Rebirth and making money first

Chapter 144: Picking up bargains in second-hand houses

Upon hearing this, his mother quickly added, "I still have 12 yuan. If that's not enough, I can sell all my gold jewelry to make up the difference. What do you think?" They both turned their eyes to Zhang Jing. Zhang Jing looked at Zhang Xiaobing seriously and asked, "Xiaobing, tell me something from the bottom of your heart. Do you really want to buy a house?"

Zhang Xiaobing scratched his head and replied honestly, "Sister, actually, we have low-rent housing in Yunnan, and the monthly rent is only 500 yuan. So, as for this house, whether I buy it or not doesn't really matter to me! It doesn't matter if I buy it or not. The first thing is to survive."

The mother standing nearby was furious when she heard this. Without saying a word, she raised her hand and slapped Zhang Xiaobing's head hard. She kept muttering, "You good-for-nothing! Are you planning to let your whole family rent a house for the rest of their lives? Now you have such a good opportunity, and your sister is willing to help you, why don't you know how to cherish it?"

Seeing this, Zhang Jing hurried forward to stop the two of them, shouting, "Alright, alright, stop arguing! You two each hold your own opinions, and neither of you can convince the other. In my opinion, it's best to keep the current situation as it is!"

However, my mother refused to listen and continued to scold Zhang Xiaobing: "Think about it, little bastard! You started from our hometown in Northeast China and traveled all the way to Guangdong, Beijing, Shanghai, and finally to Yunnan. In all these years, you've traveled to so many places, but you haven't made much money. You don't even have a house of your own! If I hadn't painstakingly built those two shops at home and the one in Huizhou for you, how long would you have been able to own them on your own? You'll have to wait until the end of time!"

"We have to buy this house now! I'm the boss." The old lady made the decision. Zhang Xiaobing said, "If you have money to lend me, then buy it! I don't have that much money anyway. I have to support my son and wife. I have to pay back the money bit by bit. If I can't pay it back, my son can pay it back."

Mom turned to Zhang Jing again, "Xiao Jing, you~"

"Mom, go bargain and see what the lowest price is. Also, there are many buildings for sale in this neighborhood, so you can ask around. Smaller ones are also fine."

When the old lady heard this, she immediately said, "Leave it to me."

As night fell and the lights came on, Zhang Zhi dragged her exhausted body back home. As soon as she entered, she couldn't wait to ask her family about the details of the house. It turned out that the landlord of the house she rented was also interested in selling it and asked if she was interested in buying it.

Upon hearing the news, her mother, who was sitting on the sofa, immediately told Zhang Zhi, "Then go ask the landlord how much he wants to sell the house for." Zhang Zhi smiled and nodded, agreeing. Then she turned to her younger brother Zhang Xiaobing and teased him, "Great, little brother! You're going to be able to settle down in a big city so soon?"

Zhang Xiaobing said helplessly, "Sister, I'm forced to do this." As soon as he said that, his mother beside him instantly became furious and shouted, "I work so hard to worry about you, and you all don't know what's good for you!"

Zhang Jing, standing nearby, suppressed a smile as she watched the scene unfold. She suddenly realized how much she and her mother resembled each other. Both were prone to worry and a constant hustle and bustle. The key issue was that the people they cared about never seemed to share their perspective. This often left them with a sense of helplessness, akin to the eunuchs worrying about the emperor, not the emperor.

Just then, the mother-in-law came in, carrying a lot of bags. She'd come to visit the children. Upon learning that the family was considering buying a house, she expressed a keen interest. She explained that two families in her building were also looking to sell, and she was considering buying another property for her youngest son.

After all, there had been no definitive news regarding the demolition. Many people, impatient with the wait, began to consider other options. My mother, upon hearing this, became excited, eagerly asking about the size and price. By the time the two children finished showering, the two elderly women had already joined forces, dragging Zhang Xiaobing along to inquire about the apartment. Their efficiency left Zhang Jing and Achen staring at each other in amazement.

