Chapter 209: Chapter 209: Buying a House (2)
"Yes, you must be Aunt Jin?" Yan Dongjun asked with a smile.
Aunt Jin nodded faintly, then turned to look at Su Qing and the other two. "Which one of you is buying my house?" she asked.
Su Qing quickly replied, "I am."
Hearing this, Aunt Jin sized Su Qing up, then nodded. "Come in and talk."
Su Qing and the others followed Aunt Jin into the courtyard. As soon as she stepped inside, Su Qing noticed that the courtyard was exceptionally well-maintained. It wasn’t just clean and tidy; elegance and refinement permeated every corner. Furthermore, the flowerbeds along the wall were filled with numerous flowers, some of which were already budding. Even under the moon gate and along the covered corridor, there were many flowerpots.
It was clear that the old woman was someone who truly loved flowers.
Aunt Jin was a woman of few words. After leading them in, she gave them a tour of the courtyard and the rooms. Although this *siheyuan* was only a two-courtyard compound and not particularly large, it wasn’t just the courtyard that was elegantly arranged—the rooms, too, exuded a warm and delicate charm.
Rosewood furniture, beaded curtains and gauze draperies, a gall-bladder vase with a flower arrangement by the window, and ink paintings and calligraphy on the walls.
Cheng Beilin clicked her tongue in amazement and whispered to Su Qing, "Is this how the great, wealthy families of the past decorated their homes?"
The Cheng Family was also incredibly wealthy, but Cheng Beilin had received a Western-style education since she was young, and her family’s home was decorated in a Western style. She had rarely seen this kind of traditional Chinese aesthetic.
But she fell in love with it at first sight.
"You like it?" Su Qing whispered to Cheng Beilin with a smile.
Cheng Beilin nodded frantically. "I love it."
The two had just exchanged a few whispered words when they heard Aunt Jin speak. "You’ve all seen the courtyard now. What do you think?"
As she spoke, Aunt Jin looked toward Su Qing.
Su Qing smiled. "Aunt Jin, I love this courtyard."
Aunt Jin nodded upon hearing this. "Several other groups came before you, and they all took a liking to my courtyard, but I didn’t sell. For one, I won’t lower the price by a single cent. And for another, I have additional conditions for anyone who wants to buy this place."
With that, Aunt Jin looked at Su Qing and continued, "I’m a straightforward person; I don’t like to beat around the bush. I’ll tell you my terms directly. If you can accept them, we can discuss the rest. If you can’t, then there’s no need to talk further. It’ll save everyone time."
Hearing Aunt Jin’s words, Cheng Beilin’s eyes went wide. ’Wow, she’s so blunt.’
"Okay, please go on," Su Qing said with a nod.
Seeing that Su Qing didn’t show any sign of impatience or displeasure, Aunt Jin gave a subtle nod of approval. She continued, "As I just said, I won’t lower the price by a single cent. I’ll leave all the furniture in the courtyard for you, but I have a requirement: you cannot change the layout or decorations of this courtyard at will, unless necessary repairs are needed. Furthermore, I will come back to see it once a year. If you make unauthorized changes, you will have to compensate me and restore the courtyard to its original state."
At Aunt Jin’s words, Cheng Beilin’s jaw dropped. ’Whoa, she’s selling it, so how can she still control whether the new owner changes the decorations? I admit, the decor is gorgeous, but once it’s someone else’s house, you can’t just forbid them from redecorating, can you? That’s a bit too unreasonable.’
Even Yan Dongjun and Cheng Beize were a little surprised by Aunt Jin’s words. Su Qing, however, remained calm. She looked at Aunt Jin and asked, "Aunt Jin, this courtyard must hold many memories for you, doesn’t it?"
Hearing Su Qing’s question, a hint of a smile flashed in Aunt Jin’s eyes. She nodded. "Yes, it does. But I’m going to Xiangcheng and won’t be staying in Beijing anymore. If no one lives here, the house will eventually fall into disrepair. If I were to rent it out, I’m afraid the tenants wouldn’t cherish it. That’s why I decided to sell. This way, at least someone will be looking after it."
"Oh, Aunt Jin, you’re going to Xiangcheng?" Cheng Beilin asked in surprise. "I heard you were going to live with your son. Is your son in Xiangcheng?"
"That’s right," Aunt Jin said with a nod, but she didn’t elaborate.
Seeing that Aunt Jin wasn’t saying more, Cheng Beilin felt it would be rude to press further.
Su Qing thought for a moment and said, "Aunt Jin, I can agree to your condition. However, I think we’ll need to write up an agreement. After all, you said I can’t change the courtyard’s decorative style, but if I buy this place, I will inevitably add some of my own furnishings. If you were to later say that those additions also require compensation, I’d have no way to defend myself. Therefore, you’ll need to define a general scope so I know exactly what can’t be touched."
"No problem," Aunt Jin nodded. "That’s perfectly reasonable. What I mean by ’can’t be touched’ are the decorations in the courtyard and inside the house, the flowers and trees I’ve planted, and the flowerpots under the corridor. The furniture cannot be replaced either. As for everything else, I won’t concern myself with it. In short, you can’t change the major, visible elements."
This courtyard held too many of Aunt Jin’s memories. She hoped that, for as long as she lived, it would at least retain the general appearance she remembered.
"Alright. In that case, I can promise that I won’t touch the decorative style of this courtyard. I also won’t touch the flowerbeds, potted plants, or the trees planted here," Su Qing agreed with a nod. ’I quite like its style anyway,’ she thought. ’Besides, I’m planning to buy several more courtyards, so I can just rotate between them. It doesn’t really matter if I can change this one or not.’
Aunt Jin seemed not to have expected Su Qing to agree so readily. The previous groups of people, not to mention their constant attempts to haggle, had all shaken their heads and refused upon hearing her condition, feeling it was too restrictive.
"You really agree?" Aunt Jin was still a bit incredulous. To be honest, she also felt her demands were a bit excessive. After all, once the courtyard was sold, she really shouldn’t be making any demands. But she couldn’t bear it; she couldn’t bear to let her memories just vanish into thin air. She desperately hoped the courtyard could remain just as it was.
"I agree," Su Qing said with a nod. "Later, we can draw up a document and put down in black and white exactly which parts cannot be changed. It will serve as our formal agreement. So, shall we discuss the price of the house now?"
Aunt Jin nodded. "Alright. For this place, including the courtyard and all the furniture, I’m asking for a total of two thousand one hundred."
Su Qing smiled at her words. "Are you sure? No regrets?"
