Chapter 123 Money or House
"Yeah." Cheng Yang said as he opened the jewelry box.
There was no jewelry in the jewelry box, only a brass key strung with a very old red rope.
I don't know how long the key has been there, it has turned black, and the red rope that holds the key is so old that it looks like it will break if pulled.
"What is this?" Shi Xiaoai was confused.
Cheng Yang didn't say anything. He took out the key, rubbed it gently in his hand, and his expression was somewhat complicated.
He was silent for a long moment before explaining softly, "This is the key I used to wear when I was in elementary school. My dad hadn't finished his job yet, so we lived in the house left behind by my mom's family. Later, the house was confiscated and was only returned to us a while ago. My dad transferred it to my name."
As he spoke, he pushed an envelope on the table over to her. Shi Xiaoai opened it and found that it contained a "House Ownership Certificate" with Cheng Yang's name written in the owner's name column.
Shi Xiaoai was a little surprised. She originally thought that the purpose of Cheng Fanying's visit this time was to bring charges.
After all, he had only been in the countryside for a few months, and when he came back, both of his sons were lost.
It's normal for him to come over and look for someone.
What Shi Xiaoai didn't expect was that this time he not only didn't take Cheng Lin and Cheng Kai away, but also brought the property certificate.
Thinking about Cheng Fanying's performance just now, Shi Xiaoai was unable to make an evaluation of this person.
In her heart, she had no good feelings towards that man and was disgusted by what he had done before.
But he is Cheng Yang's father after all, and she can't say who is right or wrong in the emotional entanglement between them.
It's not her turn to discuss this.
She closed the property certificate, then thought of another question and asked, "This house was left by your mother. Logically, shouldn't Cheng Lin also have a share? Why is only your name written on this property certificate?"
Even if Cheng Kai didn't say it, Cheng Lin and Cheng Yang were brothers.
Although having an extra house in Beijing is a good thing, Shi Xiaoai doesn't want to take advantage of it.
After all, people may not think much of a house now, but what will the price of a house in Beijing be in the future?
You can't bully other children just because Cheng Lin is young.
Cheng Yang was stunned for a moment. It was obvious that he had not thought about this question himself.
She explained, "When my parents divorced, Xiaolin lived with my dad. Maybe my dad thought that this was something my mom left behind, so he should give it back to me."
As he said this, he gradually realized that it was inappropriate. He looked at Shi Xiaoai and asked, "How about giving this house to Cheng Lin?"
After saying this, he fell silent, staring at the key for a long time without saying a word.
Seeing him like this, Shi Xiaoai naturally realized that this house must have great meaning to him.
This means far more than the value of the house itself.
Just at this moment, Cheng Lin walked in from outside with a bowl of steaming braised beef noodles.
He said to Cheng Yang with a smile: "Brother, try my cooking. Although it may not be as good as my sister-in-law's, I think it should be okay, at least better than yours."
Cheng Yang smiled, put the things aside, and made room on the table.
Cheng Lin put the noodles on the table and was about to leave, but was stopped by Cheng Yang.
"Xiao Lin, don't leave so quickly. Sit down. I have something to discuss with you."
Hearing his brother say this, Cheng Lin obediently moved a bench and sat opposite him.
There was anxiety in his eyes.
Seeing him like this, Shi Xiaoai comforted him: "Don't be nervous, your brother wants to ask you about your house, there's no need to be afraid."
Cheng Yang also said: "What are you afraid of? Can I eat you?"
Hearing the couple say this, Cheng Lin finally relaxed the breath he'd been holding. He patted his chest and said, "Brother, you scared me to death! I thought you were going to change your mind and let me go back with Dad! I'm telling you, I'm not going to the Construction Bureau. I'm staying here. I feel so good working with my sister-in-law. Why would I want to be a grandson serving tea and water? I'm not going."
Shi Xiaoai became more and more confused as she listened: "Wait, what Construction Bureau?"
Cheng Lin looked at Shi Xiaoai and said, "Sister-in-law, didn't my brother tell you?"
Cheng Yang glared at him: "You're not as quick-witted as me. I haven't had time to say anything yet."
"Oh." Cheng Lin suddenly felt embarrassed.
