Chapter 120: Second Watch

Chapter 120: Second Watch

Old Wang, who had been sent down to Yangliu Brigade in Jiangbei County and lived in a drafty cowshed back in the day, became a high-ranking official in a ministry after his rehabilitation and returned to the city. His family's house was also reclaimed, a three-section courtyard house that had been tidied up very neatly.

The house actually belonged to his wife's family, but since his father-in-law only had one daughter, the entire family lived with his father-in-law. Now that both the father-in-law and mother-in-law had long passed away, and even his wife had passed away at the start of the political movement, their children who were also sent down had returned. The son returned to his former workplace, the grandson was already in middle school, and the daughter, divorced, lived at home with her six-year-old daughter.

Shen Shaoyuan took Liang Liang to his house. His granddaughter was especially fond of this chubby, big-eyed little girl and kept saying she wanted the little one to live at their house too. Old Wang joked, "Why don’t the little one buy a house near ours, so you can see her every day. Coincidentally, the Zeng family at No. 19 in the alley wants to sell their house."

Shen Shaoyuan was immediately intrigued.

This alley was lined with large courtyard houses, likely because fewer people lived there, making it look much cleaner than other places, and it was also very quiet.

Shen Shaoyuan had grown up either in the imperial palace or in grand mansions, and he naturally preferred such tranquil environments. Moreover, Liu Yingshuang often mentioned that the quadrangle courtyards in the capital would be worth a fortune in the future, with significant investment potential. Buying one now seemed quite appropriate.

Shen Shaoyuan then carefully inquired about the owner’s situation and the price.

Old Wang didn't expect him to be serious about buying. Such a large three-section courtyard house wasn’t cheap, but he didn’t ask Shen Shaoyuan about the source of his funds. He just explained the situation of the family and said he could accompany him to see the house.

Actually, Old Wang had somewhat sensed back in Yangliu Brigade that Shen Shaoyuan's family wasn't as poor as the rumors suggested.

The Shen family lived at the village entrance and didn't interact much with the villagers, but Old Wang's cowshed was next to the Shen family. He often caught the aroma of the delicious meals they prepared.

The family ate quite well, better than most households in the village.

Of course, Shen Shaoyuan would occasionally bring him some food, and thanks to Shen Shaoyuan frequently bringing him treats, his aging body managed to endure.

Moreover, Shen Shaoyuan’s eloquence and knowledge set him apart from the average commune members. The villagers didn't notice because Shen Shaoyuan didn't talk about anything other than farming with them, but the two of them got along well and often discussed a wide range of topics. Shen Shaoyuan’s insights and breadth of knowledge were unparalleled, not just by the commune members but even by people from big cities.

Moreover, he was also skilled in calligraphy, painting, and chess.

Old Wang had heard that his wife had taught him painting. Old Wang had never met Shen Shaoyuan's wife, so he couldn't judge, but it was undeniable that Shen Shaoyuan had his secrets.

Perhaps he knew some influential figures who lived in obscurity, or perhaps his wife came from a prominent family.

Given all this, it wasn’t surprising that Shen Shaoyuan had the means to buy a courtyard house.

However, when it came to seeing the house, Shen Shaoyuan directly shook his head: "No need, it's useless for me to see it. My daughter has to come and see it. As long as she's satisfied, I'm fine with anything."

Old Wang was speechless.

He had heard back in Yangliu Brigade that this man spoiled his daughter immensely, letting her have her way in everything. He didn't expect it to still be the case now.

"Then let my secretary bring Little Shen over to take a look tomorrow."

Old Wang rarely had time to come back and entertain guests today; he wouldn’t be available tomorrow.

Shen Shaoyuan waved his hand: "Just find someone to help guide and connect us."

Returning to the guesthouse and seeing Shen Moer, Shen Shaoyuan told her about this.

Shen Moer was holding Liang Liang. The little one had been drinking formula all day and, back in her mother's arms, whimpered pitifully, her little head burrowing into her mother's chest.

"Is she hungry again?" Shen Moer asked.

Shen Shaoyuan glanced at the cooing little one: "She just had milk, probably not hungry yet." This little thing, acting as if he had caused her so much grievance.

Shen Moer then picked up the little one vertically, played with her, and then mentioned that she had already bought a small courtyard.

Shen Shaoyuan paused briefly and said, "This courtyard is close to your school, and the price is fair. We can tell your husband directly about it. When the time comes, we’ll move into this courtyard first."

"Go and check out that courtyard first. If it's suitable, we'll buy it and keep it for now. When we have one or two larger incomes later, we can tell your husband then."

If his comic books sell, he’ll get a hefty royalty payment. Besides, isn’t it true that we can do business freely now? It shouldn't be difficult to earn some legitimate money.

Take it slow, let your husband get used to the idea that we’re becoming wealthier.

When the time comes, we can openly help out our in-laws.

Shen Shaoyuan has a good impression of his in-laws, whom he hasn’t met. He heard their family is struggling financially, but after the young couple got married, they occasionally get packages from home, some even from as far as the border regions.

When they heard Moer had a daughter, they didn’t seem upset and sent a lot of handmade clothes, shoes, and socks, which shows they are very thoughtful and not biased towards sons over daughters.

