The 70s Novel: The Supporting Character Just Wants to Lie Down-Chapter 294: Buying a House and Settling Hukou
Outside the window, under the house, Cai Linong was squatting against the wall, listening to the voices inside. The anxiety of the entire night finally calmed down.
Grandpa and Grandma were getting older, and Dad had been away for half a year without returning. They had mentioned his future plans more than once, and after much discussion, they still felt it was best for him to follow Dad.
Anyway, now that he was older, he wasn’t afraid of being mistreated by a stepmother... But, had that woman ever mistreated him? It seemed she never even paid him any attention.
"Linong, why are you squatting here?" Li Jiajia had said everything she needed to and planned to go back to the room to see if her daughter was awake. After stepping out, she saw Cai Linong squatting under the window in a daze.
She twitched her lips slightly, ignoring his situation, and simply said, "Your dad’s almost done with breakfast, go wash up and have breakfast first."
After saying this, she left, went back to the room, and saw her Little Pearl still sleeping soundly. She smiled slightly, tucked her in, and didn’t wake her up. It was still early, better let her sleep a bit more.
Over here, Cai Linong entered the house, and Cai Zhihao, upon seeing him, immediately smiled and said, "Your mom agreed for you to stay. She told me to contact the school for you today."
After these words, he earnestly advised Cai Linong, "Linong, your mom is a good person. Try to get along with her well, okay?"
He hoped this time his son could lower his head a bit. Because of Li Jiajia’s recent actions, he felt that although she appeared indifferent towards Linong, she was still a sensible and good woman. Their family had been wary of her from the start, as if it was a mistake...
Cai Linong was silent for a long time, then gently let out a word, "Okay..."
Regarding this conversation between the father and son, Li Jiajia wasn’t aware, and of course, even if she knew, she wouldn’t take it to heart.
She just made sure to wake her Little Pearl and got her ready before handing her over to Cai Zhihao, then rushed to work. Today was the last day of her holiday, and she wanted to make the most of it.
The next day, classes began, and Li Jiajia met with Wang Miaomiao.
"Jia Jia, has your Little Pearl arrived? Bring her to my place for dinner tonight."
Wang Miaomiao had often heard Li Jiajia talk about Little Pearl and wanted to meet her beloved little daughter, wondering if she was as cute as her niece, Little Cutie.
"Today?" Li Jiajia hesitated a bit and said, "I haven’t prepared anything. Let’s visit after a few days when things are settled."
Wang Miaomiao noticed something different about her today, "What’s wrong?"
Li Jiajia had no intention of hiding and nodded towards her, "Let’s talk over lunch. I have some matters I want to discuss with you."
"Alright." Just then, the class bell rang, so they paused their conversation.
At lunchtime, Li Jiajia told Wang Miaomiao about her husband also bringing his son into their home.
To this, Wang Miaomiao could only sigh, being a stepmother wasn’t easy; her friend was having a tough time.
"I remember you mentioning before that the houses in Beijing will likely increase in value. If you have the ability, you should buy a house sooner. Now that there’s one more person at home and not enough rooms, I want to buy the house I’m currently renting and renovate it. The landlord quoted a relatively high price last time, three rooms plus a small courtyard for three thousand. I want to buy it, but I’m short on money," Li Jiajia said, gritting her teeth, "I want to ask you, if I’m short on money, can I get a loan in my situation?"
Actually, it wasn’t just because Cai Linong came to live here that made her think about buying a house; Cai Linong was just a catalyst.
She had often heard Wang Miaomiao’s enthusiasm about real estate, that she had already bought property and was keen to buy more.
She also felt tempted.
She knew Wang Miaomiao was formidable and knew she wouldn’t do anything without confidence.
Now that she knew buying a house was essential, the only thing holding her back was the lack of funds, otherwise she would have followed suit and bought instead of renting.
Previously, she didn’t have a source of income and didn’t dare to entertain the idea, but now that she was working at Xuelan Clothing Flagship Store and had unexpectedly earned a substantial amount in a short period, she felt she could be bold and take a risk.
Wang Miaomiao smiled upon hearing this, "Sure, I can introduce you to a bank manager. If the bank doesn’t work out, I can personally lend you some money. I recently received a payment for a manuscript and saved about a thousand in private funds."
She didn’t expect her friend to have such boldness; no wonder they were friends.
"Thank you, Miao Miao." Li Jiajia was truly moved; she didn’t expect Wang Miaomiao would be willing to lend her such a considerable amount of private funds.
"No need to be polite, we’re close friends. It’s great that you’re thinking about buying a house now. After buying it, quickly register the children’s household here. In the future, they’ll be proper Beijing residents, and there won’t be any extra tuition fees outside the regular ones. Plus, the education quality here is definitely better than back home. It’s all for the children’s sake." Wang Miaomiao sincerely considered her friend’s situation; otherwise, she wouldn’t have said so much.
"Beijing is the country’s capital. Studying and working here will surely be better for the kids. In the future, house prices will only get higher, and getting household registration will only get harder. So, Jia Jia, be bold and buy it..."
With Wang Miaomiao’s support, Li Jiajia was even more determined. That very day, she discussed it with Cai Zhihao.
Initially, Cai Zhihao was indeed somewhat shocked by her boldness, but after her analysis, he increasingly felt that his wife was insightful and courageous.
That night, Cai Zhihao tossed and turned, unable to sleep well. The next morning, Li Jiajia saw a man with dark circles but full of vitality.
"Jia Jia, how much money can we gather from our family?"
"In the few years since our marriage, combining both our salaries and the dowry your family gave me, I’ve saved a total of over twelve hundred." They’ve been married for over four years; both were employed, and saving this amount after household expenses wasn’t easy.
Cai Zhihao gritted his teeth, "I’ll send a telegram to the family today, asking Mom and Dad to raise some money for us. If it’s not enough, we’ll borrow a bit from Wang Miaomiao and buy the house."
Li Jiajia looked at him unexpectedly, "Can your parents raise that much for you?"
After all, he still had a younger brother...
"They should be able to; I’ll know after sending the telegram." He didn’t tell her that he actually had some private funds saved with his parents.
Moreover, his parents both had stable jobs and the family had always been well-off. There should be savings at home; it just depended on how much his parents were willing to provide. But regardless, as the eldest son, his parents would certainly support him to some extent.
Indeed, as he thought, the elderly couple had only two sons, and since the eldest showed promise and wanted to buy a house in Beijing, they would definitely support him.
Cai Zhihao had five hundred in private funds with his parents, and they added another five hundred. Within a few days, a remittance slip for a thousand arrived in Li Jiajia’s hands.
She borrowed eight hundred from Wang Miaomiao, and with three thousand in hand, they secured the house.
Thus, they finally had their own home in Beijing, registered their residence, and became bona fide Beijing residents.
