Back at the sales center, Shu Yan was led to a room where a young woman in a suit brewed her tea and brought her some snacks. After taking a bite of one, she saw a saleswoman walking in behind a middle-aged man.
"Hello, I have heard Xiao Li's requirements. These two conditions are really putting me in a difficult position."
Shu Yan glanced at the name tag on the man's chest. "Manager Wang, I'm a straightforward person. Actually, I didn't make any unreasonable demands. 4,000 yuan per square meter, plus enrollment in Chengxi Elementary School. If that's acceptable, we can sign the contract immediately."
As a high-end residential community for domestic sales, Nanfu Mansion boasts excellent environment and facilities, and its prices are relatively high. The 60-square-meter apartments in the community are almost sold out, but the 112-square-meter apartments are not selling very well. So the price is not a problem, except for the fact that it has a primary school.
“I agreed to the price, and there’s no problem with the enrollment qualification. But school has already started this year, so it might be a bit difficult to enroll now. How old is your child?” They had dealt with several schools, and Xicheng Elementary School was the most difficult to deal with.
“She’s seven years old. She was born in the first half of the year, just in time to start elementary school.” Shu Yan shook her head. “That’s the most important condition. I bought a house here specifically for my child’s schooling.”
Why would she buy this place for nearly 500,000 yuan if it weren't for her child's schooling? It would be so much better to buy a large courtyard house in a more suburban area. The price wouldn't be so high, and after a few years of demolition and redevelopment, she would definitely become a nouveau riche.
Manager Wang seemed to hesitate for a long time before saying, "Alright, since you've been so agreeable, what else can I say? Ms. Shu, if any of your friends are looking to buy a house, please be sure to recommend our community."
If we negotiate a little more, the price might be lower, but compared to the child's eligibility for school admission, this amount of money is insignificant; we can consider it as spending money on school selection.
Regarding the child's school, Shu Yan requested that the other party write a separate agreement guaranteeing the child's enrollment.
"Don't worry, I'll give you an answer tomorrow. We can't let the child's studies be delayed." Manager Wang looked at Shu Yan's ID card. "Aren't you a local from Nancheng?"
"Yes, that's exactly what I was going to ask. Can you buy a house and register your residency there? Does that mean non-locals can't buy?" Are there already purchase restrictions at this point? Probably not, right?
"You can buy a house and register your household there, but you'll have to pay the processing fees yourself," Manager Wang quickly explained.
"Of course." Shu Yan breathed a sigh of relief. She had only heard from a classmate that in the 1990s, you could buy a house and register your household there, but the policy was abolished after 2000. She thought the world was different. Fortunately, otherwise they would have had to go to the suburbs or countryside.
"Please give us your household registration booklet and ID card later, and we'll help you with the household registration and property certificate. Also, you'll need to provide us with the child's birth certificate and vaccination certificate, as the school may require them." Manager Wang said enthusiastically as he watched Shu Yan sign the contract and led her to a nearby bank to transfer the money.
No matter what she bought, the salesperson was always the most enthusiastic and proactive when it came time to pay. Taking this opportunity, Shuyan also consulted Manager Wang about home renovation issues.
The house was a bare shell, and the renovation was a considerable undertaking. She wasn't very familiar with the current state of Nancheng, and she didn't even realize she'd been scammed by a renovation company she went out to find.
"Our company has its own renovation company. Customers who buy houses from our company can get a 20% discount if they hire our company for renovations. Most importantly, it's safer to hire our company's renovation team. Those teams operating on the bridge are all illegal ones. If something happens, you won't be able to find them." Manager Wang said helplessly, explaining that many customers hire those other renovation teams because they're cheap, only to come looking for them when problems arise.
That would be great. It's okay if the material costs are a bit high. The important thing is that it has to be good. We'll probably be living in this house for a long time, and Shuyan still hopes it can be as perfect as possible. The renovation team issue has been resolved, but the accommodation during the renovation period hasn't been resolved yet. Staying in hotels all the time isn't a good idea.
"I have another question for you. Where are some decent apartments for rent around here? Renovation will take at least three months, and ventilation will take another month or two. That's quite a long time."
Shu Yan really asked the right person. Manager Wang is a native of Nancheng with a wide network of connections. He does know a broker, and it's always right to ask him for things like this.
Just in time, Shu Yan needed to deliver her birth certificate and vaccination certificate to the sales center that afternoon. They arranged to meet then, and she made her requests in person. The sales center then took her to see the house.
"Thank you so much." After leaving the bank, Shu Yan gave Manager Wang five hundred yuan. "Please take good care of things at the school. I know that treating people to meals costs money, so I certainly can't let you spend so much."
Inviting someone to dinner certainly wouldn't cost that much; the rest would be Manager Wang's kickback. If he could handle all these matters without spending a single penny, it wouldn't be a problem. In any case, Shu Yan would just spend money to buy peace of mind.
Paying money really makes a difference. Manager Wang said he would give her a message tomorrow and even revealed that she could go to school in a few days.
Before long, the morning had passed. Both children were at the hotel. Shu Yan was anxious to go back, so she made an appointment with Manager Wang and went back. When she didn't hear any movement at the door, Shu Yan quickly opened it and saw that both children were asleep on the bed. The biscuits on the bedside table were almost gone. Shu Yan felt a pang of sadness for no reason.
