Chapter 8

At a little past five in the evening, Li Luo sat down at the dining table with bowl and chopsticks in hand.

After the high school entrance exam ended, Lin Xiuhong and Li Guohong asked him only a few questions.

Finding they couldn't get any reliable answers from Li Luo, they simply stopped bothering.

The exam results would be out by month's end—about two weeks away—and everything would be settled then.

Whether or not he met the minimum score for regular high school, they, as parents, would surely find a way to get Li Luo into one.

Once they'd thought this through, they stopped dwelling on it and shifted the dinner table conversation to more important matters.

"I mentioned last night—I talked to Wei Dongrong again today," Li Guohong said, chewing his food noisily at his wife. "His project sounds pretty solid; lots of relatives have invested. You should go ask around these next few days."

"You're really going to invest?" Lin Xiuhong frowned.

For one thing, it was her rival Zhang Xuefen's husband's project.

For another, the family's money was already earmarked for something else.

So Lin Xiuhong hesitated: "Think carefully—we're not as well-off as they are. Our savings are limited."

"I know," Li Guohong nodded. "That's why we need to be cautious, ask around more. We can't just take their word for it."

"Even if the project really does sound good, if we decide to invest, we'll start with just a hundred thousand to test the waters."

"If it turns out to be legitimate later, we can consider adding more."

"That does make sense," Lin Xiuhong still frowned, "but… what about your younger uncle? Didn't he say he planned to take over their house?"

"I did think about it," Li Guohong sighed. "But you know, over the past few months, Yuhang City's housing prices have kept falling. If we buy now, what if prices never rise again?"

Hearing his parents' conversation, Li Luo unconsciously stopped eating.

Especially when he heard the last part, he couldn't help but twitch his lips.

In his past life, his father had talked to him about investing in real estate projects—but never mentioned the family ever considered buying a house!

It was still 2014; over the next five or six years, Yuhang City's housing prices would surge, rising from around 12,000 to as high as 25,000 per square meter.

Some prime locations soared even higher.

If only the family hadn't invested in Uncle Wei Dongrong's shitty project but instead used the money to buy property, the return would've been astronomical.

Thinking of this, Li Luo suddenly felt a toothache.

"I remember… Grandpa San's place is in the village, right?" Li Luo ventured quietly. "Are they selling their village demolition villa?"

"Of course not," Li Guohong looked at his son with disbelief. "That's ancestral property—how could they sell it? They're selling a house near Yinjiang."

"Near Yinjiang?" Li Luo blinked, thought for a moment, then pressed: "Isn't that the area next to Fuyi High School?"

"Exactly," Li Guohong nodded. "When your cousin got into Fuyi, they bought a school district house there for him to live in."

"He graduated two or three years ago now, and he's planning to study abroad, which costs a lot. So they want to sell the house."

"Besides, renting it out brings little income and they have to keep changing tenants—it's a hassle."

Li Luo nodded, understanding the reasoning.

So his parents had assumed housing prices might still fall, and chose Wei Dongrong's project because it promised steady returns?

"And that house's location is too remote," Li Guohong continued, explaining. "Fuyi High School is already near the suburbs."

"Yinjiang District itself is in the northeastern outskirts of Yuhang City, and Fuyi is at the northernmost edge, right by Yinjiang—seven or eight kilometers from the district's busiest areas."

"If it weren't near Qianjiang University and Fuyi High School—making it a school district property—who'd even buy it?"

"Besides, even if you buy a house there, you still can't just enroll your kid—you have to pass the entrance exam."

Li Guohong's explanation made sense to Li Luo.

After all, the northern part of Yinjiang District was still in a rural-urban fringe stage, dotted with factories and filled with migrant workers—chaotic and messy.

But Li Luo knew better.

In about half a year, Yinjiang District would begin planning development for that northern area.

Two years later, a subway line would extend from downtown Yuhang directly to the northern suburbs of Yinjiang District.

Fuyi High School and Qianjiang University would be its final stops.

Meanwhile, the land south of Qianjiang University would become the bustling Tianjie commercial district.

Housing prices nearby would skyrocket—from just over 10,000 to over 20,000.

Yet at this moment, ordinary people in Yinjiang District had no idea any of this was coming.

People like Li Guohong and Lin Xiuhong couldn't access more information, so they naturally couldn't imagine how rapidly that northern area would develop.

But to Li Luo, it was a massive treasure trove.

Thinking of this, Li Luo immediately focused his mind, recalling every detail he could, searching for any useful information to convince his parents.

At the very least, he needed to make them hesitate about Wei Dongrong's project.

So a few minutes later, as Li Guohong and Lin Xiuhong continued discussing it, Li Luo interjected again: "Dad, I have a question."

"What?" Li Guohong paused, turning to his son.

"I remember the subway at South Station is about to open, right?"

"Yeah," Li Guohong nodded. "This summer, probably. After that, you won't need to drive—just take the South Station subway and you'll reach downtown in half an hour."

"Will the subway line keep extending further?" Li Luo asked, his expression innocent.

"Unlikely," Li Guohong frowned. "Yinjiang District is already remote. Getting the subway to South Station is already a big deal."

"But…" Li Luo also frowned, looking puzzled. "Dad, do you know our vice-class monitor?"

"What about him?"

"Shao Heqi," Li Luo said seriously. "His dad's an official."

"Oh, I remember," Li Guohong nodded slightly—he'd seen him at parent-teacher meetings.

"Do you know," Li Luo prompted gently, "that Shao Heqi once bragged in class that his family bought a house near Fuyi High School, and said they'd definitely make money on it?"

"Huh?" Li Guohong raised an eyebrow, drawn in by Li Luo's words. "What do you mean?"

