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Chapter 338: Chapter 337: I can have Akai help you
The Si Family was suddenly blessed with two joyous occasions. Lin Fengying started to feel generous and bought several pounds of candies to distribute, door to door, making everyone in the village green with envy.
It’s fascinating how the Si Family went through ups and downs over the last two decades—it’s quite the saga. From the peaceful starting days, to poverty and hunger, and now, their current flourishing state. It certainly is a testament to the saying, ’what goes around, comes around,’ with the wheel of fortune turning again in favor of the Si Family.
Those who once looked down on the Si Family now wished they could offer their daughters in marriage to them, especially the young ladies who once had a marriage proposal from Si Boyi. To say that they now regretted it to the point of turning green wouldn’t be an exaggeration.
Lin Fengying’s main purpose of distributing candies was to make those who looked down on Si Boyi regret their previous judgments. Her strategy worked quite well, indeed making people regret, but it also reminded many of her scandalous affair with Si Weimin years ago, a topic that frequently came up in idle chat.
Even Chen Jinlan joined in the gossip. Lin Fengying noticed people staring at her odd looks. She wanted to call and ask about how Si Weimin and Yuan Caizhen were doing, but she was afraid that Caizhen might pick up the phone instead. She tried to get information out of Tong Yao, but Yao’s lips were sealed and she couldn’t get a word out.
However, Lin Fengying had been preoccupied. Lin Man called her every few days and they could chat for over ten minutes each time. Lin Fengying grew more and more fond of Lin Man. From Lin Man, she sensed a good impression of Si Chen and she would occasionally ask about Si Chen’s childhood.
Sometimes, she would wonder how good it would have been if Si Chen hadn’t married Tong Yao. Perhaps, Si Chen and Lin Man could have ended up together, and many problems at home could have been avoided.
But it was too late to think about now as her eldest son was already married.
Oh! Such a pity for a fine girl like her. How wonderful it would have been if she could become her daughter-in-law.
In mid-October, the weather started to cool down. Those susceptible to cold had already put on their padded jackets. Tong Yao also put on the currently trending woolen coat.
One day, Tong Yao and Wang Chun agreed to go shopping. Wang Chun, aware of the cold weather, asked her driver to drop her off directly at the residential area where Tong Yao lived. She knew that Tong Yao lived here but it was her first visit.
Though she’d assumed that Tong Yao, the owner of a few tea stores, would live comfortably, she was surprised to find that Tong Yao was living in such a narrow and small abode. Wang Chun, who had been accustomed to living in large villas since childhood, was visiting such a cramped space for the first time. The place was so tiny that it made her feel suffocated.
After assessing the place, she incredulously asked, "Yaoyao, you live here?"
"This is the house allocated by Ahchen’s office," Tong Yao said awkwardly. "Although it’s small, it has everything we need."
Wang Chun seemed to think of something, her eyes lighting up as she asked, "Do you have any plans to buy a house?"
Having known Yao for some time, Wang Chun knew she had the financial capacity to buy a house, prompting the question.
A thought struck Yao and she replied honestly, "I do. There’s news that some commodity housing will be on sale during the Twelfth Lunar Month, but I’m not guaranteed to get one."
Wang Chun quickly said, "I can get Akai to help you."
"..." Wang Chun offering help took Yao by surprise.
"What’s the matter?" Wang Chun, assuming Yao might have financial difficulties, added, "Yaoyao, don’t worry. You can apply for a loan for the commodity house. You don’t need to pay in full. You just need to repay the bank every month. You run four tea stores, you can easily afford a house. Akai said that house prices will increase sharply in a few years. If you don’t buy a house now, you’ll regret it later."
As Wang Chun considered Tong Yao a close friend and so offered this piece of advice. Although their friendship was not quite long, she felt quite close to Tong Yao.
Any help to Tong Yao made her joyful.
Tong Yao coveted a house, but she didn’t ask Wang Chun’s help directly. Instead, she asked first, "Will it affect your husband?"
If their relationship hadn’t been so good, Tong Yao wouldn’t have been worried about any potential impact on Wang Chun’s husband.
Things were different now. Wang Chun was good to her and she didn’t want concerns about a house to have an impact on Wang Chun’s husband.
Wang Chun didn’t anticipate Tong Yao’s concern. She became more convinced that she had made the right friend and smiled lightly, "Not at all. Akai has many friends. One house is nothing. As long as he speaks, it’s a done deal."
"Then, I’ll have to trouble both of you. Let’s go shopping and I’ll treat you to lunch. Once this matter is settled, you can drink the tea from my shop all you want. It’ll be free for life."
Tong Yao’s straightforward decision brought joy to Wang Chun as she felt Tong Yao didn’t treat her as an outsider.
"Then I need to be friends with you for life so that I can drink tea for life."
Tong Yao added, "I guess I’ll have to work harder to run my tea shops now so that you can drink tea for life."
Both of them walked out laughing and joking. When they had just stepped out of the building, they heard Liu Qing chatting with someone.
She was so engrossed in the conversation that she didn’t notice people approaching from behind.
Tong Yao was almost in front of her, yet Liu Qing kept chattering endlessly.
"I heard that ten new houses will be allocated this time. My family missed out on the allocation last time. They said my husband was new at the hospital and they need to prioritize senior staff, those with families, and older people. My husband didn’t complain about it. But he’s been there for a while now, right?"
"Dr. Si was given a one-bed-room house the moment he started at the hospital. We didn’t complain. But if we don’t get a house this time, I won’t remain silent anymore. Just because he has strong backers, he can’t keep taking all the advantages, right? Even if it’s our turn, it should be our house, right? All the good things in the world can’t just go to one person. No matter how capable he is, he can’t run a hospital alone."
There have been rumors of a new batch of houses being allocated in the hospital. It’s a dog eat dog situation. Those with houses enjoyed the show, while those without were desperate.
Liu Qing was one of the desperate ones, having missed out the last time. She was keen to seize this opportunity since she didn’t know when the next one would arise.
One less contender meant more hope for her family.
She couldn’t compete with the doctors with higher positions and longer service years, but when it came to Si Chen, her husband had been working at the hospital for many years.
The moment Si Chen arrived, he was given a house with a bedroom and living room. This made many people envious, but out of respect for Professor Qu, they didn’t express their opinions openly. However, behind closed doors, many weren’t happy.
A bedroom and a living room. That’s a benefit only offered to doctors at the level of director.
They all lived in single rooms, with shared bathrooms and kitchens. Why was Si Chen treated better than them as soon as he arrived at the hospital?
