Chapter 208: Chapter 208: Buying a House (1)
After taking the property and title deeds, Uncle Ma said, "As I mentioned before, this courtyard is priced at three thousand five hundred yuan."
Seeing that Su Qing was set on buying the courtyard, Yan Dongjun smiled at Uncle Ma and said, "Uncle, let’s see if we can negotiate the price a bit. After all, if we buy this courtyard, we’ll not only have to renovate and clean it up but also buy all new furniture and things like that. It’s going to be a considerable expense."
After hearing this, Uncle Ma lowered his head in thought. "Alright," he said. "I won’t beat around the bush. If you’re serious about buying, I can lower it by another two hundred yuan. That’s my bottom line. You’ve seen it for yourselves. My courtyard is technically a three-courtyard layout, but it also has a rear building, making it more like a three-and-a-half. It’s bigger than your average three-courtyard home. What do you say?"
Uncle Ma was truly fed up with Ma Qiao Sheng. In the days since he’d been back, Ma Qiao Sheng had come over to pester him almost daily, wanting to move in. He was desperate to sell the house as soon as possible. But because the price wasn’t low, Su Qing and her friends were the first potential buyers to come see it. So, he figured that as long as he could sell it, he could accept a slightly lower price.
Hearing Uncle Ma’s words, Yan Dongjun turned to look at Su Qing.
Su Qing nodded at Yan Dongjun, then smiled at Uncle Ma. "Uncle, I agree to your price. But all the paperwork must be handled properly. I don’t want any future disputes over this house."
"Of course not, of course not." Delighted to hear Su Qing agree to the price, Uncle Ma quickly said, "I have all the necessary documents right here. We can go to the Housing Management Office to transfer the title today."
"Alright." Su Qing nodded.
Having reached an agreement, they planned to head straight to the Housing Management Office. But as soon as they stepped out of the courtyard, they saw Ma Qiao Sheng still waiting outside.
When Ma Qiao Sheng saw them come out, he rushed forward. "Second Uncle, you can’t sell this house! This is the Ma Family’s house, and you’re not the only one in the Ma Family! Without everyone’s consent, you absolutely cannot sell it."
Then, Ma Qiao Sheng glared viciously at Yan Dongjun and the others. "If you dare to buy this house, believe me when I say I’ll make sure you never have a single day of peace."
Ma Qiao Sheng was getting desperate. His family of six had no one with a formal job. He used to have a temporary position, but he’d been fired for making a mistake. Now, the family was barely making a living by pasting paper boxes together. The rent for their place was several yuan a month, and at this rate, they would soon run out of money for food.
If they could move back into this house, they could at least save on rent. They could even rent out the extra rooms and earn some money. Then, they wouldn’t have to worry about their livelihood anymore.
"What, are you threatening us?" Yan Dongjun’s eyes flashed with anger. "What does this house have to do with you? If you dare cause any trouble, I’ll have you thrown in the police station in minutes. Try me if you don’t believe it."
"You..." Yan Dongjun’s imposing aura as he spoke completely intimidated Ma Qiao Sheng. Though frantic, he wasn’t entirely clueless. Yan Dongjun’s presence made him timid. ’Did I just piss off someone important?’ he wondered. ’If I’ve really provoked someone I can’t afford to, I’m going to be in big trouble.’
"What? You don’t believe me? Go on, give it a try. Let’s see if I can’t send you to the station to clear your head," Yan Dongjun said with a cold snort.
"Hmph!" Fear crept into Ma Qiao Sheng’s heart. He resentfully narrowed his eyes at Uncle Ma. As if a thought struck him, he bluffed, "You just wait."
With that, he turned and ran off.
Su Qing narrowed her eyes, watching Ma Qiao Sheng go. The malice in his glance toward Uncle Ma had been too obvious. A suspicion formed in her mind, so she asked Uncle Ma, "Uncle, where do you plan to live after selling the house?"
"I’m planning to leave Beijing and go stay with one of my former apprentices. I don’t intend to stay in Beijing any longer." Uncle Ma sighed. Not only was this city a place of heartbreak for him, but there was also that whole troublesome branch of the family. He really didn’t want to stay here anymore.
"If you plan on leaving Beijing, I suggest you do it as soon as possible," Su Qing advised. "The way your nephew looked at you just now was... off. Don’t forget, after selling the house, you’ll be holding a huge sum of money."
Three thousand three hundred yuan was considered a fortune in this era. After all, a family with even a few hundred yuan in savings was considered well-off.
"Alright, I understand. Thank you for the warning." Hearing Su Qing’s words, Uncle Ma immediately understood what she meant.
Su Qing smiled faintly. "I just wanted to give you a heads-up. Come on, let’s go to the Housing Management Office now."
"Okay."
The Housing Management Office wasn’t too far from Changle Alley, only a ten-minute-or-so drive.
Because all the documents were in order and very few people were buying and selling property at the time, the three-courtyard house in Changle Alley was transferred into Su Qing’s name in just over twenty minutes. The property and title deeds were both processed. In front of the office staff, Su Qing handed the three thousand three hundred yuan payment to Uncle Ma, officially completing the transfer process.
With the house sold, Uncle Ma gave the courtyard keys to Su Qing, said a brief goodbye to everyone, and left in a hurry.
Su Qing and the others found a state-run restaurant to have a meal, then headed to Xilin Alley.
Xilin Alley wasn’t actually too far from Changle Alley, just three streets over. It was also in the heart of Beijing, and even closer to the city center than Changle Alley. This area was a bit more bustling, too.
The location of the two-courtyard house in Xilin Alley was excellent. Across the road from the front gate was a lake filled with vast patches of lotuses. It was only March or April, so the lotuses weren’t blooming yet, but one could easily imagine the magnificent sight of the lake covered in blossoms come June.
Even Cheng Beilin fell in love with the scenery around the courtyard. "Oh my gosh, this place is beautiful!"
She then linked her arm with Su Qing’s and said sweetly, "Su Qing, if you really buy this courtyard, I’m coming to stay with you in the summer. It’s just too pretty here."
"Sure, no problem," Su Qing replied with a smile.
Standing to the side, Cheng Beize watched Su Qing interact with Cheng Beilin, a flicker of a smile in his eyes.
Just then, Yan Dongjun went ahead and knocked on the courtyard gate. A moment later, the gate opened to reveal an elderly woman with hair streaked with gray, pulled back meticulously into a bun. Her expression was stern as she looked at them. "Are you here to see the house?"
