In the evening, he was going to Xu Ershao's house for dinner, but Chen Xiao left the Takeuchi sisters in the hotel to rest in the afternoon. After changing his clothes, Chen Xiao went out alone. Takeuchi Yako originally wanted to follow, but Chen Xiao was very resolute and insisted on going out alone to do errands. Takeuchi Yako had no choice but to give up.
After Chen Xiao left the hotel, he made a phone call, hailed a taxi, and headed south of the city.
In the south of K City, about eight kilometers away from the bustling area of the city's central business district, there is a lake called "Lehu". This lake is not big, but it is located in the south of the city. However, K City's urban construction plan basically does not exist in the south of the city. Industrial factories are areas with less pollution and more greenery, which are most suitable for human habitation. Around Lehu, large tracts of housing were developed and built many years ago. Surrounding Lehu is a villa area.
The taxi drove onto a small road by Lehu Lake. The familiar buildings on both sides made Chen Xiao, who was sitting in the back seat of the car, fall silent.
He stared closely out of the car window at the trees and weeping willows on the lakeshore on the left, as well as the landscape constructions on the lakeside, rockeries, benches, and street lamps designed in the architectural style of the Republic of China...
This road was built extremely smoothly and cost a lot of money. I remember that I often ran back and forth here on my skates. And the row houses on the right.
Well, I remember that the first house at the intersection once had two big dogs. I used to be very afraid of the majestic big dogs and often did not dare to pass by that house. Later I discovered that the two big dogs were actually very docile. There is also a third family whose garden and lawn are always messy, and this family often holds parties in the middle of the night. The noise is unbearable and they often receive complaints from neighbors. There is also a family at the end of the road. It seems that the family has several cars and the garage is not enough, so they park their cars in the public area to occupy the road. As a result, they often quarrel with their neighbors. When I was young, I once quietly threw stones at the upstairs window of their house with some playmates...
Thinking of this, Chen Xiao couldn't help but have a faint smile appear on the corner of his mouth, his eyes were blurred, and he looked out the window...
Finally, he saw the fork in the road he was most familiar with and sighed: "Mr. Driver, please stop."
After getting out of the car, the sun was shining a little. Chen Xiao stood in the sun. It was probably because the weather was too hot, but he felt faintly dizzy... But then he knocked on his forehead and smiled bitterly: What's wrong with me? ? I was so excited back then, let alone now!
Go straight along this fork in the road.
Well, my "home" is in the sixth house on the left, the house with the rocking chair at the door and the steps under the eaves painted green.
…
When standing in front of the house, Chen Xiao suddenly felt his heart begin to tremble.
The rocking chair in the garden was no longer in its original position, but had turned into several pieces of wood, which were simply thrown into a pile in the corner. On the steps of the eaves, most of the green paint has peeled off and looks mottled.
The lawn in the garden lacks maintenance and is overgrown with weeds. There is even moss in the corners. Several potted plants originally planted beside the garden fence all died, and the pots were thrown in the backlit corner on the right side of the house.
This is a three-story building. The garage rolling door on the first floor has rusted. The originally white paint surface is covered with ugly yellow rust spots. As for the building, the original European-style red wall tiles on the facade seem to be cast in a grayish color.
Chen Xiao stood outside the garden and looked at the small building quietly for seven or eight minutes. The sun was shining on his body, but he seemed not to feel it at all.
After a while, I heard footsteps behind me and a probing voice: "Excuse me, is this Mr. Chen?"
Chen Xiao turned around and saw a man in his thirties standing in front of him.
He is tall and thin, wearing glasses, with a shrewd look in his eyes. His hair is neatly and meticulously combed, and he holds a small black leather bag in his hand. In such a hot weather, he is also wearing a long-sleeved shirt.
After receiving Chen Xiao's nod of confirmation, the man's attitude immediately became enthusiastic, and he quickly took out his business card and extended his hand: "Mr. Chen, I am the Xiao Zhu you contacted on the phone, the real estate agent who represents this house. .”
As he spoke, he enthusiastically thrust the business card into Chen Xiao's hand. But his attitude was a little weird. His enthusiastic look was completely a professional habit, but his shrewd eyes were always looking at Chen Xiao carefully, feeling vaguely confused and uneasy.
