Free Web NovelChapter 287: Chapter 289: Buying a Siheyuan
All by herself, An Ning went to the police station first, a backpack slung over her shoulders.
By the time she came out, it was almost dark.
’I should head back, or Second Brother will lose his mind.’
After filing a report about the scammer, An Ning boarded a bus and left.
The bus was headed toward Beijing University, as An Ning and An Guoming were temporarily staying at Yu the Elder’s home.
Yu the Elder was clearly a man of means. His house in Beijing was sizable—a detached home with a private courtyard, where he lived with only his eldest son, Yu Zheng.
As his future master, An Ning didn’t stand on ceremony and refuse the offer to stay.
’He’s my own disciple. What’s there to be embarrassed about?’
When An Ning got off the bus and started walking toward the small courtyard, she saw An Guoming pacing anxiously at the mouth of the alley.
"Second Brother!"
Her call seemed to break An Guoming’s anxious spell.
"What took you so long?! Any later and I’d have had to call Mom. I was already trying to decide which of your legs she should break first."
"Which leg?"
In response to An Ning’s question, An Guoming, exasperated, flicked her sharply on the forehead.
"You know, you really need someone to keep you in line."
For a moment, An Guoming felt a flicker of pity for his future brother-in-law.
An Ning strolled ahead, unconcerned. "You’re overthinking it, Second Brother. Who could possibly keep me in line? I’m so well-behaved I don’t need anyone managing me."
An Ning was in high spirits today; outsmarting the scammer had been exhilarating.
An Guoming, watching his sister’s excited state, couldn’t help but ask, "What did you do today?"
"I played a little game."
An Ning didn’t elaborate, only telling An Guoming that she now had the money to buy a courtyard house.
Trailing behind her, An Guoming thought with a twinge of sadness, ’My little sister’s all grown up. She’s starting to keep secrets.’
The two entered Yu the Elder’s courtyard one after another. Yu Zheng had saved a meal for An Ning. After she finished eating alone, she urged everyone to get some rest, as they were going to buy a house tomorrow.
After buying this house, An Ning planned to head home.
Yu the Elder and Yu Zheng would be going back with her for the apprenticeship ceremony.
* * *
The first rays of morning sunlight slipped through the window, dancing playfully on An Ning’s eyelids.
She spread her fingers to shield her eyes, yawning as she stretched luxuriously.
She propped herself up on her arms, her eyes still closed.
She tilted her head back, letting the warm sunlight wash over her face, enjoying nature’s massage.
This went on for about ten minutes before An Ning finally opened her eyes.
She picked up the watch from her bedside, checked the time, and briskly got out of bed.
After quickly washing up, An Ning went downstairs to have breakfast with the others.
"Teacher An, I’ve made the arrangements. We can head over right after breakfast."
Yu the Elder paused for a moment before continuing, "However, I expect we won’t be the only potential buyers."
An Ning was sipping a bowl of plain congee. She set it down and said, "That’s fine. It’s only natural for everyone to want something good."
"We’ll go with an open mind and do our best to get it. If we don’t, it’s not a big deal."
"You have a wonderful philosophy, Teacher."
This wasn’t flattery from Yu the Elder; he truly admired An Ning’s character and how she handled things.
To be so insightful at such a young age was truly admirable.
After the three of them finished breakfast, Yu Zheng cleared the table with An Guoming’s help.
Once everything was tidied up, Yu Zheng pulled up in a car.
An Ning glanced at Yu the Elder, who chuckled and said, "Happened to have a little extra cash on hand."
"More than a little, it seems."
An Ning took the seat behind the driver, and Yu the Elder sat beside her.
Yu Zheng was driving, with An Guoming in the passenger seat.
The group of four set off in the small car, heading toward the city center.
The house An Ning had her eye on was being sold directly by the owner. Apparently, a deal with the previous potential buyer had fallen through.
After a drive of over half an hour, the car stopped outside an alley.
Yu Zheng waited in the car while the other three got out and walked down the alley.
The house was easy to spot. It was at the very end of the alley, its entrance facing them—a large, red wooden door flanked by two small stone lions.
An Ning, walking in front, saw at a glance that the large red door was open.
When they arrived, someone was there to greet them and lead them into the two-courtyard siheyuan.
It was very spacious and well-preserved. Most importantly, its location was extremely convenient.
An Ning wanted to buy this house because she felt that An Sancheng and Lin Cuihua would love a courtyard like this.
An Ning and her companions passed through the gatehouse and around the spirit screen, where the view suddenly opened up to a wide courtyard.
Several groups of people were already in the courtyard.
Their arrival drew a moment’s attention, but then a loud, angry shout captured everyone’s focus.
From the small gate connecting the first and second courtyards, a boy of about five-foot-ten came bursting out, yelling his head off.
"Dad—there are so many people here!"
"Mind your image!"
Only after the boy shouted did everyone see a rugged-looking man behind him, sleeves rolled up, charging forward menacingly with a wooden slat in his hand.
"Image? What image do I have left?!"
"You’ve completely disgraced me!"
"You little brat, you scored a twelve on your politics exam!"
"My superior called me in for a talk! He probably thinks I’m an enemy spy!"
The man’s unexpected pivot made everyone in the courtyard struggle to hold back their laughter.
An Ning was no different. She ducked her head. ’This is the first I’ve heard of a politics score having that kind of power. Looks like I’d better do a few more practice problems myself. Wouldn’t want to arouse any suspicion.’
The boy in front was running for his life, finally darting into the crowd and weaving through the gaps to escape.
"Dad, calm down! Calm down!
"It was a fluke, a total fluke!"
"I’m as red as they come, with the five-pointed star to prove it!"
The boy had a quick tongue and a funny way with words, but it clearly had no effect on his hard-boiled father.
The tough guy brandished the wooden slat, chasing the boy relentlessly. If he didn’t give him a proper beating today, he couldn’t live with himself after that talk with his superior.
The boy dodged, and the tough guy chased.
The crowd of house-viewers stood there, at a loss, afraid of getting caught in the crossfire.
As the boy ran, he ended up behind An Ning. He was about to grab her clothes, but An Ning had other ideas.
She grabbed the boy’s wrist with one hand, twisted it upward, and said in a stern voice:
"Boys shouldn’t pull on a girl’s clothes."
Her action gave the tough guy behind them the opening he needed, and he caught the boy in an instant.
"Dad—my own dear dad—"
"I miss my mom!"
"Mommy... where are you..."
Once caught, the boy swiftly and expertly sat on the ground, hugged the tough man’s leg, and started wailing theatrically for his mother.
The tough guy had already raised the wooden slat, but the boy’s performance made him hesitate, unable to bring it down.
He knew the kid was faking it, but it was also true that the boy no longer had a mother.
"I don’t think your mother would be angry," An Ning said. "After all, she’d want what’s best for you, right?"
At An Ning’s words, the boy stared at her with wide eyes.
His expression screamed, ’Who the hell are you???’
The tough guy seemed to have a sudden epiphany, and the slat came down with precision.
"AHHH—"
