Chapter 3: House-Buying Plan

At dusk, Chen Fan returned to the residential complex after buying groceries.

That afternoon he had already fired the fat shop owner because 600 yuan a month was nothing, and he would not let a reincarnator be humiliated.

He took his key, opened the door, and the spacious but shabby apartment came into view.

The house had been bought by his parents before they died; when Wolong County moved from the old county town to the new county town, his parents, planning for his future, had taken out a loan to buy this 120-square-meter apartment.

But fate had other plans.

Last year, while his parents were working and eating in Yang City, they were struck by misfortune when they failed to get out of the way of a drunk driver’s vehicle and were both killed.

His grandmother turned gray overnight upon hearing the terrible news, and Chen Fan sank into despair and gave up on himself, barely scoring just over the first-tier cutoff on the college entrance exam by about 30 points.

By now the mortgage on the apartment had been paid off, and to prevent his Third Uncle from coveting it, his Grandmother had used his parents’ compensation money to repay the loan.

Unfortunately, in his past life he still couldn’t keep this house, and it was swindled away by Third Uncle.

But in this life Chen Fan would not be so foolish.

After taking a look around the house, both unfamiliar and familiar, Chen Fan washed his face, and the mirror reflected a young, tall, energetic, handsome young man.

If one had to describe him with an idiom, it would be “ordinary and unremarkable.”

From primary school through university, Chen Fan had consistently ranked among the top three in his class for looks; he wasn’t stunningly handsome, but he still had the right to be picky when choosing a partner.

Even after he later sank into a life of slacking and doing nothing, women were seldom scarce around him; at one point a rich woman even wanted to support him financially, but he firmly refused.

Of course, he still wasn’t quite on par with the readers’ grandpa.

No more bragging; Chen Fan tidied up the apartment and then started cooking.

Having lived alone for over a decade and having once apprenticed as a cook, he had picked up a few good dishes.

Half an hour later the meal was ready, and just then someone opened the door outside.

Chen Fan’s heart stirred with excitement, and he hurried to the door.

But when he actually saw the little old woman with a head full of white hair yet a sprightly spirit, Chen Fan neither burst into tears nor shouted; he simply smiled, called, “Grandmother,” and took the groceries she carried.

It was enough that she was still there.

After his parents died in his previous life, his grandmother had moved from their hometown to the new county town, working while taking care of Chen Fan’s daily life.

Just as they had finally waited for Chen Fan to get into university and were about to enjoy a good life, she had been diagnosed with advanced breast cancer.

Chen Fan was heartbroken at the time; he dropped out of Modou overnight and returned home to accompany his grandmother through her final six months.

Now that his Grandmother could be seen standing before him again, Chen Fan couldn’t help but be excited.

Not understanding her grandson’s feelings, his grandmother looked at the clean house and the fragrant dishes and exclaimed, “My dear Fan, when did you learn to cook?”

Because Chen Fan was the only son and had excellent grades from a young age, his parents and elders never let him do chores, and he was used to being waited on hand and foot.

Chen Fan had grown accustomed to it and didn’t think anything was wrong, but now there was no way he could still act like a little young master.

“I’ve been learning from Sister Wanrou; Grandmother, sit down and try my cooking!”

“Okay, then I’ll try it!”

Grandmother wiped her hands, sat down with a smile, and resolved in her heart to eat every bite even if it wasn’t tasty.

This was her good grandson’s cooking!

She took the first bite of the green pepper shredded pork and murmured, “Hm?”

She took another bite of the stewed meat and tofu and went, “Hm??”

She ate some more.

Chen Fan, seeing his grandmother’s incredulous expression, laughed aloud and asked, “Grandmother, how does it taste?”

“It’s delicious; it’s much better than my cooking!”

His grandmother smiled, wrinkles crinkling, and she was not surprised that her grandson’s cooking had improved so much.

He was the family’s most outstanding grandson, so wasn’t it normal that he learned quickly?

“If you like it, Grandmother, then eat more; from now on I’ll do the cooking.”

Chen Fan served his Grandmother a few more bites, and before she could refuse, he promptly brought up another topic.

“Grandmother, my classmate has a free senior checkup spot that his family won’t use and he intends to give to me; I’ll take you the day after tomorrow so it won’t go to waste.”

“I’m not sick, why go for a checkup…”

“Besides, it’s free; not getting checked would be a waste, and it’s a chance to see what the county’s newly built county hospital is like.”

Chen Fan knew that many elderly people disliked checkups, but he knew even better that his Grandmother liked to grab small bargains and would stand in line for hours for a single egg.

By playing the “free” card, he was sure his Grandmother would be tempted.

Sure enough, his Grandmother fell for it; after a few seconds’ hesitation she quickly nodded, thinking that not going to a free service would be a loss for her.

Chen Fan breathed a sigh of relief.

At this point in time, his Grandmother’s breast cancer was very likely at an early stage, and the chances of recovery were high if detected promptly.

As for the cost of the checkup, he could first ask Sister Wanrou or his new girlfriend to cover it.

After the warm dinner, Chen Fan rushed to wash the dishes and told Grandmother that he had already quit his job at the supermarket.

His grandmother did not mind; as long as her grandson focused on his studies, she could take care of earning the money.

But in the next moment, what Chen Fan said made her a little unsettled.

“Grandmother, I want to sell the house!”

“Why would you suddenly want to sell the house? Fanwa, are you in trouble? Should we talk with your Eldest Uncle about this?”

His Grandmother immediately panicked; since her second son was gone, if her grandson had problems again, what would she do?

Chen Fan took his Grandmother’s hand and reassured her, “Don’t worry, his Grandmother, I’m not in trouble; I want to sell the house because I’m preparing to study in Modou, and I want to buy a place there before purchase restrictions kick in…”

During the afternoon Chen Fan also thought about how to earn his first pot of gold.

In his previous life his last job had been as a security guard, and his fellow guard A-Bin often boasted about his family’s house demolition and compensation experience.

Each time he would mock neighbors who were desperate to sell their homes.

So Chen Fan remembered very clearly.

The demolition and relocation happened at the end of 2010, and the scope unusually included some old commodity housing complexes, with compensation set at a 1-to-2 ratio.

Coincidentally, before National Day in 2010 Modou had not yet implemented purchase restrictions, so outsiders could still buy commodity housing.

That meant that as long as Chen Fan could scrape together the money to buy a house, in a few months his funds could directly double!

Moreover, this year was the peak of housing prices in Wolong County, so cashing out would yield the greatest profit.

At the start of the year the County Government released two pieces of news: one, the high schools would be gradually moved from the old county town to the new county town; and two, several large factories intended to move into the industrial park.

Although these measures would take several years to realize, they did not prevent Wolong County’s property prices from soaring this year, jumping from just over 2,000 to 3,000.

Chen Fan’s family had few relatives in the new county town; his Grandmother had come only to take care of his studies, and after his graduation the house would be of little use, so it might as well be sold for a good price.

His grandmother didn’t understand the talk about purchase restrictions and appreciation; she only remembered that her grandson was going to a big city to study and needed a place to settle.

“If you need it, my dear Fan, then sell it; how much more do you need for the house? I can still put up 20,000…”

“Thanks, Grandmother, no need to rush for now; I’ll ask around with friends first.”

Chen Fan could tell what was urgent and what was not; the most important thing now was to cure hiis grandmother’s illness, and everything else could wait.

Besides, he already had a better way in mind to raise the money.