Chapter 185: Chapter 136: Buying a House (Part 2)
Zhang Guoqing kept glancing at Zhou Xiaozheng, waiting for him to inquire about the price and make a decision. He truly liked this house, which exceeded his expectations. It seemed no different from an ordinary courtyard, but the separation of living and dining areas satisfied him. Most importantly, many hidden aspects were handled very appropriately. For example, the precious wood under the furniture paint, the ancient books on the bookshelf, the secret door in the basement, the fireproof wall at the back, and the water well pump. If not for his father-in-law’s keen eye signaling to him, he wouldn’t have noticed anything unusual.
This courtyard would probably be liked by Jiao Jiao. It’s quite a distance from his eldest sister’s place, just the right amount of separation. The distance between the neighboring courtyards is also far, making it unlikely for either side to be disturbed.
Zhou Xiaozheng looked at Zhang Guoqing and saw that he was staring intently at him, the corner of his mouth slightly curved.
The old man who brought out Aunt Wang saw that they had finished looking around and said with a smile, "How is it? Not bad, right? I spent quite a bit of thought building this courtyard back then. I designed the blueprints myself and oversaw the construction myself."
Zhou Xiaozheng got straight to the point and said, "Old man, are you really going to sell? My child really likes your house. Especially the cursive script on the wall of the study, it suits his taste. If you’re truly selling, just name your price."
The old man understood, knowing the other party was indirectly praising the study. He looked Zhang Guoqing up and down and nodded, "This young man is good, he seems to like reading. Forgive me for being presumptuous, you don’t have to answer if it’s inconvenient. What are these young couples currently doing?"
Zhou Xiaozheng waved his hand, unconcernedly saying, "The two kids are still young. My son-in-law plans to start working. My daughter is taking care of the child and wants to see if she can continue studying. Both my wife and I are military personnel, often away. Buying a courtyard is mainly for them to live in themselves. I value the layout of your courtyard. My daughter loves to read. So, please ask for a price?"
The old man was delighted and very excitedly asked Zhang Guoqing a few questions, then got serious about asking him what books he had read, what insights he had, and what type of books he currently enjoyed reading. He even recommended a few books to him.
Zhang Guoqing was almost out of breath from the questions, but he truly liked this courtyard. Moreover, the old man’s eloquence and the numerous explanations he provided enlightened him. Gradually, he became engrossed and answered dutifully. The young and the old engaged in a lively and enjoyable conversation.
The old lady on the side listened intently to the conversation between the two, occasionally posing a question revolving around the young couple’s daily life habits, especially the unseen girl’s personality and hobbies.
It seemed that the elderly couple truly had affection for this courtyard. They were genuinely worried about entrusting the courtyard to the wrong person. After repeated probing and exchanges, the elderly couple exchanged smiles.
Upon seeing his wife’s slight nod, the old man directly said to Zhou Xiaozheng, "Are you planning to buy the courtyard alone or including the furniture?"
Zhou Xiaozheng, upon hearing this, assessed his opponent and saw the old man nod, "Old man, are you willing to sell? Please be sure. If you’re selling with the furniture, then I’ll definitely take everything."
The old man understood he had encountered a connoisseur and was even more pleased. He glanced at Aunt Wang beside him and said, "I’m selling. My two sons’ households already have everything they need. Your son-in-law seems to genuinely like it. If you want it, my wife and I will just take our personal belongings to our eldest son’s home. The entire courtyard is 800 yuan, non-negotiable. If you agree, we can close the deal and transfer ownership this afternoon. However, I will take some of the books inside."
Zhou Xiaozheng agreed decisively. He said to Aunt Wang beside him, "Auntie, today was a big help from you. We’ll need your advice on the house purchasing process and might trouble you to act as an intermediary."
Having said this, he pulled out a large stack of money from his clothes, counting out 800 yuan straightaway and handed it to the old man. He had already realized this old fellow was very astute. Judging by the way he was keeping Aunt Wang occupied and that previous smile, this courtyard seemed genuinely to be designed by this smart person himself. As for why he was selling, or what kind of person he was, it was none of his concern.
Aunt Wang had never seen someone so crisp and efficient. But considering the military style, she immediately understood. She couldn’t fathom why this courtyard was worth eight hundred? A courtyard twice this size wouldn’t exceed a thousand yuan. After looking around, it seemed this courtyard’s only standout feature was the large kitchen placed in the East Wing and the outer room turned into a living room. According to her, it was truly overpriced, and they could negotiate. Seeing the smiles on the faces of Zhou Xiaozheng and his son-in-law, she swallowed back the words she wanted to say, silently sighing that buying a courtyard really needed a woman’s oversight.
