When everything was done, it was already the ninth day of October.
There was a light snowfall in the sky, and pedestrians on the road were trying to shrink their necks to resist the northwest wind that was attacking their souls from all directions.
Chi Xingyue put on a cloak over her cotton-padded jacket before she dared to go out, but even so, her little face was frozen red.
I went to the real estate agency with Ling Jiheng and asked for the last time if there were any houses for sale.
They thought they had returned empty-handed again, but unexpectedly, the broker called out to them in surprise: "Mr. Ling and Mrs. Ling, you're finally here. If you hadn't come soon, your house would have been bought by someone else!"
Chi Xingyue's eyes lit up: "Someone wants to sell a house?"
"Yes, I just listed it here the day before yesterday, and it has already attracted three waves of attention. If you want to buy it, you have to make a decision quickly. If you miss this opportunity, you will never have it again!"
Chi Xingyue smiled faintly and suddenly didn't want to go look at the house anymore.
Why? Because the agent is too eager to get rid of it. It's like he wants to get rid of a hot potato.
Could it be a haunted house?
Ling Jiheng is also a perceptive person, but he has no right to speak without investigation. He decided to make a decision after an on-site inspection.
Smilingly, they asked the broker to lead the way. The three of them rode in a carriage and drove straight for more than half an hour before they saw a rather dilapidated house.
If it weren't for the half-built wall and some gray tiles, Chi Xingyue would have thought this was a garbage dump.
The surroundings are a bit desolate and there is no sign of human habitation for a long time.
The broker touched his nose and said awkwardly, "Mr. Dong's family has fallen on hard times. If he wasn't in urgent need of money, he wouldn't have sold such a large house. Well, let's go in and take a look."
Ling Jiheng said nothing and took the lead in entering the rickety gate. Looking at the half-man-high weeds in the house, he asked, "Where has Mr. Dong lived all these years?"
"The Dong family mansion next to the wonton shop in the south of the city! This is the old Dong family residence, close to Shuntong County. No one usually takes care of it, and it has become deserted like this!"
Ling Jiheng nodded and carefully observed the layout of the house. He found that although the house was dilapidated, it covered a huge area, nearly a hundred acres.
There are pavilions, terraces, corridors and boats. It is not difficult to see how luxurious the Dong family's old house must have been during its heyday.
Ling Jiheng asked, "This house looks like it's been neglected for a while. If you didn't sell it before, why did you change your mind recently?"
The broker was reluctant to argue and said vaguely, "His son is in debt!"
Ling Jiheng had no intention of getting to the bottom of the matter, so he asked, "How much would this house fetch if sold?"
The broker immediately smiled and said, "Mr. Dong said that he reluctantly paid 10,000 taels for such a nice house!"
Ling Jiheng paused and said with a smile, "Master Dong is really a joker. The land is good, but the house may not be a good house!"
He poked at the wooden window on the wall, and without even applying any force, it shattered into pieces. It was obvious to the naked eye that the wood was worm-eaten.
There was a rat hole in the corner of the wall, and the squeaking sound echoed loudly in the empty house.
"Since Mr. Dong is so confident, have those who came to see the house paid a deposit?"
The dentist's smile gradually froze: "That's not the case!"
She wanted to make amends and say something, but she felt that Ling Jiheng was very smart and there was no need to play tricks on him.
He said in despair, "Although ten thousand taels isn't much, it's not a small amount either. The wealthy in Youzhou City don't lack such a house, but those who want one don't have that much money.
Mr. Dong's courtyard is in poor condition. If we buy it, we'll have to renovate it, which is another expense. Many people who have seen it have expressed dislike for it.
"So, you think we'll buy it?"
The broker sighed, "Whether you buy it or not, I need to introduce you to one. In Youzhou City, there really isn't a mansion like the one you're looking for. Who among the wealthy would be willing to sell their house or land?"
Ling Jiheng knew this was the case, but he just wanted to try his luck.
Why doesn’t he just buy land and build a house?
Well, this is not a village. He can choose from a large piece of land, a piece here and a piece there. Even if he buys it, he can only build a small courtyard, which is completely unable to meet his needs.
Nodding: "I'll think about it!"
The dentist didn't expect such a reversal and looked up in surprise: "Are you serious?"
"Yes, but ten thousand taels is impossible. Eight thousand at most. You can talk to Master Dong when you get back."
"Okay, okay, you guys think about it, I'll help you negotiate the price."
He locked the gate and returned to the pawnshop in the carriage. After dropping the pawnbroker off, he returned to East City and asked the little beggar about the Dong family.
"Mr. Dong, his family has two prodigal sons who are about to squander the family fortune..."
Ling Jiheng asked many beggars and found out that Mr. Dong came from a merchant family and had a business mind since he was a child. When he was young, he opened several restaurants and purchased several properties.
However, the good times did not last long. One time when he was out, his leg was broken. From then on, he became depressed and his mood did not improve until he got married and had children.
Unfortunately, during the years when he was in decline, his restaurant business was squeezed out and suffered losses every month.
Seeing that he could not reverse the decline, Mr. Dong took decisive action and used the money to live a life of luxury and leisure.
The Dong family's old house is indeed bigger and more luxurious.
But when Mr. Dong broke his leg, he hired a fortune teller.
The man said that the feng shui of the house was bad and that it had clashed with him, which was why he fell off the carriage and almost fell off the cliff.
It is a blessing to be able to save this life.
So the family moved to the small courtyard where they live now, saying that it was closer to the government office and could suppress the evil spirit in him.
Since then, Mr. Dong has indeed had a smooth few years.
As his two sons grew up, problems arose again.
Mr. Dong originally wanted to send the two of them to study, pass the imperial examinations, and change their family status.
But the two of them were useless. One was seduced into wandering around red-light districts, and the other was bewitched into becoming addicted to gambling.
Spending a lot of money can never satisfy the desires in your heart.
No one knew who came up with the idea, but the two stole things from the house and sold them, from large items like house deeds and land deeds to small items like cups and teacups.
Mr. Dong was wealthy, so he didn't notice it at first. It wasn't until he lost his beloved jade pendant that he asked the housekeeper to search everywhere.
This investigation was incredible, as it directly uncovered two thieves!
It is said that it is difficult to guard against thieves in the family, and the Dong family is no exception. He wanted to beat the prodigal son to death, but he was reluctant to let him go because of the kinship.
The result was that the two prodigal sons became even more arrogant. One was caught bullying a decent woman, and the other was forced to sign a huge gambling debt.
What else doesn't Mr. Dong understand? The honey trap and the pig-killing scam are all for his Dong family's property.
But it was too late. What could he do? Should he just ignore those two prodigal sons?
He did want to, but his wife cried day and night, saying that if her son didn't come back, she would die with him.
Mr. Dong's wife had been with him through those darkest years, and he was deeply grateful. Facing her tears, he couldn't help but feel soft-hearted.
But now the family has no money. After much deliberation, the only option is to sell the ancestral home with bad feng shui to alleviate the current predicament.
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