Chapter 89

That evening, He Yan found Yang Yingxiong and his brother, and the four of them had dinner together.

During the meal, Yang Chaoying couldn't help but happily tell He Yan, "We're planning to buy a house. We'll go see it tomorrow, and then we'll have a home."

He Yan didn't think much of it and said cheerfully, "Congratulations! Congratulations! I'll come over for meals later."

But Jin Xiuzhu, upon hearing this, couldn't help but ask, "Where do you plan to buy the house?"

Yang Yingxiong replied somewhat embarrassedly, "We're planning to buy an old house in the city center. We heard that there's a place building some commercial apartments, but they're very expensive—several hundred yuan per square meter. Many people are waiting to buy them, but we definitely can't afford that. We just want a house of our own, somewhere livable. We can renovate it later when we earn more money."

He then added, "We're not very familiar with this area, but the city center is convenient for everything, and it's close to the school."

Jin Xiuzhu nodded.

He Yan asked curiously, "How much does it cost? Houses where we are cost several thousand yuan."

Yang Yingxiong replied, "Ours will also cost that much, but we don't have much money, so we can't buy a better one. The one we're looking at is an old house in the city center, built by the owner themselves. We're going to check it out tomorrow, and if it's suitable, we'll negotiate further."

Then he lowered his voice and said, "Now that the government has relaxed policies, many people want to move to Hong Kong or abroad, so they don't care much about these old houses. They'll sell them for whatever they can get. Those who live in apartment buildings or used to be landlords are reluctant to sell their houses."

Hearing this, Jin Xiuzhu became interested and asked, "Are there other houses for sale there?"

"Yes, there are many. That area used to be a village, but it's conveniently located near the city center. The houses were all self-built. Now that the eastern part is developing well, many people want to move there."

Jin Xiuzhu asked some more questions about the area and finally said to Yang Yingxiong, "Why don't I go with you tomorrow to take a look?"

Yang Yingxiong thought Jin Xiuzhu was worried about him and quickly replied, "Auntie, we can manage on our own."

Jin Xiuzhu said, "I have nothing else to do, so I might as well go with you."

He Yan was confused, "What about me? Mom, aren't you supposed to take me to school?"

"Ah, I'll visit you later."

He Yan sighed, "You really are my mom."

Jin Xiuzhu hummed and then served food to Yang Yingxiong and his brother.

The school hadn't officially started yet, so mother and son stayed at a guesthouse nearby.

They walked side by side, carrying bags full of things.

Yang Yingxiong and his brother walked in another direction. As they went farther, Yang Yingxiong looked back.

His younger brother couldn't help but ask, "Brother, didn't Brother He Yan say that Auntie Jin isn't his birth mother? Why did he say 'you're my real mom' at the dinner table?"

It confused him, making him doubt whether He Yan was actually Auntie Jin's biological son.

Yang Yingxiong remained silent for a moment before explaining, "Perhaps in his heart, he already considers Auntie Jin his real mother."

Yang Chaoying widened his eyes slightly and said enviously, "That must mean Auntie Jin treats him like a real son, just like she treats you."

In his heart, his brother was also like a real son.

Yang Yingxiong patted his head.

Yang Chaoying wisely didn't ask about his own mother. He had never seen her since childhood and believed that a woman who could abandon him clearly didn't love him, so he didn't love her either.

Without expectations, there would be no disappointment. But watching Auntie Jin and He Yan interact happily, he felt a twinge of envy, something he had never experienced.

The next morning, He Yan went to enroll at the school, carrying bags of things. Jin Xiuzhu went to meet Yang Yingxiong and his brother.

The three met at the bus stop and headed straight to the house Yang Yingxiong mentioned.

Yang Yingxiong led Jin Xiuzhu through an alley behind the bus stop and around a corner, where they saw individual small houses. These houses were built without much order, mostly made of stones mixed with mud, but the roofs were tiled, so they wouldn't leak too much rainwater.

Yang Yingxiong led Jin Xiuzhu to an older house. It seemed uninhabited for some time, with grass growing knee-high at the entrance.

"This is it."

He looked around and explained, "The seller hasn't arrived yet. Let's wait a bit longer."

Jin Xiuzhu nodded.

After about ten minutes, a middle-aged man hurried over. Seeing Jin Xiuzhu, he was momentarily stunned but then realized she must be the parent. He wondered why two children were buying a house.

After exchanging greetings, he unlocked the gate with a rusty key, struggling a few times before opening it. Inside the courtyard, there was a tree stump and a single house.

The man introduced, "This tree was knocked down by a typhoon and crushed half the house, but it was rebuilt. Everything inside is fine."

He opened the house door, revealing a living room, rooms on either side, and a kitchen at the back. "If you're going to live here, you'll need to connect water pipes and electricity. Clean it up, and it's livable. Furniture is included. Three thousand yuan is a good deal."

Jin Xiuzhu asked, "From what you're saying, you're not the owner?"

The man politely replied, "No, but I'm from this village. There are several houses for sale here. If you're not satisfied, I can show you others. But I'm honest; you won't find a better deal for the same price."

Jin Xiuzhu nodded and looked around the house.

Yang Yingxiong followed behind Jin Xiuzhu, wanting to say something but seeing her silence, kept quiet and joined her in inspecting the house.

Jin Xiuzhu touched the walls, frowning deeply. Seeing her expression, the man asked, "What's wrong?"

