Chapter 200: The Power of Buying a House

Ning Weidong said with a chuckle, "What happened? You look so anxious."

Ning Wei glanced quickly into the room, controlled his breathing, lowered his voice, and said rapidly, "Third Brother, it's about the house. A buyer suddenly appeared, and the other party wants to raise the price at the last minute."

Ning Weidong frowned; this matter was rather annoying. He asked, "How much of an increase?"

Ning Wei said, "An increase of one thousand."

Ning Weidong pursed his lips. He didn't care about the one thousand yuan, but raising the price at the last minute was off-putting.

Yet, annoyance aside, there were no other suitable houses available for the time being, and it certainly wouldn't do for Shi Xiaonan to live in the Tongzi Building dormitory for long.

Recently, Zhao Ruyi had been busy recruiting people; once they were hired and saw the place, it would only be a nuisance.

He decided to just accept it.

Just then, Zhao Ruyi came out of the room carrying beer. Seeing Ning Wei, she smiled and said, "Xiao Wei, have you eaten? Stay and have a bite."

Ning Wei hurriedly called out, "Sister-in-law."

Zhao Ruyi set down the iced beer, looked at Ning Weidong, and asked, "What happened?"

Ning Weidong wasn't flustered and said calmly, "Liushen isn't feeling well. Xiao Wei wants to move to a building with heating. It was already negotiated, but the other party raised the price at the last minute."

Zhao Ruyi misunderstood and asked, "Xiao Wei, how much more do you need? Sister-in-law will get it for you."

Ning Wei knew Zhao Ruyi had a straightforward temperament, but he hadn't expected her to be so generous toward him, offering to pay without even asking a second question.

This was certainly because Zhao Ruyi had money now and didn't care about such small change, but from Ning Wei's perspective, he couldn't think of it that way.

Yet, no matter how good Zhao Ruyi was, she couldn't compare to his Third Brother, so he could only feel sorry for his sister-in-law.

Ning Wei didn't respond.

Ning Weidong said, "Since your sister-in-law said she'd give it to you, just take it. We're all family, why be polite? It's my fault as your brother for not considering things thoroughly. As for the last-minute price hike... there aren't many houses available for sale right now. As long as the other party isn't going too far, just pay the extra."

Ning Wei understood what Ning Weidong meant and nodded, saying, "I understand."

Ning Weidong said to Zhao Ruyi, "Ruyi, go inside and get Xiao Wei five thousand yuan."

Zhao Ruyi agreed and went to get the money without another word.

In fact, Ning Wei hadn't come to ask for money; he just had to let Ning Weidong know about the last-minute price increase.

The price had been agreed upon, and now it was suddenly one thousand more; it would be hard to explain later.

As for the money, Ning Wei handled a large sum of it. The company's daily expenses, the maintenance and repairs for Zhao Ruyi's car, various reception costs, and even the costs for Natasha's hospitalization and resettlement were all handled by Ning Wei.

The current Dongyi Company was just a makeshift operation. Zhao Ruyi wasn't professionally trained, and her financial knowledge was limited. She only had a rough idea of how much the company earned and spent; she was quite muddled about the details.

A moment later, Zhao Ruyi came out with a dark cloth bag, rolled into a square, and handed it to Ning Wei, saying, "Xiao Wei, take this. If you have any difficulties at home in the future, just tell your sister-in-law."

Ning Wei acknowledged this.

At this time, Qin Huairu came in from outside, carrying a large plate of fried fish, and placed it on the stone table.

Ning Wei didn't intend to stay for dinner and immediately took his leave tactfully.

As Ning Wei walked out, he happened to bump into Huaihua, who was carrying a cooking pot in from the front yard.

The two of them met face-to-face and were both stunned for a moment.

"Ning Wei?" Huaihua looked surprised, and her voice was loud enough to immediately attract the attention of others in the courtyard.

Ning Wei frowned and carefully sized up the very beautiful girl in front of him. After a few seconds, he recognized her: "You are from Class 2, Grade 2..." but he couldn't recall her name for a moment.

Huaihua pouted and said for him, "My name is Huaihua. So, you've forgotten all about me."

Ning Weidong looked at them from inside, then glanced at Qin Huairu and asked, "Aunt Qin, do they know each other?"

Qin Huairu looked blank as well.

Ning Wei smiled awkwardly and remembered.

He just hadn't expected that the skinny little girl from a few years ago had now grown into a beautiful young woman.

But he still had things to do, and the house matter was waiting, so he nodded and said, "Huaihua, what a coincidence. That... I still have something to attend to, let's talk later."

