The next day, Yan Ci accompanied Bai Xiaoyue to the Badaling Great Wall.
Bai Xiaoyue retraced the steps she had taken with her parents before, and when she arrived at Hero's Slope, she took a photo with Yan Ci, holding hands.
She touched the city wall, trying to figure out if it was the same time and space. If so, her parents would be 9 years old now.
She pondered, lost in thought, wondering if she should find some time to look for it.
Yan Ci tugged at her hand, interrupting her thoughts. She composed herself and gave Yan Ci a sweet smile.
She and Yan Ci left new footprints together, so that they could come back and walk them again when they were old.
The next day, the couple slept in late, and just as they got up, Chang Le and Cui Yu arrived.
Seeing that her daughter was in low spirits, Bai Xiaoyue asked, "Changle, what's wrong?"
Chang Le pouted and said:
"My classmates come from different provinces and have different temperaments. Some of them speak in a sarcastic or unpleasant way."
Bai Xiaoyue was a little worried: "Oh, what should we do? It's too uncomfortable to live with someone like that."
Cui Yu suggested from the side, "Auntie, why don't we rent a house for Chang Le?"
Bai Xiaoyue looked at Yan Ci.
Yan Ci said, "It's not safe for a girl to live alone. Chang Le, what do you think?"
Chang Le thought for a moment:
“I can take a look. If there is a safe and suitable house, it would definitely be better to live outside. If there is no suitable one, I can manage to live in a dormitory.”
Yan Ci nodded: "Then let's go take a look. Your mother and I are here."
After the meal, Cui Yu took his family of three to the housing management office.
Seeing his familiar manner, Bai Xiaoyue asked:
"Cui Yu, are you familiar with this place?"
Cui Yu nodded: "Auntie, we used to live here, but now the house has been taken away."
The staff at the housing management office showed them all large, crowded courtyards, and the family of three were not satisfied with any of them.
Cui Yu asked, "Comrade, is there a separate courtyard?"
Staff member: "Yes, we do, but the price isn't cheap, and also, one person can't rent the whole courtyard."
Cui Yu said, "Take us to see it; we can rent it together as a group."
The staff asked the two adults, Bai Xiaoyue and Yan Ci, and they nodded.
However, she also said that the good courtyards are long gone, and the ones that are left are all quite old.
The group visited two places with the help of staff, but were not satisfied with either.
The house is far from old; the staff were being too subtle. It's clearly so dilapidated that it's uninhabitable.
Finally, the staff showed them another courtyard, saying it was the last one and there were no more.
It is a courtyard house with a main house, east and west wing rooms, and a rear house, a proper siheyuan (traditional courtyard house).
This courtyard is very close to the school in Changle. It occupies a large area and has a good layout, but it is dilapidated and needs to be repaired before people can live in it.
If you can buy it, renovate it, and live in it yourself, that's fine. But renting a place isn't worth it; it costs money and effort.
Just as Bai Xiaoyue was about to tell Yan Ci to forget about it, she saw that Cui Yu's eyes were red.
She hurriedly asked, "Cui Yu, what's wrong?"
Cui Yu: "Auntie, let's rent this courtyard!"
Bai Xiaoyue: "Cui Yu, this courtyard needs to be repaired before people can live in it, it's not worth it."
Cui Yu: "Auntie, I'll pay for the repairs."
Bai Xiaoyue sought help from Yan Ci.
Yan Ci said to the staff, "Give us a few minutes so we can discuss this."
He pulled Cui Yu outside to talk.
Bai Xiaoyue chatted casually with the staff:
"Comrade, this courtyard looks like it hasn't been lived in for years!"
Staff member: "The vandalism was quite severe back then, and many people who were renting the houses didn't want them because they needed repairs, so they've been vacant ever since."
You said you wanted to see the yard, so I brought you here to take a look, not expecting much.
When Yan Ci returned, he told Bai Xiaoyue that he would rent this courtyard for Chang Le.
The staff at the housing management office were overjoyed.
Yan Ci also had conditions, saying that because it would cost money to repair, a long-term contract needed to be signed, and if it could be bought and sold, he should have the right of first refusal.
The staff all agreed. This house has been unrentable for a long time, and now that they've finally found a sucker, they have to agree quickly.
Although Bai Xiaoyue was puzzled, she believed that Yan Ci must have his reasons, so she readily paid the annual rent of 360 yuan.
The contract was signed by three families: Chang Le, Cui Yuping, and his son.
After completing the formalities and receiving the keys, Yan Ci casually handed them to Cui Yu.
The group looked for a place to eat and took a stroll around the school.
Bai Xiaoyue looked around and whispered something to Chang Le for a while.
That night, the couple lay in bed, and Bai Xiaoyue stared at Yan Ci with her big eyes wide open.
Seeing his wife's curious expression, Yan Ci's lips curled up:
“That courtyard belongs to Cui Yu’s family. He can rent it if he wants. When the policy comes down, it will be returned to their family anyway.”
"It's convenient for Chang Le to rent it out later. If someone else rents it and doesn't move out, it'll be a hassle."
Bai Xiaoyue suddenly realized:
"No wonder Cui Yu was so excited about his yard. Let's rent it!"
I'm quite satisfied with that courtyard; it's close to the school. I'll have Cui Yu renovate it properly.
Yan Ci: "It won't be long before the policy is implemented, and those who have been sent down will gradually return to their original positions."
Bai Xiaoyue: "Aci, do you know? This place is dilapidated now, but it will be incredibly valuable in the future."
Chang Le wants to make money, and this wealth is right in front of him!
Yan Ci asked his wife, "You were just talking about this with Chang Le."
Bai Xiaoyue nodded: "She studies economics, so I'll talk to her about what this place might look like in the future."
Yan Ci casually remarked, "The entire capital city is incredibly expensive, and it's not just here."
Bai Xiaoyue nodded repeatedly: "Aci is right, I was short-sighted."
Yan Ci said, "Wife, those are things for the future. Let's talk about now, do we want to play around some more, or go back?"
Bai Xiaoyue: "Let's go back. I'm worried about leaving Xiaobai at home. Let the three kids have a meal together tomorrow, and then we'll go back."
The next day, after dinner, Bai Xiaoyue gave Bai Wen'an's phone number to the three children.
“If you have any urgent matters, you can call this number during working hours or send a telegram back. You can also write letters home more often.”
The three of you must take care of each other here, study hard, and not slack off.
All three children nodded in agreement.
Bai Xiaoyue even went to Luo Xiaowei's school to ask her to visit the children when she had time.
The return journey was relatively easy, because they had no money on them and Yan Ci was protecting them, so they arrived home safely.
After distributing the snacks to everyone, Bai Xiaoyue realized she had slept all day and was too tired to go out.
She then focused on improving Xiaobai and An'an's grades.
Every day after class, Xiaobai and An'an do nothing but eat and do homework.
Xiao Bai studies with his older sister every day, so he has a solid foundation. Bai Xiaoyue then helps him practice difficult problems.
Xiao Bai really wanted to go to Beijing to find her older sister, and she studied very hard.
An'an is a little weaker, so she practices basic problems. She has a calm and patient personality and practices very diligently.
Time flies, and the college entrance examination begins in July.
Xiao Bai performed consistently and was admitted to Beijing Aviation Academy.
An'an performed exceptionally well and was admitted to Beijing Foreign Studies University.
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