After hesitating for a moment, Mr. Zhu hesitated and said: "You are much younger than the voice on the phone sounds."
He was murmuring in his heart: The young man in front of him looked like he was less than twenty years old, and his clothes were ordinary, but the house in front of him cost several million! This young man, at such a young age, does not seem like someone who can afford to spend so much money to buy such a house.
Thinking of this, he tried again: "Mr. Chen, you... uh, I mean, where are the elders in your family? Are you waiting for everyone to arrive before we go in to look at the house together?"
Chen Xiao smiled slightly and immediately understood the thoughts of the real estate agent in front of him. He shook his head and said, "No, it's just me. I will buy this house by myself."
Mr. Zhu had some doubts in his heart and took another look at Chen Xiao: He couldn't be playing a prank on me, but this guy looks dignified, but he doesn't look like a boring person.
But now that they were all here, he simply calmed down. As a senior real estate agent, he still had professional qualities. He immediately acted with great enthusiasm, walked in front, took out the key and opened the fence door. , led Chen Xiao and strode in.
"I'm sorry, because no one has lived in this house for a while, so the lawn is a bit messy, but it doesn't matter. Find someone from a cleaning company to tidy it up. It can be done in a day at most, and it doesn't cost much." Mr. Zhu looked like this It was very easy. He easily solved the lawn problem, which was a very smart move.
Chen Xiao smiled slightly, said nothing, and just followed him in.
Open the door and walk into the house. On the left is the living room, and on the right is the kitchen and dining room. Just because the door was closed for a long time, the room was filled with the smell of dust.
Mr. Zhu raised his hand and waved it twice casually, coughed, turned around and smiled: "Look, there is a little more dust, but that's not a problem. Just clean it and open the windows for ventilation. The interior of the house is well maintained. It’s still pretty good. There’s no damage to the basic facilities.”
Because he underestimated Chen Xiao's age, although his professionalism prevented him from showing any slightest contempt, when he introduced it, he was inevitably a little less than attentive. He said casually: "The house is divided into three floors. The first floor is the living room, kitchen, dining room and bathroom. Well, there is a storage room inside, and a door next to the storage room leads to the garage. It has a good layout. The living room is large and elegant, with high ceilings and plenty of light."
After a pause, he smiled and said: "On the second floor are three bedrooms, a living room, and a bathroom. On the third floor is the master bedroom—well, I am very familiar with this house. In my personal opinion, the third floor The master bedroom is the best highlight of this house. The master bedroom is large and stylish. It is also equipped with separate dressing rooms for men and women. The master bathroom is also large enough. There is also a master study on the third floor. Both the master bedroom and the study are equipped with There is a very large terrace. If you work in the study for a long time, you can put a rocking chair on the terrace, go out to enjoy the wind, bask in the sun, etc. It will feel good."
He pointed inside again and said with a smile: "Go straight in from here, pass through the restaurant and there is a door out, which is the backyard. The yard is also dozens of square meters. You can have a barbecue grill there. When the weather is cool, you can have a barbecue with your family. It is also a good choice to have a barbecue with friends. The garage area is not large and is only big enough to park one car. However, if you have two cars at home, you can park the extra one in the yard outside the garage. On top, the courtyard outside is large and sufficient. In addition... "
Chen Xiao smiled. This guy was obviously a very good real estate agent. He mentioned almost all the advantages of this house. It sounded very attractive indeed.
Chen Xiao smiled and didn't answer, just walked inside.
The furniture had been emptied out of the house, and there were still some discarded items left on the ground. Chen Xiao walked to the corner, picked up a piece of broken porcelain, held it in his hand and looked at it, remembering in a daze, as if it was the past A vase placed on the coffee table at home was broken by a mover when those people came to move things...
He stood in the living room in a daze for a while, and in his daze, some hallucinations appeared in his mind.
Hmm... remember, this place is for the sofa, that place is the coffee table, that place is a mural, and that place is the fireplace...
Chen Xiao shook his head vigorously and clenched his fists involuntarily.
