Governing the country, enriching the people, an unparalleled imperial tutor

Haozi—Jinghao—has been working as a fitter at this mechanical parts factory for the more than twenty years that Lin Yanzhou has known him. He only owns a second-hand Jetta. His child is in junior high school, but because he doesn't have a house in the city, he can't go to a key middle school. His salary, besides supporting his family, basically goes towards helping himself. Sigh, he didn't have the ability before, but now that things are better, he will definitely help him get better too.

The two buddies ate a quick bite, and Lin Yanzhou said, "Drive with me somewhere, pick up Haozi, and we're off."

"Hey, I can still have one more bite, don't waste it. Hey, where are we going?"

"Let's talk after we get in the car."

Haozi drove for fifteen minutes following the route and arrived at a newly opened residential complex in the south of the city—Shangcheng Garden. This complex was only handed over to residents at the end of last year, and most of the buildings were still empty. The exterior walls were covered with beige tiles, and the buildings were clean and brand new. A red banner with white lettering hung at the sales office entrance: "Down payment from 100,000 yuan, own a school district property." A salesman in a suit stood at the entrance, making a phone call, his voice deliberately low but faintly audible: "Just another 50,000 yuan and you can reserve a place."

Haozi parked the car safely, looked up at the row of brand-new buildings, and was stunned: "Why did you bring me here?"

"I want to buy a house. Come with me to look at some and choose one." Lin Yanzhou pushed open the door and entered the sales office.

The sales office lobby was paved with light-colored marble tiles, polished to a shine, and the model in the center was clearly illuminated by spotlights. It was a little past ten in the morning, and there weren't many people around. Two salespeople were busy organizing materials at the front desk. Next to the front desk was a water dispenser, and several bottles of mineral water were already empty, indicating that business wasn't too busy.

Lin Yanzhou walked over and got straight to the point: "A ready-to-move-in apartment, around 100 square meters, three bedrooms. Do you have any available?"

A young saleswoman in a black suit looked up at him and gave a professional smile. "Yes, yes, sir, please have a seat. Let me get you a glass of water—are you looking at the products together?" She glanced at Haozi standing behind Lin Yanzhou—his blue overalls had oil stains on the cuffs and a dark oil stain on the hem of his trousers. His hair, though brushed back, was clearly unwashed. The saleswoman's smile faltered slightly, but she quickly regained her professionalism.

Haozi stood beside the sand table, his hands behind his back, looking somewhat reserved. He didn't dare touch anything, afraid of getting oil stains on it.

"A friend," Lin Yanzhou said, "we came to look at the apartment together."

"Oh, okay. This way please." The saleswoman opened the register. "For ready-to-move-in apartments, the currently available three-bedroom units are on the third floor of Building 12 and the fifth floor of Building 7. They are all fully furnished and have good ventilation. The prices range from nine thousand to ten thousand, depending on the floor and orientation."

Just as Lin Yanzhou was about to speak, he heard the sound of a door being pushed open behind him, followed by a somewhat familiar female voice: "This property looks alright, and the location is good too. It will be convenient for your child to go to school in the future. However, since your budget is limited, this is the only place you can consider."

"Okay, okay, whatever you say, let's take a look first."

The man's voice carried a hint of ingratiating laughter.

Lin Yanzhou turned his head, his gaze falling on the two people entering through the door. He knew the woman in the floral dress all too well—he'd seen that face for eight years, and although she now had permed hair and heavy makeup, he would never forget the expression in her eyes. Qin Li, his ex-wife. Beside her was a middle-aged man in a gray polo shirt, slightly overweight, with a receding hairline, and a flashy gold watch dangling from his wrist—the kind that looked like he was trying to appear rich but failed miserably. The man liked to swing his arm as he walked, making sure the gold watch was visible from every angle.

Haozi saw it too, his face immediately stiffened, and he muttered under his breath, "Damn it. Why did I have to run into them?"

Qin Li hadn't noticed Lin Yanzhou yet; she was looking up at the model of the building on the sand table, her tone deliberately critical: "The plot ratio of this building looks pretty high, and the distance between the buildings isn't wide enough. It'll probably feel cramped living here. But oh well, given your current situation, this is about the only level you can afford."

The man next to her chuckled and said, "Yes, yes, take a look first, and we'll change it if you're not satisfied."

Haozi clenched his fist and lowered his voice: "Yanzhou, let's go, let's come back another time."

"No rush," Lin Yanzhou said, his expression not changing much, because since he had 900 million in his account, his confidence and aura had been different from before.

At this moment, Qin Li's gaze finally swept over this side, first seeing Haozi—his work clothes stood out among the people in casual clothes in the room—then her gaze moved along Haozi's shoulder to his side, landing on Lin Yanzhou's face.

Her expression shifted for a moment, as if unsure what to show, before quickly adopting her usual haughty demeanor, her chin slightly raised: "Oh, Lin Yanzhou? Weren't you critically ill in the hospital? What are you doing here?"

Lin Yanzhou ignored her. The man next to Qin Li looked over, sizing him up. His gaze moved from Lin Yanzhou's old jacket to his worn-out sneakers, and he slightly pursed his lips. He then turned to Qin Li and asked, "Who's this?"

"Ex-husband." Qin Li's voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for the entire sales office to hear. "Back then, we were dirt poor, earning only 3,800 a month. I was constantly running around construction sites collecting debts. We couldn't even afford an air conditioner in our old house. When we divorced, he had to pay us 5,000 yuan in three installments."

She chuckled as she spoke, as if telling a joke: "I didn't expect to run into you here today. What, looking at apartments too? Did your run-down construction site pay out this year?"

Haozi clenched his fists tightly, his face ashen, but Lin Yanzhou raised his hand to stop him, his voice neither loud nor soft: "You're here to look at houses too? Looks like you've hooked up with a rich guy?" He deliberately drew out the words "hook up with a rich guy".

The bald man clicked his tongue, raised his hand and rubbed his gold watch, seemingly casually revealing the luster on his wrist. He even deliberately swung his arm a couple of times, letting the sunlight reflecting off the watch face flash near Lin Yanzhou's eyes: "Take a look, if it's suitable, we'll order one. I just sold an old house in the east of the city for over 500,000 yuan, so I have some spare cash. I'll also get Lili a bigger one."

When he said "more than 500,000," he raised his voice slightly by half an octave and made sure to pronounce the word "50" very clearly.

"More than 500,000." Qin Li smiled and took his arm, her tone both boastful and sarcastic, "More than some people can save in ten years."

After she finished speaking, her gaze deliberately fell on Lin Yanzhou's worn-out sneakers. She paused for half a second, clicked her tongue, and shook her head. The meaning behind her words was more hurtful than any other.

A few seconds of silence fell over the sales office. The two saleswomen exchanged glances. The young saleswoman in the black suit stood before Lin Yanzhou and Haozi, her smile completely frozen, but her professionalism kept her standing still. The young woman behind the counter secretly glanced at Qin Li, then quickly looked down again, pretending to organize the documents.

A middle-aged male customer in a jacket was standing next to the counter, waiting to complete the formalities. Hearing the noise, he turned around and watched the scene with great interest. He put his hands in his pockets and didn't rush to sign.

Seeing that everyone around them had quieted down, the bald man next to Qin Li seemed pleased with himself and added, his voice carrying a deliberate air of magnanimity: "Brother, looking at houses is fine, but if you can't afford the down payment, don't force yourself. This isn't about saving face; do what you can. Lili and I are just here to take a look; we have some spare cash, no rush."

As he spoke, his thumb was hooked in his pocket, his little finger was sticking out, and his gold watch gleamed brightly under the fluorescent light.