He rubbed his nose and explained, "My dad just said he found me a job at the Construction Bureau and asked me to go back to work. I disagreed, and then my brother promised that he would take care of Kaikai and me in the future and my dad wouldn't have to worry about it. Only then did my dad agree.
My brother called me suddenly, and I was worried! I was afraid that my brother would suddenly regret it..."
He chuckled and said, "What if my brother thinks we're a burden?"
"Are you a burden?" Cheng Yang asked unhappily.
"Of course not!" Cheng Lin raised his chin proudly. "If you don't believe me, ask my sister-in-law. The snack shop can't do without me!"
Shi Xiaoai didn't say anything. She was still thinking about the indicator of working in the Construction Bureau.
The two brothers didn't take it seriously, but she knew how precious such an indicator was.
Just look at how many people are competing for the temporary worker position in a snack bar like hers, and you will know that it won’t be easy for Cheng Fanying to get that position.
From this point of view, he at least still has Cheng Lin in his heart.
Shi Xiaoai looked at Cheng Yang and felt that the reason why he was willing to recognize his father again might have something to do with this.
While she was lost in thought, Cheng Yang had already started talking to Cheng Lin about the house.
"Your sister-in-law just told me that you should also own half of the house left by Mom. I really overlooked this issue before. Now I want to ask you, what are your thoughts on the house?"
"Ah? What are you thinking about? This house is left to you by mom, what does it have to do with me?" Cheng Lin was confused by his brother's question.
Cheng Yang explained to him a few more times, and Cheng Lin finally understood.
He was so anxious that he jumped up from the stool and waved his hands vigorously: "I don't want it, I don't want it! This house should be yours."
He said loudly, "Brother, don't argue with me about this. There's no need. That house is where you lived with your parents when you were a child. It has your memories.
The house was confiscated just two years after I was born, and I have no memory of it at all. You don't have to share it with me. I don't want it, so it should be yours!"
Shi Xiaoai didn't expect that there was such a story behind this house. She couldn't tell whether her previous reminder was right or wrong.
Facing his brother's refusal, Cheng Yang did not go along with it. He said, "I must keep this house. I won't refuse it with you. But your sister-in-law is right. Mom is our mother. We should both have a share of what Mom left behind."
I'll get this house appraised later, and I'll give you half of it based on the price. If you want the money, that's fine, but if you want the house, we'll buy you another one."
Hearing him say this, Cheng Lin did not refuse anymore.
He just stared at his brother hesitantly, then glanced at Shi Xiaoai, then chuckled and asked, "Brother, do you have money? You're not using my sister-in-law's money to show off, are you?
Let me tell you, my sister-in-law has no money either. She invested all her money in the snack shop. She is probably not as rich as me now. After all, I don’t have to take care of the food and drink for this family.”
Cheng Yang: "..."
Shi Xiaoai: "..."
The atmosphere in the room seemed to freeze, and Cheng Yang's expression showed a hint of indescribable embarrassment.
Cheng Lin realized the danger, twisted his body quietly, stood up and wanted to run out the door.
"Don't run." Shi Xiaoai called him.
She knew she had to say something now.
She said to Cheng Lin: "Your brother's meaning is my meaning, you should really have half of the house.
But you're right, we really don't have that much money to give you right now, so let's just owe you money for now. I promise you that by this time next year, we'll buy you an apartment in Beijing.
As for the money, I won't give it to you. Why would a kid like you need so much money? I still feel uneasy even if I give you the money. Just buy a house, a suite so that you can have your own home in the future."
The key is that a house is more valuable than money.
Hearing his wife say this, Cheng Yang immediately became proud.
He no longer felt embarrassed. He stood up and kicked his brother in the butt: "You little bastard, what are you thinking about? How dare you interfere in the affairs between me and your sister-in-law? What do you mean by pretending to be so important? I'll beat you into a pig's head!"
He said this and raised his hand high.
Cheng Lin ran out of the house yelling, and Yang let go of his hand only after he ran a long way.
The expression on his face finally relaxed completely at this moment.
Cheng Yang returned to the table and started eating. Shi Xiaoai picked up his luggage bag and prepared to take it back to the house, but she almost couldn't lift it.
