Witty Wife, Better Life

Chapter 633: Chapter 623: Another Set of Siheyuan

"The last one is over by the Glass Factory. It’s not as big as the one for over eight hundred thousand, nor as nice, but the area is always bustling, so the price isn’t low either. The owner, I don’t know what situation he’s in, is in a hurry to sell. He’s asking for seven hundred and fifty thousand. When I went to see it, someone else was also viewing the place, so it wasn’t good for me to stay long. I looked around for a bit then left. But I’m a bit worried, you know. If I were the only one looking at the house, I might not have found it so appealing, certainly not as much as the one for over eight hundred thousand, but the moment someone else is competing for it, you start to think differently. Yesterday, I circled around the front of their house several times until the viewer left, then I asked again. The house hasn’t been sold yet. The viewer thought the price was high and had to think it over. I reckon it’ll be tough to sell this one."

Shen Yunfang stopped in her tracks upon hearing his words.

"What’s the matter?" Ma Liguo was taken aback when she suddenly stopped walking.

"Ma Ge, let’s not go home first. Let’s head straight to the Glass Factory and see if that apartment has been sold." With someone eyeing the apartment she favored, how could Shen Yunfang be at ease? Besides, she was under time pressure. This time she intended to buy the house as quickly as possible so that she could move on to the next step. Plus, having left her child and man at home for several days, she was really worried.

"Isn’t that too rash? You’ve just gotten off the train. Besides, even if this apartment is sold, there are plenty of other courtyard houses out there, so you’re bound to find one." Ma Liguo didn’t understand why she was in such a rush.

"Oh, Ma Ge, I think any house you like must be good. If we can really get it, it’s better to buy it first. Besides, I came on a sleeper train, so I wasn’t tired. Let’s just go and have a look now." Shen Yunfang didn’t want to waste time.

Seeing her insistence, Ma Liguo had nothing more to say. "Fine, fine, you decide. Let’s go there now."

So the two of them, without going home, rushed straight to the Glass Factory.

"This is the place," Ma Liguo pointed at one of the courtyard houses.

Shen Yunfang looked over and saw red paper on the doorway with the words ’For Sale.’ It seemed that the house hadn’t been sold yet; she felt a bit relieved.

After taking a good look at the entrance, which seemed ordinary and different from her own family’s courtyard house, mainly the door, she also noticed that the open space in front of the house was quite large. She estimated that, with proper planning, a small parking lot could be built at the entrance.

"Let’s go in and have a look," Shen Yunfang said, moving towards the door.

Ma Liguo hurried to follow and knock on the door. The door was opened by an elderly man dressed in a Tang-style jacket. Clearly, the man remembered Ma Liguo. "Oh, young man, you’re back."

"Yes, old sir. I’ve brought a relative to have another look at the house. Can we go in for another round?" Ma Liguo asked with a smile.

The old man glanced at Shen Yunfang standing behind him, nodded, and stepped aside. "Then come on in and take another look."

So, the two of them entered the courtyard house.

The elderly man took them on a tour of the house, giving details as they went along. Shen Yunfang’s face was expressionless, but she had already decided to buy it.

"To tell the truth, if my son weren’t good for nothing and I didn’t urgently need money, I wouldn’t sell this old house. It’s been passed down from my ancestors. I really don’t want to part with it," the old man said as he looked at every brick and tile of his house, filled with nostalgia.

Ma Liguo and Shen Yunfang exchanged glances, and he immediately understood what she meant.

"Hehe, old man, I understand. We’re also in a hurry to buy a house. That’s why we came to look at the property yesterday and are here again today. Look, one with sincere intention to buy and one with sincere intention to sell, shouldn’t we sit down and talk about the house price?"

The old man thought they looked like a married couple and was surprised that they could afford the house—not judging a book by its cover, indeed.

"Alright, since you really want to buy, let’s talk," the old man said as he led them to the main room where there were tables and chairs, and the three of them sat down.

"Old sir, let’s not beat around the bush. My relative likes this house, and if you can cut the price a bit, we can close the deal immediately. What do you think?" Ma Liguo still felt it was necessary to negotiate a better price, even if they could save five thousand yuan, it would be worth it.

The old man didn’t say a word.

"How about this, sir? I really fancy your house, and I can tell you’re in urgent need. So let’s not drag out the haggling. I’ll give you a straight offer, seven hundred and thirty thousand. I’m not asking for too much of a discount. If you agree, I’ll pay a deposit right now, and we can transfer ownership tomorrow. I’ll be able to pay you the rest in full. What do you say?" Shen Yunfang straightforwardly made her offer. Of course, if the old man disagreed, she was ready to smooth things over and pay the full seven hundred and fifty thousand for the property.

The old man was still silent.

Ma Liguo was getting impatient and wanted to say something, but Shen Yunfang stopped him with a look.

After a long while, the old man finally said, "Alright, I’ll sell it to you for seven hundred and thirty thousand."

Ma Liguo breathed a sigh of relief, and so did Shen Yunfang. She smiled and suggested, "Well then, sir, let’s write up the contract now, and I’ll pay you a deposit of thirty thousand yuan, okay?"

"Alright, I’ll get the paper and pen," said the old man as he stood up and went inside.

Once he left, Ma Liguo gave Shen Yunfang a thumbs up in admiration. Bargaining was one thing, but he hadn’t managed to reduce the price by a cent, while she immediately dropped it by twenty thousand. To some, twenty thousand might not seem like much on a total of over seven hundred thousand, but for ordinary people, it’s a big deal.

The old man quickly returned with paper and pen. Shen Yunfang swiftly drafted the purchase agreement, let the old man look it over, made a copy after agreeing on the terms, and both parties signed, each keeping a copy.

Then, Shen Yunfang took out thirty thousand yuan from her bag as a deposit and arranged a time to complete the transfer the next day.

When they stepped outside, it was already getting late. They didn’t go to Houhai but instead went straight to Ma Liguo’s home. In the evening, she discussed the matter of Z Province with Mu Huazhen. When Mu Huazhen heard that she was really planning to become a farmer, she was shocked. It had been mentioned before, but she’d never taken it seriously and couldn’t understand why Yunfang would choose this path—abandoning city life to toil in the soil.

Shen Yunfang couldn’t explain it either. If she claimed that there was a living to be made from the land, nobody would believe her at this point. She could only prove it once it started paying off in the future.