Having said that, he brushed past her and exited through the Chuihua Gate.

Huaihua didn't say anything more and continued inside with the cooking pot.

Zhao Ruyi asked curiously, "Your name is Huaihua? You know Xiao Wei?"

Facing Zhao Ruyi, Huaihua was a bit reserved. She twisted her hands in front of her and nodded, saying, "Hello, Manager Zhao. Ning Wei and I were junior high classmates; he was one grade ahead of me."

Zhao Ruyi nodded and wanted to ask something else, but she looked at Ning Weidong and swallowed her words.

After Qin Huairou left with her daughter, she said to Ning Weidong, "Weidong, what do you think of Aunt Qin's daughter? She's pretty, has a good figure, and she even knows Xiao Wei..."

Ning Weidong understood what she meant. Having suffered from that female doctor at the Red Star Factory last time, Ning Wei was a bit "once bitten, twice shy" and kept his distance from female comrades.

Ning Weidong laughed, "You want to play matchmaker again?"

Zhao Ruyi bit into a piece of fried fish—*crunch*—it was dry, fragrant, and crispy. While chewing, she said, "So what? He's our own child. Besides, settling down and starting a family will give him stability, and he won't have any worries about his work."

Ning Weidong didn't have any particular thoughts on this. It had to be said that Huaihua was indeed quite pretty, and while her family background wasn't necessarily great, it couldn't be considered bad in this era.

There was no burden at home either.

Ning Weidong said, "Xiao Wei is only twenty, why worry about that? If he really hasn't settled down by twenty-five or twenty-six, we can help arrange it then."

Zhao Ruyi thought that made sense.

But in the front yard, in the kitchen, Qin Huairu was not so calm.

She pulled Huaihua back to the front yard and immediately lowered her voice to ask, "Huaihua, tell me, what's going on?"

Huaihua was a bit confused: "What do you mean, what's going on?"

Qin Huairu said, "You and Ning Wei, how do you know each other?"

Huaihua said, "Didn't I say? We were in the same middle school."

Qin Huairu rolled her eyes and said, "Do you really think your mother never went to school? He was a grade ahead of you; you weren't in the same class, so you wouldn't have had any contact."

Huaihua knew she couldn't brush it off, so she had to say, "Actually, it's nothing. It's just that the year I was in the second year of junior high, I was bullied at school once, and Ning Wei came out and helped me."

Qin Huairu suddenly realized; it turned out there was a story of a hero saving a beauty.

Moreover, she also noticed that when speaking of this matter, Huaihua was clearly blushing a little, though on the surface she pretended as if nothing were the matter.

Qin Huairu said, "Why haven't I heard you mention this when you came home?"

A flash of helplessness crossed Huaihua's face: "How could I say it at home? My brother went to the countryside, and at home, it's just us women, and you and my silly dad don't have any certainty..."

A surge of bitterness welled up in Qin Huairu's heart, and she reached out to stroke her daughter's head.

How much bitterness is hidden in the heart of a child who grew up without a father.

Huaihua grasped Qin Huairu's rough hand, smiled, and said, "Mom, the bitter days are all in the past. Isn't our family getting better and better now?"

Qin Huairu gave an "Mm" and said, "Better and better, getting better and better!"

She then continued to ask, "Then why didn't I hear you mention him later?"

Huaihua said, "Not long after that time, Ning Wei graduated, and later we lost contact."

Although the place where Huaihua lived was not particularly far from Ning Wei's home, it was really hard to run into him if she didn't go to the school.

This was the first time the two had met in several years.

Ning Wei was still the same as before, only he seemed to have grown a bit taller; his general appearance hadn't changed, so Huaihua recognized him at a glance.

As for Huaihua, a girl changes eighteen times before she grows up, and her appearance was far from what it was a few years ago; Ning Wei scrutinized her for a long time before he could barely place her.

Hearing about the two's past, Qin Huairu couldn't help but let her mind start turning.

Huaihua then asked, "Mom, does Ning Wei work here?"

Qin Huairu came back to her senses, glanced outside the kitchen, lowered her voice, and said, "More than that~ That Section Chief Ning you saw just now is Manager Zhao's spouse, and Ning Wei is his cousin. He is in charge here now; he calls the shots on everything, inside and out."

Huaihua widened her eyes; just now when she saw Ning Wei, she had assumed Ning Wei just worked here.

Back when they were in school, Ning Wei's family situation wasn't very good, especially after his eldest brother died; what he ate and wore wasn't even as good as Huaihua's.

She didn't expect that after only a few years of not seeing him, Ning Wei had actually become a leader.

