A short while later, the two little ones also opened their eyes.
They were soaked in sweat.
"Go take a shower and change your clothes! We need to go to the courtyard house in a bit!"
The two little ones, full of energy and seemingly brimming with vitality, jumped up and down, nodding excitedly in agreement.
After the two little ones finished their baths and changed their clothes, the four of them set off again on their bicycles.
Not long after arriving at the courtyard house, we saw Mr. Chen riding up on his old bicycle in a great hurry, with a middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses on the back – the homeowner, Mr. Zhou.
Mr. Zhou was wearing a light gray Zhongshan suit with slightly worn cuffs, and he was holding a black briefcase tightly in his hands. He looked every bit the intellectual.
"Comrade Lin, this is the homeowner, Mr. Zhou. He used to teach at a university and is now moving abroad to settle down."
Master Chen introduced the products familiarly, then turned to Mr. Zhou and said...
"Teacher Zhou, Comrade Lin is sincerely interested in buying the house, please bear with us!"
Mr. Zhou nodded slightly, and his fingers trembled a little as he took out his keys to open the door.
“I’ve lived in this house for over 20 years, and I really can’t bear to part with it… If it weren’t for my child urgently needing money abroad, I would never sell it.”
The door hinges creaked as everyone walked into the courtyard.
As soon as Master Chen entered the courtyard, he got into action.
“Teacher Zhou, you see, although this courtyard has a good foundation, it has been neglected for many years. Look, the pomegranate tree is withered, the painted decorations under the eaves are faded, and several sheets of paper on the windows of the second courtyard are torn…”
He spoke while gesturing, his leather shoes stomping heavily on the blue bricks.
"The buyer I found for you is truly sincere, so how about we agree on the price..."
Mr. Zhou adjusted his glasses, his tone firm.
“Master Chen, my asking price of 28,000 is already the bottom line. The land deed for this courtyard dates back to the Guangxu era, and the beams and pillars made of Phoebe zhennan wood alone are worth more than that.”
He walked to the colonnade with its pillars and gently touched the mottled painted decorations.
"It took the old craftsmen in the palace three months to paint these back then."
Master Chen quickly chimed in, "We know all that. Teacher Zhou, you see, Comrade Lin is genuinely interested in buying. How about 25,000? That price is definitely respectable in the alley!"
He took out his abacus and started fiddling with it.
"Look at the numbers, it's 25,000 in cash, you can just take the money and leave, saving you so much trouble!"
Mr. Zhou remained silent for a long time, then looked at the ancient well in the courtyard and said...
“25,000 is indeed too low. I consulted with Hong Kong businessmen, and they were willing to offer 30,000. If it weren’t for Master Chen saying that you are an honest person, I wouldn’t have even considered it.”
Lin Li suddenly felt a little flustered and almost agreed to the price of 28,000 yuan.
Master Chen continued to persuade him, "Teacher Zhou, Hong Kong businessmen are unreliable! Not only will the procedures be troublesome, but it might also drag on for months. Comrade Lin has already prepared the money; cash on delivery, property handover—how much more straightforward!"
Negotiations have reached a stalemate.
Just then, a car horn suddenly sounded from the alley.
A gleaming black sedan was parked outside the yard, and several people in suits got out.
Master Chen's expression changed, and he quickly blocked the doorway: "Everyone, this courtyard has already been reserved!"
The man in the lead pulled out a business card: "We are a Hong Kong real estate company. We heard there's a courtyard house for sale here, and the price is negotiable."
Teacher Zhou looked at the business card, a hint of hesitation flashing in her eyes.
Lin Li's eyes reddened with anxiety. She grabbed Master Chen, who was still trying to negotiate the price, and shook her head.
“Teacher Zhou, we won’t haggle anymore, it’s 28,000, I’ll buy it. We can pay the full amount right now.”
Master Chen slapped his thigh: "Teacher Zhou, you can't break the rules! Comrade Lin has already paid the deposit. If you go back on your word, how will you face people in this business in the future?"
He deliberately raised his voice, attracting the neighbors to peek out.
Just as the man in the lead was about to speak, he was interrupted by a deep male voice from inside the car.
“Ah Wei, since the deal has already been made, we can just find a new house!” He spoke with a strong Hong Kong accent.
Upon hearing the voice from inside the car, the man named Awei stopped talking, nodded, and turned back into the car.
Lin Li finally breathed a long sigh of relief as the car drove away.
That was close! I almost got robbed of it!
After seeing the Hong Kong businessman leave, Teacher Zhou turned his gaze back to Lin Li and the others, and nodded.
"Alright! If we can get this done quickly today, I can send the money abroad as soon as possible."
Lin Li took out cash from her bag and placed it on the table.
"Let's go and complete the formalities now!"
Seeing Lin Li's sincerity, Teacher Zhou finally smiled, packed up her things, and nodded.
"Okay, let's go then!"
Lin Li asked Lin Laosan to find Chen Dashan to repair the place. Money was not a problem, but they had to do their best to restore it to its original state.
He went to the housing management office with Master Chen and Teacher Zhou, and the two little ones were also taken care of by Lin Laosan.
There were a lot of people at the housing management office today. The three of them waited for a long time before they could hand over all the documents. They will have to wait a few days to get the property ownership certificate.
After Lin Li and Mr. Chen saw Teacher Zhou off, she gave Mr. Chen the agency fee.
"Thank you, Master Chen. If I have another nice courtyard house in the future, please save it for me like you did this time."
After saying that, he handed over a stack of banknotes.
Master Chen took it and calculated, "Too much?"
"That's to thank you for specially saving such a nice courtyard house for me!"
Master Chen smiled so broadly his eyes disappeared; this Comrade Lin was someone to be trifled with.
"Okay, if there's another nice courtyard house like this next time, I'll save it for you too!"
Master Chen didn't ask Lin Li why she wanted to buy so many houses. As long as she could make money, that was fine. Maybe she had other uses for them!
Look, she already has two grandsons, and this third Lin is still not married.
Watching Master Chen's departing figure, Lin Li was overjoyed.
A traditional courtyard house costs only tens of thousands of yuan now, but in forty years, one will be worth hundreds of millions of yuan.
If she doesn't buy it now, she'll regret it terribly later!
They leisurely returned to the new courtyard house, just in time to see Lin Laosan seeing Chen Dashan off.
"Comrade Lin!"
Upon seeing Lin Li, Chen Dashan immediately greeted her.
"Have you reached an agreement?"
"Alright! I've taken a look, and it will take a long time and be very expensive to repair this house."
Chen Dashan told Lin Li that it was not easy to find such a good craftsman, and since these were all delicate skills, the renovation would be very slow in a short time.
Lin Li nodded in understanding.
"It's alright, we'll stay in the house. Please make sure this courtyard house is renovated properly, we're not in a rush!"
After hearing Lin Li's words, Chen Dashan had already made up his mind.
He will definitely do his best to restore this courtyard house properly this time, as historical artifacts deserve to be preserved.
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