know how big the house is?"
Old Ma shook his head: "No, they didn't say that."
An Moxue made the decision, "Then let's go back and take a look."
"Okay, I've talked to several old friends about buying a house near Kyoto University. If this doesn't seem right, there will be other options sooner or later."
When they arrived at the alley where they now lived, Old Ma went straight to Old Liao, and they took a car to see the house.
In the car, An Moxue said, "Uncle Liao, don't worry. If the house is sold, you'll definitely get a red envelope and a gift. I can't let you work for nothing."
Old Liao was even more pleased. "This Comrade An seems quite capable. This car isn't one that just anyone can drive. I wonder where he works?"
An Moxue smiled and said modestly, "Not at all, I borrowed it from a friend. I'm about to start studying at Kyoto University, so I thought it would be convenient to buy a house to live in and to go to school."
Old Liao praised, "Wow! Just listen to that tone, he's got money to burn, he's a big shot."
An Moxue remained modest, "No, not at all. The money my parents earned with their lives is barely enough to buy a place to live. I'm just living off their wealth. It's nothing."
Old Liao thought to himself, "I believed your nonsense! All that talk was empty platitudes, not a single useful word, yet I couldn't find fault with it. These three, old and young, don't seem simple. It's best to be on their good side; they'll be living around here eventually, you never know when you might need their help!"
As they were talking, they arrived at their destination. Old Liao said, "We're here, Comrade An. That's the house up ahead. Just pull a little further ahead and you can park."
Several people got out of the car, and Old Liao knocked on the door. After waiting for a while, he heard a reply and heard footsteps approaching.
When the door opened, a neatly dressed, stern-looking old man answered it. Upon seeing that it was Lao Liao who had brought him, he asked, "Lao Liao, is this the person who came to look at the house?"
"Yes, Teacher Qi, shall we go inside and talk?"
"Please come in." Teacher Qi stepped aside, opened the door, and An Moxue and the others went in, with her at the very back.
Once inside, Teacher Qi mentioned a few things: "If you want to buy this house, I have a few requirements. First, do you see those persimmon trees in the yard? And there are a few pomegranate trees in the backyard. No matter how you change it, those trees cannot be cut down. Also, I have some furniture that I can't take with me, so I need to pay for it. Of course, not as junk, but as furniture. If you think it's acceptable, we can take a look. If not, you can leave."
"Teacher Qi, we'll only know if this house suits our taste after we see it. What do you think? We need to see it before we discuss anything else."
After An Moxue finished speaking, Teacher Qi wanted to object, but Lao Liao stopped him, tugged at him several times, and whispered a few words in his ear before he reluctantly agreed, "Okay! Let's watch first."
So, the group started looking at the house. "This house is a two-courtyard house, and a large one at that. You can tell by the number of rooms. There's also a well in the courtyard and a separate toilet, so you don't have to squeeze into a public toilet. It's just that the house isn't very well preserved, as you can see. Many families used to live here, and the government only recently returned it to me. It's not easy to find something this spacious."
As they talked, the group looked around the house. Old Ma and An Moxue whispered to each other, "Moxue, this house will need major repairs if we live here long-term. It's too dilapidated to live in. The only advantage is that it's the right size. But look at all these illegal buildings that were built later. They all need to be demolished. The walls need to be repaired and painted, and some of the tiles need to be replaced. It's a huge project! It will cost a lot of money."
Although Old Ma was whispering to An Moxue, his voice wasn't much quieter, and everyone present could hear him clearly.
The two were exchanging knowing glances when An Moxue said, "Yes, apart from the size, it's broken in every way. If we buy it, we'll have to pay extra for everything."
Teacher Qi wanted to say something, but Lao Liao stopped her.
After looking around, the group returned to the courtyard. Aunt Ma was still watching, while An Moxue and the others stood together. Old Liao asked, "Old Ma, Comrade An, how was the look?"
Old Ma looked at An Moxue and said, "Moxue, how about we talk about the price? I've looked at the furniture, and it's all mahogany. The workmanship is barely acceptable, but it'll be alright if we want to move in. The house will need major repairs."
The two exchanged a knowing glance, and An Moxue reluctantly said, "Okay. Then please, Teacher Qi, name your price, and we'll discuss it further. Oh! By the way, can it be transferred to the owner? We don't want any disputes."
Teacher Qi said somewhat reluctantly, "The transfer can be completed. The house is worth eight thousand, and you can give me five hundred for the furniture."
Upon hearing the price, An Moxue was secretly delighted. In less than six months, the housing prices would definitely skyrocket. However, this location was still relatively expensive.
An Moxue shook her head and asked, "This price is still too expensive. To be honest, if this is well preserved, it's only worth six thousand to six thousand five at most, and those furniture pieces are worth at most two hundred."
Teacher Qi immediately refused, "No, that's too little."
An Moxue asked casually, "Then, Teacher Qi, can you let me have that price? You said that price is definitely not acceptable. Don't let your northern accent fool you; I'm a native of Beijing. I even own a house in Huaihua Hutong on Qianmen Street, though I rent it out to a factory to run a guesthouse. So, I know Beijing's housing prices very well."
Upon hearing An Moxue's words, Lao Liao pulled Teacher Qi aside and whispered for a long time. He noticed Teacher Qi's expression changing repeatedly. Finally, Lao Liao came over and said somewhat awkwardly, "What do you think of all 8,000?"
"Could I see the land title? I'd like to know the area shown on the title."
Old Liao glanced at Teacher Qi, then went over and said a few more words. He then went inside, took out the property deed, and An Moxue was secretly very satisfied with the area on the deed. She then said, "Including furniture, it's 7,500. If that's acceptable, we can pay the deposit now, and after the transfer of ownership is completed tomorrow, we can pay the balance."
Teacher Qi wouldn't budge: "No, eight thousand is the minimum."
In the end, the two sides negotiated, with An Moxue's side offering 7,500 and Teacher Qi's side offering 8,000, resulting in a stalemate.
"Uncle Ma, Aunt Ma, let's go! We can look at other places later. Teacher Qi, I'm sorry, your price is too high, we're leaving."
An Moxue left the courtyard without looking back, followed by Old Ma and Aunt Ma.
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