Huaihua didn't know about other things, but a while ago, her mother and her sister had discussed quite a bit at home about how to get her second sister to come here to work.

In the end, it came to nothing.

Thinking of this, Huaihua subconsciously said, "Mom, how about I look for Ning Wei later and ask about my second sister's matter?"

Qin Huairu suddenly snapped back to reality and immediately said, "Don't you go messing around!"

Huaihua pouted.

Qin Huairu explained, "Silly girl, Ning Wei doesn't have the final say in your second sister's matter; bringing people into the company definitely requires Manager Zhao's approval."

Huaihua gave an "Oh."

Qin Huairu pursed her lips and continued, "It's you, on the other hand, who can keep in touch with Ning Wei more in the future."

How could Huaihua not understand? Her face turned red instantly, and she fidgeted, saying, "Mom, what are you saying~"

Qin Huairu sighed and said, "You're not young anymore; it's time to settle down..."

Huaihua stamped her foot and said, "Mom, stop talking!"

Qin Huairu smiled and said, "Fine, Mom won't say it, Mom won't say it anymore." She could see that her youngest daughter didn't reject Ning Wei in her heart; otherwise, she wouldn't be acting like this.

As for Ning Wei, she wasn't worried in the slightest.

As the old saying goes, a man chasing a woman is separated by a mountain, while a woman chasing a man is separated by a layer of gauze.

Just based on her own daughter's looks, she didn't believe that a hot-blooded young man like Ning Wei could remain unmoved.

As long as she could win Ning Wei over, they would become relatives with Ning Weidong and Zhao Ruyi in the future, and by then, getting a job for Xiao Dang would be simple.

Thinking of this, Qin Huairu immediately sped up her work, tidied up the kitchen, and pulled Huaihua away.

Huaihua didn't understand why and followed closely: "Mom, what are you in such a rush for?"

Qin Huairu said, "Hurry back, you can't agree to the marriage your grandma is arranging for your second sister."

Just now, a thought flashed through her mind: Qin Huairu felt that if Huaihua could really marry Ning Wei and then solve Xiao Dang's job, the current suitor wouldn't be a match for Xiao Dang.

On the other side, inside.

Ning Weidong and Zhao Ruyi were eating fried fish and drinking iced beer.

Just now, when Ning Wei came over and mentioned housing, it made Zhao Ruyi feel a bit restless, and she asked, "Weidong, why don't we buy a house too?"

Ning Weidong picked up a piece of fish, bit off the crispy fish tail in one mouthful, and said vaguely, "If you want to buy, then buy~ Do you have any targets? Are we buying an apartment building or a single-story house?"

Ning Weidong knew that Zhao Ruyi had always had the idea of buying a house and didn't want to get married and move into the Dazayuan where Ning Weidong currently lived.

Previously, they didn't have the means, but now they had the cash cow that was Dongyi Company; even if they weren't making a fortune every day, it was close enough.

Hearing that even Ning Wei was going to change houses, Zhao Ruyi's desire to buy a house grew stronger, yet she worried that Ning Weidong wouldn't agree.

The house Ning Weidong currently lived in was left by his parents and seemed to have some unusual significance. He didn't expect Ning Weidong to agree immediately.

Instead, Zhao Ruyi didn't know what to say.

Before, she only had the thought of buying a house; as for specifically what kind to buy or where to buy it, she hadn't thought about it yet.

But then again, at this point in time, there really wasn't much room for choice.

Aside from early commercial housing like the Overseas Chinese Apartment, the only things that could be bought and sold were Siheyuan that had their property rights confirmed at the beginning of the founding of the nation.

Although the Siheyuan had a big reputation, living in one wasn't actually that comfortable.

Just the two issues of heating and using the restroom left them far behind apartment buildings.

In the end, Zhao Ruyi could only wait and see.

Two days later, a little past two in the afternoon.

Ning Weidong came out of the factory and went to the Tongzi Building where Shi Xiaonan lived.

This was the hottest time of the day; Shi Xiaonan had the fan on and was listlessly listening to the radio.

Hearing Ning Weidong knocking on the door, she was stunned for a moment, thinking she had misheard.

It wasn't until Ning Weidong called out a second time that she reacted and immediately went to open the door: "Weidong, why did you come?"

Ning Weidong smiled, came in, and closed the door, then scooped Shi Xiaonan up in his arms: "I missed you, so I came."

Shi Xiaonan blushed, reached out a slender finger, and poked Ning Weidong on the forehead: "You only know how to say sweet things to coax people."

Ning Weidong patted her bottom, set her down, and said: "Change your clothes, I'm taking you out."

