The Sweetness of the Seventies
Chapter 775 - 744 - Large Courtyard, Bargaining_1

Chapter 775: 744 Chapter Large Courtyard, Bargaining_1

Zhao Huanhuan listened quietly to the side without speaking. Though her mother-in-law wasn’t very shrewd, she could at least discern the situation clearly! As long as the grandparents were still alive, the main branch of the family would always receive more resources.

However, Zhao Huanhuan also felt that this arrangement was unfair to the second branch and decided to silently pay attention and help He Tiantian in the future.

Back in her room, He Tiantian was somewhat distracted.

"What’s wrong?" Huo Yingjie asked. "Is it because of what your aunt-in-law said just now? Did it make you feel uncomfortable?"

He Tiantian gathered her thoughts and said with a smile, "It’s not about feeling uncomfortable, but rather about not having options! It isn’t impossible to open a store in Yanjing, but I don’t have enough people. Uncle Qian, Uncle Sun, they are getting on in years, lacking in energy, and they also don’t want to leave their hometown."

"Right, that makes sense," said Huo Yingjie as he nodded. "Let’s wait and see if I can find a few demobilized soldiers for you. Some rural soldiers may not necessarily be assigned to good units; in fact, some might have to return home to farm."

He Tiantian nodded. "All right, let’s try our best to find someone. Oh, Brother Zhang is a soldier, maybe he can find one or two."

"Okay, I’ll ask him as well," Huo Yingjie replied. "Now, let’s hurry and bathe the children, and rest early. You’re too tired today."

After bathing their two children, the couple also washed up and went to sleep.

Because of some matters, He Tiantian and Huo Yingjie got up early the next day and once again left the children at home.

Fortunately, Huo Ruixiang was on summer vacation and played with his brother and sister in the courtyard.

By the time Huo Yingjie and He Tiantian arrived at Maoer Alley, Lao Lian was already waiting there.

"Young Master, Madam, please come inside," said Lao Lian. "I heard this courtyard used to belong to a prince. Some parts have been subdivided, and now there are only three entries, but I have seen it, and the condition of the houses in the courtyard is good, though the furniture inside is incomplete."

"Good, this place is quite peaceful. Let’s go in and have a look," He Tiantian suggested, having asked around earlier. From here to the Huo Family Old Mansion, it would probably take twenty minutes by car and around forty minutes by bicycle.

The distance was neither too close nor too far, which was just right.

Following Lao Lian, the couple entered an alley about three meters wide, befitting the grandeur of a former prince’s residence.

On the way, Lao Lian gave them the background of this family; their son had gone abroad to do business in the United States, lost money, and desperately needed to repay debts, forcing him to sell the property. Although it seemed that they were in a rush to sell, the asking price was not low.

"This courtyard is priced at 420,000," Lao Lian mentioned. "They’re aiming high, but we can sit tight and bargain. I think there’s room for negotiation."

420,000 was half of the savings He Tiantian had on hand.

However, purchasing the property was essential, regardless of the cost. After all, buying now would ultimately not be a loss.

"Then that’s settled. Let’s go take a look at the house first," He Tiantian thought excitedly, as she was about to own property in Yanjing.

This time, they were not only looking at residential housing but also at commercial properties.

Upon entering, a chubby old man greeted them.

Lao Lian introduced them: "Uncle Cai, this is Comrade He, the buyer I found for you, and Comrade Huo."

"Hello, please come in and take a look at my courtyard. If you are interested, we can start talking about the price," Uncle Cai rushed them, clearly eager to discuss the price.

The houses had all been checked with the housing bureau by Lao Lian, so they couldn’t be a scam.

Trusting Lao Lian, He Tiantian replied, "All right, Uncle Cai, lead the way. If we’re satisfied, we can discuss the price."

Regarding the house, as long as He Tiantian liked it, Huo Yingjie wouldn’t say much.

The most important thing was that the money for buying the house was He Tiantian’s, so Huo Yingjie had no place to express an opinion.

As for the patent company he had opened in Xiangjiang under He Tiantian’s name, it was still in a break-even state.

Talking about it, it was all tears!

He really wasn’t cut out for business and resolved to make some good money by finding more good things ASAP.

Uncle Cai walked ahead, saying, "This is the front yard, with three wing rooms on each side, perfect for housing the cook and nanny, since you are from a big family; the central courtyard is the main one, with six main rooms and twelve wing rooms, the yard is very large, you can later consider making a garden or something; the back courtyard is similar to the main one but can be remodeled. As you see, the house is well-preserved, not one of those big messy courtyards, it’s a good house."

He Tiantian and Huo Yingjie said nothing but followed closely and looked carefully.

"It looks good from the outside." He Tiantian nodded, "Can we look inside?"

"Of course." Uncle Cai nodded, "The large furniture inside is gone, burnt or looted by those people, and those were good items! However, there are still some small pieces, all made of high-quality rosewood."

He Tiantian nodded, she had already taken a liking to the house, squared and although somewhat weathered, it wasn’t damaged; with a little repair, it would be ready to move into.

"Brother Yingjie, what do you think?" He Tiantian asked, consulting the head of the family.

"Not bad, it’s good as long as you like it." Huo Yingjie said. In fact, this was more than just three sections, there was another courtyard at the back; however, it had only three rooms and was otherwise bare with some dead tree stumps. This courtyard must have been a garden or something like that in the past.

Seeing He Tiantian taking charge, Uncle Cai looked at her with an even more eager expression, saying, "Young people like you enjoy flowers and plants, and there’s a moon gate in the back courtyard, with an empty yard next door, which you can turn into whatever you want."

He Tiantian’s eyes lit up, thinking of the swimming pool she could have.

After looking around, He Tiantian was very satisfied.

"Uncle Cai, give us a fair price, and if we’re satisfied, we’ll settle it." He Tiantian said. She was in business too and couldn’t let others just name their price.

Seeing He Tiantian’s interest in buying, Uncle Cai said, "Comrade He, my son in the United States is waiting for me to sell the house so he can pay off his debts, or else he’ll end up in prison. Otherwise, I would never sell this house. Look, my house is so nice, and I’m in a hurry to sell, four hundred and ten thousand, I’ll knock off ten thousand right away."

"Four hundred and ten thousand?" He Tiantian frowned, that was still a bit high. "We’ll think it over!"

He Tiantian tested the waters to see if she could press for a lower price.

"Uncle Cai, your price is a bit high!" Lao Lian said, "Could you make it a bit cheaper?"

Seeing the situation, Uncle Cai became a bit anxious and gritted his teeth, saying, "The final price is four hundred thousand, and if you don’t agree, I won’t sell."

He Tiantian nodded, saying, "Hmm, we’ll have a look around first, and if there’s nothing better than this, then I’ll consider this place."

Uncle Cai’s expression was restrained, but he was unwilling to lower the price any further.

Going below this price, his son wouldn’t be able to get over this hurdle!

"That’s fine, you guys go have a look," Uncle Cai said. "But you need to make it quick, as I’m in urgent need to sell. If someone else comes along with the right price, I’ll have to sell to them."

Everyone was shrewd.

He Tiantian used looking at other people’s houses as leverage to lower the price, and Uncle Cai used other potential buyers to push it up.