Mr. Zhu stood behind and looked at the young man, and the doubts in his heart deepened: this young man looked strange and dull. Although he was so young, he seemed old-fashioned and didn't talk much. It’s not like ordinary house-buying customers asking questions to themselves after seeing the house. This guy didn't ask a single question - he didn't seem very sincere.
"Mr. Chen...Mr. Chen?"
Mr. Zhu shouted twice before Chen Xiao came back to his senses.
"Um... do you have any questions?" Mr. Zhu rubbed his hands.
"No... I want to look around." Chen Xiao shook his head and walked directly towards the kitchen and dining room without saying much.
The restaurant has been evacuated... Those guys were really quick at first, and all the furniture in the house was evacuated. snort…
The most ridiculous thing is that the bank only took away the house and car to pay off the loan owed by the parents. Most of the other furniture was moved away by "relatives"! Hum hum…
I remember those days when people from banks came to seal houses and seize assets. And those relatives who came over to “help”. snort…
They bully themselves, a big boy, thinking they don’t understand anything
I still remember that my group of uncles and aunts who seemed to be very "kind" told me kindly that they wanted to sell all the appliances and furniture at home in order to help their parents pay off their debts.
snort! OK! Sell it!
How could Chen Xiao, a young child who was not yet sixteen years old at the time, resist these wolf-like "relatives"?
He knew very well that after they finally "sold" the set of furniture at home, they only gave him less than 5,000 yuan. And that fifty-inch LCD TV, well, it sold for a thousand dollars. There are also home theaters and computers... It's ridiculous, they only gave themselves 800 yuan for a set of BOSS speakers! Ha ha ha ha! !
These people only gave Chen Xiao less than 10,000 yuan, and emptied out all the furniture and appliances in the villa. Ridiculous... Chen Xiao knew very well that the desk in the study room at home was worth more than 10,000 yuan! !
Chen Xiao will never forget that when his relatives brought people to move the furniture, although they tried their best to pretend to be sad when facing him, in fact, they were already smiling in their eyes...
At that time, Chen Xiao knew very well in his heart, but he deliberately said nothing. He was just filled with a kind of absurdity and ridicule in his heart, watching these clown performances with cold eyes.
Move it! Everyone move away! Take it! Take whatever you want!
I don’t need these things anyway! Take them all! !
But later, the kind-hearted woman in her forties who had been working at home as a part-time worker for many years couldn't bear it any longer, so she spoke out to help her with some fair words, but... ended up getting slapped by a relative who became angry and angry. He pushed me to the ground and cursed, "What are you, an outsider, saying about our own family matters?"
I remember that at that time, I, who had been silent all this time, suddenly got angry and rushed forward like a madman, beating and kicking the adult who was more than 20 years older than me. Only after four or five adults pulled desperately did he forcefully pull himself away...
I remember telling them coldly: "You can take whatever you want, and get out of here after taking your things!"
Those people left in the moving company's car. In the end, only the hourly worker aunt stood in the living room holding herself and crying.
Well, I didn't cry at that time. I didn't shed a single tear. I just held a small cardboard box that belonged to me, looked at the door, and sneered... just kept sneering.
And then...
Well, then, the bank will come to collect the house and the car, and then... seal the door...
Taking a deep breath, Chen Xiao unclenched his fists and quietly walked up the steps to the study on the third floor.
This... used to be my father's study.
Well, although his parents rarely come back to live in this home, when Chen Xiao lived here, he always reserved the master bedroom on the third floor for his parents. He himself has always lived on the second floor.
Even though my parents rarely come back, they still have their parents' room at home, with their parents' clothes in the room, and my father's books in the study room. In this way, people will always feel a bit like "home".
But who knows, how many days and nights, how many nights. When the hourly worker aunt came home from work, she was the only one left to live in such a big house with three floors.
What does it feel like to guard such a big house alone in the middle of the night, alone... day by day, night by night
Chen Xiao once developed a habit that even if he was alone at home at night, he liked to turn on the lights in all the rooms downstairs and upstairs...
…
Standing at the door of the room on the third floor, there was only a closet left in the bedroom that could not be moved. There were some scattered papers on the floor in the study, all of which had rotted away.
