On the thirteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, the winter in Beijing was cold and dry. Su Qingmeng and the others walked out of the train station. "It's a good thing we wore down jackets. The temperature in Beijing is lower than in Shanghai."
The three of them took a yellow van back to the courtyard. There were more taxis on the roadside now. When they got home, Su Qingmeng entered the bedroom. Although they did not live in Beijing, they had paid the heating bill, so the house was still very warm.
Kang Kang cleaned the room with his father. He especially liked doing housework now. After all, he was paid. After cleaning, Lin Xiuyao said, "I'll go buy some groceries. Let's eat at home tonight."
Su Qingmeng waved her hand and said, "Go ahead."
Kang Kang: "Mom, I want to go play with Tong Tong."
Su Qingmeng didn't want to move, "How about tomorrow?"
"Okay." Kang Kang knew his mother was worried about him going out to play alone, and since his mother was so tired, he decided to wait a little longer.
He went to the side room to practice the violin. He hadn't practiced yesterday. His teacher said that learning the violin requires perseverance. Su Qingmeng listened to his piano. It sounded much better now, not like sawing wood.
The three of them had a good night's rest and went to Chaoyang District to look at houses the next day. Their house was a small courtyard of more than 100 square meters, which was either a siheyuan or an ordinary bungalow, and the tenants were two families.
Seeing them coming, the man who made the phone call explained the situation. It turned out that the government was going to build a residential complex here. Lin Xiuyao went to the demolition office to understand the policy. Now he can choose between cash compensation or a house.
Su Qingmeng said: "Of course I want a house, and it has to be a suitable house." The compensation is not much now, and the prices are like this, so the house has a lot of room for appreciation in value in the future.
Lin Xiuyao nodded. He went to explain things to the tenants and refunded their rent. Only three years had passed since the original five-year contract. Fortunately, they understood and believed that this was not the landlord's regret, but force majeure.
Lin Xiuyao confiscated this month's rent and told them, "You can continue to live here until we move out."
After leaving the yard, the residents in the alley all had happy expressions on their faces. After the demolition, they were replaced with buildings. Some were even talking about it, "My family wants cash, tens of thousands of dollars!" At that time, a millionaire was still quite valuable.
However, Su Qingmeng knew that if those who wanted cash compensation did not buy a house after receiving the money, they would regret it for the rest of their lives. Another family was arguing and had different opinions. The three of them walked through the alleys that showed all kinds of life and returned home.
Lin Xiuyao took care of the follow-up, as the mother and son were still busy meeting friends. This time, He Rui was in Beijing, having returned from her grassroots experience. When they met this time, Su Qingmeng found that she had become more mature, and felt that she had a kind of "official flavor".
She told her her thoughts, and He Rui laughed, "You don't know how many weirdos I've met when I went to the grassroots level. Some people just can't communicate. Maybe it's because I put on a stern face and play the good cop too much that you feel this way."
Su Qingmeng looked at the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes and felt a little distressed, "Have you suffered a lot?" It seemed that He Rui had grown old.
"It's very hard, but I think it's worth it." After He Rui went there, she met all kinds of people, some unreasonable, some struggling, and some working hard. She has seen all kinds of life, and now she feels that she has become much more open-minded.
Su Qingmeng felt that she had changed a lot. "It seems that working at the grassroots level is very challenging. I really admire you. It's not easy to get into politics!"
He Rui has always been a person with a determined goal. She has wanted to be an official since college and has always been on this path.
Su Qingmeng asked: "Have you been transferred back now?"
He Rui nodded. "I've been transferred to the Development and Reform Commission and promoted to section chief."
"Congratulations. Don't forget your old friends when you become rich." Su Qingmeng joked.
He Rui: "Haha, no, how are you doing lately? I heard you came back because your house was going to be demolished?"
"Yes, in a bungalow in Chaoyang District. My husband is busy."
He Rui: "If you need help, just let me know. I know a lot of people."
"No, just follow the policy. Our house has clear title and there are no disputes."
They didn't continue the topic. He Rui talked about her troubles. "When I applied to go to the grassroots level, my family was not very happy. Although I insisted on going, they said that as a woman, I didn't need to work so hard. Qian Shengyuan didn't support me."
He Rui feels that marriage is a stumbling block for women. "After I came back, my daughter stopped being close to me, and my mother-in-law kept saying bad things about me in front of her. I was so angry."
"You always have to make a choice between family and career. You don't have the ability to split yourself into two, so if you try to take care of one, you won't be able to take care of the other. It's not your fault."
He Rui frowned, "Qian Shengyuan is not dead. He doesn't care when my mother-in-law and daughter say something about me."
Su Qingmeng put forward her own idea, "Maybe he doesn't know?" Mother-in-law He Rui would not say bad things about her daughter-in-law in front of her son.
"Alas, I see through it. I can't hand my daughter over to him. It's useless." She really regretted choosing such a hands-off boss.
Su Qingmeng comforted her, "Now that you're back, slowly cultivate your relationship with your daughter. Children are very sensitive and can sense who treats them well. Don't be anxious."
"This is the only way." He Rui felt much better after saying this. "Have you met Qiu Ling recently?"
"I went to her house once, but she was in confinement after giving birth, so I only spoke a few words." Qiu Ling gave birth to a boy last month. "What happened?"
"Did she tell you that Gao Qin is divorced?" It was Gao Qin herself who told this when Qiu Ling and she met her while shopping.
Su Qingmeng shook her head, "What's going on?"
"Her husband cheated on her, and she only found out when his lover came to the house with the child." He Rui shook her head, looking down on such a husband.
"How's Sister Gao Qin?" She didn't feel strange. This kind of thing is very common in later generations. After the reform and opening up, the social atmosphere has changed. There are not only good but also bad people. There will be many people who find mistresses in the future.
"She divorced with her daughter, and their house was given to her. She has a job and is doing OK," He Rui said angrily. "I don't know what her husband thinks. Gao Qin graduated from Peking University, has a good job, and even gave birth to a child for him, yet he cheated on her."
Su Qingmeng didn't care. She had seen many men like this. Those who wanted to cheat didn't care how well their wives treated them.
Lin Xiuyao came back in the evening and said, "It's all settled. We're going to exchange for two apartments, a total of 150 square meters. You go and sign tomorrow." Su Qingmeng's name was on the property title, so she needed to sign in person.
Their household registration was not there, so this was a good condition. He found a classmate, otherwise he would have to pay additional money to get two houses.
The next day they came to the demolition office. Su Qingmeng signed the contract, took the backup copy and went home. "I'm happy today, let's go eat Donglaishun hot pot." This house was only more than 6,000 yuan when I bought it, and it was worth it after exchanging it for two houses.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
