Chapter 19: This Finally Feels Like a Home

Chapter 19: This Finally Feels Like a Home

"2200? That's too low!" Li Hongmei frowned and calculated.

"The property deed shows 85 square meters, and we haven't even included the front area. Even if we go by 85 square meters, your 2200 yuan works out to about 26 yuan per square meter!"

"Mr. Zhang?" Li Hongmei looked at Zhang Laotou. This price was much lower than their previous expectation.

Su An smiled. "Aunt Li, the price of 2200 is not low. This eastern city is an old district, full of dilapidated houses. The government's development plans are all heading west. Moreover, I'm paying in cash. As we mentioned earlier, this old house can't follow the 'three-three policy,' which allows residents to buy a portion of their housing at a discounted rate. Those who have connections will definitely move to new houses. Only those without money or connections, like me, would consider this place."

"The main issue is the Cui family and the Liu family situation up ahead. If you don't sell, renting is impossible. Even if you manage to rent it out, the Liu family might cause trouble and ruin it. Old houses already have no advantage, and with this special situation, finding someone as bold as me won't be easy. If someone buys it and can't handle that family's antics, they might even ask for a refund!"

Su An didn't feel guilty at all. Fuqing Street wouldn't start becoming lively until three years later, and it wouldn't truly boom for almost a decade. Right now, it's just a place to take a walk, with no other advantages.

Li Hongmei knew the market price in this area was about 50 yuan per square meter, but the seller's asking price and the buyer's final price were two different things.

Moreover, the 50 yuan in the eastern city referred to the two more prosperous streets ahead, not Fuqing Street.

The actual transaction price for houses in this area might not even reach 40 yuan per square meter.

Considering Longxiang Mansion's price after the three-three policy was only around 30 yuan per square meter, although many didn't meet the purchasing criteria, those living in the city usually had relatives or neighbors working in large state-owned enterprises. With a willingness to spend a few hundred yuan, the criteria could be obtained.

Calculating this way, after buying the criteria and applying the three-three policy, Longxiang Mansion would cost about 50 yuan per square meter.

So, the price Li Hongmei and Zhang Laotou offered wasn't low.

Su An broke it down point by point for Li Hongmei and Zhang Laotou.

The couple looked at each other and realized Su An was right.

Having lived in this house for over twenty years, they felt some reluctance.

Li Hongmei, thinking about her family's hardship on Fuqing Street and her daughter's increasingly low mood, pulled her husband aside to whisper again.

"Old man, Su An is right. Should we sell?"

"With the 2200 yuan, plus the money we have, we can buy the 88 square meter three-bedroom unit at Longxiang Mansion and get the keys for renovation immediately. The money for renovation and furniture is about the same. Anyway, we won't be living here anymore. Like Su An said, renting is impossible, and finding a suitable buyer won't be easy. If the Liu family finds out, who knows what tricks they might pull!"

Zhang Laotou nodded. "As Su An said, we're not losing out. I'm just worried that if Cui's family causes more trouble later, will Su An ask for a refund?"

"By then, we'll have spent the money. Where would we find the money to return to her?"

Li Hongmei nodded. "Yes, we need to make this clear. Once sold, there's no refund. We haven't hidden anything from her; everything's been laid out on the table!"

After agreeing, the couple shared their concerns with Su An.

This hit Su An's mark perfectly.

In her previous life, she had seen all kinds of bizarre news stories.

There were many cases where people sold houses, only to regret it after demolition and sue.

"Aunt Li, how about this: when we sign the contract, we'll add an additional agreement stating that after the house transaction, neither party can regret it for any reason, or they'll face legal responsibilities and compensate the other party with substantial damages."

The couple thought about it and realized this would remove their worries.

"Alright, Su An, as you know, we're in a hurry to secure that unit at Longxiang Mansion. Can we speed things up here?"

Su An nodded. "No problem, Auntie Li. I'll leave some property as a deposit. Tomorrow, we'll get this done. Today, you can go ahead and put down a deposit for that large three-bedroom unit at Longxiang Fu."

"Tomorrow morning, I'll bring the money and household registration book to find you!"

Since Su An didn’t have much cash on her, she left a 22-gram gold bracelet as a deposit.

They agreed that she would take the bracelet back when she brought the money the next day.

Currently, gold was selling for 88 per gram in stores, and even the buyback price was 65. If she sold the bracelet back, it would still fetch over a thousand.

Li Hongmei and Zhang Laotou signed a receipt for Su An, not worrying at all that she would back out.

Su An followed Li Hongmei and her husband all the way back to the sales office of Longxiang Fu.

"Auntie Li, Uncle Zhang, see you tomorrow!"

She pushed her bicycle, which had been stored at the sales office, and bid farewell to the couple heading inside.

"Okay, see you tomorrow," they waved as they walked inside.

Returning to the Zhao family's home, the house was eerily quiet, a stark reminder that Zhao Daxing's entire family was still at the hospital.

Su An strode into the three rooms, found the largest one that faced the sun and had good lighting, and began to clean it.

The clothes hanging in the wardrobe were mostly standard-issue for retired officials: suit pants and white shirts.

It was clearly Zhao Daxing's room.

With a sense of purpose, Su An started clearing out the room, tossing everything into the storage area without a second thought.

She then took out clean bedding from Auntie Xiao's wardrobe and laid it out for herself.

This is awesome! The Zhao family’s place was way better than the Su family’s, whether it was the food or the living conditions.

She swept everything from the windowsill and cabinets—Zhao Daxing’s prized hair oil, his polished leather shoes, and other odds and ends—into the storage room with a broom.

She also found a pair of brand-new leather shoes and a new cowhide belt in the wardrobe. Judging from the purchase receipt in the bag, the shoes seemed to have been bought by Zhao Daxing during a business trip to a neighboring city.

Su An checked the size—42. Well, her elder brother wore a size 41, so with an insole, they should fit him just fine.

She figured her brother could use the new shoes and belt, so she appropriated both, placing them together in the shoebox.

After cleaning the room, Su An took out her clothes from her bag and hung them up one by one.

Seeing her belongings scattered around the room, Su An nodded in satisfaction.

This finally felt a bit like home.

Finally, she closed the door, pulled out the large iron lock she had just bought, and clicked it shut. Now, this was truly her space. No one else was getting in.

Private territory: Keep out.