The real estate agent Mr. Zhu followed Chen Xiao. He instinctively sensed the boy's strange mood and was a little confused. However, under the control of his professionalism, he instinctively introduced: "This house looks a bit old. In fact, the facilities are in good condition. The water and electricity lines were originally set up in a standardized manner. Don't look at it as it is a little messy. That's because it was not built. In fact, the interior decoration of this house is great! The floors and ceramic tiles are all first-class. As long as the goods are cleaned and freshened, they will look brand new in no time! And you see, the closets inside are all made of high-quality materials. The roofs on the third floor have been specially treated and have thermal insulation layers. , warm in winter and cool in summer, and the floor height reaches three meters, which is much higher than the ordinary floor height, making people feel less depressed! From my professional perspective, the previous owner of this house spent a lot of money on decoration The money is definitely a big investment! And the taste is also very good. The decoration style from a few years ago does not feel outdated at all even if you look at it today... "
After saying so much, Mr. Zhu suddenly closed his mouth. Seeing that Chen Xiao had no reaction at all, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart: It seems that this customer has no sincerity in purchasing at all.
He has been in this business for so many years and has long been experienced. The kind of buyer who likes to ask a lot of questions is actually a buyer who has a real desire to buy. After all, when he buys a house to live in, he will be very careful and cautious. The more questions he asks, the more likely he is to buy. It means the more sincerely you want to buy. And I pay more attention to some special locations, such as the bathroom, the kitchen, and the layout of some wiring, etc. I will be particularly meticulous when looking at the house.
People like Chen Xiao, just looking at the layout casually and not asking questions... show that the desire to buy is not very strong.
Just when Mr. Zhu felt that he had made another trip in vain, Chen Xiao had already turned around and said, "How much does this house cost?"
"...Four million." Mr. Zhu said casually: "The construction area is three hundred square meters. The garage and the front and rear areas are not included in the area. The terrace is also given as a gift. Judging from the location and environment here, four hundred It's a very low price. There are many supporting facilities around. There is a Carrefour less than five minutes' drive along this road. There are hospitals, restaurants and hotels nearby... From the accent, you are also from K city, so you should You know, in Lehu District, this kind of house at this price is very rare."
Chen Xiao said nothing.
Mr. Zhu immediately made a judgment in his mind: It seems that this young man cannot afford it.
He hesitated: "How many people are you buying a house to live in? Are you living with the elderly? This kind of house has one master bedroom and three guest bedrooms, which is suitable for a family of three generations. If you live alone If so, the price is indeed so high, which is a bit wasteful. I can recommend some cheap single apartments to you... "
Chen Xiao finally smiled again and glanced at the real estate agent: "Are you afraid that I can't afford it?"
Although he thought so in his heart, Mr. Zhu laughed and shook his head: "I didn't mean that, I just recommended some more suitable ones..."
"No need, I bought this house."
Chen Xiao said nothing, turned around and went downstairs.
Buy, buy
Mr. Zhu was stunned for a moment and stood there.
His quotation of 4 million actually left some leeway. The bottom line in his mind was that he could reduce the price by about 100,000 as a buffer zone for the guests to bargain, but this young man...
He suddenly came to his senses and quickly chased Chen Xiao downstairs.
After leaving the house, Chen Xiao stood in the yard, looked at the real estate agent next to him, and said with a smile: "You are right, four million... Judging from the nearby location, the price is indeed very cheap, well, besides I have a puzzling question... This house is supposed to be very nice, but why does it seem to have been empty and unoccupied?"
"Uh..." Mr. Zhu was stunned, thinking that this buyer was strange. He didn't ask about the quality of the house, but he liked to inquire about such gossip.
But it's not too outrageous. Some clients like to ask this kind of question, especially if the house has been idle for a long time, for fear of encountering some "haunted house" or a house with bad Feng Shui.
"Well, it is said that the earliest owner of this house mortgaged the house to the bank for commercial reasons. In the end, it became insolvent and the house was repossessed by the bank. Later, the bank put the house up for auction and sold it to a family. That is to say, the current owners of this house are just this family. After they bought it, the whole family immigrated abroad soon due to some reasons. They have not lived in this house for a day after buying it... Haha, the result is It has been empty until now. And now is the financial crisis. It is said that this family encountered some problems abroad, so they found me as the client in China to sell this house to get cash... "
Chen Xiao nodded casually.
