My Courtyard Shelter

Chapter 9: Showdown (1)

Xu Dong stayed in Yanjing until mid-August. During that time, he went on a shopping spree, which, before he knew it, had turned into a shopping addiction. It wasn’t until last night, on a whim, that he checked his bank account balance—and only then did he snap out of it, breaking out in a cold sweat. It really is true—you don’t know until you check, and when you do, it’s a real shock! Originally, after buying the car, he had a balance of about 20 million yuan in his account; now, only 1,546,685. 12 yuan remained—a drop of 90 percent. In contrast, the warehouse is now filled with a mountain of clothes he’ll never wear, all kinds of luxury watches, jewelry, and a host of odd and exotic local specialties. If I had to pick the biggest loss, it would be the jewelry—that stuff depreciates the fastest when times get tough. In his previous life, just to get some nutritional supplements for his children, Xu Dong traded two wedding rings and only managed to get five eggs in return. After all, back then, he’d saved up three months’ worth of salary just to buy that pair of rings. Xu Dong banged his chest in frustration; earlier, driven by a desire to make it up to his wife, he’d acted on impulse and bought nearly 5 million worth of jewelry. The most expensive piece was a diamond ring worth 3 million, set with a two-carat pink diamond—an exceptionally rare gem. Regret was useless, and Xu Dong couldn’t be bothered to return the items anyway; since more than seven days had passed, he figured it wouldn’t be easy to get a refund even if he wanted to. After packing his bags, Xu Dong boarded the high-speed train to Luyang. The next time he returned to the capital, it would likely be with the whole family in tow. “Knock, knock, knock…” Xu Dong had left the key to the old house at the Siheyuan, so he had no choice but to knock on the door. “Click…” Xu’s mother opened the door and, upon seeing her youngest son, was both surprised and delighted, though she couldn’t help but complain, “Why didn’t you call ahead? We just finished lunch.” Xu Dong stepped through the gate with his suitcase in hand, saying as he walked in, “I already ate on the high-speed train—and I even took an extra serving of fruit.” “You’re wasting money. The food on the high-speed train is so expensive—and it doesn’t even taste good,” Xu’s mother nagged, as was her habit. Xu Dong didn’t seem to mind at all; he took the glass of water from his wife’s hand and drank it in one gulp. “How many days are you staying this time?” Yang Lina took the empty cup and asked right away. Xu Dong didn’t answer right away. Instead, he pulled his wife and mother over to sit on the sofa together. Facing their puzzled looks, he decided to get straight to the point: “Nana, Mom, I have some good news to share with you.” “Huh?” Yang Lina was a bit confused. Xu’s mother shot her youngest son a look, signaling him to stop beating around the bush. Xu Dong gathered his thoughts and announced with a touch of pride: “I bought a house in Yanjing.” “What?” Yang Lina gasped—the news was simply too shocking. Mrs. Xu gave Xu Dong a hard pinch on the arm and urged him, “Hurry up and explain what’s going on. Where did you get the money to buy a house? And where is it located?” Xu Dong rubbed the spot where she’d pinched him and replied nonchalantly, “The apartment’s right by the Third Ring Road. I didn’t spend any money on it—I traded a real bargain I found for it.” “What do you mean, ‘a bargain’? Do you think you’re in a TV drama?” Mrs. Xu, with her wealth of life experience, didn’t believe for a second that something this good could just fall into his lap. Yang Lina chimed in, “Exactly. Honey, did someone scam you?” Seeing that neither of them believed him, Xu Dong dragged his suitcase over, laid it flat, opened it, and pulled out a transaction contract he’d prepared in advance. This contract was completely genuine. He had first purchased a piece of jadeite rough worth 110 million from a jewelry company, then sold it back to the Company at the original price, thereby obtaining this sales contract. Because of this contract, he was swindled out of a hefty sum by the jewelry Company—I won’t go into the exact amount, but suffice it to say, it was a labor of love. But it was all