Chapter 278: Haggling? That would be losing my sense of proportion

"Speaking ill of people behind their backs, is this your upbringing?" An Yinan spoke directly.

The first time, she had no intention of interfering.

The second time, it had nothing to do with her.

The third time, heh, she was in a good mood, you shouldn't have been asking for it.

The woman was stunned for a moment upon hearing the cold, clear voice. Staring into An Yinan's eyes, she shrank back, but quickly regained her composure. "Oh my, why put on an act if you don't have the money? Your family didn't agree to the purchase, right? Came to return the property, did you?"

"I've seen plenty of people who puff out their cheeks to look fat."

"Liu Xiaocui, don't go too far," Wu Youzhi said.

"Comrade An, don't lower yourself to her level," Wu Youzhi said, turning his head to look at An Yinan.

An Yinan waved her hand. "Lower myself? That would be losing my sense of proportion."

"Let's go, let's go look at the property."

She had already had Yun Shu notify Wu Youzhi yesterday, and they had arranged to look at properties today.

Wu Youzhi picked up his bag. "I've been ready for a long time, let's go now."

When others took people to look at properties, they usually rode bicycles, but this person always had a driver and a car following, which showed that their status and position were not low.

Even without considering that, this person was the benefactor who helped him stay at the Housing Management Bureau, so he would complete the assigned task well.

"The courtyard is in a village near Beijing University; the prices for houses over there are generally lower." Wu Youzhi specifically pointed out the price issue, which was also a reminder to An Yinan not to be swindled by the landlord.

An Yinan smiled. Although she had an idea in her mind, she appreciated that Wu Youzhi brought it up at this time.

She would need quite a few houses in the future, so she didn't mind having a long-term partner.

"This is it," Wu Youzhi said, pointing to a house.

"The house is a bit old, and the courtyard has seen better days. The villages around here are all like this, but it's very close to Beijing University, and the courtyard faces the main street directly, so the transportation is quite convenient," Wu Youzhi said.

"Can we go into the courtyard to take a look?" An Yinan asked.

Wu Youzhi smiled. "I don't have the key, but the landlord lives right over there. I'll go knock on the door."

Judging by his familiarity, he probably hadn't made few trips here these days.

As for Wu Youzhi, An Yinan now felt some appreciation.

He had tact, but he wasn't spineless.

He had his own set of principles for conducting himself in society.

If there was an opportunity in the future, she could try to recruit him, but it clearly wasn't appropriate now, as her own career hadn't even started yet.

"Ma'am, this is the comrade who wants to look at the house. We want to see the courtyard first," Wu Youzhi introduced.

This woman was not young, around fifty years old, wearing coarse cloth clothes, looking a bit thin and withered. She held the keys in her hand, and after seeing An Yinan, she didn't say anything else, just opened the courtyard gate.

"Take a look." The woman didn't say much; after opening the gate, she followed behind An Yinan and the others.

An Yinan walked around twice from front to back. The courtyard wasn't big, but it had two gatehouses, which could be useful for other purposes later.

"How much?" An Yinan was satisfied with the location; it was less than a hundred meters from Beijing University, and those two gatehouses were also key.

"Three thousand," the woman said.

An Yinan paused, then shook her head and said to Wu Youzhi, "Let's go look at another place."

The houses here were different from the Siheyuan from before; these were farm courtyards, and the price was just about there.

Asking for three thousand right off the bat, she really didn't even want to haggle.

"Alright, there are a few more," Wu Youzhi replied.

"Sigh, we can talk about it," the woman said, stopping them.

An Yinan smiled at the woman. "Ma'am, there are quite a few houses for sale in the village. I, for one, don't have much time to haggle."

"Two thousand," the woman said anxiously.

An Yinan still shook her head. "If you aren't sincere about selling the house, there's no need to discuss the price."

"Thirteen hundred, I can't go any lower," the woman said.

Thirteen hundred... this price was actually alright.

If the woman hadn't been greedy at the time, fifteen hundred would have been acceptable too.

"I want to see the property deed, the Base certificate, and the identification documents," An Yinan requested.

The woman said at this moment, "This house is in my old man's name. My old man passed away some years ago, and I can't live in this house by myself, so that's why I'm selling it."

An Yinan looked at Wu Youzhi, and Wu Youzhi said apologetically, "I didn't inquire clearly about this situation. I'll make sure to ask clearly next time."

An Yinan didn't say anything else, just told the woman, "When we make the sale, you must have all your sons and daughters sign, and we must go to the Housing Management Bureau together to sign the contract."

Otherwise, a house like this would have too many disputes later; she hated trouble.

"Alright, alright, alright, I'll go back and discuss it with the children." The woman locked the door and left.

Wu Youzhi said apologetically to An Yinan, "It's my fault for not investigating clearly, causing you trouble."

An Yinan waved her hand. "It's fine, the woman intended to hide it anyway."

She had seen the woman's little schemes, just didn't point them out. This house, she estimated, wouldn't end up in her hands anyway.

"Let's look at the next one," An Yinan said.

Wu Youzhi and the others arrived at another place. This courtyard was a bit further from Beijing University, but it was also adjacent to the main road.

"I'm Xiao Wu from the Housing Management Bureau, here to look at the house," Wu Youzhi said, knocking on the door and introducing himself.

This courtyard wasn't empty; the landlord was living inside right now.

"Comrade Wu, come in quickly, have a bowl of water first." The landlord was an elderly man, also around fifty, but he was hospitable.

"I won't drink the water. Sir, can you take us to see the courtyard and the house?" Wu Youzhi knew An Yinan was pressed for time, so he brought it up directly.

The old man smiled and said, "Alright, then I'll take you to see the house."

The courtyard, perhaps because someone was living in it, had a bit more of a lived-in atmosphere.

The old gentleman is someone who knows how to live well; firewood is stored in the gatehouse of the front courtyard, and there is a vegetable garden in the back, which is half again as large as the previous courtyard.

The house is also very neat and clean, and the courtyard walls are high.

"Old gentleman, you are the owner of this courtyard, right?" Wu Youzhi asked the old gentleman while they were there.

The old gentleman nodded, "Rest assured, it is me. My son is filial; he insists on taking me to live with them, and it would be a waste to leave this courtyard sitting idle, so that is why I had the thought of selling the house."

An Yinan nodded at Wu Youzhi, and Wu Youzhi said to the old gentleman, "Old gentleman, what is your asking price for this courtyard?"

The old gentleman said with a chuckle, "One thousand five hundred, not a cent less."

The old gentleman is indeed an honest person; the asking price is not high, after all, the old gentleman's courtyard is large in area.

"Old gentleman, I will give you one thousand seven hundred, but when the house is sold, your children will also need to sign," An Yinan said.

She does not want the children to come looking for trouble later; while others may not know about the future Development Economics of this area, she is well aware of it.

"That is fine, that way everyone can be at ease. However, my son is at work and has his day off the day after tomorrow, so I will have him come over to sign," the old gentleman also has a straightforward temperament and set the time right away.

An Yinan has nothing to do these days, so she agreed directly.