Chapter 169

The news about the house quickly reached Xiao Wu’s side. The next morning, the whole family set out again to look at houses near Peking University.

Today, Han Cheng was driving, and he met up with Xiao Wu early in the morning.

Most of the alleys near Peking University were filled with large bungalows upon entry, and they were not as grand as the quadrangle courtyard houses. 

Generally, they consisted of a main room plus several bedrooms, with kitchens and bathrooms on both sides, forming a large courtyard. 

If there are many people in the family, the size of the courtyard will appear smaller. They needed to add two more rooms on both sides; the structure of these houses was somewhat similar to the rural courtyards in Sujia Village. However, in the city, most of these houses were either rented out to several households or shared by an extended family, and there were not many with independent property rights willing to sell their courtyard.

It took Xiao Wu quite some effort to find two places. These two courtyards were adjacent to each other, belonging to the same owner. During the Cultural Revolution, the houses were confiscated but later returned to their original owners. 

With family members scattered, only two orphans and their mother remained as heirs, holding the house deed without any property disputes. 

The female owner, Bai Lan, was around forty years old and had a kind face. Her son, Chen Ping’an, was twenty years old this year. Having graduated from high school two years ago, he decided to give the college entrance exam a try this year. Unexpectedly, he was actually admitted to university—although it was just an ordinary university. 

Chen Ping’an wasn’t here today; all this information was gathered by Xiao Wu.

Everyone who had experienced the Cultural Revolution had lingering fears, afraid of a recurrence. In an era where most families were squeezed into small apartment buildings, having two large courtyards in the city was too conspicuous. They were always worried that they might be taken back one day, feeling uneasy. After discussing with her son, Bai Lan and her son decided to sell one of the courtyards, and it is safer to have some money in their hands.

The location of the courtyard houses was excellent, right in the alleys near Peking University. Once the news spread, many people came to see them. Most were outsiders, with children admitted to the capital’s university and some spare money. However, they either found the price too high or worried about the possibility of the houses being taken back. So, most of them hesitated to buy the courtyard house. 

Although there were some people who were interested in buying the house, Bai Lan didn’t like them or want them as their neighbors. This made the house difficult to sell.

Recently, quite a few people came to see the house, but Bai Lan had never seen a family like Su Xiaoxiao’s. This was the first time Bai Lan saw someone bring their children along.

What surprised Bai Lan even more was that the children were not just here to take a look. 

They were actively involved, and Su Xiaoxiao was seriously discussing it with them.

With a pitiful expression on his frozen red nose, Xiao Roubao complained: “Mommy, I think this house is a bit shabby. It’s not as beautiful as Brother Zhuzi’s or Great Uncle’s courtyard. I don’t like it here.”

Fantuan pointed not far away: “Whether the house is beautiful or not doesn’t matter. The most important requirement is convenience. Don’t you remember passing by that beautiful archway just now? Mom and Dad will go there for classes in the future, so living here is convenient. We can walk there, and we also pass by the middle school and elementary school on our way here, right? Big Brother and Second Brother can go to those two schools in the future. Living here will be convenient for our whole family when we go to school.”

Xiao Doubao, who understood his little brother the most, said, “Little Brother, didn’t you see many food stalls when we passed by the alley entrance just now? There were even Tanghulu. There must be more food when you walk even further. Don’t you want to be able to buy lots of delicious food right outside the door?”

After careful consideration, Xiao Roubao reluctantly agreed with his second brother’s statement: “It seems like there’s a bit more food, but Mommy doesn’t let me buy things outside anyway. It’s useless even if there’s more.”

Fantuan and Doubao: “…”

Su Xiaoxiao had explained to Fantuan and Doubao a few days ago why they wanted to live near the school, and they had heard from Uncle Xiao Wu that it wasn’t easy to find a house, so they worked hard to persuade Xiao Roubao.

Fantuan rubbed his younger brother’s face and said, “My younger sister is not as picky as you. She can even live here; why can’t you?”

Su Xiaoxiao rescued Xiao Roubao from Fantuan’s hands and said: “Xiao Roubao, what do you think? Mommy thinks this place is pretty good. It might not look nice now, but Mommy plans to have someone fix it up, paint the walls white, and plant osmanthus and begonias at the door and along the walls. We can even have a small vegetable garden and plant some vegetables and fruit trees. It should look nice then. If Xiao Roubao really doesn’t want to live here, it’s okay. You can live with your Uncle or Brother Zhuzi.”