In 2019, many women expressed a desire to become single mothers, and many even encouraged those who wanted children but didn't want to get married to be brave enough to do so, without understanding the hardships of being a single mother. Raising a child is not like raising a pet; the responsibilities are completely different. It's not just about feeding and clothing a child. The energy and financial resources involved are incalculable.
Shu Yan was thankful that one of her children could go to primary school and the other to kindergarten; otherwise, she would have really collapsed.
Without taking a break, she quickly washed vegetables and cooked lunch, woke up the two children for lunch, and after washing the dishes, Shuyan still had to wash the clothes she had changed out of yesterday. Although there didn't seem to be much to do, two or three hours had already passed.
"You guys stay in your rooms this afternoon. Mom's going out to run some errands, and I'll take you out to play when I get back." I have to take them out for some fresh air, otherwise they'll get restless.
The birth certificate and vaccination certificate were handed over to Manager Wang, but Shu Yan didn't dare to feel at ease until the child actually entered school. Now she could only wait for news from Manager Wang.
His friend was also there; he was a short, chubby middle-aged man.
"Hello, I'm Xiao Wang's friend, you can just call me Lao Hu. He said you're looking for a house, what kind of house are you looking for?"
"If it's a courtyard house, I'd prefer a detached house. If it's an apartment building, it would be best if it had a kitchen and a bathroom, and it should be relatively new. I don't have any other requirements."
She really couldn't stand that kind of crowded tenement, especially since she was a woman raising two children alone. They would definitely ask about the children's father, and if she said they were divorced, they would ask why. If she didn't tell them, people would say she had problems and make all sorts of speculations. If she did tell them, they would sympathize with her, but secretly they might even ridicule her for being incompetent. She herself would be fine, but her two children would be. The gossip and rumors would be a huge blow to the children.
"One more thing, it would be best if it were close to Xicheng Elementary School," Shu Yan added.
“If those are the requirements, I actually have a suitable apartment. It’s in an old neighborhood behind Xuefu Street, not far from Chengxi Primary School. It’s a small two-bedroom, one-living room apartment, about 30 square meters. The landlord’s son got married a couple of years ago and it was recently renovated. The bathroom and kitchen were renovated back then. Now he has a bigger house, and he plans to rent out that place to supplement his family’s income.” After hearing Shu Yan’s requirements, Lao Hu immediately selected an apartment from his mind.
It sounded good, but seeing is believing, and we had to see it for ourselves. Fortunately, Shu Yan lived on Xuefu Street, so the two of them went there right away.
The house was about 300-400 meters behind the hotel. The renovation was indeed very new and clean, with a kitchen and bathroom. However, the landlord had moved all his belongings out, leaving only two beds. If you stayed here, you would have to buy a lot of things. Overall, Shuyan was very satisfied.
"How much is the rent? How do I rent it?" Shu Yan asked.
"The landlord asked for 90 yuan, but since you were introduced by Manager Wang, I can help you negotiate down to 85 yuan. The apartment is really great; if it weren't for the high price, it would have been rented out long ago. One month's deposit and three months' rent in advance. In three months, your own apartment will be almost finished being renovated, which is perfect timing." Old Hu took Shu Yan to see a gas water heater. These things aren't common in Nancheng, and with one, there would be hot water right away for showers.
"70, you can talk to the landlord and I'll rent it if it's okay." Ninety yuan, the landlord really dares to ask for such a high price.
“70 is really impossible.” Old Hu shook his head. “I can talk to you about 80. It’s not easy to find a house that suits your taste, so don’t skimp on a few dollars.”
Fang Shuyan really thought it was alright. She admitted that 70 was just something she said randomly. She originally wanted to explain it again, but then she thought about the two children and decided to let it go and settle things down first.
"Okay, 80 yuan, I can sign the contract and pay right away."
"Okay, I'll go ask the landlord and come find you later. By the way, where do I find you?"
It's really inconvenient not having a phone these days. Shu Yan told Lao Hu the name of the hotel, looked at the house again, and went back to the hotel first.
With the house bought, the household registration and school arrangements resolved, the most important matters were finally settled. Shu Yan felt unusually relaxed and went back to the hotel to take the children out shopping.
Ye Tianbao was alright, but Ye Jingjing really had no clothes to wear. She was about to start school at Chengxi Elementary School, and if she dressed too poorly, people would look down on her.
Don't assume that children don't understand conditions. Precisely because children don't know how to hide their feelings, they are more straightforward and more ruthless in their behavior.
"Mom, are you going to buy me clothes?" Ye Jingjing asked in disbelief.
Ever since she left her hometown, Ye Jingjing felt that her mother had changed. Many times she thought she was dreaming. She never expected that her mother would buy her new clothes. Why was her mother suddenly so nice to her?
“Yes, let’s go, let’s go buy clothes.” Shu Yan stroked Ye Jingjing’s fluffy hair.
When they were in Xicheng, Shuyan took her directly to a barbershop to shave her head. She had been wearing a hat before, but it was too hot today, so she took it off.
"Me too." Ye Tianbao went out the door, like a husky that had been unleashed.
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