Chapter 17: Forceful Buying and Selling

Su Ruo did not pay attention to them; she was in high spirits, carrying her large bundle, and headed straight for her house.

Seeing this, the newly arrived Educated Youth also followed behind Su Ruo, walking toward the only red‑brick house at the Youth Work Point; they wanted to see what the room actually looked like.

Su Ruo didn't stop them; if they wanted to look, let them, after all looking wouldn't take away any piece of meat.

In her previous life Su Ruo entered this room many times and was already very familiar with it, but now, with a different mindset, the scenery she saw was completely different.

In her previous life, every time she entered the room she was extremely careful, fearing that she might accidentally break something and upset Li Shirou.

But now the room was hers; Su Ruo liked it more and more as she looked, becoming increasingly satisfied.

The house was small, consisting of one large hall divided into two small rooms; the front was a bedroom, the back a kitchen, and the bedroom had a 1.5‑meter earthen kang, which was quite comfortable for one person to sleep in.

Beside the kang were a wardrobe and a desk; in front of the desk was a window that looked very bright, the room was coated entirely with cement so dust wouldn't fall, and blue curtains hung on the window.

On the desk sat a white vase with yellow little flowers, making the whole room tidy and warm.

In the back kitchen there were two stoves; one stove was connected to the bedroom's kang, so in winter cooking could instantly heat the kang, the other was next to the window, used in spring and summer.

At the kitchen entrance stood a large water jar, beside it a distinctly period iron basin rack; on the rack sat a washbasin, and the top hook for towels was empty, clearly the towels had been taken by the owner.

Then came a cupboard holding bowls and chopsticks, with seasonings placed on top.

Su Ruo could see that Zhao Qing, though bad‑tempered, was a person of great taste who understood how to live.

She had tidied the entire kitchen spotless, with not a trace of grease.

Su Ruo felt a bit regretful; had she met Zhao Qing earlier, perhaps they could have become friends, but unfortunately in both her past and present lives, whenever she arrived, Zhao Qing left, so the two never had the chance to know each other.

Su Ruo walked around the whole house and became increasingly satisfied.

She knew that given Zhao Qing's family background, they could easily spend more money to make the house larger; the reason it was built this way was to prevent anyone from finding an excuse to move in.

That was exactly what Su Ruo needed now; the room was just right for one person, and fewer others would get involved.

The happier Su Ruo felt, the gloomier Li Shirou's complexion became; after seeing the room, they regretted even more that they hadn't bought it, letting Su Ruo snatch it first.

The other Educated Youth who came together all looked at the room with envy; after all, who wouldn't want their own house? For a moment everyone felt mixed emotions.

The village head coughed at the right moment, breaking the silence, and said, "It's getting late; let's see how to allocate the rooms! The Youth Work Point has four rooms, two for male Educated Youth, two for female Educated Youth."

There were originally four male Educated Youth; two newcomers arrived, so each male room housed three people. There were originally four female Educated Youth, and now four more have come, so each female room houses four people: two old Youth and two new Youth.

When Li Shirou heard that four people would have to share one kang, their regretful eyes reddened, remembering that they once had a private room.

Chen Wei said nothing, silently packing her belongings; her family was poor and she had many children, and before several sisters had to squeeze onto one bed, so this meant little to her.

The two old Youth beside them, seeing Li Shirou's expression, sneered and turned up their noses, as if they were some Rich Young Lady; Li Shirou didn't want to live with them, and they didn't want to live with her either!

Li Zeyu set down his luggage and went to see Li Shirou; seeing his own sister like that, he felt an overwhelming pang of sympathy, wondering when his sister had ever endured such hardship.

In stark contrast to the gloom here, Su Ruo, a room away, was happily humming a song while cleaning the room.

Although Zhao Qing had cleaned the room thoroughly, Su Ruo still swept every nook and cranny inside and out.

Just as Su Ruo was joyfully cleaning, a knock on the door suddenly sounded.

She opened the door and saw Li Zeyu with a sour expression, and behind him Li Shirou with red‑rimmed eyes, as if she had suffered a great injustice.

Su Ruo raised an eyebrow and asked, "Anything?"

Li Zeyu said sourly, "My sister isn't used to sharing a room with others; I'll pay fifty‑five yuan to buy this house!"

That unquestionable tone and lofty demeanor made it seem as if he could purchase the house, a great generosity toward Su Ruo.

Su Ruo stared at Li Zeyu with a look as if at a fool and said, "Not for sale!" then slammed the door shut forcefully.

Li Zeyu almost got his nose caught by the doorframe, barely stepping back a foot to avoid it, then, angry and embarrassed, shouted, "Su Ruo, fifty‑five yuan is already a lot; don't be greedy!"

Su Ruo shouted, "I'm telling you, even if you offered a hundred yuan, I wouldn't sell; you should give up that thought right away!"

Trying to buy her with money—Su Ruo is not lacking money at all right now!

Li Zeyu was both angry and furious, unable to seize it, and couldn't describe how suppressed he felt inside.

The Li Shirou beside also knew that getting Su Ruo to sell the house to them was almost impossible, but sending her back to cram into a big communal bed with those people was still unsatisfying.

So, with red eyes, she said in an extremely aggrieved voice, "Sister Su, I know I shouldn't ask you to sell the house to me, but my health is poor; the doctor says I need convalescence and can't live with everyone. Please sell me the house, just have some pity for me, okay...?"

Li Shirou's tears fell in a spattering rush; she was already frail, and now this appearance instantly aroused the surrounding people's sympathy.

A male Educated Youth immediately stepped forward and said, "Su Ruo, the Educated Youth, we are all sent‑down Youth, we should help each other; Li Educated Youth's health is poor, if you sell the house to her you can still make five yuan; one shouldn't be too greedy."

Su Ruo sneered, opened the door, and said to the male Youth, "Are you out of your mind? She's unhealthy, and I want to give the house to her; if she can't work, do you expect me to do her work for her!"

Does her health matter to me? I'm not her mother; why should I accommodate her in everything?

I'm puzzled—she's unhealthy and can't share a room, yet there are so many houses in this village; why don't you take someone else's? Or are you targeting me because I'm alone and easy to bully, so you keep harassing me!

Let me tell you, there's no way you can bully me; I bought this house legally, with the village's Document.

No matter how much you offer, I won't sell; if you try to force a sale, I'll cause a ruckus in the village, then the county, then the province—I won't believe there's any place left in the world without reason!

Thanks for everyone's bookmarks and monthly tickets; I'll keep working hard~ (￣▽￣～)~

(End of Chapter)