Chapter 2531

Actually, at the time, Su Xinghui was still in Yanzhong City and hadn't even seen the courtyard house. But as soon as he heard it was a courtyard house inside the Second Ring Road, he immediately asked Yu Ruizhi to help him secure it, saying he would go raise the money.

Yu Ruizhi said not to go through the trouble and that he would just buy it for him. Su Xinghui, of course, refused. In the end, the two agreed that Yu Ruizhi would pay the money for Su Xinghui first, and Su Xinghui would pay him back slowly.

Ultimately, the price Yu Ruizhi negotiated with that prodigal son was over 800,000. Upon hearing this price, Su Xinghui said it was too cheap and told Yu Ruizhi to buy the house quickly and handle the transfer procedures.

Su Xinghui knew that the price of this courtyard house would skyrocket in about seven or eight years. In the future, the price could reach over 100,000 per square meter, and since it was calculated based on land area, this courtyard house would be worth over 100 million.

It could be said that,

in the future, this house alone would be enough to keep the Su family free from worry about food and clothing.

The reason this courtyard house was so cheap had several causes.

Firstly, it was because housing prices in Jingcheng during this era were not high; new high-rise apartments around the Second and Third Ring Roads were only about 2,000 per square meter.

Secondly, the value of courtyard houses in this era had not yet been recognized. Many people preferred living in high-rise buildings and didn't like living in single-story houses because they were too damp, and if it rained heavily, they were prone to water accumulation, which was very troublesome.

Thirdly, the buying and selling of courtyard houses in this era did not have the concept of trading based on land area; they were all traded based on the building area on the property deed. In other words, the courtyards within these houses were all included as a bonus.

Fourthly, this prodigal son was in urgent need of money. As long as the payment was made in full at once, he was willing to sell the house at this price. Anyway, he was the only one left in his family, and no one cared about him.

Actually, Yu Ruizhi had originally wanted to help Su Xinghui buy a high-rise apartment and get a larger area, as he felt it would be more comfortable to live in. However, Su Xinghui understood the value of courtyard houses best, so he decided on this courtyard.

When buying the courtyard house, that prodigal son also left behind all the old furniture in the house. When Su Xinghui heard from Yu Ruizhi that there was such a batch of dilapidated old furniture in the house, he told Yu Ruizhi to keep it all and not throw it away—who knew if there were any treasures among them?

Although Su Xinghui had bought such a courtyard house, because he had been too busy at the Yanfang Group during this time, he hadn't come back to see it much. Yu Ruizhi helped him renovate the courtyard, installed floor heating throughout the rooms, and bought a full set of new furniture and appliances so that the Su family could spend the New Year in this courtyard.

Su Xinghui, Lu Xiaoya, and Niuniu could stay at Elder Yu's place for as long as they wanted, but for the New Year, Su Xinghui wanted to bring his whole family over, which wouldn't be appropriate at Elder Yu's house. Therefore, Su Xinghui wanted to buy a house, and Yu Ruizhi had considered everything very thoughtfully for him.

Some time ago, the courtyard house had been completely finished and was ready for occupancy. However, Su Xinghui waited until after the Little New Year before bringing Lu Xiaoya and Niuniu to move into the courtyard house.

This was also the first time Su Xinghui had seen the fully completed courtyard house. Lu Xiaoya, however, had come several times while they were installing floor heating and buying furniture and appliances, and she had expressed many opinions. This courtyard house was very much to her liking.

This courtyard house was a large three-section courtyard, with a total land area of over 1,300 square meters and more than 20 rooms. The courtyard had various bonsai and trees, and the activity space was quite large. The former capitalist was indeed a wealthy family; this house was quite grand even before liberation.

And now, in Jingcheng where every inch of land is worth an inch of gold, being able to have such a large courtyard house was even more of a miracle. If it weren't for the fact that housing prices in Jingcheng were still very low at the time, it would have been unthinkable.

Such a courtyard house, including the purchase, renovation, furniture, appliances, and floor heating, cost a little over one million in total, all of which Yu Ruizhi had advanced. Of course, this money didn't mean much to Su Xinghui; just selling a few of his treasures would be worth that much.

However, Su Xinghui didn't want to use those treasures for now. The Su family currently had several storefronts in Shangjun County, with annual rental income totaling tens of thousands. Added to the family's other income and the money Su Xinghui had saved from selling paintings, the Su family now had 300,000 to 400,000 in cash. Su Xinghui planned to sell some more paintings, which would be enough to pay off the money he owed Yu Ruizhi.

