Siheyuan: Starting from the driver

Chapter 677 The New House Becomes the Jia Family's Pursuit of Housing
The next day.

Since the fish couldn't be found, Yan Bugui could only accept his bad luck, but he didn't want to suffer a loss.

"No, we have to go to the moat and catch some more fish, otherwise we'll lose out."

Thinking of this, Yan Bugui immediately packed his fishing gear and went out, only to run into a family walking by.

A voice came from behind.

"An'an, Uncle and Aunt."

"Brother Yuan." As soon as Liu An saw Cui Yuan, he immediately ran over.

A fragrant breeze wafted past Yan Bugui.

"Brother Yuan!" Liu An jumped into Cui Yuan's arms.

Liu Zhiqiang and Tian Hua shook their heads and smiled helplessly. The more they spent time together, the more compatible they seemed, and marriage was inevitable.

The two lingered for a while before realizing that they were in the wrong place.

"Uncle and Auntie, please come in."

The three of them came to see the results of the renovation of their new house.

In the past few days, Han and others have finished finishing up the house, cleaned it up, and it still smelled of something for half a day.

At this time, the formaldehyde level is very low, and you can move in after the smell dissipates for a few days.

After a month of hard work, Han and his colleagues took a few days off to plan the renovation of the two old houses.

While we're at it, let's prepare some materials and also have Aunt Cui tidy up the house.

"Sister Cui." The two greeted Aunt Cui with smiles.

"You're here. Come in and have a seat."

The two families chatted for a while before going to the rear house to see the results of the new wedding room's renovation.

Looking at the other house, Cui Yuan felt a pang of regret that he hadn't been able to secure it.

After seeing Zhang Fen's house, Cui Yuan also wanted to imitate his decoration, but unfortunately he only had one room and couldn't do it like that.

He could only secretly resolve: 'When I have the means in the future, I'll definitely have my house decorated like theirs.'

A group of people arrived at the door of the new house.

Nodding at the entrance, she remarked, "The entrance is quite clean." She became even more curious about the new house.

I saw another tall shelf, but I just glanced at it and didn't pay any attention to it.

'Squeak~'

The door opened slowly.

"Wow~" Liu An couldn't help but go in first: "It's so clean! It's so big!"

The new house was spotless, with white walls as clean as a sheet of paper.

The ground is paved with blue bricks, which are cleaner and more durable than rammed earth, but of course, they are also more expensive, and dirt and grime can easily accumulate in the joints.

Cui Yuan originally didn't want to use blue bricks so extravagantly, since it was a rented house, but on Li Kailang's advice, he decisively laid blue bricks.

Having spent a considerable sum of money, Cui Yuan simply bought cement to fill the gaps.

In this way, the disadvantages of blue bricks are greatly reduced.

"It really is true. Look at this ground, it's much better than our land."

"Xiao Yuan, you've gone to so much trouble," Tian Hua said. Spending so much money decorating a new house means you're planning to spend your whole life with it.

"No, no, it's not much. We'll be living in this house for a long time, so it's better to renovate it from the beginning to avoid trouble later."

Liu Zhiqiang nodded without saying anything.

The group continued looking at houses.

There are two bedrooms, one for the two of them and the other for their future child.

Next up is the most important part: the bathroom.

There was no toilet or bathtub in the bathroom, only a squat toilet.

"Ah! We have a toilet at home? That's great! You two won't have to fight over public toilets anymore."

"Yes, this toilet was worth the money."

Liu Zhiqiang and Tian Hua were most satisfied with the toilet, their envy evident in their expressions.

Yan Bugui would get up a little earlier than others in order to go to the toilet.

"Not only will we be able to use the toilet, but we might even be able to take a shower in the future," Cui Yuan said with a smile.

"What? I can take a bath? Where?" Liu An looked left and right.

Cui Yuan replied, "It's not installed yet, but it'll be soon. You'll see it in a few days, and you'll be amazed."

"Oh, right, did you see that shelf by the door? That's where you put the water bucket. You'll be able to take a bath every day from now on."

"What?" Liu An rushed out to see in a hurry: "There really is a shelf, and it really is for holding water buckets. How big must the water buckets be?"

Cui Yuan smiled mysteriously: "You'll find out when the time comes."

Liu An affectionately grabbed his arm and said coquettishly, "Just tell me, okay?"

Cui Yuan still wouldn't budge: "No, I'll treat it as a surprise for you later."

"Alright then." Liu An pouted and had no choice but to accept the fact.

She leaned slightly against Cui Yuan's chest, but in her heart she was thinking about marrying Cui Yuan as soon as possible and moving into the new house.

But a little devil in her heart advised: 'Liu An, why are you in such a hurry? You're a young lady; you should be more reserved.'

"Why be reserved? If you like someone, just go for it. You've already met the elders, how can you regret it? You'll graduate in just two months."

Their relationship was just one step away from completion: kissing, hugging, and holding hands. They had done everything they were supposed to do, and that was the only thing missing.

'It'll only be a month or two, I, Liu An, can wait!'

The house wasn't big, so we finished looking at it quickly.

