My Courtyard Shelter

Chapter 44: A Cunning Rabbit Has Two Burrows

At the dinner table, Xu Dong revealed his plan. “What? Buy a house?” Xu Dong’s mother looked completely taken aback. “That’s right. We need to spend this 10 million yuan quickly, and I think buying a house is the best option.” The reason Xu Dong wanted to buy another house was not only to protect his money from devaluation but also to find a “backup” for the Siheyuan. He hadn’t thought things through thoroughly before. In his previous life, he had lived in Luyang and only had a rough idea of the situation in Yanjing—most of which he’d gleaned from newspapers—so he was completely in the dark about the specifics. Better safe than sorry. If something were to happen to the Siheyuan—such as a fire, a policy change, or being targeted for possessing such a valuable asset—the Xu family would immediately find itself in dire straits. It would be incredibly difficult to recover from that! But with a “backup plan,” things would be different. Even if they lost the Siheyuan, the family would at least have a fallback option—they wouldn’t be thrown back to square one overnight. Of course, all this was just Xu Dong’s own “needless worry”; his family certainly wouldn’t have thought of any of this. “Why buy another house when we haven’t even filled all the rooms in our current one yet?” Mrs. Xu complained, mainly because she was afraid the family would end up living apart. “That’s right, honey! A house can’t be eaten or drunk—we’d be better off saving our money. I don’t think this drought will end anytime soon,” Yang Lina also voiced her opposition. While more houses were always better, they had to consider their current circumstances—it never hurt to keep a little extra cash on hand. “Sigh…” Xu Dong put down his chopsticks and felt compelled to explain: “What’s the point of saving money? Just look at prices these days—keeping it in our pockets will only make it lose value day by day. Remember the panic buying last month? In the future, you might not even be able to buy things even if you have the money.” Yang Lina thought it over and realized her husband did have a point, though she still had some reservations. After all, with so many children at home, they had to be cautious about everything they did. Xu’s mother spoke up directly: “You can’t use all 10 million to buy a house; you should set aside at least 3 million for emergencies.” Yang Lina quickly nodded in agreement. Xu Dong thought about it. Seven million wasn’t a small sum—it was enough to buy a modest home—so he didn’t press the issue: “All right, then. Let’s all go house-hunting together this weekend.” The weekend arrived quickly, and with the exception of Xu’s father, the whole family was ready to go. They had already made an appointment with the real estate company—the same one that had previously shown them the Siheyuan—since they’d dealt with them before and communication was easier that way. Xu Dong drove straight to the entrance of the “Anjiaju” branch office, where General Manager Wang and his assistant were already waiting. “Mr. Wang, I’m sorry to bother you again,” Xu Dong said politely. With the kids in the car, he didn’t offer a cigarette this time. “How could this be an inconvenience? I’d actually love to have this kind of ‘inconvenience’ come my way every day,” Mr. Wang said with a touch of humor. “Haha…” Mr. Wang looked at the Mercedes-Benz in front of him and remarked appreciatively, “Mr. Xu, your car is really spacious.” “I have no choice—with such a large family, a regular car just wouldn’t fit us all.” Next, Xu Dong introduced his family members one by one to Mr. Wang. Mr. Wang teased the triplets a bit, then flattered Mrs. Xu, saying, “Madam, with so many grandchildren, you’re truly blessed!” “It’s true I’m blessed, but it’s also a lot of worry,” Mrs. Xu replied politely. After some small talk, General Manager Wang took the passenger seat so he could give directions. As for his young assistant, she sat next to Yang Lina to help look after the triplets. “Mr. Wang, which neighborhood should we head to first?” “Let’s go to the ‘Qingze Garden’ complex—it’s closer to your Siheyuan,” Mr. Wang said. Ten minutes later, they arrived at Qingze Garden. It was an older residential complex with excellent landscaping; the buildings weren’t very tall, mostly five or seven stories. The apartment they had scheduled to view was on the third floor—a 72-square-meter, two-bedroom, one-living-room unit. It was unfurnished and listed at 6. 5 million. “Grandma, what do you think?” Mrs. Xu shook her head dismissively. “This layout is way too small, and the place is old. I don’t think it’ll work.” Xu Dong shared a similar opinion; the space was too small—there was simply no way a family of nine could live there comfortably. As for the landscaping, it was still uncertain whether it would be maintained in the future. “All right, then let’s head to the next complex, ‘Sanhe Home.’ It’s just a bit far—it’s right by the East Fifth Ring Road,” Mr. Wang explained. Housing prices in Yanjing were already high, and with the impact of the buying frenzy, the average price had already surpassed 100,000. The closer a property was to the city center, the steeper the price increase. With a budget of only seven million, if they wanted a larger home, their only option was to try their luck in areas beyond the Fourth Ring Road. Mrs. Xu and Yang Lina thought it was a bit too far, but Xu Dong insisted they go take a look first. In the future, Yanjing will undoubtedly expand toward the coast; the East Fifth Ring Road, which seems somewhat remote now, holds even greater development potential than the West Third Ring Road. In less than half an hour, they finally arrived at Sanhe Jiayuan. This residential complex was relatively new—likely developed in recent years—and the surrounding environment was quite nice. The apartment they were viewing was on the thirteenth floor. The group knocked and entered; the homeowner, caught off guard by the large number of visitors, was momentarily taken aback. “Sorry to bother you,” Xu Dong said, handing the homeowner a cigarette. The homeowner took it and said, “No need to be so polite.” The apartment wasn’t anything special—a total of 135 square meters, with four bedrooms and a living room, fully renovated, and all appliances included. Xu Dong was very satisfied with what he saw and began negotiating the price with the owner on the spot. “Mr. Cai, let’s not waste any time. I’ll offer 6. 5 million—and I can pay the full amount in one lump sum.” The homeowner had probably never encountered such a straightforward buyer before. Instead of giving a direct answer, he exchanged a glance with Mr. Wang, and the two stepped outside to discuss the matter. “Mr. Cai, rest assured—Mr. Xu definitely has the financial means. Last year, he bought a Siheyuan from me worth 100 million yuan,” Mr. Wang said straight to the point. The homeowner hesitated. “Cutting the price by 800,000 all at once is a bit much.” “But Mr. Xu is willing to pay in full!” That was precisely what was troubling the homeowner. Mr. Cai was originally from Zhezhou. After graduating, he stayed in Yanjing to start his own business, achieved some modest success, and eventually settled down here. Unfortunately, the economic climate has been poor this year, and his restaurant company has also faced difficulties; last month, it went bankrupt. In fact, half of the proceeds from the sale would go toward repaying his bank loan. Of course, he personally hopes to pay off the loan as soon as possible and then use the remaining money to return to his hometown quickly, as his parents are also facing significant difficulties there. “6. 8 million—do you think Mr. Xu will agree to that?” the homeowner asked. Mr. Wang shook his head: “I’m afraid that’ll be difficult. I won’t lie to you—Mr. Xu’s mother and wife aren’t too happy with the surroundings here; they think it’s too remote. It was Mr. Xu who insisted on coming to take a look.” The moment he thought back to the elderly lady’s expression just now, the landlord instantly lost his composure. She had indeed seemed a bit displeased; she hadn’t said much after entering the house and had kept a stern face the entire time.