bookbashuk Chapter 226 Buying a Courtyard
Chapter 226 Buying a Courtyard
Shen's mother also came over and patted her back: "Why did you choke? Was the soup too hot?"
Only the Lu family members at the table knew the awkwardness of the situation—no one knew that Lu Sheng was also Shen Li's man, and the mother-in-law was actually trying to introduce a potential partner to her "son-in-law." This misunderstanding was truly hilarious.
Lu Sheng put down his water glass and calmly explained, "Thank you, Aunt Shen. I'm busy with military duties and rarely home, so I don't have the time or inclination to look for a partner right now."
Mrs. Shen nodded knowingly, then turned to Lu Zhou: "And Lu Zhou? How old is he this year? Has he found someone yet?"
Lu Zhou was so startled he almost dropped his chopsticks. He quickly waved his hands, "Auntie, I'm still young! I'm only a senior in high school, I haven't graduated yet!"
Lu's mother slapped him on the back of the head, laughing and scolding, "It's just asking your age, why are you so nervous? With your impetuous manner, who would want you!"
"Mom!" Lu Zhou called out, feeling wronged.
"Alright, alright, we're just having a casual chat as family," Mrs. Shen said with a smile, trying to smooth things over. She then turned to her second son, "Speaking of finding a partner, Shen Qingnan, you've been working for half a year now, why haven't you made any moves yet?"
Shen Li immediately chimed in, "That's right, Mom! You should urge my second brother! By the time I graduate from university and have my wedding banquet, I'll be married, and he'll still be single. How pitiful!"
Shen Qingnan glared at her: "What a waste of the red envelope I just gave you? You betrayed your own second brother right after!"
"I'm doing this for your own good!" Shen Li retorted, sticking her neck out.
"With my looks and qualifications, the girls who want to date me could line up from my workplace all the way to my doorstep. I'm being picky!" Shen Qingnan said proudly, raising his chin.
"Pfft—" Lu Nan, who was next to her, couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Shen Qingnan turned and glared at her: "What are you laughing at, little girl? You're too young to know what's good for you. Wait until you grow up and you'll see how sought-after a guy like me is!"
Shen's mother patted his arm twice, saying with exasperation, "You have good taste... You've been working for half a year and haven't even seen a trace of a girlfriend, yet you still have the nerve to say you're in high demand!"
The atmosphere at the dinner table was lively when Mr. Shen suddenly put down his chopsticks, glanced at the young couple across from him, and said in a deep voice, "When are you planning to buy a house in Beijing?"
Lu Cheng subconsciously turned his head to look at Shen Li beside him, his eyes filled with a natural inquiry.
Shen Li put down her soup spoon and said in a light tone, "I'll go look after the New Year. I mainly want to find a decent courtyard house—the one I live in now is too small."
All eyes of the Shen family members fell on Lu Cheng. In that instant, they realized that Lu Cheng's new daughter-in-law wielded considerable influence.
The more Shen's mother thought about it, the more worried she became. She couldn't help but say, "A decent courtyard house would cost at least tens of thousands... If you're short on money, your father and I have some savings. We can lend you the money first."
She had already given Shen Li two thousand yuan when they got engaged a few days ago, and she still had some left to prepare as a dowry for her daughter.
Thinking about their daughter's upcoming wedding, they even started planning the money they had saved for their second son's wedding—the couple's monthly salaries were enough, and they could save more gradually.
In her view, although her son-in-law was in business, he had only been in business for two years, so how could he have much wealth?
Buying a courtyard house is such a big deal, there must be a shortage of money.
The eldest son, Shen Qingbei, immediately chimed in, "I also have five thousand yuan saved up. I'll withdraw it for you later."
The second son, Shen Qingnan, blushed slightly and scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly: "Second brother has no savings, so I can only lend you a hand with my physical strength."
He had been studying all along and had only been working at the best hospital in Beijing for six months, where his salary was already low.
A few days ago, Shen Li got engaged, and he used all the money he had saved to make red envelopes. For the next month, he will probably have to eat at home to avoid being short of money.
Seeing the family's open and honest behavior, Shen Li felt a lump in her throat and her eyes welled up with tears.
She held Shen's mother's hand, her tone firm: "Thank you, Mom, thank you, eldest brother and second brother. It's really not necessary. Lu Cheng and I have enough money."
Mr. Shen frowned in disagreement, his voice carrying the certainty of someone with experience: "How many do you have? A decent courtyard house in Beijing costs at least 50,000, and a larger one would easily cost over 100,000. So what if it's expensive? Now is the time to develop the economy. The future value of these houses will be immeasurable."
As someone in a high position, he understands future trends better than anyone else.
The safest thing to do now is to buy a house while you still have the money—once the economy develops, even if you have a formal job, you may not be able to get a decent house.
He was planning to raise more money. The Lu family had quite a few members, so they needed to buy a two-courtyard house to live comfortably.
He had no intention of letting his daughter and son-in-law live separately. He had seen the harmonious family atmosphere of the Lu family. It was more lively and prosperous when the whole family lived together.
"Listen to your mother," Mr. Shen decided. "With so many people in your family, you'll need at least a two-courtyard house, which will cost at least thirty or forty thousand. There are some for a little over twenty thousand, but the location and layout are far inferior. Your mother, your eldest brother, and I can scrape together fifteen thousand. You should each prepare a little over ten thousand, and that should be enough." He added, "A little over ten thousand, you should be able to afford it, right?"
Mrs. Lu quickly replied, her voice full of gratitude: "Father-in-law and mother-in-law, we are so grateful for your kindness! Don't worry about the money, we have plenty of funds."
Lu Cheng glanced at Shen Li gently, then spoke in a steady tone, "A two-courtyard house might still be a bit small. As we have more children, the family will only grow larger, so it would be best to buy a bigger one—one where everyone can have their own little yard. I can allocate 100,000 yuan; I wonder if you, Dad, have any resources in that area?"
"One hundred thousand?"
The Shen family members were stunned, their chopsticks instinctively stopping in mid-air.
This was in the 1980s, when an ordinary worker's monthly salary was only forty or fifty yuan. Buying a house for 100,000 yuan was an astronomical figure!
Before they could recover from their shock, Shen Li spoke up: "Keep that 100,000 for your business. My expenses aren't high. I haven't touched the 100,000 dowry you gave me last time, plus the 10,000 my mother gave me, that's enough."
What do you mean, a dowry of 100,000?
Lu Cheng gave such a large dowry when he got married to Shen Li.
It's hard for the Shen family not to be shocked.
The Lu family seems to be different from what they expected?
"No," Lu Cheng immediately objected, "You need working capital to open a shop in the capital."
"Don't worry," Shen Li winked at him, "I've kept tens of thousands in reserve funds, so it'll definitely be enough for cash flow."
These words made the Shen family members even more unsettled.
Looking at her daughter, Shen's mother's eyes were filled with disbelief—she worried every day that her daughter didn't have enough money, but she never expected that her daughter would casually spend 200,000 yuan?
Mr. Shen looked at Lu Cheng with a more scrutinizing gaze, realizing that his son-in-law was actually quite unassuming.
Between the two brothers, Shen Qingbei remained relatively calm, while Shen Qingnan stared wide-eyed, looking completely shocked.