"How about this, I’ll give you a fair price, thirteen hundred. That’s all the money I have on me right now; I can’t afford any more. If you think it’s suitable, let’s go complete the paperwork. If not, we can look at other places," Jiang Changhai said.
The woman hesitated, bargained, "Fifteen hundred, that’s the lowest I can go."
"Wife, let’s go look elsewhere," Jiang Changhai said as he pulled Su Wanyu and turned to leave.
Woman: "Oh, wait, how about fourteen hundred?"
Jiang Changhai didn’t turn back: "I only have thirteen hundred."
Seeing that they were about to walk out of the yard, the woman gritted her teeth and called out, "Alright, alright, thirteen hundred it is."
Jiang Changhai and Su Wanyu exchanged a delighted glance, then cheerfully turned back, "Big sister is straightforward."
The woman spoke seriously: "Let’s get this straight first, if you want to buy this house, you have to gather the money within a week, or I’ll sell it to someone else."
"No problem, I can go home and get the money to complete the paperwork right now," Jiang Changhai said straightforwardly.
"Alright, let’s get the paperwork done today," the woman, seeing how decisive Jiang Changhai was, also showed a hint of a smile.
Her husband had passed away the year before last, and her daughters were all married off. Only her son was still working and settled in the city.
Next month, her daughter-in-law was due to give birth to their third child, so she needed to help with the childcare.
After completing the paperwork, it was almost time for the commune primary school to let out, so Jiang Changhai and Su Wanyu went to pick up their daughter together.
"Mom, Dad, why are both of you coming to pick me up today?" Jiang Mianmian walked with a skip, holding a hand of each parent, hardly any different from a real child.
"Daughter, Mom and Dad just took care of some important business," Jiang Changhai said mysteriously.
"What important business?" Jiang Mianmian asked curiously.
"We bought a house, and your Mom and I just finished the paperwork," Jiang Changhai said proudly.
"Really?" Jiang Mianmian was both surprised and happy.
"When has Dad ever lied to you? Tomorrow we can move our household registration, and then you can go to school in the town’s primary school," Jiang Changhai said happily.
"Oh, but I’m going to miss our teachers and classmates a little," Jiang Mianmian said. She had been studying at the commune primary school for almost a year, and leaving now made her a bit sad.
Su Wanyu said, "That’s nothing, it’s not far away. If you miss them, you can go back to visit. Plus, in the town’s primary school, you’ll have new teachers and new classmates."
Although Jiang Mianmian understood all this, she still felt emotionally attached.
"Mianmian, would you like to go see our new house?" Jiang Changhai asked a bit excitedly.
"Yes!" Jiang Mianmian nodded, her face full of excitement.
She would have her own room soon!
"Let’s go, after we eat, we’re going to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative to buy a new quilt, bed sheets, curtains, and such. We’ll deliver them to the new house after buying," Jiang Changhai said, leading the way to the town with big strides, pulling his wife and daughter along.
Even though the Jiang Family had these items, the family of three were not the type to settle for less when they could afford better.
Having spent over a thousand on the house, they certainly would buy new personal items.
After a shopping spree at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, the family of three carried large and small bundles. When they arrived at the new house, Jiang Mianmian was thrilled, "Awesome! Mom, Dad, you actually bought a single-family home; I thought we’d be living in an apartment building."