Wen Shengtao, holding his eldest grandson, snorted, "Do I need to say it today? My three grandsons are at home, so of course I'm coming back."
He paused for a moment and then added, "I also took half a day off this afternoon to stay home with my grandson."
Mo Yitao chuckled, "Why don't you just retire and go help take care of your grandson?"
Wen Shengtong nodded solemnly, "I would be more than happy if the factory would release the people."
Wen Shengtao is a level seven mechanic, considered a senior talent in the factory. How could the factory easily let him go? This statement was clearly just empty talk.
When Lu Yuan remembered the matter of buying a house, he brought it up.
"Buying a house? What are you doing buying a house here? Are you planning to stay in Hangzhou in the future?"
Thinking of this, Wen Shengtao's expression lit up with joy.
"No, Dad. We have some money and want to convert it into some assets. After thinking it over, we think that a house is the best way to preserve value. Besides, you live in Hangzhou, and we might bring the kids to stay for a while every year. It would be more convenient to have our own house."
He couldn't say that the small courtyard was more comfortable than the apartment building, otherwise his father-in-law would think they weren't used to living here.
“I was thinking that when you get older, it will be inconvenient for you to climb stairs. If you buy a place and move in, you won’t have to climb up and down every day. It will also be more private, and no one will know what’s going on or what’s good to eat at home.”
Upon hearing this, Wen Shengtao realized that they wanted to buy them a courtyard house, and quickly waved his hand, saying, "We already have a house to live in, we don't need to buy a courtyard house."
Lu Yuandao said, "Dad, didn't I say that we want to buy it, but we can't live there long-term after we buy it? We can only trouble you and Mom to go over and help look after the house."
Wen Shengtong knew exactly what he meant; these were all excuses. He was in a dilemma. The man said he wanted to buy a house, and he couldn't say no. But it would be for his parents to live in the house, so wasn't it a house for his parents?
He turned his gaze to his daughter, hoping she could tell him about her future son-in-law.
Wen Moxue smiled and said, "Dad, I'm your own daughter. I wouldn't refuse to let you and Mom help guard the house, would I?"
Wen Shengtao chuckled, "Alright, I'll ask around later, but I might not be able to find a suitable house."
"Thank you, Dad. As long as the house is nice, price is not a problem," Lu Yuan said.
After lunch, Lu Yuan went out, first strolling around the market and buying a few packages of local Hangzhou specialties, before heading to the guesthouse where Xu Dong and Lu Yuanchao were staying.
"Here are these local specialties for you. You two can decide whether you want to stay in Hangzhou a few more days or go back sooner. I'll buy you tickets whenever you want to go back."
This was arranged beforehand; the two of them would bring them here and then take a car back.
“Brother Yuan, we’ve already bought the tickets. We’ll be back tomorrow, and we’ll come pick you up again in a month,” Lu Yuanchao said.
Lu Yuan waved his hand, "No need for that trouble, I can drive back myself."
“No trouble at all. You can’t take care of your sister-in-law and three children if you drive alone. We’ll pick you up. It’s settled then,” Xu Dong said.
Lu Yuan thought of his wife and children and nodded, "Alright, then I'll trouble you to make this extra trip."
They gave the two another 100 yuan, "for travel expenses and food on the way."
The two didn't stand on ceremony and accepted it with smiles, worried that if they didn't accept it, they wouldn't let them come to pick them up later.
"Thank you, Brother Yuan."
Lu Yuan asked, "What time are your tickets for tomorrow? I'll take you to the station."
"The train is in the morning, no need to see us off. We've already checked the route, we can just take a bus there."
"Okay, be careful on the road."
After chatting for a few more minutes, Lu Yuan left first. Instead of going home to his family's apartment, he drove around the neighborhood to check things out, occasionally getting out of the car to ask about the house. He couldn't rely entirely on his father-in-law.
"You want to buy a house?"
When the eighth person inquired about the situation, finally an old woman didn't immediately wave her hand and say no, but instead answered his question.
The old woman sat at the entrance of a small courtyard, with a basket of vegetables at her feet. The ground was covered with withered yellow leaves, indicating that she was picking vegetables.
Lu Yuan handed him a handful of milk candy. "Auntie, it's not about buying a house, it's about exchanging houses. You can use money coupons or grain to exchange for one."
The old lady glanced at him and took the candy.
What kind of house do you want to move to?
"A small courtyard would be best."
The old lady gestured towards the small courtyard behind her, "Do you like this one?"
Lu Yuan craned his neck to look inside, but couldn't make out anything. He said, "Auntie, could you show me the house?"
The old lady hesitated. She was home alone, and the man in front of her was tall and strong. If he was a bad guy, she wouldn't be able to handle him.
Lu Yuan seemed to see her concerns and said, "Auntie, you can open the gate and I'll take a quick look from inside. If you're really worried, just tell me a time and I'll come back with my wife."
Upon hearing this, the old lady stood up and agreed, "Okay, you can take a look in the yard first. My son and the others will be back tonight, and you can come over then."
Lu Yuan followed them to the courtyard and took a look. He got a general idea of the structure and size of the house. There was a small courtyard right inside the entrance, with vegetables and scallions planted in one corner. There were also a few ropes strung up in the courtyard for drying clothes.
I didn't go inside, but I could tell there were three or four rooms. The old lady said there was also a kitchen and a small backyard.
Lu Yuan was quite satisfied with the house. The location was also pretty good, being in a prosperous area of the city in the future. He could get a lot of compensation from future development and demolition, but that was 20 or 30 years from now. The main thing was that the location was very convenient for living now, and it wasn't far from the family dormitory.
"Auntie, does this house belong to you?"
"Yes."
Why do you want to change?
"My two sons work a bit far away, and they are both eligible for housing."
Lu Yuan understood: if this house existed, his two sons wouldn't have any housing allocation quotas.
"Okay, then I'll bring my wife over tonight to take a closer look at the house."
After making the appointment with the old lady, Lu Yuan went straight back to the family dormitory.
Before I even got home, I could hear the lively atmosphere at my father-in-law's house.
"Mom, why are you kicking us out? Xiaoxue and I haven't seen each other for so long. Now that she's back, can't I come to see her?"
"Get out of here! How long has it been and you've already forgotten what you did to Xiaoxue? You still have the nerve to come see Xiaoxue? You're really shameless."
"How can I be ashamed to see my own sister? We both have children now. We were sorry for not taking Xuejian's place when she chose me, but who can control their feelings? She's married and has children now, why can't she let go of this? Can't she still remember Xuejian?"
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