Liu Zhiqiang and Tian Hua were both very satisfied with the house. Since Cui Yuan had renovated the house, they couldn't let him do a bad job.

As promised, we couldn't go back on our word: "In a few days, I'll have someone bring the furniture over. You two can decide how to arrange it then. It's all up to you two."

Before Cui Yuan could reply, Liu An smiled and said with narrowed eyes, "Thank you, Dad. Dad is so good!"

After saying that, he jumped up and hugged Liu Zhiqiang, then pulled Cui Yuan to plan their future.

"A daughter is like a bird that flies away when she grows up; she's already turning against her husband before she's even married!" Tian Hua said with a helpless smile.

"Sigh, what can you do with your own daughter? Spoil her, of course." Liu Zhiqiang was also helpless, but she was his only daughter, and he couldn't help but cherish her.

Anyway, I'm a level 5 fitter, so I can earn money and afford to spend a few hundred yuan.

After the visit, Liu Zhiqiang and Tian Hua chatted with Aunt Cui for a while before leaving to prepare the furniture to be moved.

After the family left, everyone in the courtyard was curious about Cui Yuan's new house.

The renovations were completed in the last couple of days, but they haven't been inside to visit yet.

"Xiao Yuan, can I come in and take a look? We haven't seen your new house yet."

"Sure, everyone can watch if they want."

Immediately, everyone went inside out of curiosity.

The room's overall layout was similar to Li Kailang's house, except that there was no furniture inside. Everyone was envious of the toilet in the bathroom.

"It's so nice to have a toilet, but unfortunately we can't use it."

Li Kailang's toilet was not to be lent out, so it's conceivable that Cui Yuan's toilet was the same.

Looking at the shelves outside, I knew he was also planning to install water tanks.

"It's almost summer, and it's so nice to be able to take a shower with a water tank!"

No one has a bathroom in their home. Even if they have a water tank, there's nowhere to take a shower.

People came to see it one after another, and Cui Yuan showed it to them all.

"My goodness, how did that Cui family kid decorate the house so nicely? Isn't that a waste of money?"

“The Cui family now has three rooms. This is not fair. Why can his family have three rooms while I only have one? The whole family has to squeeze together!”

Madam Jia was jealous and resentful of the Cui family. "No way, I need a house too!"

Before leaving, Madam Jia glared at Cui Yuan with gritted teeth, then glanced at the house: 'If only I could get this room.'

Cui Yuan was unaware of Jia Zhangshi's intentions. After everyone had inspected the house, he cleaned it up and went home to pack his things.

The old house also needs to be renovated. The family will stay in the new house for ten days to half a month before moving back to the old house after the renovation is completed.

As soon as Jia Zhangshi returned, she went directly to find Yi Zhonghai.

"Old Yi, Old Yi, you have to help me!"

When Jia Zhangshi arrived, she started crying and wailing, leaving Yi Zhonghai and the old woman completely bewildered.

"Jia Zhangshi, get up first, tell me what happened."

"Old Yi, if you don't help me, I'm not getting up."

"You get up first and then talk."

"If you don't agree, I won't get up!" Jia Zhangshi cried out.

Upon seeing this, Yi Zhonghai and the old woman exchanged a glance, knowing that Jia Zhangshi's visit was not a good one.

"Fine, kneel if you want."

Upon hearing the suggestion to bring her along, Jia Zhangshi nimbly stood up. Did they think she could kneel down and suffer a loss? Dream on!

"Old Yi, have you seen Cui's new house? Even his family has a new house now, while my family only has one room. This is not fair!"

“Old Yi, look at Bang Geng, he’s not getting any younger. We can’t all sleep in the same room. There’s just not enough room for him to stretch out in this house.”

"Old Yi, you have to figure out a way to get me a house."

Upon hearing this, Yi Zhonghai glanced at Jia Zhangshi. This old hag was truly insatiable, ugly in appearance but with wildly ambitious thoughts.

"Jia Zhangshi, don't even think about it. I can't get you a house."

Jia Zhangshi was not so easily fooled: "No, you have to think of a way for me. Banggeng is your godson."

“Dongxu was still your apprentice. When he was alive, our house only had one room. Now that he’s gone, the house still only has one room.”

"When Bang Geng grows up, will there still be only one room in the house? I'm not picky, any room is fine."

Yi Zhonghai said calmly, "Any kind of food is fine. How about a room with a reverse seating arrangement?"

"No, there's no sun there."

"The back room?"

"No, the houses there are too small."

Hearing this, Yi Zhonghai became somewhat angry: "This won't do, that won't do, then which room do you want?"

"I'm fine with anything, I'm not picky," said Jia Zhangshi, as if she were a dead pig that wasn't afraid of boiling water.

The old lady was too lazy to expose Jia Zhangshi's little scheme.

Yi Zhonghai shouted, "Anything is fine. I think you should just take the houses in the front, middle, and back yards. These houses all have owners. Whose houses do you want?"

Jia Zhangshi already had a plan for this.

Li Kailang's family in the front yard has two rooms; he can't afford to offend them.

Yi Zhonghai of the Intermediate People's Court also has this, but he's a big shot now, and can't be touched.