Upon hearing this, Xiao Roubao burst into tears, hugged Su Xiaoxiao, and said as he cried, “No, no, I want to live with Daddy and Mommy, wuwuwu.”

After hugging Su Xiaoxiao, Xiao Roubao ran over to complain to Han Cheng, wiping his tears and snot on Han Cheng’s pants. “Daddy, does Mommy dislike Xiao Roubao for eating too much and not want Xiao Roubao anymore? Wuwuwu, you have to decide for Xiao Roubao, wuwuwu…”

Su Xiaoxiao: “…”. She didn’t know this little meatball was so dramatic. When did she say such things?

While crying, Xiao Roubao sneakily looked at his mom, looking as pitiful as possible.

Han Cheng bent down to pick up the little one, took a handkerchief to wipe his tears, and said, “Mommy never said that. It’s you who said you don’t like this place, and Mommy just let you choose.”

Xiao Roubao still feels aggrieved and said, “Anyway, Xiao Roubao is not feeling good. I didn’t eat enough in the morning. I might need to eat two skewers of tanghulu to feel better, wuwuwu.”

Su Xiaoxiao: “…”

So this is what he’s waiting for? 

Su Xiaoxiao had the urge to spank the child for the first time. This brat just wanted to trick her into giving him tanghulu.

Su Xiaoxiao rarely puts on a serious face. “If you want to eat tanghulu, tell Mommy. You shouldn’t lie or cheat.”

Xiao Roubao knew he was wrong and drooped his head. “Mommy, it’s true that I think the house is really shabby, and it’s also true that Xiao Roubao really wants to eat tanghulu. And it’s also true that Xiao Roubao eats a lot.”

Su Xiaoxiao: “…”. It seemed the child was growing up; he even knew that he had a big appetite.

Han Cheng gave the child’s bottom two pats, “Alright, go; you’re your brother to buy some tanghulu, but next time, no more lying and no more cheating, Mommy.”

Xiao Roubao immediately wiped away his tears and hugged Han Cheng’s neck. He planted a kiss on his cheek and said, “Daddy, you’re the best daddy in the world, and Mommy is the best mommy too.”

Fantuan took his little brother from their dad’s hands and also patted his bottom. “What did Big Brother teach you? If you keep lying to eat and drink, Big Brother won’t play with you anymore.”

Xiao Roubao hugged his brother’s neck and said, “Big brother, the house is not beautiful and it is so expensive; can’t I say it out loud? I heard it; that’s enough money to buy lots and lots of tanghulu.” Xiao Roubao gestured with his hands.

Fantuan said, “Then tell me, how much is a string of tanghulu you can buy with this money?”

Xiao Roubao ignored his brother and looked at Bai Lan with big black eyes: “Auntie, can you make the house cheaper? I eat a lot, and my family can barely afford to feed me. If you make it cheaper, I’ll have money to buy tanghulu.”

Bai Lan only had one son, who didn’t like to talk to her much. When her husband got into trouble when her son was young, the grandparents took care of him, so her son didn’t feel close to her. She couldn’t even remember what her son was like when he was young. Was he as cute as these kids?

People came to see the house wave after wave, and Bai Lan had never dropped the price. Now, seeing these lovely children being so friendly, she really wanted to be their neighbor. Bai Lan didn’t hesitate: “Okay, Auntie will make it cheaper for you by a hundred yuan. How about that? You can buy one year’s worth of tanghulu.”

Xiao Roubao, nestled on his brother’s back, squinted his eyes and said, “Thank you, Auntie! We’ll treat you to tanghulu later.” Then he turned to ask Fantuan, “Big Brother, how much is a hundred yuan? Can it buy so many tanghulu for a year?”

Fantuan: “…”

Bai Lan rarely smiled so brightly. She had seen all kinds of people over the years. They said distant relatives weren’t as good as close neighbors. This family had a great atmosphere, and the children were especially cute. They might be neighbors for decades to come. Bai Lan was willing to give them a discount, even several hundred yuan. She didn’t mind. Good neighbors were hard to come by.