Shi Xiaonan wore a surprised expression: "Out? Where to?"

Ning Weidong smiled and kept her in suspense: "Don't ask, you'll know when we get there."

Shi Xiaonan was very well-behaved; she suppressed her curiosity and went quickly to change her clothes.

This era was not like later generations where women had to spend a long time applying makeup before going out; Shi Xiaonan was naturally beautiful, and after just applying some vanishing cream and a little lipstick, she was ready in no time.

The two arrived downstairs, and Ning Weidong took the bicycle, glancing at the white dress Shi Xiaonan was wearing.

It had rained just yesterday, and the bicycle had gotten wet, leaving rust on the rear rack.

Ning Weidong simply pushed the bicycle and said: "It's not far, let's just walk over."

Shi Xiaonan nodded; she never had overly intimate gestures with Ning Weidong when they were outside.

In this regard, she had great self-awareness; being a mistress meant having the consciousness of a mistress.

Shi Xiaonan had thoughts of rehearsing new plays and possessed a certain cultural foundation herself; she had read *Dream of the Red Chamber* long ago and knew of the tragic end of You Erjie within it.

You Erjie was gentle and beautiful but had a checkered fate; she was first taken by force by her brother-in-law, and later became a mistress for Jia Lian.

Originally, Jia Lian treated her well, giving her plenty of affection and gold and silver, enough for her to live a prosperous life for the rest of her days.

Yet, You Erjie was insatiable, and after obtaining all this, she still delusionally wanted a formal status...

With this cautionary tale, Shi Xiaonan was exceptionally careful.

She knew that the status of Ning Weidong's partner was not ordinary and was certainly not something an orphaned woman like her could provoke, and she even less wanted to bring unnecessary trouble to Ning Weidong.

No one likes a woman who causes trouble.

All along, based on her judgment of Ning Weidong, as long as she was sensible and behaved, Ning Weidong would not treat her poorly.

At this moment, the two were walking on the road; even if seen by outsiders, they wouldn't think anything crooked, just assuming it was a chance encounter of acquaintances heading the same way.

From the Tongzi Building, it was about two bus stops away.

Shi Xiaonan did not know what medicine was in Ning Weidong's gourd, so she followed him step by step, feeling increasingly uneasy.

She kept observing Ning Weidong's expression and state; it was clear that Ning Weidong's mood was quite good, which led Shi Xiaonan to guess that today's matter should be a good thing.

Comforting herself in her heart, Shi Xiaonan followed Ning Weidong to that private courtyard north of Di'anmen Street.

Ning Wei had secured this courtyard the day before yesterday, and with an acquaintance like Yang Zhengdong, the paperwork had been handled very smoothly.

At the same time, he had found people to come over and thoroughly clean the place.

Today, Ning Weidong brought Shi Xiaonan over to take a look.

Arriving in front of the courtyard gate, Ning Weidong stopped.

Shi Xiaonan paused, looked at Ning Weidong, and asked: "What is this place?"

"Go in and see~" Ning Weidong pushed the bicycle and used the front wheel to bump the courtyard gate open.

With a "creak," the double-leaf black wooden door opened inward.

Because it was a later modification of the entrance, this door was opened on the west side of the courtyard, and at a glance, it was not the style of a traditional Siheyuan entrance.

Ning Wei was waiting inside; hearing the sound of the door opening, he immediately came out to greet them, called out "Third Brother," and seeing Shi Xiaonan behind him, he added, "Sister Shi."

Shi Xiaonan was stunned for a moment; not knowing the situation, she nodded slightly awkwardly.

Ning Weidong propped the bicycle against the base of the wall nearby and looked over the courtyard.

Because it was originally a rear-row house, the courtyard was not particularly spacious, about four meters wide, presenting a long, narrow shape.

The North Room of the front courtyard was very high, blocking most of the sunlight in the yard, but fortunately, it did not obstruct the lighting of the house.

More than half of the courtyard floor had been hardened with red bricks, leaving only two trees on the east and west sides: one pomegranate tree and one persimmon tree.

The house looked quite good; although not as high as the North Room in the front courtyard, it was five meters from the ground to the roof, and the five rooms together totaled nearly one hundred square meters.

The first room upon entering was a utility room; it had no windows left and was piled with quite a few things, looking rather dilapidated.

The four rooms inside were all habitable.

Ning Weidong called for Shi Xiaonan to walk inside; having just finished cleaning, the doors and windows of the rooms were all open.

They walked into the rooms and took a tour.

