Free Web NovelChapter 214: Chapter 215: Instigation
In addition to the cashmere sweaters, Su Qing also bought a number of other things at the Friendship Store. She ended up spending most of her Foreign Exchange Certificates before finally leaving.
The weekend arrived in just a couple of days, and with it, the day Su Qing was to take possession of her new house.
After checking out of her hotel room, she headed to Xilin Alley, carrying only a single bag for appearance’s sake.
At that moment, a large truck was parked at the entrance to the two-courtyard house in Xilin Alley. Two men were carrying wooden boxes and parcels out of the courtyard one by one and loading them into the back of the truck.
By the time Su Qing arrived, almost everything had been loaded onto the truck.
Aunt Jin looked back with longing at the courtyard where she had lived for the better part of her life and sighed to herself. When she saw Su Qing, she handed her the keys to the gate. "The courtyard is yours now, dear," she said. "Please take good care of it."
Su Qing took the keys, nodding with a smile. "Don’t you worry, Aunt Jin," she said. "I’ll take great care of the courtyard. You should come back and visit whenever you have the time."
"Oh, yes, yes." Aunt Jin’s heart warmed at Su Qing’s words. "You’re a good kid, Little Su," she said with a smile. "Thank you."
"You’re too kind, Auntie," Su Qing said, then glanced at the large truck. "Are you leaving right away?"
"Yes. My son had them come pick me up," Aunt Jin said with a smile. "It saves me the trouble, since I wouldn’t be able to move all this on my own."
"In that case, have a safe trip, Auntie."
"Of course. And if you ever get a chance to visit Xiangcheng, you must come and find me." Something occurred to Aunt Jin, and she quickly pulled out a slip of paper. "Oh, silly me, I almost forgot! This is my address in Xiangcheng. If you ever come, you have to look me up. I’ll give you a proper welcome."
"Thank you, Auntie." Su Qing accepted the slip of paper with a smile. ’No matter what, I’ll probably need to stay in touch with Aunt Jin anyway,’ she thought. ’If we get along, I could even visit her if I ever get the chance to go to Xiangcheng.’
Aunt Jin chatted with Su Qing for a little while longer before saying her goodbyes and leaving. Su Qing turned to look back at the large, two-courtyard house, her heart bursting with joy. ’Starting today, this place is officially mine.’
Not far away, Zhang Xiaozhen and Zhang Dahai were sitting on a stone block. Zhang Xiaozhen made a point of pointing Su Qing out to him. "Second Brother, see? That’s the girl, Su Qing. Isn’t she gorgeous? Think she could be my sister-in-law?"
From the moment Zhang Dahai laid eyes on Su Qing, he couldn’t look away. ’That girl is absolutely stunning,’ he thought. ’She’s the most beautiful girl I’ve seen in my entire twenty-something years.’
Zhang Dahai felt himself fall for her in an instant.
When she didn’t get a response after a long moment, Zhang Xiaozhen nudged his shoulder. "Second Brother, did you hear a word I said?"
Zhang Dahai snapped out of his daze, his face flushing red all the way to his ears.
Zhang Xiaozhen understood immediately. She grinned. "I knew it, Second Brother! You’ve got a crush on that Su Qing, don’t you?" ƒrēewebnovel.com
"What’s the use of me liking her?" Zhang Dahai was still thinking rationally. ’My family doesn’t even know her. Even if I’ve fallen for her, how could I possibly know what she thinks? If she doesn’t like me back, it’s all pointless. What’s the use of a one-sided crush?’
"What do you mean, ’what’s the use’?" Zhang Xiaozhen retorted. "If you like a girl, you court her, make her your girlfriend, and then my sister-in-law! Isn’t that how it works?"
"Besides," Zhang Xiaozhen added, "everyone’s talking about finding love freely these days. You have to be brave and chase your own happiness!"
"Wouldn’t that be too forward?" Zhang Dahai scratched his head, embarrassed. "She doesn’t even know who I am."
"What’s the big deal? Just find an opportunity to introduce yourself," Zhang Xiaozhen said, seeing it as a simple problem. "Listen to me, Second Brother, when you meet a girl you like, you have to grab the chance. An opportunity like this might not come again!"
"But..." Zhang Dahai was still hesitant. "What if she finds it off-putting?"
"Oh, come on, Second Brother! Don’t be such a stick-in-the-mud!" Zhang Xiaozhen grew anxious. ’This brother of mine is such a blockhead,’ she thought. "It’s all about taking initiative, you know? How will you know if you don’t even try? What if you two actually fall for each other? Right?" freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
Seeing Zhang Dahai was still on the fence, Zhang Xiaozhen started to break it down for him. "Look, Second Brother, for two people to date, they have to like each other, right?"
Zhang Dahai nodded. ’That’s a given,’ he thought.
"Well then, look. You already like her, right? That means you’re already at a fifty-percent success rate! You’re halfway there!" Zhang Xiaozhen declared. "And you’re so handsome, Second Brother! I have total faith in you."
"Really?" Zhang Dahai asked, clearly lacking confidence. ’I’m not that good-looking,’ he thought. ’All three of us siblings took after Dad in the face—monolids and kind of puffy eyes. We got Mom’s height, though. My older brother and I are only about five-foot-seven, and our little sister isn’t even five-three. I don’t really have much confidence in myself.’
"Of course it’s true! Bro, you just need to have a little faith in yourself!" Zhang Xiaozhen urged him on relentlessly. Her chance to live in that courtyard house depended entirely on her second brother.
With Zhang Xiaozhen’s prodding, Zhang Dahai felt he should at least give it a shot. "Alright, fine," he said. "I’ll look for a chance to meet her." ’After all,’ he thought, ’what if it works out?’
"That’s more like it!" When Zhang Dahai agreed, Zhang Xiaozhen beamed. "Go for it, Second Brother! I’ll help you out if you need it. Let’s try to get you married to my new sister-in-law as soon as possible!"
Little did Su Qing know, someone was already secretly scheming to win her over.
She entered the courtyard house and shut the gate behind her. Then, she began taking things out of her space one by one to furnish the rooms.
With the help of her space, Su Qing worked quickly. Soon, the bedroom, living room, and kitchen were all neatly arranged.
As noon approached, Su Qing took a meal out of her space. Her plan was to eat lunch and then take a walk around Xilin Alley. For one, she wanted to familiarize herself with the neighborhood. For another, she wanted to see if any other houses were for sale.
Su Qing had started with over 50,000 yuan. After buying two properties, she still had 45,000 left. She planned to invest it all in real estate. ’While houses are still cheap, I’ll buy up a few more,’ she thought. ’Then in the future, even if I don’t lift a finger, I can just live the good life as a landlady!’
Thinking about the future, Su Qing couldn’t wipe the massive grin off her face. A wonderful future was waving at her.
