People in the alley: A woman dressed as a man shouldn't be foolishly filial, Zhuang Chaoying

Wang Quan shouted at the top of his lungs, "Uncle Liu, Uncle Liu! Open the door, it's me, Quan!"

A moment later, an older man wearing glasses opened the door and greeted him warmly. "Ah Quan, you must be the Xiao Zhuang I was talking about. Hello, please come in!"

Wang Quan pushed the bicycle inside, then introduced, "Brother Zhuang, this is Uncle Liu, the landlord!"

Zhuang Chaoying politely extended her hand. "Hello, Uncle Liu!"

After shaking hands, Uncle Liu led Zhuang Chaoying into the house while saying, "Hello, hello! Let me show you around. This yard is sixteen square meters. The first floor has a kitchen and a living room, and the layout is very reasonable. There are two rooms on the second floor and two rooms on the third floor. The house occupies an area of ​​sixty-five square meters, and with the yard, the total area is eighty square meters."

Zhuang Chaoying inspected each room and found that the furniture in the rooms was antique in style and looked quite nice, somewhat like furniture from the Republic of China era.

Moreover, the house faces south and has good natural light.

After viewing the house, the three of them sat in the courtyard.

Zhuang Chaoying spoke first: "Uncle Liu, I heard from Quan that you're going to pay for both houses at the same time?"

Uncle Liu nodded and got up to pour tea for the two of them. "The other one is in the next courtyard, with the same layout. Xiao Zhuang, to be honest, this house is my ancestral property that was returned to me in 1980."

Previously, it took a lot of effort from Quan and my distant nephew to resolve the issue of resettling the residents here.

My spouse passed away last year, leaving me all alone. Fortunately, I have a younger brother in the US, and he wants me to come live with him. So, before I leave, I'm selling my property and taking the money with me.

Zhuang Chaoying looked at Uncle Liu, who was over sixty years old and wore round black-rimmed glasses. She noticed that he exuded a unique temperament in every gesture, a kind of rich young master's aura that remained even after the vicissitudes of time.

However, Zhuang Chaoying wasn't in the mood to delve into those details and cut straight to the point: "Uncle Liu, let's be frank. How much are you planning to sell these two houses for? Are you sure they're private property and there won't be any problems?"

Uncle Liu sat up slightly, his expression turning serious, and held up one finger. "Don't worry, Xiao Zhuang, this is my personal property, there won't be any trouble. Ten thousand yuan!"

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Chaoying truly fell in love with the house.

The location, layout, and surrounding environment of the house suited his taste perfectly.

He looked at A-Quan.

Ah Quan understood immediately and quickly pulled Uncle Liu into the house.

At this moment, Zhuang Chaoying sat alone in the courtyard, her thoughts entirely focused on the two houses.

This is a rare opportunity. Although 10,000 yuan is not a small amount, it is not expensive at all compared to the potential value of these two houses.

Wang Quan had to do things once he took Zhuang Ge's money; he was a very trustworthy person.

As soon as he entered the house, he smiled and pulled Uncle Liu to sit down on a chair: "Uncle Liu, look at your house. The windows, doors, and walls are all peeling. If you move in, you'll have to spend some money to clean it up. It's not easy to find a buyer. Ten thousand yuan is not a small amount. Don't scare them away. Give me a discount."

Uncle Liu took Wang Quan's hand and patted it gently. "Quan, you're someone I know. Why aren't you speaking up for Uncle Liu? You're siding with an outsider instead. I can give all the furniture from these two houses to this Xiao Zhuang."

Wang Quan scratched his head and chuckled, "Uncle Liu, your furniture is nice, but the cost of repairing this house isn't low either. Brother Zhuang really wants to buy it, and you know the current market, not many people can come up with 10,000 yuan right away. If you could be a little more flexible with the price, the deal would be done, and you wouldn't have to worry about finding other buyers."

Uncle Liu frowned and paced around the room, seemingly weighing the pros and cons. "Ah Quan, my house is in a good location and has a large area, so the price is already very fair. But considering your sincerity with Xiao Zhuang, I can only offer a discount of five hundred yuan at most, no less."

Wang Quan turned and walked to the door, giving Zhuang Chaoying in the courtyard a wink, signaling him to come in and discuss it.

Zhuang Chaoying straightened her clothes and went inside.

Zhuang Chaoying spoke first, looking at Uncle Liu. "Uncle Liu, I can pay in one lump sum, which will save a lot of trouble."

Uncle Liu sat in the old armchair, his gaze slowly shifting from Zhuang Chaoying to Wang Quan, and then pondered for a moment.

He frowned, and memories of the past flooded his mind.

Uncle Liu used to own a printing factory in Suzhou. It was initially a joint public-private enterprise, but after many twists and turns, he eventually handed over the business. Later, he was assigned to work in the north to undergo labor reform and reconstruction. His wife also worked there. She was cold and hungry and had to work so hard that she developed health problems. The two of them had no children to accompany them and were all alone.

After returning to the city seven or eight years later, the authorities returned the two courtyards and the old house to them. However, his wife passed away after only a few years of enjoying a peaceful life, leaving him all alone.

Another large house was too crowded and disorganized to be vacated, so it had to be continued to be rented to them, with their distant nephew Liu Baofu helping to look after it.

Now that he has settled the disputes over these two houses, he plans to go to the United States to find his younger brother, so that he will have someone to rely on in his old age.

“Then I’ll compromise further, nine thousand yuan, that’s my bottom line. Any less, I’d rather keep the house.”

Zhuang Chaoying was overjoyed. Although the price was still a bit lower than she had expected, she felt it wouldn't be a loss to buy it at this price.

After all, Uncle Liu's house has a pretty good location and layout, and the price is reasonable. "Uncle Liu, this price is acceptable. So when can we complete the transfer of ownership?"

Uncle Liu sat down, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and moistened his throat. "Xiao Zhuang, do you have time tomorrow?"

Zhuang Chaoying nodded. After the exams, there wasn't much to do; she could take half a day off on Saturday to get this done. "How about we meet at the real estate bureau at eight o'clock this morning?"

"Okay, Xiao Zhuang, see you on Saturday. I'll leave this house to you, so don't try to fool this old man."

Zhuang Chaoying waved his hand. "Uncle Liu, don't worry, as soon as the transfer is completed, I'll give you some money right away."

Two people came out of the alley.

Wang Quan grinned. "Brother Zhuang, how about it? I, Quan, am reliable, right? Think of me for business in the future!"

Zhuang Chaoying patted him on the shoulder. "Ah Quan, I have to thank you again today. You're a reliable guy. See you at the real estate bureau tomorrow. These are two houses, and the agreed-upon price won't be less than agreed upon, so don't worry."

"Brother Zhuang, I'll be going now."

After Wang Quan finished speaking, he hummed a little tune and turned to leave.

Zhuang Chaoying got on her bicycle.