The Reincarnated Science Whiz

Chapter 28: Taking Charge of the Second Household

The mock exam followed shortly thereafter. All senior high school students in Jinpu County participated in this mock exam. Since the test included students from across the entire county rather than just a single school, the weekend followed immediately after the exam, and students wouldn’t learn their scores and county-wide rankings until classes resumed on Monday. However, for the students of Jinpu No. 1 High School, the county-wide rankings weren’t particularly important. They were already among the top students in the county based on their middle school entrance exam scores, and since Jinpu No. 1 High School was the best school in Jinpu with the finest educational resources, their rankings within the school were essentially equivalent to their county-wide rankings—and even if there were differences, they wouldn’t be significant. Qin Yuanqing felt that this mock exam was slightly more difficult than the final exam from the previous semester, as the questions were fully based on the college entrance exam syllabus. Qin Yuanqing found the exam quite easy, after all, his current knowledge base had reached an almost extraordinary level. Qin Yuanqing went home right after the mock exam ended. With a two-day break following the exam, virtually every student chose to go home. After all, with the mock exam over, there were only two months left until the college entrance exam. Every morning before students entered their classrooms, they could see the countdown to the exam prominently displayed on the school staircase. As the days ticked away, the approach of the exam grew ever clearer, and the atmosphere at school became increasingly tense—a tension that undoubtedly left every senior feeling pressured and oppressed! That’s why, when the college entrance exams finally ended, the students went wild—crying and laughing at the same time, tearing their exam papers and textbooks to shreds, and flinging the pieces into the air. Unless you’ve experienced the intense pressure of senior year, it’s absolutely impossible to truly understand. After the college entrance exams, which businesses are the hottest!? Hotels, KTVs, and bars! Students let loose wildly, venting the psychological pressure and oppression they’ve been holding in, and making up for all the fun they missed during their three years of high school. And it’s also during this brief period after the exams that many young women go through the life-changing experience of transitioning from girls to young women—tasting the forbidden fruit for the first time and discovering the pleasures of intimacy. Qin Yuanqing wasn’t sure if this was a good thing or not. He had the System, which allowed him to look down on the world, but others didn’t have the System—and if they wanted to get into a top university, how could they possibly succeed without working this hard? No one can stop the Huaxia people’s determination to lead a better life! For Huaxia to develop and break through layer upon layer of obstacles, it must have a sufficient number of highly qualified engineers—people willing to strive and fight for this cause. Otherwise, how could future generations ever enjoy the carefree and happy lives currently led by people in developed Western countries? Qin Yuanqing had the driver pull over briefly in front of the bank, withdrew 100,000 yuan, and then returned home. His parents hadn’t gone to the fields today; they were busy laying bricks. Now that his second older brother’s wedding date had been set, his parents were eager to get the new house renovated as soon as possible, so they’d already started laying bricks. The world is still reeling from the economic crisis, and prices for various building materials remain low. Sometimes Qin Yuanqing even thought to himself that construction workers in this era were bound to be raking in a fortune. However, once the central government’s 8 trillion stimulus package was rolled out, it leveraged hundreds of trillions in investment, causing a flood of capital to pour into the real estate market. This drove up raw material prices and simultaneously propelled housing prices rapidly out of the slump—not only did they return to their original levels, but they also ran wild like a runaway horse, soaring uncontrollably. Qin Yuanqing heard from his dad that construction had begun on his uncle’s new house, following the blueprints he had provided. During dinner, as his parents chatted casually, a thought struck Qin Yuanqing: it seemed that letting his second older brother and his family live in the house on Lushi Island had created a sense of unfairness in the minds of his eldest brother and sister-in-law. Qin Yuanqing chuckled to himself—he hadn’t thought this through. He hadn’t considered this point before; he’d let his ego get the better of him. Early the next morning, Qin Yuanqing took a ride to Lushi Island. The sales manager, whom he had contacted in advance, drove out specifically to pick him up at the