"Old man, please count the money. We’ll wait for Aunt Wang to take us to transfer the ownership. As for the house, take your time living in it, there’s no rush for us to move in."
The old man shook his head, counted the money, and repeatedly said this courtyard found the right owner. He asked his wife to immediately pack up his few books and paintings, their personal belongings, and the remaining provisions onto the cart in the courtyard. Once the ownership transfer was done, they’d have someone come and take it away.
Holding the deed, the old man hurried off with everyone to complete the ownership transfer, even more eager than Zhou Xiaozheng and his son-in-law. It further convinced Aunt Wang that this house was not worth the price, seeing the other party was eager to dispose of it.
With Aunt Wang’s familiarity with the process, the transfer went very smoothly and was completed in less than an hour. Zhang Guoqing directly filled in Zhou Jiao’s name on the deed.
Upon completion, they returned to the courtyard. The cart was already piled with a few boxes, three new cotton quilts, a bag of provisions, and over ten books.
Zhang Guoqing repeatedly asked the old man if there was anything else he hadn’t taken. He never expected the elderly couple to leave so stylishly with only a little. When it was said they’d leave everything behind, he hadn’t really planned on keeping the old quilts and stoves for them.
The old man laughed heartily in response, explaining that his family already had what they needed, and the remaining things were unnecessary for them. He didn’t need them, so they should be thrown away.
The old man handed over two sets of keys and repeatedly reminded Zhang Guoqing to regularly air out the books and pointed out things to pay attention to. He spoke about the neighboring courtyards’ people and their taboos.
Finally, he left his address, telling Zhou Xiaozheng and his son-in-law to come to him if they had any questions. He laughed, saying the young couple would definitely like the courtyard, with many surprises waiting for them to discover on their own.
Aunt Wang was dumbfounded watching from the side. Do people really buy and sell houses like this? She now felt like the two families were treating the buying and selling of the courtyard like a game. In less than two hours, a house was sold.
After sending off the elderly couple, they went with Aunt Wang to the neighborhood committee. Once they paid the fees, Zhang Guoqing specifically went to the supply and marketing cooperative outside to buy a pound of milk candy for the women at the committee, knowing the influence these women wielded.
Once everything was arranged, Zhang Guoqing excitedly pulled his father-in-law along, "Dad, let’s go take another look. I haven’t had a close look yet. This is really a treasure. The courtyard is really good, unassuming from the outside but fully equipped inside. Jiao Jiao will love it, especially the study. Let’s hurry back and tell her, let her be happy."
Zhou Xiaozheng watched him with amusement. Seeing his anxious demeanor, he knew the young couple would definitely like it, realizing from his own surprise earlier that there could be such treasures in the county.
"Hmm. Let’s change the lock first. We should indeed take a good look. We need to tidy up the inside a bit. In the coming days, your mother and I will buy some things to put inside."
"Dad, you bought the house for us. I won’t be formal with you on that, but you don’t need to buy anything else. The last time Mom brought things over, it was already a truckload full, and I hid them away, fearing others would get jealous. This time, please don’t buy more. It’s enough already. We can add whatever we’re missing after we move in."
"No problem. There’s a basement in the kitchen. Let’s go see if there’s anything amiss." Zhou Xiaozheng wanted to get everything ready so that Jiao Jiao could move in soon. Compared to living with the in-laws, nothing matched the comfort of their own family of three. Moreover, he was worried about not being able to get a long vacation after starting work. While he was here, he wanted to prepare as much as possible and get his precious Jiao Jiao settled.
The father-in-law and son-in-law bought a new lock and returned to the courtyard. This time, the feeling was completely different. It was now their own courtyard. The two started observing from the main bedroom.
Now, apart from the mattress, the main bedroom was completely empty.
The study had the bookshelf locked. The calligraphy and paintings on the wall were taken down and placed in the bookshelf. Probably because Zhou Xiaozheng mentioned that Zhang Guoqing liked the cursive script, it was left behind. Now, the study only contained the books in the bookshelf, the custom kang table on the kang, while the go board, the four treasures of the study, and the calligraphy and painting were all gone.
The tea set on the table in the living room was also taken away.
The two rooms on the right were left untouched.
It seemed the old lady had packed up the visible spots and taken the prominent items away.
Zhou Xiaozheng and Zhang Guoqing looked at each other and laughed heartily. That old lady was truly a clever person!
The father-in-law and son-in-law went to the East Wing kitchen, turned off the charcoal stove valve, and changed the locks on the main gate and the bedroom. Seeing nothing needed cleaning, they shut the windows, locked the doors, and prepared to leave.