"We were just curious, so we asked," Li Luo blinked. "He said his dad let slip that the southern station's subway line will extend three or four more stops, and the final stop will likely be Qianjiang University."

At these words, Li Guohong and Lin Xiuhong fell silent.

Both were processing the news; after exchanging a glance, Li Guohong couldn't help asking, "You didn't mishear? Your classmate really said that?"

"Yeah," Li Luo nodded, his expression firm. Then he added curiously, "I remember you said before, Dad, that after the southern station subway opened, property prices there shot up."

"Just now you mentioned Grandpa San's house is near Fuyi Middle School—that's when it clicked."

"As for Shao Heqi, everyone in class knows his family bought a house near Fuyi Middle School. Ying Chanxi, you heard him say that too, right?"

Ying Chanxi, quietly eating beside them, paused, recalled, then nodded. "Hmm… I think he mentioned it earlier this year."

He definitely mentioned it.

After all, Shao Heqi had specifically stood by Ying Chanxi's desk, deliberately boasting to the other boys.

It'd be impossible for Ying Chanxi not to know.

But.

Shao Heqi never mentioned the subway—Li Luo had embellished it.

Yet when Li Luo asked Ying Chanxi, he only asked whether Shao Heqi's family had actually bought a house there.

To Li Guohong and Lin Xiuhong, it sounded as if Shao Heqi's family truly knew the subway would extend that far.

He'd instantly trapped his parents in this logic, making them somewhat tempted.

You need to understand.

Over the past six months, overall property prices in Yuhang City have been slowly declining.

But around Yinjiang District's southern station, due to the subway line's opening, nearby property prices have risen instead.

The house owned by Li Luo's third uncle is now worth roughly 11,000 per square meter, while properties near the southern station subway stop have climbed to around 15,000.

It's one of the few golden areas in Yinjiang District that didn't follow the broader market's decline.

If in the coming years the subway line extends all the way to Fuyi Middle School and Qianjiang University, wouldn't Grandpa San's house also have tremendous potential?

Even if prices rose at just half the rate of the southern station area now, the returns would far surpass the ten percent annual interest from Wei Dongrong's investment.

But Li Guohong and Lin Xiuhong weren't impulsive people.

Especially since this came from Li Luo, a child—they needed to think carefully.

Buying property isn't like investing; their total savings amount to only six or seven hundred thousand, painstakingly saved over more than a decade.

Wei Dongrong's investment was manageable—it required only a minimum of one hundred thousand, with lower risk.

But if they decided to buy a house—even Grandpa San's secondhand one, which due to urgency might be cheaper—

For Li Luo's family, they'd still need a mortgage to afford it.

Six or seven hundred thousand for a down payment, then at least another million in mortgage debt.

If property prices rose later, it'd be fine.

But if prices fell, it would be a heavy blow to the whole family.

And once saddled with a mortgage, household financial pressure would increase, forcing stricter spending habits.

"If it's really true, then maybe your little uncle's house isn't out of the question?" Lin Xiuhong hesitated, then said to Li Guohong.

"Let's wait and see," Li Guohong frowned, also uncertain. "Either way, I definitely have to visit Wei Dongrong. We already agreed."

"As for your little uncle's place, we'll go take another look in a few days, and ask around about any subway news."

He said this, but didn't expect to learn anything about subway planning.

Such information simply wasn't accessible to people at their level.

If even he could find out, then most people in Yinjiang District would already know.

Yet right now, there's no public word at all—yet Shao Heqi's family bought a house near Fuyi Middle School and openly claimed they'd profit, that the subway would extend there.

The more silent the surface, the more genuine this seemed to Li Guohong.

As for Li Luo, he didn't press further.

As a child, saying this much was enough.

Pushing harder might backfire.

Today's probe was sufficient; he would slowly gauge his parents' thoughts later, aiming to dissuade them from investing in his cousin's real estate project.

"Sigh… If only Li Luo were more ambitious," Lin Xiuhong suddenly said after their long chat. "If you could just get into Fuyi Middle School, your dad and I would buy Grandpa San's house for you to live in during school."

"Exactly," Li Guohong smiled, agreeing. "That house is right across from Fuyi Middle School—just a few minutes' walk to school, convenient, and saves you from cramming into a dorm."

Hearing this, Li Luo's eyes darted. His earlier plan to stay quiet stirred again. He cleared his throat twice: "Can't you have a little faith in me? What if I actually pass?"

"Hah," Li Guohong laughed, exasperated. "If you really get in, I'll buy the house without hesitation! If you're that good, what won't your parents agree to?"

Li Luo raised an eyebrow at his father's words but didn't press further.

With these words from his parents, once exam results came out, they'd likely carry some weight.

Thinking this, Li Luo's mood eased slightly.

The family continued eating. By six-thirty, full and satisfied, Li Luo rose obediently and carried his dishes to the kitchen to wash them.

"Did the sun rise in the west?" Lin Xiuhong stared at Li Luo in surprise. "Why are you so eager today?"

"It's because your son's grown up," Li Luo said with a grin, turning his head. "So, Mom, when can I get my summer allowance?"

"Get lost," Lin Xiuhong rolled her eyes. "If you finish washing the dishes first, I might give you something."

Mother and son bickered across the kitchen door, while Ying Chanxi quietly entered and helped Li Luo wash the dishes.

After cleaning the kitchen, Li Luo patted Ying Chanxi's shoulder and said, "Can you use your family's computer? Can I borrow it later?"

"Okay," Ying Chanxi nodded. "But don't play too late, or your mom will scold you."

"You're stricter than my mom," Li Luo grumbled. "Just say I'm coming over to study."

"Like I'd believe that."