Chapter 132 - 132

Chapter 132 Buying the Traditional Courtyard ResidenceUpon entering the courtyard, morning glories, purple and pink, climbed the screen wall, peeking out along the cracks in the bricks, adding a touch of life to the dusty wall.The courtyard was paved with square bricks, some of which were worn smooth from being stepped on."The front yard used to be for entertaining guests, and these rooms were where the family's old friends used to live." Grandpa Li led them inside, his voice tinged with melancholy. "Later, I was taken away, and the yard was divided among several families. It was only taken back last year, and many places still need to be tidied up."Yun Ting carefully examined it…Passing through the moon gate, the second courtyard is even quieter. An old jujube tree grows crookedly in the center of the courtyard, its branches almost reaching the eaves, and several old scars remain on its trunk. The main house has three rooms, with red-painted doors and windows. Although some parts are peeling, the wooden frames are sturdy and exude a sense of stability. There are two rooms on each of the east and west wings, and several chipped rough porcelain bowls with a few sprigs of wild chrysanthemums placed on the windowsills add a touch of life."Look at the foundation of this main house,"Grandpa Li squatted down and pointed to the stone base in the corner of the wall, "it's all made of blue-white stone, so it won't flood even if it rains heavily. The roof tiles are also from an old kiln, so they don't leak." He then pushed open the door to the west wing, which was empty except for an old wooden table and two long benches. "If you don't mind these pieces of furniture, you can leave them here. Anyway, I can't take them with me."Yun Ting walked under the jujube tree, looked up at the sunlight filtering through the branches, and felt the warm dappled light on her face."Grandpa, you must have lived very comfortably in this courtyard before, right?"It's quite dilapidated now, but relatively speaking, it's still not bad.Grandpa Li sighed, stroking the old wood grain on the door frame. "It's an old place I'm used to, but I don't feel at ease here. I'm scared of the old days." He paused, as if making a decision. "My son and I have discussed it. We're going to Guangzhou to stay with relatives. There are many factories there, and it's easy to make money. This courtyard, with two courtyards and five rooms, including all this broken furniture, I want 25,000 yuan. If you really want it, we can go to the housing management bureau to transfer the title today, and I'll move in in three days.""Sir, I need to discuss this with my girlfriend."Duan Xingye led Yun Ting aside."How is it? Do you like it? This two-courtyard house is not bad. Although it's a bit old, it can be quite nice with some renovations." Duan Xingyeasked her softly."It's pretty good, not too dilapidated, but can we negotiate the price?"Even though she has enough money, she can't just give away whatever amount she wants!"Okay, whatever you like is fine. I'll take care of the price for you." After saying that, Duan Xingyewent to find Grandpa Li."Sir, we really want this house, but the price is no small sum, and we can't afford it. Could you possibly lower the price a bit?"Grandpa Li hesitated for a moment, thinking to himself that he was indeed eager to sell, but he couldn't find anyone willing to pay so much for the house right now. He gritted his teeth and compromised again, "How about this! Another hundred dollars off, okay? This is a two-courtyard house!""Sir, we can only afford 22,000 yuan at most. We really can't come up with any more than that." Duan Xingye looked troubled and distressed."Alright then! For your dad's sake, it'll be 22,000! When can you get the money?""Sir, we've prepared everything for today. Here you go, then let's head straight to the housing management bureau!" Yun Ting stepped forward and took over, his eyes sparkling with excitement.Duan Xingye then noticed that the canvas bag she was carrying was bulging. Tsk... she's really bold, isn't she afraid of losing it?However, it was really... His eyes darkened.Yun Ting handed the prepared 22,000 toGrandpa Li. Grandpa Li was incredibly excited, counting the money carefully, his face beaming with undisguised joy." Grandpa Li looks so happy, it makes me wonder if we gave her too much?" Yun Tingwhispered to Duan Xingye.Duan Xingye chuckled, "Don't worry! You won't lose out."Having gone through the procedures at the housing authority before, Yun Ting was quite familiar with the process.Following Grandpa Li, the formalities were quickly completed. Yun Ting received the newly issued property ownership certificate. The handwritten characters ' Yun Ting ' were neat and tidy, with the unique texture of ink. Next to them were the area and address of the house. Every word seemed to resonate crisply in her heart.Grandpa Li patted her shoulder with a smile, saying, "Girl, this is your home from now on." There was a strange emotion in his voice.Yun Ting looked up, her eyes a little hot, but she couldn't help but smile, the smile spreading from the corners of her eyes and brows, making her voice a little lighter: "Yes! Thank you, Grandpa Li." She looked down at the property certificate again, her fingertips gently tracing her name, as if touching a long-awaited dream.Yun Ting was so immersed in joy that she didn't even know when Grandpa Li left. Duan Xingyedidn't disturb her, looking at the little girl in front of him with a doting smile."You like houses that much?""Hmm, you don't understand."Duan Xingye also believes that she is happy because she owns a house in Capital City."Then I'll work hard in the future and try to get you to buy a few more sets?""Then you should work hard! I still want to buy a villa in Shanghai someday!""Oh? You're planning to go to Shanghai in the future?""Let's talk about it later!"Yun Ting put the property certificate away in the space, together with the one in the front yard. After all, the property certificate is just a piece of paper now, so it's more reassuring to keep it in the space. She now owns two properties in Capital City."Let's go! My hero, I'll treat you to a big meal today. What do you want to eat?" Yun Tingpatted Duan Xingye on the shoulder and said with a smile."The biggest contributor isn't just me, it's mainly your future father-in-law. How about we go see him and thank him?" Duan Xingye teased her playfully, actually testing her intentions."Let's talk about it later! Your probationary period has only just begun! Don't try to take shortcuts.""Huh? You noticed that?""Hmph..."Finally, for their so-called "big meal," the two went to State-run Restaurant. Duan Xingyeinsisted on paying for the meal, and Yun Tingdidn't argue with him.Yun Ting specifically instructed Duan Xingye not to tell her second brother about her house purchase. Duan Xingye wasn't one to gossip, so he nodded in agreement, secretly thinking thatYun Ting had only let him know this secret, which meant she really cared about him.Little did they know, it was because he helped them find out that Yun Ting had found the Traditional courtyard residence on his own that he received this treatment.After Duan Xingye left, Yun Ting went to the first courtyard again to make sure that Grandpa Zhang had moved out. She then changed the lock before returning to school.She didn't plan to live off-campus all the time. She could stay out occasionally on weekends, but she would still live at school during the week. Humans are social animals, and one shouldn't be too unconventional.