Chapter 1109: Chapter 1109: Buying a House
Luo Qiao watched the ambulance drive away, nodded slightly to everyone, turned around, unlocked her bike, and left.
Returning the bike and entering the international students’ dormitory, she saw that the bed opposite hers was still unoccupied and wondered whether her future roommate would be easy to get along with.
Glancing at the time, it was almost eight o’clock. Luo Qiao took out the expensive phone she had bought that day and dialed a number; it was picked up after just one ring. She had Rong Daniang write down her new phone number, then hung up, telling her to try calling back.
Once the call connected, Yanyan asked, “Mommy, does this mean we’ll be able to reach you anytime now?”
“Yes, Mommy has bought a phone and can carry it with me all the time. However, during class, I won’t be able to answer casually. That would disturb others and it’s very impolite. Yanyan, you can call Mommy anytime when I’m not in class if there’s anything you need.”
“Okay, then you’ll have to tell me when I can call and when I can’t. I don’t want to be an impolite child.”
“Sure, once classes officially start and Mommy gets my schedule, I’ll let you know, alright?”
“Okay, talk to Yueyue then.”
“Mommy, did you have a tiring day searching for a house?”
Luo Qiao laughed instantly, well aware of her little trick: “Mommy wants to find a good house, so I haven’t found one yet, but I’ll keep trying.”
Indeed, Luo Qiao had visited various estate agents today, but none had the house she was looking for.
She thought she would continue the search tomorrow. If nothing turned up, she would have to settle for renting an apartment as a temporary solution and then take her time to plan further.
On the other end of the phone, Yueyue asked, “Mommy, have you had dinner yet?”
“Not yet, I just got back. I thought I’d call you two first and then eat.”
“Mommy, you’ve worked hard.”
“Not at all, because Mommy also wants you to come here sooner.”
After chatting for a few more minutes, she ended the call.
Then she called her grandparents, father, master and his wife, and the Yuan Family. After some thought, she also called Jing Wanpeng and repeated her new phone number to all of them.
Having made the calls, she did feel a bit tired today and secured the doors and windows before entering her space.
After taking a bath, she began to organize her space. Once classes started, there would be another person living in the apartment, making it inconvenient to enter her space.
Thinking of the other reason she’d come here, once she found a house and settled the kids, she might have to get busy.
After busying herself all night in her space, organizing everything that needed attention, she finally rested there.
The next day, she exited her space and left the house early, but she didn’t rent a bike today. Yesterday at the Chinese restaurant, she learned that there was another Chinese restaurant not far from here serving food all day long.
Luo Qiao didn’t have to walk far to find it, spotting congee, soy milk, steamed buns, shrimp dumplings, and custard buns. The place was fairly crowded, and she ran into a few fellow Chinese.
As soon as Luo Qiao entered, someone came up to greet her. The owner was very kind; she ordered soy milk and shrimp dumplings, and the owner even gave her two extra custard buns, encouraging her to come back often. When he found out she was studying in Harvard, he swelled with pride as if it were his own achievement.
He even proudly told his other customers in not-so-fluent English about the Chinese girl studying at Harvard, and they were very supportive, giving Luo Qiao thumbs-up.
Luo Qiao acknowledged with a polite nod and a smile.
After finishing her meal, she resumed her housing search.
But by mid-morning, after visiting all the local real estate agents without finding what she wanted, she began to think she might be chasing a fantasy.
While considering venturing further out, she heard someone exclaim nearby, “It’s her, the Eastern girl from yesterday. Oh, my goodness, I can’t believe I ran into her!”
Before Luo Qiao could react, she was surrounded by people talking about the previous day’s rescue, making her wonder if something had happened to the elderly person she helped.
But she didn’t panic and asked, “Is there a problem with the old man I helped yesterday?”
The old lady had sent someone to call for help and, approaching with a smile, explained, “Eastern girl, you did great. You saved Ian’s life yesterday. His family has been looking for you all day. They went to the school but couldn’t find you.”
Relieved it wasn’t bad news, Luo Qiao was startled at first.
Two men soon approached and the old lady introduced them, “These are Johnson Yian’s sons, Allen and Carter.”
After introducing Luo Qiao to them, the old lady chuckled, “Oh, and I still don’t know your name, Eastern girl.”
Luo Qiao introduced herself, “I am Luo Qiao from China.”
Invited by Allen, they moved to a nearby café to talk. Allen mentioned they couldn’t find her at the school.
Luo Qiao explained that she was house hunting but hadn’t found anything satisfactory.
Allen asked about her requirements and thought for a moment, “It’s almost impossible to find such houses for rent, but I do know of a house that meets your needs and is for sale. You might consider it if you’re interested.”
After considering, Luo Qiao thought it might be worth considering. Buying now wouldn’t be a loss; she could always sell it later if needed. Thus, she didn’t stay long in the café, and soon Allen and Carter took her to see the house.
The house was well maintained and had only recently been put up for sale because the owners were relocating from Massachusetts to Los Angeles, California, and wanted to sell.
After a visit, Luo Qiao was very satisfied, though the price was also ‘very pretty,’ she decided to go through with it and arranged to complete the transfer formalities the next morning.
Luo Qiao thanked Allen and Carter, and though she wanted to invite them for a meal, they had to go to the hospital to see their family, so they parted ways at the street corner.
To be cautious, Luo Qiao stopped at another real estate agency on her way back and arranged for a professional broker to come with her the next day. She thought it best not to skimp on this expense and to avoid any issues with such a large investment.
With the house settled, Luo Qiao felt relieved. That evening, she carried a pizza back to the dormitory, only to find that her roommate had arrived.
Luo Qiao smiled, “Hello, I am Luo Qiao from China.”