"What did you put in here? It's so heavy?" she couldn't help but complain.
"Books, our textbooks for next semester have been distributed ahead of schedule."
Cheng Yang explained, "There's a shortage of cadres in the army right now, and I heard the hours for our class are going to be shortened, so they gave us the textbooks ahead of time and asked us to take them home to study during the break."
"Want to shorten it?" Shi Xiaoai raised her head when she heard this.
She suddenly realized a big problem and asked worriedly, "So after you finish your studies, are you going to be reassigned, or return to your original unit?"
"Reassignment? I definitely can't go back to my original unit."
"Where will it be divided then?"
Cheng Yang raised his head. Only then did he realize what his wife was worried about. He explained to her, "Don't overthink it. I won't choose a place too far away from home. The Chief of Staff and I have made it very clear before. Either you choose to be assigned nearby, or I will apply for a transfer. This time, I will definitely not be separated from you for a long time."
After hearing his words, Shi Xiaoai pursed her lips and didn't say anything, but a smile appeared in her eyes.
The snack shop business has always been good, and District Chief Ou finally couldn't help but find Shi Xiaoai again.
This time he did not take her to the snack bar, but invited her to the district committee, his office.
This was Shi Xiaoai's first time in the district chief's office. The key point was that she didn't know what District Chief Ou wanted to talk to her about before she came.
Even though he didn't show it on his face, his heart was beating fast.
Seeing her, District Director Ou stood up from behind his desk and came out to greet her in person, and asked Shi Xiaoai to sit down in the reception area next to her.
He first praised the snack shop again, and then without further ado, he went straight to the point.
He said, "Comrade Xiao, I've called you here to ask what you think about how to improve employment for educated youth in our district. Don't feel burdened; speak frankly."
Shi Xiaoai was confused when she heard this.
What could she think about the employment of educated youth?
She is not the leader in charge of this area.
To be honest, she has made a lot of contributions in this regard. Currently, more than 90% of the employees in the snack bar are educated youth who have returned to the city.
But since her boss asked, she had no choice but to answer, so she could only say, "I don't really know much about this area. I'm young and inexperienced, and I usually put most of my energy into the snack bar, so I don't have a big picture perspective.
I'm really ashamed to be asked this by my leader, and I can't say anything. But since you've asked this, I'll make it clear: I'm also an educated youth who returned to the city, and I understand the hardships they faced.
So I will do my best to do what I can for everyone. If the snack shop recruits workers again in the future, I promise that the main employees will still be educated youth."
After hearing her words, District Chief Ou laughed.
He said, "Comrade Xiao, don't be too modest. You have done a very good job in resettling educated youth. The snack shop has made a great contribution to the resettlement of educated youth and is at the forefront of our district."
Don't worry, I didn't come to you today for any other reason. I just wanted to hear if you have any good suggestions."
District Chief Ou sighed and said, "It's true that the comrades in other neighborhoods have followed your suggestions, but the results haven't been very good. Not everyone is as capable as you and can do things so well."
After hearing this, Shi Xiaoai finally understood that her leader called her over to ask if there were other ways to make money like running a snack bar.
She had suggested a lot of ideas when they went to the snack bar before, but those ideas did require some threshold to be implemented.
For example, if you want to sell food, you need not only skills but also capital.
Even if you want to set up a tea stall, you still need money to buy tea bowls, cups, tables, chairs and benches.
Few people would dare to promise to bear all the expenses themselves as she did at the beginning.
Apparently, neither the office nor the district has such special funds.
Without money, no matter how motivated you are, it’s useless.
But Xiao Ai has no way to solve this problem?
The snack shop had only been open for a short time, and the previous investment had not yet been fully recovered. How could she have the extra money to help others?
Besides, it’s not her turn to help no matter how you look at it.
Shi Xiaoai didn't dare to say anything more. She looked at District Director Ou cautiously, waiting for him to continue.
District Chief Ou also noticed her caution and asked directly without beating around the bush, "Xiao Shi, do you intend to open a few more shops similar to the snack stand on other streets? The district will do its best to support you if you need anything!"
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