worth it—at least on the surface, it provided a perfect explanation for the source of his vast fortune. Mrs. Xu stood up, snatched the contract, and eagerly began flipping through it, whispering to Yang Lina whenever she came across something she didn’t understand. “Well, do you believe it now?” Xu Dong said smugly. Mrs. Xu was still a bit unsure—after all, she didn’t know much about contracts—so she changed her approach. “Since you’ve bought the house, where’s the property deed? Let’s see it.” Xu Dong once again pulled out a red booklet—one he’d actually received back in early June. Xu’s mother took it cautiously. Sure enough, the cover bore the familiar, beloved property ownership certificate. She gently flipped it open, and sure enough, the “Property Owner” section read “Xu Dong.” Yang Lina was so excited she nearly went wild; she threw her arms around her mother-in-law and jumped up and down, exclaiming, “Mom, it’s real, it’s real…” Xu’s mother was also a bit overwhelmed; she felt lightheaded and, struggling to steady herself, sat down with the help of the sofa. Her lips trembled so much she couldn’t speak. Seeing that something was wrong, Xu Dong quickly began patting his mother on the back while reassuring her: “Mom, don’t get so worked up. Take a deep breath and calm down. The good times for our family are still ahead of us. You absolutely mustn’t collapse now. Thank goodness…” Fortunately, the triplets—for some reason—suddenly burst into loud cries. Only then did Mrs. Xu feel a huge weight lifted off her shoulders. She quickly put down the property deed and went into the room to check on her grandchildren, though her heart was still pounding. By then, Yang Lina had also regained her composure. She picked up the property deed again and began examining it intently. Xu Dong took the opportunity to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead. He’d almost backfired just now—if he’d known it would turn out this way, he would’ve been better off revealing it bit by bit instead of pulling off some grand surprise. He’d nearly given her a heart attack! As Yang Lina looked through the documents, she suddenly exclaimed, “Huh?” and asked Xu Dong, “Honey, why is this house a Siheyuan?” “It’s always been a Siheyuan!” Xu Dong replied listlessly. “No wonder it costs 100 million. I thought it was a big villa!” Yang Lina sounded a bit disappointed—a Siheyuan could never be as comfortable as a big villa. Xu Dong shook his head helplessly. A big villa is nice, but the property management is very strict, with too many restrictions on coming and going. A Siheyuan, on the other hand, offered freedom and ease—once the doors were shut, they could simply enjoy their own little life. “Honey, when are we moving in?” Yang Lina asked again. Xu Dong thought for a moment before answering, “Ke Ke and the others start school in half a month. Once I transfer our household registration in a couple of days, we should move in as soon as possible.” “Hmm, but what about your job, honey? And what are we going to do with our house?” “Don’t worry about my job—I quit a few days ago. We’ll never be short on money from now on. As for the house, if it doesn’t work out, let’s just sell it. I’m planning to open a small supermarket in Yanjing, and I’m still short on start-up capital.” Yang Lina nodded. “Selling it is fine—we definitely won’t be coming back here. But honey, what made you decide to open a grocery store?” “Running a grocery store is a steady business. Besides, I’m a grown man—I can’t just stay home all day without working!” Xu Dong explained half-heartedly. Yang Lina stopped dwelling on the supermarket and turned to ask about the home-buying process: “Honey, hurry up and tell me how you scored such a bargain—and how did you actually buy the house?” “Oh, that’s a long story. The other day, I was out to dinner with a major client, and we happened to pass by…” “Then what happened?” “When I cut it open, it actually turned green…” “Wow, is jade really that valuable?” “It depends on the quality… Mr. Zhao insisted on trading a Siheyuan for it.” “You just swapped it like that?” “…In the end, he even had to pay a few million to cover the price difference!” “I’d really love to see what that Siheyuan looks like.” “I have some photos on my phone…”------------