Chapter 79: Buying a House

Chapter 79: Buying a House

(These two chapters feature a lot of Qian. If you're not into the Qiuyan and Zhao Qian pairing, read with caution. If you're annoyed, feel free to blame Lin Guowei or Li Jie.)

By the end of the semester, Jiang Huaizhi was still first in his grade, and Lin Qingshi had just barely cracked the top hundred.

"It's fine. I'll tutor you during winter break, and you'll definitely make a splash when school starts." Jiang Huaizhi looked at Lin Qingshi's report card with confidence.

Lin Qingshi, however, stared anxiously at the tangerines roasting on the stove, wishing he could stay under the radar.

"Oh, our Qingshi has moved up! Almost caught up to your brother—only about seventy or eighty points short." Huang Qiuyan couldn't help teasing when she saw his sour face.

"Mom, what are you doing?" Lin Qingshi grumbled.

"Nothing." Huang Qiuyan was wrapped in a wool cardigan with her hair up, looking all soft and elegant. Smiling, she peeled a tangerine that had been roasted until warm.

She popped a segment into Lin Qingshi's mouth. "Here, eat a tangerine."

Lin Qingshi instinctively bit down, and a bitter taste flooded his mouth. He frowned. "It's bitter."

"Oh really? Then this one's from yesterday—over-roasted."

"Xiaohuai, come, let's eat this one." She picked up another tangerine from the stove, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Jiang Huaizhi couldn't help but laugh, and to make up for it, he gave Lin Qingshi the sweet second segment.

After peeling the tangerines, Huang Qiuyan brushed the peels off her hands. "This afternoon, I'm thinking of going to look at houses again. Do you two want to come along?"

The mining area moved fast—less than a year from approving the resettlement housing plan to finishing the buildings.

Huang Qiuyan watched the buildings go up bit by bit and couldn't help being tempted. Besides, she only needed to pay half upfront, and the rest could be paid off gradually after moving in.

Of course, she could also wait until they were finished and then rent, but she really wanted a house of her own—a home she could call her own, without fear of being kicked out.

The shantytown where they lived now would definitely be redeveloped, and people living here even got discounts on buying apartments.

If she scraped together the money, she could afford it. She'd saved up just about enough over the years.

"Mom, we've already looked three times. Can we just make a decision already?" Lin Qingshi sighed. "There are three units—just pick a first-floor unit in any of them."

Grandma Zhou's legs hadn't been as steady these past couple of years, so Huang Qiuyan had long decided on a first-floor unit, but she couldn't decide between Units 1, 2, and 3.

"Forget it, you don't get it. I'm not taking you along."

"I've got Little Qian coming with me—he's got way better ideas than you." Huang Qiuyan shot him an annoyed look.

Zhao Qian was also planning to buy a place, and the two had been going to look together before.

Huang Qiuyan was feeling a bit worn out too. She'd decide today, and once the money was paid, she could just wait for the house to be done.

"Sister Qiuyan." Zhao Qian called from the doorway.

"Coming." Huang Qiuyan stood up, made sure the bank card was in her bag, and hurried out.

Zhao Qian was leaning against a brand-new motorcycle, his long legs bracing the bike. He wore a stylish wool coat and looked a lot sharper. Up close, his tan skin was actually pretty handsome.

Somehow, she remembered the last time they watched a play, when the crowd surged and Zhao Qian blocked for her. He'd really grown up and matured.

"Little Qian's looking sharp today!" Huang Qiuyan's eyes lit up, and she couldn't help complimenting him.

Zhao Qian watched her approach from afar, and being looked at like that made him feel like she'd seen right through him. His tan face flushed red.

"Is this a new motorcycle?"

"Right, it's about time you started looking for a girlfriend. Dress sharp, get a motorcycle, then an apartment—girls will be lining up."

The flush on Zhao Qian's face slowly faded. It came like ripples on water and went just as quietly.

"Sis, let's go."

"It's pretty close—let's just walk there." Huang Qiuyan was puzzled.

"It's still a ten-minute walk. I heard a bunch of people are heading over to look at the houses right now, so we need to hurry." Zhao Qian explained calmly.

"Then we'd better hurry." Huang Qiuyan slung her bag over her shoulder, grabbed the rear rack with one hand, pushed off with her left foot, swung her right leg over, and once seated, reached both hands behind her to grip the back handle.

The annoying thing about motorcycles was that there was only a handle in the back. To sit steady up front, you had to hold onto the rider's waist.

If it were Yang Yue, she'd grab on without a second thought, but with Zhao Qian, she still felt awkward.

"Ready?"

"Yeah." Huang Qiuyan nodded. The engine roared, and the bike shot off—clearly Zhao Qian was in a real hurry.

The wind whipped her bag around, and with the bank card inside, Huang Qiuyan wanted to free a hand to press it down, but the speed was too fast.

"Little Qian, can you slow down a bit? I need to switch hands." She leaned close to his back and called out.

"A new bike can't go slow. Hold onto my waist."

Afraid her bag would fly off, Huang Qiuyan had no choice but to wrap one arm around Zhao Qian's waist while keeping the other hand on her bag in front of her.

He twisted the throttle, and the bike sped up even more. Huang Qiuyan leaned back slightly, instinctively tightening her arms around Zhao Qian's waist. "Little Qian, sorry about this—the new bike's throttle is a bit touchy."

"It's fine, sis. Hold on tight." Zhao Qian's voice was low and rough, his body stiff, afraid to move. The soft, warm arms around his waist made him gradually slow down.

If someone asked him how long the road was right then, he'd wish it never ended.

But the road was short to begin with, and even going slower, it only took a few minutes to reach the management office.

There weren't many people looking at houses, and the first-floor unit Huang Qiuyan wanted was almost completely ignored—who'd want to live on the first floor when they could live higher up?

"Zhao Qian, what do you think of this one? East-facing unit—the sunlight should be great."

"Yeah, the middle might be a bit noisy, and the west side faces the road. East side's good."

"Right, that's what I thought." Huang Qiuyan looked up happily. "What about you? Which one are you going with?"

"I... I'll bring my mom by to take a look later."

"That's true." Huang Qiuyan nodded. "Everyone has to be happy with it. Those two kids at home didn't want to come, so I'll just make the call."

"I'll go with the east unit."

"East side, right? Each floor has two units in different sizes—the bigger one fits three bedrooms, the smaller one two." The woman in charge of sales explained.

"Is the price difference big?" Huang Qiuyan looked at the floor plans on the table. She definitely wanted the bigger one—three bedrooms would be way more convenient.

"There's about ten square meters' difference, less than twenty thousand yuan."

Huang Qiuyan hesitated. She still had to renovate, and the kids were still in school. "It's fine, I'll go with the smaller one."

Buying a house in the mining area was ridiculously simple—pay the money, get a receipt, and write your name next to the unit and floor number.

Huang Qiuyan had settled a big deal and was in a good mood. "Little Qian, when you're ready to buy, come find me—I'll help you pick."

Zhao Qian nodded. Actually, he didn't need to pick—he'd already chosen.