ferry terminal. “Mr. Qin, you are our honored guest. We were both very satisfied with our previous collaboration. We’ve already selected a unit for you—it’s on the 16th floor of the building next door. This unit offers a panoramic view; you can see Wuyuan Bay at a glance, and the feng shui is excellent,” the manager said as he drove. Qin Yuanqing looked out the window at the real estate It was strange, really. Although Lushi Island was well-known, its economy couldn’t compare to that of Licheng, and its development potential was limited. Yet, for some reason, housing prices kept rising, seemingly without end. They soon arrived at Wuyuan Bay. Qin Yuanqing checked and found that property prices here were roughly the same as before—they hadn’t risen much. Presumably, this was because it was a relatively remote new development where supporting facilities hadn’t yet been established, whereas Siming District, being the city center, had been the first to see prices rise in response to the rumors. Qin Yuanqing followed the manager to the 16th floor of the adjacent building. Unit 1601 was an end unit, also measuring 120 square meters, with the same layout as the previous one. However, the view from the living room was indeed better—much more open—and Qin Yuanqing was very satisfied with it. He signed the purchase contract right there at the sales office, paying in full, and then immediately called appliance and furniture stores; everything was settled within a few hours. All that remained was to wait for the three property certificates to be issued. Qin Yuanqing declined the manager’s offer to drive him home and took a stroll around the area. He had visited Wuyuan Bay before; at that time, apart from the Zhong residence, the rest of the area had long been fully developed. Schools, hospitals, supermarkets, shopping malls, and the wetland park were all fully operational. Wuyuan Bay had become a major attraction and hotspot on Lushi Island, with housing prices there ranking first in Huli District and second on the island. Back then, he had a friend who lived in Wuyuan Bay in a spacious 180-square-meter apartment. They used to joke that if they didn’t work hard, they wouldn’t be able to afford to live there—not because of a mortgage, but because the monthly property management fee alone was over 2,000. Qin Yuanqing recalled that his friend had mentioned buying the property in early 2010 at 10,000 per square meter—which meant that over the next six months or so, property prices here would skyrocket, effectively doubling. Sometimes Qin Yuanqing found himself thinking that, more often than not, timing is actually more important than hard work. For example, if you had gritted your teeth and bought a house at that moment—and then done absolutely nothing—you could have quickly “rested easy” as property prices soared. But if you didn’t buy a house then, your ability to earn money would never keep up with the pace of rising property prices. “Buy a house early”—this saying has proven to be an absolute truth over the past decade. Ten consecutive years of rapid price increases—it’s terrifying just to think about it. Qin Yuanqing took a stroll around Wuyuan Bay before hailing a taxi to head to SM. SM is Xiamen’s largest shopping mall; since it was the weekend, it was packed with people and bustling with activity. Qin Yuanqing browsed around SM, had a meal, and bought two outfits and a pair of shoes before taking a taxi to the ferry terminal. Once the cross-sea bridge is built in the future, he won’t even need to take the ferry to get back—he’ll be able to drive directly. But for now, the ferry is still the most convenient option. “Rumors from the future say that Lushi Island relies on real estate as the pillar of its urban economy—it seems there’s some truth to that!” Qin Yuanqing thought to himself. No one could have imagined that housing prices, which were generally around 4,000 to 5,000 yuan at the time, would double within a year—and then, in less than a decade, rise four or five times in some areas and as much as ten or more times in others. By 2020, when a new development went on sale in Lushi Island, the starting price had soared to 65,000 per square meter—and buyers often had to bid above the asking price just to secure a unit. It was absolutely outrageous! In fact, among the four major first-tier cities—Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen—even Guangzhou’s housing prices were surpassed by Lushi Island, leaving it to settle for fifth place! Excellent! Outstanding! By the time I got home, the sun was already setting. The days in April are much longer than before; if this had been two months ago, it would have already been dark by now. While eating dinner, Qin Yuanqing casually mentioned that he’d gone to Lushi Island that day to have some fun and, while he was at it, bought a house—in the same complex as his previous one. His parents didn’t ask many questions; after all, Qin Yuanqing was grown up now and had his own mind—they couldn’t control him anymore.