books44 Chapter 146: Buying a House
Chapter 146: Buying a House
Over the next few days, Zhang Jingwen seemed to be flooded with inspiration, constantly generating fantastic ideas and plots. She threw herself into writing, toiling away day and night, completely absorbed in the literary world she had created, oblivious to what was happening outside. Meanwhile, Zhang Xiaobing arrived at work as scheduled, busy with work.
Time passed quietly. One day, when Zhang Jing was writing furiously, her mother suddenly came to tell her a piece of news: "Your sister-in-law and her children are coming over!" Hearing this, Zhang Jing suddenly woke up and remembered that Zhang Xiaobing was about to move into his new home. Faced with this sudden situation, Zhang Jing felt a little helpless, but she still kindly reminded them: "I heard that the relocation here may start in half a year, so don't buy too much at once."
Upon hearing this, her mother responded, "The family who sold the house left behind a lot of stuff and didn't want it anymore. They gave it all to Xiaobing." Zhang Jing then asked her mother-in-law about the two houses she owned. Learning that they also contained a lot of furniture, she asked her mother-in-law to help her rent them out. She asked the tenant to pay at least six months' rent in one lump sum. To her delight, she successfully found a tenant shortly thereafter.
When Zhang Zhi heard about this, she complained, accusing Zhang Jing and Zhang Xiaobing of having no sisterly relationship at all. She also accused them of not telling her about good things. When her mother heard this, she was furious. She yelled at Zhang Zhi:
"How can you be so calculating? Among the three children in our family, you are the most useless and the least ambitious! How many times have I told you to buy a house, have you listened?" Zhang Zhi felt very uncomfortable when she saw her mother so angry, so she turned around and got angry at her husband.
After a moment's deliberation, the Hong Kong husband decided to simply buy a smaller apartment. Everyone enthusiastically began to help Zhang Zhi search around. Finally, they found a small, two-bedroom apartment. When they inquired about the price, they were surprised to find it was a whopping 42 yuan.
After hearing the quote, Zhang Zhi said without hesitation, "In that case, if I add a few tens of thousands of dollars, why not just buy a larger three-bedroom apartment?"
Finally, Zhang Zhi found a ground-floor apartment, over 90 square meters, asking 46 yuan. Her husband would only offer 40 yuan, and the two were at a stalemate. Zhang Zhi went back to the owner of the smaller second-floor apartment, which had originally been offered for 42 yuan. He said there were so many buyers lately that he wouldn't sell it for 42 yuan anymore, and instead offered 48 yuan. Zhang Zhi was stunned and complained to her husband.
In the end, the two men snapped up the 46-square-meter house, valued at 90 yuan, at lightning speed. They were terrified they would miss this rare opportunity and not be able to get on the bus. The news shocked the entire family. Zhang Zhi and Zhang Jing couldn't hide their anger when they talked about it.
"That Hong Kong guy clearly had $50, but he refused to spend more to buy a house. He said his classmates told him not to give his wife too much money. Humph! I told him at the time that if he refused to pay, I would go to my father-in-law to borrow money."
"As soon as this jerk heard this, he got scared immediately, fearing that I would harass his parents. He took out the money obediently. I don't believe that I can't cure him! Haha, I'm not someone who is easily bullied! From now on, I can be considered a property owner!" Zhang Zhi said proudly.
At this time, Zhang Jing asked curiously, "If this house is demolished in the future, will you choose to ask for money or move back?" Zhang Zhi answered without hesitation, "Oh, I haven't even moved into this house yet, is it going to be demolished? But if the demolition compensation is in place, I have no objection. If it really has to be demolished, I'm too lazy to move, so I might as well rent it out for now."
"The rent I receive can just offset the rent I pay now. As for what to do after the demolition, I'll make a decision when the time comes." Zhang Zhi made up her mind and was too lazy to bother anymore.
Zhang Jing nodded and then asked, "Whose name should be on the property deed?" Zhang Zhi answered without hesitation, "Of course, my name!" Seeing Zhang Jing's puzzled expression, she quickly explained, "My husband and I have a very good relationship and we're definitely not getting divorced. So, my name is the most appropriate! My husband has no objection."
Within two days, Zhang Zhi was clamoring to move out. She said her husband in Hong Kong wanted to move there, saying otherwise there was no point in buying a house. Zhang Zhi said, "What the hell is pointless? He said his parents knew he bought the house and wanted to come see it. He can't climb the stairs, and knowing it's on the first floor, he wanted to come and live here."
The old lady ignored her, saying everyone should live their own lives. She was busy cleaning up her son's house, with her daughter-in-law and grandson on the way. She didn't have the energy to care, and when Zhang Zhi asked about a housewarming dinner, she dismissed it with, "Why have a housewarming dinner in an old house?" Seeing no one was interested, Zhang Zhi simply called it quits. Little did she know, everyone had become broke after buying the house.
When Zhang Jing saw Alan, her mouth dropped open in surprise. Alan's bulging belly was particularly striking. It turned out that Alan had come with her husband. Shortly after they arrived, Gao Wei hurried off to look at houses.
Alan enthusiastically told Zhang Jing about her family's situation. She explained that they had also purchased a property here, a small 60-square-meter apartment, for a total cost of 35 yuan. However, due to insufficient funds, they had to borrow some money from relatives to barely cover the cost.