"Master Lin, you're not being honest. This house is too weak. One scratch and it crumbles like tofu. I'm afraid it might collapse someday while the boys are living here."

"To be honest, we're buying this house for convenience. My husband and I are both busy—he's a soldier, and I'm a journalist. We're rarely home. Our children were raised by their grandparents in the countryside. Now that the elder one got into university here, we worry about leaving the younger one alone with the grandparents, so we're buying a temporary house for the brothers to take care of each other."

Hearing this, the man understood. He had wondered why Jin Xiuzhu was so elegant and beautiful, while the two boys were skinny and dark-skinned. They had grown up in the countryside.

The man knew that Jin Xiuzhu was trying to haggle. Thinking that the other party was a soldier, he pondered for a moment and said, "So you're a military family. In that case, I won't take advantage of you. Two thousand five hundred, how about it? This is already the lowest price."

When Yang Yingxiong heard this, his eyes lit up.

Jin Xiuzhu hummed in acknowledgment, "Fifteen hundred. If you agree, I'll buy three more houses."

When the man heard fifteen hundred, he was about to change his expression immediately, but upon hearing what followed, he held back and looked at Jin Xiuzhu in confusion.

He wondered why Jin Xiuzhu wanted to buy so many houses. But if she really bought four, the price would be reasonable, considering no one wanted these houses here.

Jin Xiuzhu calmly explained, "Several of my friends' children have also come to study here. They asked me to help them look for houses. They prefer living alone rather than with other students in school."

The man thought about Jin Xiuzhu's background. Indeed, as a soldier's wife and a staff member at the newspaper office, her family must be well-off, and her friends were likely not ordinary people either.

After hesitating, he said, "The other houses might not be as clean; many have weeds taller than a person."

"It doesn't matter, as long as they're big enough. We're buying space and will hire someone to rebuild the houses."

The man gritted his teeth, "Alright, don't go back on your word."

"There's no going back. It's all for the children. As long as they study hard and make progress, spending some money is worth it. But earning money is tough, so we can't waste it. Rebuilding this house will cost at least another one or two thousand."

As Jin Xiuzhu said this, she frowned and tapped the wall.

The man noticed her dissatisfaction and, hearing the hollow sound, realized the house was barely standing. Feeling slightly guilty, he still said, "A child's success is the greatest comfort. No rush, there's still a younger one. Buying this house is worth it."

"Can only think of it that way."

"What about the other three houses?"

"Can we see them now?"

"Sure, sure, sure."

Yang Yingxiong and his brother, after working as street vendors all summer, understood the importance of reading people's reactions. From the start, they remained silent even when Jin Xiuzhu mentioned buying three more houses, their shock hidden as they followed her closely.

Then they saw Jin Xiuzhu take the man directly to the bank, exchange a gold bar for money, and then all went to the local government office to transfer the house deeds.

The original house was transferred to Yang Yingxiong and his brother, while one house was transferred to He Yan, and the other two to Jin Xiuzhu herself.

Since the middle-aged man was familiar with the process, everything went smoothly, and it was done by noon.

After seeing the man off, Jin Xiuzhu took the brothers to a nearby state-owned hotel for lunch.

Yang Yingxiong and Yang Chaoying examined the property certificates, and finally, Yang Yingxiong carefully folded them and put them in his pocket.

He said to Jin Xiuzhu, "Auntie, thank you for today."

Looking around to ensure no one was paying attention, he secretly took out some money from his pocket, counted it, and gave her fifteen hundred. Initially, he thought getting the price down to two thousand five hundred would be impressive, but he managed to halve it.

Jin Xiuzhu shook her head, "Keep the money for now. Auntie doesn't need interest. You can repay me after graduation. Use the money to renovate the houses and buy furniture."

Yang Yingxiong hesitated, looking at her.

Jin Xiuzhu smiled, "I trust your character. Study hard, Auntie is waiting for the day you succeed."

Yang Yingxiong bit his lip, then nodded firmly, "Alright, thank you, Auntie."

Jin Xiuzhu served the boys some food. The atmosphere lightened, and after a few bites, Yang Chaoying couldn't help asking curiously, "Auntie, why did you buy three houses?"

Yang Yingxiong glared at him, "Chaoying."

Feeling it was impolite to pry into others' affairs.

Yang Chaoying stuck out his tongue.

Jin Xiuzhu laughed, "It's fine, there's no harm in telling you. I bought those houses because I see potential in that area. With the new policies, it will become more prosperous. Most cities' prime locations are in the center. These houses may be old and dilapidated now, but who knows what the future holds."

"I bought three because I have three children, one house for each, fair and square."

Yang Chaoying nodded, exclaiming, "Being your child must be so lucky."

Only Yang Yingxiong paused, remembering he used to be her child too, before he gave it up.

But he quickly regained his composure and put a mouthful of rice in his mouth.

Jin Xiuzhu gently said, "But you have a good older brother."

Yang Yingxiong looked up, meeting Jin Xiuzhu's gentle gaze, feeling a lump in his throat.

In the afternoon, Jin Xiuzhu went to find He Yan. Knowing she would come, He Yan waited at the school gate, and upon seeing her, he complained, "You finally came. I'm going to tell Dad all the things you've done."

Jin Xiuzhu hummed and pulled out the property certificate, slapping it onto him.

He Yan subconsciously caught it, "What's this?"

"A house I bought for you."

"...What?"