Xu Damao also had one in the backyard, but he didn't want to get along with him.

Besides him, there was also Old Zhao's family.

"The Zhao family in the backyard, it's just her, an old lady, and her little brat. Why should they have two rooms? There are so many of us in our family. They should only have one room. One room is enough for them!"

Yi Zhonghai waved his hand: "Alright, Jia Zhangshi, this isn't as easy as you think. Why should we give it to them when they're living here perfectly well? Stop thinking nonsense."

Jia Zhangshi crossed her arms and said, "I don't care. Are you Banggeng's grandfather or Dongxu's master? Our family is short of a house. If you don't take care of this, I'll never forgive you!"

Seeing that Jia Zhangshi was determined not to give up, Yi Zhonghai didn't bother to pay any attention to her.

"This is none of my business, you should find someone else."

"You're the boss of this courtyard. If you don't care, who can? You're the one who makes all the decisions in this courtyard. I think you just don't want to care!"

"I really can't handle this!"

"I don't care, since you don't care, I won't let Banggeng recognize you as his grandfather!"

"you!"

"Hmph! I'll give you one day! I'll be waiting for your reply tonight." Jia Zhangshi walked out proudly, like a victorious rooster.

Considering that Sha Zhu's wife still hasn't gotten pregnant, Yi Zhonghai really didn't dare to say anything carelessly.

"Old Yi, what do you want to do?" The old lady knew Yi Zhonghai's weakness.

'Let me think about it.'

night.

Seeing that the Yi family hadn't made a move all day, Jia Zhangshi was terrified.

"Could it be that Yi Zhonghai really doesn't want to use the 'stick' joke anymore? That won't do."

The Jia family absolutely cannot afford to lose Yi Zhonghai.

Thinking of this, Jia Zhangshi immediately went to find Yi Zhonghai.

Upon entering the Yi family home and seeing Yi Zhonghai's worried expression, the words she was about to say immediately changed.

"Old Yi, it's been a whole day, have you made up your mind yet?"

Yi Zhonghai replied, "Jia Zhangshi, don't be delusional. The Zhao family only has two rooms; they can't possibly give you one."

"The best course of action now is to move to a different house."

"Change rooms? No way!" Madam Jia immediately objected, slamming her hand on the table.

"This house is the ancestral home of my Jia family, and it absolutely cannot be lost! The Zhao family only has an old lady and a little brat, so why not just kick them out of the yard? There's no need for all this trouble!"

Yi Zhonghai was speechless upon hearing this. This Jia Zhangshi was truly insatiable, wanting everything and trying to have it both ways. There was no such thing as a free lunch.

Exchanging one room for two rooms—only someone with Jia Zhangshi's peculiar thought process could come up with such a thing.

“I’m an old man, not a bandit. I wouldn’t do such a thing. If you want to kick people out, go do it yourself.”

"I don't care, I just want the house!" Jia Zhangshi didn't bother with anything else.

Yi Zhonghai was so angry at Jia Zhangshi's shameless and scoundrelly behavior that he didn't want to speak.

As expected, those who are favored are fearless. Jia Zhangshi felt that she had a powerful backer and Yi Zhonghai as her protector, so she was in charge in the courtyard and had nothing to fear.

As long as she doesn't mess with those few tough guys, she can get away with anything, and no one can do anything to her!
"Since you don't want to move, but you still want to live in someone else's house, this is not a good situation."

Upon hearing this, Madam Jia was overjoyed. It wasn't impossible to solve a difficult problem: "What's the solution?"

"If you can't change your house, you can rent one."

Upon hearing this, Madam Jia curled her lip in disdain and said, "Rent a room? Pshaw, I thought it was some kind of brilliant idea, is that all? So renting a room doesn't cost money, do I need you to tell me that!"

Yi Zhonghai rolled his eyes: "Do you want to hear me finish? If you're so capable, then figure it out yourself."

As soon as Yi Zhonghai's tone hardened, Jia Zhangshi backed down: "Old Yi, you go ahead and talk, I'm listening."

"We can talk to Old Zhao's family first and rent her house. We'll give them a few months' worth of food money. Once you move in, whether you move out or not is up to you, isn't it?"

"If you don't leave after a few months, she's an old woman, so she can't possibly kick you out. You've made a huge profit, haven't you? You only paid a little rent to get the house, isn't that great?"

"Good, good, good, this is a good idea!" Madam Jia immediately beamed with joy: "I won't pay the rent, I still want the house, then that old hag can't kick me out, can she?"

Hearing Jia Zhangshi's insatiable words, Yi Zhonghai was speechless.

He wants the house but won't pay the rent. What a load of rubbish! Who would rent to you like that? But he was too lazy to point out the problem.

Just following Jia Zhangshi's words: "That's right, anyway, the Zhao family only has her and a little brat, so what they say will be up to your family."

"Old Yi, you're really amazing!" Jia Zhangshi said with genuine admiration.

"That's right. I'll go talk to Old Zhao's family in a bit. As long as she rents out the house, everything will be fine."

Yi Zhonghai is going all out for his godson.

(End of this chapter)