Chapter 780 Dog Egg Buys a House After Xinweiju Closes
While folding clothes for the child, now named Liu Nian, Ma Hongxia whispered to Liu Dong:
“Dong, I still feel uneasy. Since she's in the capital, what if... what if she comes knocking on our door one day and wants to see the child? It's a fact that she abandoned the child and ran off with someone else, but this child... isn't Liu’s biological child after all.”
Liu Dong silently smoked, his brows furrowed in a frown.
“We raised this child with our own hands, she’s the root of the Liu family. She could abandon her back then, so she has no right to ask for her back now. Besides, does she even have the nerve to show her face?”
Although his words were firm, the flicker in his eyes betrayed his inner unease.
This honest man wasn't afraid of hardship, but he dreaded these kinds of complicated family entanglements, especially since they involved his good-for-nothing brother and a shameful past.
Gou Dan, who was doing his business nearby, looked up and said, "Mom and Dad, you don't need to worry. Just say that this girl is your own child. How would she recognize her?"
Dog Egg is already seven or eight years old. At his age, his words are always surprising.
However, he has toned it down a lot now and is gradually starting to adapt to life here.
His parents had some reservations about coming to the capital at first, but after his repeated persuasion, they finally came.
As the restaurant prospered, Ma Hongxia became the second-in-command at Xinweiju, and her father also began to learn cooking skills.
What's even more remarkable is that after establishing themselves in the capital, they already had a head start over others.
"You're just a kid, you don't understand the intricacies of things, just focus on your studies."
"You're just a kid, you don't understand the intricacies of things, just focus on your studies." Ma Hongxia said, rubbing her aching wrist, as she habitually used this phrase to dismiss her son.
Since becoming the second-in-command, she has been in charge of more things and is more tired. She feels that her son is saying some naive childish things.
Dog Egg, however, was unconvinced. He frowned and revealed what he had been observing for so long: "Mom, I'm not talking nonsense! Your father works from dawn till dusk, earning money with sweat dripping down his face, but do you know what? Money left there is like an ice pop left under the sun—it'll melt!"
Liu Dong happened to be carrying in a bowl of freshly made noodles when he heard this. He was amused and said, "Oh, you know about this? How come you know how to make money?"
“It will decrease. I heard that Grandpa Wang, who sells bags on East Street, saved up a hundred dollars a few years ago. He thought it was a lot of money, enough to buy a house. But now? He said that money still looks like a hundred dollars, but it's not worth that much anymore. Some of the dishes in our shop have increased in price by a dime compared to last year.”
These words made Ma Hongxia and Liu Dong exchange a glance, their hearts skipping a beat.
Although the child's words were naive, they touched upon a question that they had vaguely sensed but had never deeply considered.
Prices were indeed fluctuating quietly, but they were too busy with business to pay much attention.
Seeing that his parents were listening, Gou Dan got even more excited and started analyzing like an adult:
“The place we’re staying in now is behind the restaurant. Although it’s someone’s kindness that they gave us this place, we still need to have our own place. You’ve saved up a lot of money over the years, so it’s time to think about the future.”
Ma Hongxia and Liu Dong were stunned by what they said.
Ma Hongxia was the first to come to her senses and sighed, "What are you saying? Are houses in Beijing really that cheap? Besides, buying a house isn't something ordinary people like us can just do whenever we want."
Dog Egg had obviously already thought about it. "I heard that the policy has been relaxed now, and the streets are dealing with those vacant houses that were confiscated years ago and are now unclaimed. Some of the houses aren't big and the locations are a bit out of the way, but the prices are definitely much cheaper than those nice courtyard houses. We can go to the street office and ask if we can find a bargain. We can buy one first, even if it's old. It's still our own place!"
Seeing his parents' eyes soften, he offered another reason: "Besides, my sister is already dating someone and will be getting married soon. A young lady can't get married from the kitchen of this restaurant, can she? That's so undignified. She should get married from her own house, in a grand and respectable way. That's what a proper wedding is. Our family needs a place to entertain relatives and friends, right?"
"Ouch!" Ma Hongxia slapped her thigh suddenly. This last point really hit the nail on the head.
All she ever hoped for in her life was for her children to have a respectable life. Her daughter's marriage was a big deal, and if she were to actually marry from this temporary place, she would always have a bad feeling about it.
Ma Hongxia dragged the locked wooden box from under the bed and took out stacks of cash from it, including whole bundles of ten-yuan notes and many more loose bills.
Dog Egg stared intently, silently calculating in his mind.
Ma Hongxia dipped her finger in saliva and began counting the pile of cash: "Ten, twenty, thirty... one hundred... here is one hundred and sixty, plus these zeros, I estimate it's about six hundred yuan."
Liu Dong picked up the conversation, "There's about 600 yuan stored here too."
“More than a thousand…” Ma Hongxia murmured, repeating the number.
At that time, especially in their hometown, this was enough to build several bright brick houses.
But in Beijing, facing the unknown housing prices, the two of them were still somewhat uncertain.
Dog Egg, however, seemed quite confident. "That's enough, it should be sufficient."
In the past few days, Gou Dan has been going from street to street inquiring about housing prices.
He's not reckless at all; he's quite clever.
With a few fruit candies in my pocket, I would run to the big locust tree in the alley, where old men and women would always gather to bask in the sun, play chess, and chat idly.
He first watched the chess game from the sidelines for a while, and when the other players took a break, he took out some candy, calling out "Grandpa and Grandma," and then casually asked:
"My great-uncle's family wants to move to this area. They asked me to inquire about the cost of an old house in this neighborhood."
His serious, adult-like demeanor often amused the elderly.
Some people thought he was just asking a silly question and teased him, "Oh, that's very expensive, you'd have to exchange it for a gold nugget."
But some kind-hearted people, seeing his quick wit, actually pointed him in the right direction: "There seems to be a dilapidated house in Mianhua Hutong that needs to be dealt with. Go ask the head of the neighborhood committee."
Gou Dan was overjoyed to have found a clue.
He then strolled over to the shoe repair stall on the street corner, watching the craftsman hammer in shoe nails while chatting with someone: "Uncle, do you think house prices change every day these days?"
The shoe repairman was knowledgeable and talkative. While he was working, he chatted with him: "You're right, a couple of years ago it was a dilapidated house that nobody wanted, but now it's a hot commodity."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
