Free Web NovelChapter 104: Chapter 104: Discussing Buying a House
Everyone in the Li Family now had their own thoughts about Gu’er’s situation.
Gu’er, however, furrowed her brow slightly. ’The next time I visit Grandma’s house, should I secretly ask her where she found me? Should I try to find my birth parents?’
The thought of her birth parents threw her into a state of slight panic. She didn’t know if she should search for them or not. A faint sense of anticipation mingled with an indescribable feeling in her heart.
Gu’er returned to the Sun Family’s home. In the kitchen, Sun Jiaming had already started steaming the rice.
Gu’er saw that Sun Jiaming had also finished chopping the vegetables, so she went to chat with Grandma Sun for a while.
After dinner, Gu’er was in the kitchen washing the dishes.
"Gu’er, what do you think of the West Forest Street area?"
Sun Jiaming asked Gu’er.
Gu’er’s hands, busy washing the dishes, paused.
"Brother Jia Ming, why are you asking about that place? It’s pretty run-down right now."
Gu’er asked Sun Jiaming, confused.
"When I went into the city last time, a friend told me there were houses for sale over there, so I went to take a good look. I found that the location is actually quite good. It’s run-down, but I think it will probably develop in the future. So, I’ve been thinking about buying two small houses there. If it develops later, I could either sell them or use them as storefronts to run a business."
Sun Jiaming explained this to Gu’er. He had been pondering it for days but hadn’t quite made up his mind. He wasn’t sure why he was telling Gu’er about it today.
Because he was so preoccupied with this matter, he didn’t notice Gu’er’s slip of the tongue. She had said the area was run-down *right now*. Why would she specify "right now"? Sun Jiaming didn’t catch it.
Gu’er’s eyes widened as she stared at Sun Jiaming. Under the light, he looked no different than usual. ’But... but why would he want to buy a house in the West Forest area? Could it be that Sun Jiaming is also reborn?’
The West Forest Street area was really run-down right now. Even later on, it wouldn’t become the city center. But Gu’er knew that it would eventually turn into a bustling morning market. It would be very prosperous, real estate prices wouldn’t be cheap, and storefronts would be in extremely high demand. Later still, several large residential complexes would be developed there, along with a large supermarket, a movie theater, a shopping mall, and an overpass. Being so close to the river, it was an excellent location. The property prices there would become some of the most expensive in the city.
’It’s such a dilapidated area now, mostly inhabited by the poor. Yet Sun Jiaming wants to buy property there and even says he thinks it will develop well. If he’s not reborn, what else could it be?’
’But is Sun Jiaming really reborn?’
"Brother Jia Ming, have you ever thought about buying a lottery ticket?"
Gu’er asked Sun Jiaming as a test. She had bought a lottery ticket once herself. She was passing by a vendor and bought a two-yuan ticket—a single entry. At that time, her daughter was pressuring her for money to buy a house. On a whim, she bought one ticket, dreaming that if she won, her life wouldn’t be so hard. She had truly felt like she was being pushed to her breaking point back then.
Unfortunately, that one ticket didn’t win. It symbolized that she couldn’t expect to reap without sowing, and that she wasn’t a lucky person.
After that, she gave up on such fantasies and focused on working several jobs to earn money.
"Lottery ticket? What’s that?"
Sun Jiaming frowned slightly, not understanding what Gu’er was talking about.
Gu’er stared at Sun Jiaming, studying him intently. He didn’t seem to be acting.
"Oh, it’s nothing. I was just talking."
’I can’t really explain what a lottery ticket is to him,’ Gu’er thought. ’But if Sun Jiaming isn’t reborn, then how did he know West Forest Street would develop in the future? Is he just that sharp?’
Deciding to find out, she asked, "Brother Jia Ming, why are you so optimistic about that area? I’ve been there; it’s pretty run-down."
"It is pretty run-down, but it’s close to the river. If they build apartment buildings there in the future, I’m sure people will buy them. Besides, there are already quite a few people selling things there, so it could slowly form a market over time. If the area’s development is planned out, it would be a good place to sell things. The transportation is also convenient. I think it has the potential to grow. Plus, the houses there are very cheap right now. Even if I buy one, I probably won’t lose money on it."
Sun Jiaming told Gu’er everything he was thinking.
Now Gu’er was truly astonished. ’It really will become a market in the future. I only know that because I’m reborn, but Sun Jiaming isn’t, yet he figured it out. His foresight is incredible.’
’I can’t believe I didn’t think of buying a couple of houses in a promising location first.’
’Actually, it’s not that I didn’t think of it. For one, I don’t have much ambition. For another, I don’t have the money. Right now, I’m still stuck on the level of making a little money here and there through small ventures. I haven’t thought about anything bigger at all.’
"Brother Jia Ming, how much are the houses over there? And what kind are they?"
Gu’er asked Sun Jiaming. ’If the price is acceptable, should I consider buying one too? Although the city holds painful memories for me, that place isn’t on West Forest Street—it’s far from it. And if I had a house, it would be convenient to sell things in the future.’
"I’ve asked around and looked into it. There’s public housing, which isn’t expensive, but the residents all bought their units with housing vouchers, so they can’t be sold. Then there are privately built houses, which have deeds. A place around thirty square meters costs about two thousand yuan, with the cheapest going for around eighteen hundred. Finally, there are gatehouses. They don’t have deeds, but you can buy one for three to five hundred yuan. I was thinking of buying a gatehouse. That way, even if I sell it later, I won’t lose money."
Sun Jiaming told Gu’er everything he knew.
Gu’er fell silent. She understood what Sun Jiaming meant. She was also familiar with that area. Housing vouchers were a product of this era. They were like coupons issued by one’s work unit. Some units would build a row of houses and then issue vouchers to their employees, allowing them to buy the houses at a cheap price. However, these houses couldn’t be bought or sold. The employees had the right of residence but not ownership. After an employee died, their children had no right to live there, and the work unit could take the property back.
So, those kinds of houses were impossible to buy.
As for the other private houses, two thousand yuan... Gu’er shook her head. She couldn’t even afford one hundred right now. Her recent savings of over eighty yuan seemed like a lot, but she was still incredibly poor.
Then again, the average worker’s monthly salary was only about a hundred yuan. Some earned just a few dozen, or even as little as ten or so. How many families could afford to buy a house?
She also knew about the "gatehouses" Sun Jiaming mentioned. They weren’t proper storefronts, but they were similar to what would later be considered storefronts.
They were a bit like the gatehouses of ancient times: privately built by the roadside, smaller and lower than the main house. You could live in them or use them to store and sell things. The main house had a deed, but the gatehouse didn’t. If you bought one and didn’t manage to get a deed for it, you would only receive half the compensation in the event of demolition and relocation. It was a significant disadvantage. freēwebnovel.com
’If Sun Jiaming knows someone and can spend a little money to get the deed processed, it would be a fantastic deal,’ she thought. ’The area is going to develop, and a gatehouse like that could later be converted into a proper storefront, which would be perfect. It’s a pity I have no money and no connections.’
"So, Brother Jia Ming, you’re planning to buy a gatehouse? Hearing you explain it, I think it sounds okay. After all, the gatehouse is the cheapest option, and as long as it’s livable, that’s what matters. But I heard that those gatehouses don’t have deeds. What if you buy it and the authorities don’t recognize the sale later on?"
Gu’er couldn’t tell Sun Jiaming what the future held, but this was her way of showing her approval of his plan while still bringing up the problem of the deed.