Su Xinghui's paintings were now much more valuable than before. Last time, one of Su Xinghui's paintings sold for 2 million Hong Kong dollars at a charity auction in Hong Kong. Although there was some hype involved, the fact that so many wealthy people competed for Su Xinghui's paintings also attracted considerable attention in the auction world.

After returning, Yu Ruizhi had people hype up this topic, which made Su Xinghui's fame in the calligraphy and painting world grow, and many collectors were paying attention to Su Xinghui's paintings.

In all fairness, Su Xinghui's paintings were indeed of a considerable level. The fact that a French calligraphy and painting merchant named Joao was willing to pay over 10,000 US dollars per painting back then proved this. Several years had passed since then, and Su Xinghui's paintings had become increasingly mature, skillful, and sophisticated. With a higher level, the price of his paintings should naturally be higher.

Therefore, Su Xinghui selected a few of his higher-quality paintings and sent them to an auction house in Jingcheng for auction. It was expected that these few paintings would sell for at least several hundred thousand, which would be enough to pay off the money he owed Yu Ruizhi.

The Su family lived in the middle courtyard. To be honest, this courtyard house had been maintained quite well previously, as people had always lived in it. Although that prodigal son was a spendthrift, precisely because of that, he also knew how to enjoy life. When he had money, he had kept the house in quite good condition.

Yu Ruizhi only helped Su Xinghui renovate the courtyard slightly and replaced the furniture and appliances, and the courtyard was enough to make people live very comfortably.

On the first day they moved into the new house, Su Wenjun and his wife, along with Su Xingyun's family, arrived in Jingcheng. They had taken a plane from Jiangcheng and arrived in Jingcheng in the afternoon. Su Xinghui personally drove to the airport to pick them up, and Yu Ruizhi and Yu Ruoqiu accompanied him.

Although Su Wenjun and his wife were ordinary people, they were Su Xinghui's family, and Yu Ruizhi and the others were Su Xinghui's friends, so they naturally had to respect Su Xinghui's family. Therefore, they didn't put on any airs at all; in front of Su Wenjun and his wife, they all acted with the courtesy of juniors, being very enthusiastic and polite.

After picking up his family, they drove directly to the courtyard house and drove the car right into the courtyard. When Su Wenjun and his wife got out of the car and saw such a large courtyard, they were a bit stunned. Guo Suhua asked, "Xinghui, whose house did you borrow this from?"

Su Xinghui said, "Mom, this courtyard house is our own house; I bought it."

Guo Suhua said, "Then how much did this cost?"

Su Xinghui said, "Brother Yu helped me buy it, and it cost 800,000."

Su Xinghui's words left Su Wenjun and his wife, as well as Su Xingyun and her husband, gasping in astonishment. Although the Su family could now be considered a wealthy family, with 300,000 to 400,000 in cash savings, the figure of 800,000 still exceeded their psychological expectations; 800,000 was equivalent to their wages for several decades.

Guo Suhua said, "Where did you get so much money?"

Su Xinghui smiled and said, "Brother Yu advanced the money for me, but I have already taken a few paintings to be auctioned. Once I get the money from the auction, I should be able to pay Brother Yu back. The key is that the opportunity for this courtyard was too rare; 800,000 is very cheap. If I don't buy it now, there won't be such a good opportunity in the future."

Su Wenjun and his wife also knew that this son had always had his own ideas, and as for the family's assets, besides cash, adding up other properties and such, they could still afford this 800,000, so they didn't say anything more.

Guo Suhua said, "Then after I go back, I will withdraw all the money from the house and remit it to you."

Su Xinghui said, "Don't be in a hurry yet. Let's wait until my paintings are auctioned and see what the situation is."

Yu Ruizhi smiled and said, "Auntie Guo, don't worry. I'm not in a hurry to use the money. I said I would give this courtyard to Xinghui, but he refused and insisted on paying me back."

Guo Suhua shook her head and said, "That won't do. Even close brothers settle accounts clearly. If he accepts such a valuable gift from you, wouldn't he be committing a mistake? He is a cadre and cannot commit mistakes."

Su Xinghui smiled and said, "Alright, Mom, I promise not to commit any mistakes. Let me take you to have a good look at this courtyard. Our family will spend the New Year here this year." ===== CHAPTER 2533 =====