Xiao Wu took a sharp breath. A string of tanghulu only costs a few cents. A hundred yuan would be enough for Xiao Roubao to eat tanghulu for ten years! Considering the current price of the house, a few hundred yuan could buy a smaller courtyard in a more remote area. Most people thought the price here was high because most of the potential buyers were outsiders. This was the capital, after all. Compared to the prices in their hometowns, it was naturally more expensive. The location was good, and the size of the courtyard was large. Her selling price was actually not expensive at all. Xiao Wu felt embarrassed to negotiate the price with her.

After the children left, Su Xiaoxiao said, “Sister Lan, you don’t need to listen to the children’s nonsense. The location of this house is very good, and the price is already fair. We can’t take advantage of you anymore. If you’re willing to sell it to us, let’s stick to the original price. We’ll cover all the fees for the transfer of ownership.”

Xiaoxiao knew that this place would be valuable in the future. Bai Lan was a good person, and the house was suitable. It might be a bit rundown now, but it would take some effort to fix it up. However, the location and size were suitable. The price she quoted was the market price, which wasn’t cheap. Now, people who sell houses will regret it in the future. She really doesn’t want anyone to take advantage of her.

Bai Lan sighed for a while, realizing that Su Xiaoxiao’s family was full of good people, even better than she had thought. Everyone else was trying every means to lower the price, but they didn’t care if she lost money. On the other hand, Su Xiaoxiao was worried that she would suffer losses. There were many bad people in the world, but there were also many good ones.

Bai Lan was extremely satisfied with such a neighbor: “Your family is full of good people, and I won’t hide it from you. This house was confiscated before and only returned recently. If we make a deal and it gets confiscated again, I won’t be able to help you. Can you take on this risk?”

Su Xiaoxiao naturally knew that such a thing wouldn’t happen again. She shook her head and said, “You don’t need to worry about that. Once the house is transferred to us, it’s ours. There’s no risk.” Su Xiaoxiao pointed to the next door and asked, “Is that also your courtyard?”

Since they had already talked openly, Bai Lan had no reservations: “Yes, both are mine. This courtyard has two more rooms. I live in the other one, which has two fewer rooms. Actually, the size is the same. You have more people in your family, so this one should be more suitable.”

Su Xiaoxiao nodded and said, “Yes, we have more people, so two more rooms would be more suitable. Then I’ll take this one. When would it be convenient for you to handle the transfer procedures?”

Bai Lan replied, “I’m available anytime. It depends on your schedule. I don’t have a job now, so I’m free all day. I don’t feel secure just sitting around with these two houses. I’m even more insecure without any money. I thought about renting them out before, but there was a tenant in the front who refused to pay rent or move out. I was scared when I saw that, so I thought about selling one of my courtyards instead.”

Su Xiaoxiao looked at her in surprise. In her forties, she shouldn’t have reached retirement age yet. But it made sense. Even if she was rehabilitated, if her original unit refused to accept her, she wouldn’t be able to return to work.

“Then we’ll go back and prepare the money. We’ll come over early tomorrow morning to handle the transfer procedures. Don’t sell the one you live in, even if you’re short of money. You can find a way to earn more money if you run out. It’s hard to buy the house back after selling it.” Su Xiaoxiao could only stop there.

Bai Lan nodded. “I won’t sell it anymore. Otherwise, my son and I won’t have anywhere to live.”

After wandering around for a while, the kids finally bought some tanghulu and came back. They not only bought Tanghulu but also some other snacks.

Normally, they wouldn’t eat outside without Su Xiaoxiao’s permission, but today was a rare opportunity, so they decided to buy a bit more.

“Mommy, I like it here. There are lots of snacks at the alley entrance!” Xiao Roubao generously gave a string of tanghulu to Uncle Xiao Wu and Auntie Bai.

Su Xiaoxiao pinched his little face and said, “As long as you like it, you can only have one string of tanghulu.”

Xiao Roubao squinted his eyes and took a bite of the sweet and sour tanghulu. “I know, Mommy~~”

With the house settled, Su Xiaoxiao felt relieved. The whole family happily headed home, each with a string of tanghulu in hand.