This time, the old man at home got seriously ill, which will probably make things worse.

Shen Shaoyuan is also willing to help out more.

Father and daughter quickly agreed. Over the years, they’ve slowly sold off some gold, so the money should be about the same. If needed, they can also ask the landlord privately if they can pay part in gold.

The next day, Shen Moer headed to Yongning Hutong alone.

After stepping off the bus and walking to the hutong entrance, she saw a young man with glasses standing straight at the entrance. From a distance, he spotted her and smiled right away, walking quickly towards her: "Miss Shen, right? I’m Secretary Yang, Minister Wang’s assistant. Just call me Xiao Yang."

Shen Moer smiled and nodded: "Hello, Comrade Yang, thanks for your help today."

Secretary Yang smiled: "It’s just showing the way, no trouble at all. Minister Wang said he’s already arranged a meeting, so we can go over now."

Shen Moer nodded: "Alright."

"The house is at the other end of the hutong, Courtyard No. 9. It’s a bit of a walk from Minister Wang’s place, but not too far," Secretary Yang said. "Minister Wang’s granddaughter knew you were coming to check out the house and kept insisting on showing you the way. It took some convincing to stop her."

The address was also given by Minister Wang’s granddaughter. The adults wouldn’t let her come to show the way, and she cried a little. Minister Wang’s daughter was busy comforting her daughter and didn’t have much time to talk to him.

But it’s not a big deal. Secretary Yang had already walked the entire hutong before Shen Moer arrived, so he knew exactly where Courtyard No. 9 was.

"The houses in this area are well preserved, unlike some places where the houses have been rented to so many families that they are in terrible condition. This area has either been used as temporary storage or requisitioned for office use, so it’s much better than other places."

Secretary Yang introduced as they walked: "I took a glance at the house we’re going to see. It seems to have been renovated, even the courtyard gate is new. There are probably many trees planted in the courtyard, with persimmons hanging over the wall."

Shen Moer liked the place as soon as she entered the hutong, just as her father said. The hutong is clean, and with larger courtyards, there are fewer households in one hutong, making the entire hutong very quiet.

Walking to the outside of Courtyard No. 9, sure enough, the branches of several persimmon trees extended from inside the wall, with a few red, somewhat shriveled persimmons hanging on them.

From the outside, it was clear that the courtyard had been renovated, and the gate was brand new. Without even entering the courtyard, Shen Moer was already seventy to eighty percent satisfied.

"It’s quite nice, I want to buy this courtyard."

Secretary Yang smiled and pushed the slightly ajar gate. Minister Wang had said that his old neighbor is a bit hard of hearing and sometimes doesn’t hear when people knock, so today he would leave the gate slightly ajar, and they could enter on their own.

As he pushed the gate, he said: "The house is good, but the price is quite high if you want to buy it. Most people really can’t afford it."

Shen Moer didn’t mind: "Money doesn’t matter, as long as the house is good."

Secretary Yang had already pushed the gate open and smiled: "Since money doesn’t matter, then today this house will definitely be bought."

Someone stood under the osmanthus tree in the courtyard, looking surprised at the strangers who had pushed the gate open. Recalling what the person had said while pushing the gate, his handsome face immediately showed impatience: "Who said we’re short of money? Not selling, please leave!"

I don’t know whose family in this hutong is selling their house. Yesterday, a family came to the wrong door, asking if we were selling our house.

Shen Moer, who was standing behind Secretary Yang, found the voice of the person in the yard very familiar, a lot like her husband Fu Zhiqing. However, it’s not uncommon for people to look alike or have similar voices.

What was odd was why this person said the house wasn’t for sale.

She wanted to find out what was going on. When she looked up, she saw a young man under the osmanthus tree, dressed in a suit with one hand in his pocket and the other holding a woolen coat, looking somewhat impatiently in their direction... Whether it was the suit or the impatient expression, it all felt very unfamiliar, but that handsome face was undeniably her husband Fu Zhiqing.

At this moment, Fu Mingze had also clearly seen Shen Moer standing behind Secretary Yang. His expression froze for a moment, and he blinked slowly, wondering if he was so stressed out that he was hallucinating.

Otherwise, how could he see his wife at his front door?

Fu Mingze blinked slowly again, recalling what he had just said.

“As if our family is short of money.”

“Not for sale.”

“Please leave.”

Thirteen words in total. The more firmly he had spoken them, the more he regretted them now.

Each word felt like a hammer, pounding into his brain. Fu Mingze felt that his already throbbing head was now hurting even more.

He hadn’t even left himself any room to make up a lie to cover up.

But soon, Fu Mingze remembered that he had faintly heard his wife’s voice earlier. He had thought it impossible and brushed it off. Now, recalling carefully, his wife had said something like “Money isn’t an issue, as long as the house is good,” and this man had said, “Then the house is as good as sold today”... It seemed, perhaps, that the person buying the house was his wife?

Besides surprise and guilt, Fu Mingze’s eyes showed a hint of confusion.

Shen Moer, on the other hand, felt similarly—guilty about being caught by Fu Zhiqing while preparing to spend a fortune on a house, and puzzled about why Fu Zhiqing was here.

Moreover, from his tone, it seemed like this house belonged to him?

“......”

“......”

The couple stared at each other, at a loss for words.