"Well, Mr. Chen, my personal suggestion is that you buy this house without renovating it. I personally think the interior decoration style is very good now. You just need to hire a cleaning company to clean it, and people from a gardening company. Just come and renovate the lawn and garden. The house has been idle for two years, and the roof also needs repairs to avoid tax evasion problems during the rainy season. There are also some repairs such as drainage pipes. In total, it doesn’t cost much. Money. You only need to buy a set of furniture and appliances and you can move in. The cost is not very expensive... "
He took out a calculator and made a quick calculation, and said with a smile: "I am very fair and have a good reputation in the circle. If you sincerely want to buy it, for the price of four million, I can be responsible for arranging for someone to come and buy it." If the house is repaired, the cost will be included in the price. My commission is also included in the price."
"I'll give you an extra 10%." Chen Xiao smiled lightly.
"Well?"
Mr. Zhu was stunned.
Holy shit! After so many years of work, I have only seen customers bargaining, but never seen customers take the initiative to raise prices
10%? That’s four hundred thousand! !
"It's not for you." Chen Xiao said with a smile: "I will make a list of what furniture to buy and what style. I will write it down very clearly. I am quite busy and don't have time to do these things. Can I entrust you to handle it? . Four hundred thousand is more than enough to buy a set of furniture, but a lot of things require running errands, and I don’t have time. The extra money can be regarded as the reward I give you. "
Mr. Zhu quickly calculated in his mind that a set of furniture, even if it was high-end, would only cost 300,000 yuan. He could still earn at least 100,000 yuan, which was a windfall!
Chen Xiao left a phone number and the address of the hotel where he stayed. He said: "I am staying in the hotel now. This is my private room. You can call me tomorrow afternoon and then go to the hotel to find me." .I’ll give you a list of the facilities I need in my home.”
Mr. Zhu took a look and saw that it was the best five-star hotel in the city. Judging from the room number, it belonged to the high-rise luxury suite category. You must be rich if you can stay in a luxury suite in a hotel like this, let alone a private room
Immediately, I felt relaxed. I had made a big business and had a windfall. The smile on my face became much more sincere. My face was red and I smiled and said: "Okay! I will take care of everything for you!"
After a pause, he added: "Then... my car is parked at the intersection. It seems you didn't drive here, right? Do you want me to take you back to the city?"
Chen Xiao shook his head: "I want... to take a walk around here."
Mr. Zhu didn’t think much about it. Many people who want to buy a house will walk around the neighborhood to get a feel for the surrounding environment. So he said goodbye politely and left, his steps becoming much more brisk when he left.
Chen Xiao saw off the real estate agent, then turned around and walked back to the yard, then slowly sat down at the foot of the steps.
"Dad, Mom... I bought our home."
Chen Xiao held his chin and murmured to himself in a low voice.
…
Xiao Qing walked through the street next to Lehu and took another look at the address on the information provided by the private detective in her hand.
When walking through the intersection, I saw a man wearing a white long-sleeved shirt walking past quickly. The man was humming a tune to his mouth proudly. He was walking like flying, and almost bumped into Xiao Qing, but after finally dodging, he kept walking. Say a few words of sorry. When he saw Xiao Qing's appearance clearly, a surprised expression appeared on the man's face.
Xiao Qing didn't care either. She had been used to being looked at by men like this since she was a child.
The real estate agent looked at the stunning beauty who walked over. He was stunned for a while, then sighed, and then clenched his fists: Humph! When I make enough money, it won’t be trivial to want beautiful women!
But then I couldn’t help but feel frustrated. An ordinary beautiful girl might be something you can buy with money, but the kind of stunning beauty that just walked past is probably not something that ordinary rich people can have...
…
Xiao Qing followed the location marked by the address and quickly found her target. But as soon as I walked out of the yard, I saw a familiar figure sitting on the steps of the house! !
Chen, Chen Xiao
Xiao Qing was stunned, and instantly, her pretty face turned red.
But then, she clearly saw the faint sadness on Chen Xiao's face, sitting alone on the steps with his chin in his hand.
There seemed to be tears flashing faintly in the corners of his eyes!
Chen Xiao...he...