CHAPTER 228: CHAPTER 228: HOUSE HUNTING (BONUS CHAPTER)

Lin Xiang shrugged her shoulders, "I just feel like, Uncle Cheng is quite good to you, and you both share a blood relation. But your relationship with your biological father isn’t exactly harmonious, so changing your surname right now seems a bit off."

"If you really have to change it, wait until your relationship with your biological father improves."

Either the father-son relationship eases, or it completely breaks down. Only then would it be more appropriate to change your surname.

If you change your surname now, and Lin Yun’s stepmother mistakenly thinks he’s eager to climb their family tree, how wronged would her brother feel?

Lin Yun squinted slightly, "Is it absolutely necessary to change this surname?"

"Of course not!" Lin Xiang shook her head vigorously, "If you don’t want to change it, no one can force you. In any case, the doors of the Lin Family will always be open for you!"

Lin Yun tapped Lin Xiang’s forehead, "Go eat your roast duck, it’ll be no good if it gets cold!"

"Sure!"

The mother and daughter finished a whole roast duck, and the aroma still lingered in the room.

Thinking that Lin Yun hadn’t had lunch yet, Lin Xiang felt a bit embarrassed, so she went to the canteen to buy a bowl of noodles for Lin Yun.

After Lin Yun ate, and after seeing him finish washing up, the mother and daughter prepared to head back to the guesthouse.

Just after leaving the hospital, they hadn’t walked far when they saw a large group of people dressed as construction workers passing by in the distance.

Lin Xiang entered the guesthouse and went straight to the front desk, "Is there any construction going on nearby?"

The front desk lady patiently explained, "If you walk east about one or two kilometers, they apparently say they’re building a house or something, and they’ve been working on it for some time. Lin Xiang, why are you asking?"

Why?

To make money, of course!

Lin Xiang got some more information from the front desk lady and then returned to her room with Mrs. Lin.

Mrs. Lin was very full from eating today, and after taking a bath, she went straight to sleep.

Lin Xiang had been out running around all day and was indeed a bit tired, so she leaned against the bed, read for a while, and then slept.

The next morning, after getting ready, Lin Xiang said to Mrs. Lin, "I have to go out again today, Mom, make sure you eat at the hospital canteen and take a meal to my brother!"

Mrs. Lin questioned Lin Xiang, "What are you up to? Why do you keep going out these two days?"

"I’m going to give you a big surprise!" Lin Xiang smiled mysteriously, "You’ll find out what it is when I come back this afternoon."

Mrs. Lin was skeptical but ultimately didn’t stop Lin Xiang.

Lin Xiang took the bus all the way to Huaqing University and first met up with Qian Cheng at the East Gate.

"The landlord has already arrived, let’s go check out the house first and then negotiate the price with the landlord."

Lin Xiang glanced at her watch, "No rush."

At 9:58, Cheng An, wearing a white Dacron shirt and army-green trousers, approached with steady steps.

Lin Xiang waved her arm high, "Brother Cheng, over here!"

Hearing the call, Cheng An turned toward Lin Xiang, his gaze lingered on Qian Cheng for a fraction of a second, then he said lightly, "Once you two have negotiated, I’ll accompany you to the housing authority to handle the paperwork."

"Alright, then I’ll go bargain with the owner now!"

"What? Two thousand five? No way, no way, that’s too little!" As soon as the owner heard Lin Xiang’s offer, he immediately shook his head in refusal, "How about three thousand five at least?"

Lin Xiang didn’t say anything, just kept staring at the owner.

"Well... three thousand four hundred and fifty?"

"Three thousand four?"

"Three thousand three hundred and fifty?"

"Three thousand two! A firm price of three thousand two, not a penny less!"

Lin Xiang smiled, "Two thousand six, if you can accept this price, we can proceed to transfer the deed right away."

"No way! Two thousand six, forget it!"

Lin Xiang stood up and said to Qian Cheng, "Then let’s go check out the South Gate."

Zhuang Ji at the South Gate was asking two thousand, Lin Xiang didn’t intend to bargain, this price was already quite fair.

She hadn’t agreed yesterday purely because she was unsure if she could transfer the deed without a Beijing household registration.

Today, with Cheng An along, that worry was gone!

At the South Gate, before Lin Xiang could speak, the house owner volunteered, "I thought about it carefully yesterday, two thousand is indeed a bit high, how about giving you a discount to nineteen hundred?"

"Nineteen hundred is the bottom line. If it’s any lower than this, I won’t sell!"

"Deal!" Lin Xiang agreed readily, feeling elated inside.

A hundred yuan isn’t small, she would have to work several days to earn it!

"But before we transfer the deed, we need to sign an agreement. No matter what the property turns into in the future, you mustn’t cause trouble to make me return the property to you."

Actually, as long as the transfer is formal, the property belongs to Lin Xiang, and even if the former owner causes a scene, they can’t take it back.

But having an agreement gives Lin Xiang a say and prevents her from being morally blackmailed into a passive situation.

"That’s not a problem, but you must give me the money today."

"Okay."

Seeing the deal made, Qian Cheng urged Lin Xiang, "Let’s go check out the West Gate too, buying isn’t important, let’s just chat with the owner!"

The South Gate owner, knowing Qian Cheng had several properties to sell, feared the deal would fall through, so he shamelessly followed Lin Xiang and Qian Cheng to the West Gate.

The West Gate was run by a couple, judging by their appearance, life wasn’t kind to them. Though not old, their worried faces made them look much older than their peers.

Acting as a middleman, Qian Cheng relayed Lin Xiang’s opinion that the price was too high to the owners, and added, "If you don’t lower the price, this house won’t sell. And if it’s unsold, your three daughters-in-law will kick up a fuss!"

The South Gate owner poked Qian Cheng, "She’s already agreed to buy my house!"

"Oh, but we haven’t transferred the deed yet, it’s alright to look around a bit more!"

The West Gate owner, alarmed that a potential buyer might leave, quickly said, "We’ll sell, okay, we will!"

Qian Cheng immediately asked, "What’s your price?"

"Four thousand five!"

"That’s a full five hundred less than your asking price!"

Lin Xiang turned to leave.

The South Gate boss gloated, "My house only sold for nineteen hundred!"

"Why don’t you mention your house is uninhabitable?"

"Exactly, that’s why I sold it cheap. But let’s stick to the facts, my house may not be great, but the property is huge, it’s more than twice the size of this one! As for the house, even if I build a two-story villa on my property, it won’t cost a thousand bucks, right?"

All-in-all, it wouldn’t cost three thousand, and the usable area is more than twice as big!

Why would the West Gate owner ask for four thousand five?