Chapter 279: Humility, the Traditional Virtue of the Huaxia People

Wu Youzhi took An Yinan to see three other courtyards; Wu Youzhi had already inspected all of them, and he had arranged them in order of their distance from Beijing University.

In the end, An Yinan decided on two of the courtyards; if there are no issues with the courtyard belonging to the elderly gentleman from earlier, that one can also be finalized on Saturday.

"For these two courtyards, we will register directly with the village, and then go to the Housing Management Bureau to transfer the titles," An Yinan said.

Those two homeowners were overjoyed; they never expected that their old family courtyards could actually sell for over a thousand yuan, something they wouldn't have dared to imagine before.

Wu Youzhi knew that selling houses in the village was different from in the city, as it involved issues regarding the land foundation; one must go to the village to complete the registration and obtain the necessary certificates before being able to go to the Housing Management Bureau for the transfer procedures.

After a busy day, An Yinan had acquired two more courtyards, and she was very satisfied with the locations of these two.

Although the gate of one of the courtyards did not face the main road, one of the rooms had a very large window, which could be used as a storefront in the future.

After running around all day, everyone was very tired.

An Yinan looked at Wu Youzhi, "I've troubled you these past few days; let me treat you to dinner tonight."

Wu Youzhi hurriedly waved his hands, "Comrade An, there's really no need; this is my job after all."

"Work is work, and personal favors are personal favors; you don't have to go to such great lengths," An Yinan smiled. After running around all day, she knew that Wu Youzhi had put a lot of effort into these few courtyards.

Wu Youzhi said embarrassedly, "Comrade An, we have regulations."

An Yinan nodded and did not insist, but she looked toward Yun Shu.

Yun Shu took two boxes of cigarettes directly from the car—Chunghwa.

This was something An Yinan had asked Yun Shu to help buy in advance, not something produced from her space.

"I won't treat you to that meal then; we'll gather again if there's a chance in the future. Take these two boxes of cigarettes; you've been running around with me for two days, and I'll still have to trouble you in the future," An Yinan said with a smile. The whole process was very seasoned, and the degree of tact was just right.

Wu Youzhi looked at An Yinan and finally nodded, "I will accompany you to the village the day after tomorrow."

Having made an appointment with that elderly gentleman to see the house the day after tomorrow, Wu Youzhi also kept it in mind.

An Yinan nodded, "Good."

The four of them parted ways like this; Wu Youzhi went straight back to the Housing Management Bureau, and Yun Mo drove An Yinan and Yun Shu to the Military District Compound.

Having acquired two courtyards today, An Yinan was very happy in her heart; although they were a bit further away than the first two, it would only take about ten minutes by bicycle.

Aside from Yun Shu and Yun Mo by her side, no one else knew about An Yinan buying the courtyards.

"You girl is actually free? That's a rare sight," Grandmother teased.

It is rare for this girl to wake up so late; today is truly unusual.

Having finished her mission, she ran out again all day yesterday; one wonders what she is busy with every day.

An Yinan accompanied Grandmother for a walk outside and whispered, "Isn't school starting soon? I've been walking around the school area lately to get familiar with the environment."

She would have to live on campus after school starts, and she didn't plan to run between the school and the Military District Compound every day; that would waste too much time.

"Shall I have An Erge accompany you to look around tomorrow?" Grandmother asked.

"Sister-in-law, is your granddaughter accompanying you for a stroll?" An old lady walked over from a distance.

An Yinan called out sweetly, "Yang Nainai."

"Sigh, I always say girls are thoughtful; look at her, isn't that just the case?" Yang Nainai looked at An Yinan, her face full of affection.

Grandmother laughed, "You, don't be fooled by this girl's appearance; she's just a mischievous girl."

The traditional virtue of the Huaxia people: whenever outsiders praise their own children, parents must always be humble. As for what they are being humble about, we don't understand, and we don't dare ask.

"What an obedient girl; if you don't like her, I'm going to snatch her away to my house." Yang Nainai held Grandmother's hand; the two were clearly very familiar with each other, and their relationship was quite good.

"That's not happening; I haven't cherished her enough myself yet." Grandmother's eyes widened, and she immediately put on a stern face as she looked at the ill-intentioned Yang Nainai.

If anyone tried to snatch her granddaughter, she would cut ties with them.

"Look at that, look at that; your grandmother is just saying the opposite of what she means." Yang Nainai was also joking, and seeing Grandmother's stingy look, she immediately pointed it out in front of An Yinan.

An Yinan held Grandmother's arm and said, "An elder in the house is like a treasure; Grandmother is my family's big treasure."

"Haha." The two old ladies burst into laughter.

After parting with Yang Nainai, Grandmother then said, "Your Yang Nainai is also a bitter soul; her husband and son both died on the battlefield. Fortunately, her daughter-in-law is very filial, and her grandson has already grown up and can support the entire Yang family. She, well, she has almost made it through the worst of it."

An Yinan did not respond; it is better to say less about other people's affairs.

She carefully supported Grandmother as they finished their walk, then returned to the Yun Family.

"The old lady is back; I looked around just now but couldn't find you." The auntie looked at the grandmother and granddaughter walking in while supporting each other, then said with a smile.

"Did I make you worry? Nan Nan and I went out for a stroll and forgot to tell you," Grandmother said.

The auntie hurriedly waved her hand, "It's nothing; I'm just happy that you can go out for a walk. Only Nan Nan can take you out."

Usually, Grandmother was afraid of adding trouble to the younger generation, so her daily range of activity was basically just the courtyard. Ever since she started practicing the Eight Brocades, her body had become increasingly sturdy, and she was able to go out for a stroll, though she couldn't walk very far.

Today, she actually made a full circle and walked for a longer time; she even ran into quite a few people she used to interact with all day long when she was young.

"Nan Nan is sensible," Grandmother said.

After An Yinan returned upstairs, she took out paper and a pen and drew a design for a set of clothes; she carefully colored it and finally finalized the draft.

She planned to open a clothing store; clothing was her old profession, so she would be able to get started more quickly.

Moreover, she had both the fabric and the design drafts; later on, she would just need some labor.

Most importantly, although the Textile Factory where Auntie Wang and the others worked had one product that drove up order numbers, it was ultimately unable to stand alone, and maintaining the funds was becoming increasingly difficult.

The state had intentions to cancel state-owned assets; the factories would either have to close down or transform.

But the three elders of the Textile Factory had contributed their whole lives; how could they bear to see the factory they had nurtured like a child close down?

The three of them were already making plans.

As soon as the day broke, Yun Mo took An Yinan and Yun Shu to the Housing Management Office, and Wu Youzhi was already waiting by the roadside.

"Comrade An, the children of that old lady heard that someone nearby was selling a house, and after getting the money, they have been calling me one after another," Wu Youzhi said.

"Oh? How did you respond?" An Yinan said.

"I told them that you would go to see the house today, and that if both sides meet, the price might be pressed down a bit, and the transaction should go more smoothly," Wu Youzhi said.

An Yinan nodded; Wu Youzhi's approach was good and fully considered her own requirements.