Alan also revealed that Aunt Zhang, Aunt Zhuang, and many others from her workplace have flocked here to buy houses. Prices have already risen significantly. The house her family bought a few days ago is now worth 42 yuan.
Alan said gratefully, "Luckily, Brother Chen told my husband the news in time, otherwise, by the time the demolition actually started, we wouldn't have been able to make it. My brother and sister in Hong Kong, upon hearing about this, each chipped in 15 yuan so we could buy a bigger house. So, we came here today specifically to look at houses!"
Zhang Jing, on the surface, smiled and agreed with Alan, but in reality, her heart was already in turmoil. Because only she knew that the reason she knew this information in advance was all because of the advantages she gained from living a second life.
At this moment, she prayed silently in her heart to God to open his eyes: "I know I am guilty. I actually leaked such a secret of my past life after rebirth. Please forgive me for the mistakes I made when I was young and ignorant! I promise that I will never make the same mistake again. Here, I beg the gods and Buddhas in heaven to bear witness for me. If I violate my oath again, please punish me as you please. I only ask that you can show mercy and forgive me this time." I don't know if God heard it.
Alan looked at Zhang Jing's adorable child with delight, her eyes filled with fondness. She gently teased the little one, a warm smile on her face. However, despite her fondness for the child, Alan declined the invitation to stay for dinner, hurriedly saying goodbye to Zhang Jing and heading out to rejoin her husband.
Not long after Alan left, Zhang Jing's mother returned. When she learned that a pregnant woman had just visited their home, her face suddenly changed drastically, and she flew into a rage. Her eyes widened, and she pointed at Zhang Jing's nose and started yelling, "You ungrateful girl! There's a very important rule in my hometown: pregnant women are absolutely not allowed to visit the homes of women who have just given birth. If they step foot in our house, they'll steal the mother's milk! Then your milk will run out, and our child will go hungry!"
"Oh, Mom, you're not exaggerating!" Zhang Jing explained helplessly, "What era is it now? Are you still so superstitious?"
"Hmph! Am I superstitious?" The old lady put her hands on her hips and retorted angrily, "If you don't listen to the advice of the elderly, you will suffer the consequences. When something really happens in the future, you will regret it!" After saying that, the old lady threw her sleeves and sat aside indignantly to sulk.
Zhang Jing saw this and tried to comfort her mother, but she was still angry. She changed the subject and mentioned the recent price increases in the neighborhood. Knowing her children's homes had increased by tens of thousands, the old lady was indeed happy. As soon as her son got home from school, the old lady quickly forgot about the milk-stomping incident, and Zhang Jing breathed a sigh of relief.
She couldn't understand her luck. When she first bought a shop in Yiwu, Huizhou, two carloads of people followed suit. Now, when she bought an apartment in a residential complex hoping to profit from the price difference, she also attracted a large crowd. She didn't know whether it was a good thing or a bad thing.
Before she could figure it out, Li Xiangyue called and asked, "Do you still remember who I am?"
"Sister-in-law, look at what you are saying?" Zhang Jing was still confused.
"Your community is going to be demolished, and many people are going to buy houses there. Why didn't you tell me?" Li Xiangyue asked aggressively.
Zhang Jing felt like she was comparable to Dou E. "Sister-in-law, didn't your husband buy it? Why are you asking me?"
Li Xiangyue was stunned for a moment, then she remembered that she had divorced but not left home. Outsiders had no idea about the mess she and her husband had gone through.
"I want to buy one too, but don't let your brother know. Can you help me find a small apartment? I only have a little over 40 yuan."
Zhang Jing had no choice but to agree.
Gao Wei had his eye on a penthouse apartment, over 89 square meters, asking for 88 yuan, with a counteroffer of 75. He was still in the process of negotiating, so he had dinner at Zhang Jing's house. He mentioned that his brothers-in-law had pooled yuan, but it wasn't enough to buy the apartment. His family had already borrowed a lot of money, and he was worried.
Zhang Jing had an idea when she heard this. She suggested he sell the small apartment and save up for a larger one. After all, he'd bought it for 35 yuan, so even if he sold it, he'd still make a profit. She also said someone at work wanted to buy it, so she asked Gao Wei to name a price.
Gao Wei's eyes lit up when he heard this. Zhang Jing explained: Sell the smaller house now and save enough to buy a larger one. Return the extra money to relatives, so they can move back to a smaller new house if the house is demolished. With the remaining money, he could pay back his brother-in-law and still have some left over for himself. Isn't that a true winner?
Gao Wei immediately called his wife's family, and after discussing it, they decided to follow Zhang Jing's advice. He offered 45 yuan for the small apartment, cleverly putting a for-sale sign on it. Li Xiangyue, upon hearing this, said she'd think about it. Zhang Jing explained that other people besides Li Xiangyue had also been looking at the apartment, so she urged him to hurry.
The two parties met at Zhang Jing's place. After the two parties went to see the house, my mother finally breathed a sigh of relief. Pointing at Zhang Jing, she asked, "Are you too idle? What do you have to do? Do you think you are an agent?"
Zhang Que pretended to be quiet, and only felt relieved when he learned that the deal was concluded at 43 yuan. But he sadly discovered that he had no milk left!