It had to be said, Ning Wei handled things quite thoroughly; the furniture and electrical appliances in the rooms were all equipped as much as possible.

An electric fan, a radio, and even a television; the ceiling had also been fitted with new long fluorescent lights.

"Sister Shi, how is this courtyard?" Ning Weidong walked a circle and looked at Shi Xiaonan with a smile.

At this moment, Shi Xiaonan's heart was thumping wildly; she was not stupid.

Ning Weidong brought her here and asked her how the courtyard was—the meaning was simply too obvious.

It was just that Shi Xiaonan still couldn't quite believe it; she couldn't help but swallow a mouthful of saliva and whispered: "This... is this for me?"

Ning Weidong said calmly: "Didn't I say, I would arrange a place for you to live."

Immediately after, he gave Ning Wei a look.

Ning Wei understood immediately and took a brand-new property deed out of his briefcase, with Shi Xiaonan's name clearly written on it.

Taking the property deed and looking at it, Shi Xiaonan was overjoyed; she hadn't expected Ning Weidong to keep his word so quickly.

Even more unexpectedly, such a large courtyard, Ning Weidong had actually given it to her directly!

These were five main rooms with a private entrance!

Back at the Dazayuan, she, Wang Kai, and her mother-in-law lived in a total of only two west wing rooms, and the courtyard was public.

Now, these five North Rooms, in terms of area, were almost three times that size.

More importantly, those two rooms of Wang Kai's had nothing to do with her, but this courtyard now truly belonged to her.

"Weidong, I..." Shi Xiaonan covered her chest with both hands, not knowing what to say.

Tears welled up immediately, completely uncontrollable, and she didn't even care that Ning Wei was still there, throwing herself into Ning Weidong's arms.

Ning Wei stood to the side, averting his gaze.

In a scene like this, he was truly superfluous; if it weren't for some matters still needing to be clarified, he would have certainly left tactfully.

Ning Weidong patted Shi Xiaonan on the back, offering a few words of comfort.

Before he transmigrated, he had heard of the power of house-smashing, and today he had finally experienced it for himself.

A moment later, Shi Xiaonan's emotions were vented, and she managed to return to normal; looking at the courtyard again, her mood was different from just a few minutes ago.

This was her home; from now on, she would never again be chased out of a dormitory, carrying her luggage, full of confusion, not knowing where to go.

She only felt that the more she looked, the more she liked it.

Shi Xiaonan looked on with pleasure, but Ning Weidong saw quite a few problems: "Xiao Wei~"

Ning Wei hurriedly responded.

Ning Weidong said: "Find someone to replace all the windows; they need to be double-paned."

The windows in these rooms were still just wooden lattices.

He added: "In the kitchen, tear down the stove, switch to a gas tank, and find a master craftsman to build a kang with a fire wall..."

Ning Wei took out a small notebook, quickly jotting down Ning Weidong's requirements, and finally said: "Third Brother, I've written it all down."

Ning Weidong nodded and calculated in his heart: "To get all this done, a week should be enough; how about we move in next week?" The second half of the sentence was directed at Shi Xiaonan.

Shi Xiaonan said coquettishly: "I'll listen to whatever you say."

In fact, she didn't think any of the things Ning Weidong mentioned were problems; she wished she could move in immediately.

However, since Ning Weidong had already spoken, she could only count the days and wait another week.

Having settled these matters, Ning Weidong asked Ning Wei again: "Right, how is that apartment coming along?"

Ning Wei said: "That side is a bit more complicated..."

Ning Weidong frowned: "Are the people on the other side causing trouble too?"

Ning Wei nodded: "The other side might have some connections at the Housing Management Office; they knew I bought the house here and even raised the price..."

Ning Weidong understood immediately; they were trying to take advantage of the situation, thinking they had run into a sucker.

Little did they know that these two sides were not the same thing at all.

The reason Ning Weidong agreed to pay more for this courtyard was mainly to let Shi Xiaonan move in as soon as possible, as he feared something might go wrong while she kept living in the Tongzi Building dormitory.

The apartment, on the other hand, was bought for Ning Wei, so there was no urgency.

Ning Weidong sneered: "They really are insatiably greedy; since that's the case... Xiao Wei, don't be in a rush either, let Yang Zhengdong find a way, look for something else, it's best if we can buy it outright, don't be afraid to spend money, understand~"

Ning Wei nodded: "Third Brother, I understand."

After finishing the business about the houses, Ning Wei opened his mouth, but hesitated to speak.

Ning Weidong said: "What else is there? Stop hemming and hawing, if you have something to say, just say it, don't be so sissy with me."

(End of chapter)