Zhang Jing simply threw the matter aside and let them go. At this time, Zhang Zhi came over and asked curiously, "Sister, are you really determined to lend money to Xiaobing to buy a house?" Hearing her sister's question, Zhang Jing's heart couldn't help but move slightly, and then she answered readily, "If you want to buy a house, I will lend you money too."

Zhang Zhi's face lit up with delight when she heard this, but she quickly shook her head and said, "My husband said we don't really need to buy a house right now. We might as well borrow some money to buy a car. And he even suggested registering the license plate in your name!"

Zhang Jing glared at you and replied angrily, "Huh, that's a nice thought! If something goes wrong someday, do you really want me, your older sister, to take the blame and take the fall for you?"

Zhang Zhi was amused by her sister's words and laughed. She quickly explained, "Oh, sister, that's what I told my husband at the time. It's not very realistic."

Zhang Jing rolled her eyes at her sister and continued, "I heard this place is going to be demolished soon. Why don't you take advantage of this opportunity to buy a house? Then when the demolition happens, you'll get more compensation. Isn't that a great idea?"

However, Zhang Zhi curled her lips in disapproval and said, "You really believe such rumors? Let's not talk about whether it will really be demolished. Even if it is to be demolished, do you think your sister is that lucky? I don't want to mess around with it."

Seeing her sister so determined, Zhang Jing knew that no amount of persuasion would be effective. After all, everyone has their own aspirations, each following their own unique trajectory and making their own choices. As the saying goes, a forced melon won't be sweet. Some things are better left to their own devices, to unfold naturally. Thinking of this, Zhang Jing couldn't help but sigh softly, thinking to herself: Never mind. Since that's the case, then everything depends on fate!

As the night deepened, the old lady and her son finally returned, exhausted. Their faces beamed with joy, their outing clearly proving fruitful. They had spotted several properties. One, on the first floor, spanned over 100 square meters and had three rooms, and the owner was asking 600,000 yuan. Another, on the fourth floor, spanned over 80 square meters and had two rooms, and was priced at 800,000 yuan. Meanwhile, Zhang Zhi's rental was just over 60 square meters, priced at 520,000 yuan. Even Zhang Jing's 108-square-meter house downstairs was priced at 660,000 yuan.

After the mother and son explained all the details of the houses to Zhang Jing, Zhang Jing, after careful consideration, offered her own advice. She suggested that they prioritize buying the 600,000 yuan house on the first floor, or simply choose the 660,000 yuan house downstairs.

The reason was simple: demolition work in this area was about to begin. According to my previous life, construction would begin in less than six months. If I hesitated now and missed this rare opportunity, I would regret it later.

"Listen to your sister. It's for the demolition compensation anyway. The bigger the area, the better." said my mother.

"By the way, your mother-in-law is also planning to buy one. She went back to discuss it with your father-in-law."

Zhang Jing asked, "Which one are you going to buy?"

Zhang Xiaobing said, "Of course the cheaper one is 6 yuan less than the one downstairs. It's only a little over square meters. When the house is demolished, I can move back to a smaller one. With some compensation, that's fine."

Seeing that his mother also nodded, Zhang Jing asked, "Can you negotiate a lower price by paying in one lump sum?" Zhang Xiaobing said, "We'll discuss it in detail tomorrow."

Zhang Jing thought about buying the downstairs apartment as well. Knowing there was money to be made, she'd be a fool not to take it. Unfortunately, she didn't have enough money, otherwise she would have bought all the apartments. Who understands the feeling of being a pig caught in the wind, ready to fly?

Zhang Yongle picked up his phone and called Zhang Jing. He spoke calmly, "Xiao Jing, let me tell you something about Zhang Xiaobing's job. He only has a college degree and doesn't even have a driver's license. So, for now, he's been assigned a security guard position at a local hospital. But, we'll definitely adjust it based on the situation later! Oh, and this job includes room and board, and the monthly salary is over 4,000 yuan. I was wondering if he'd be willing to take it?"

After listening to this, Zhang Jing was silent for a moment before replying, "Okay, I'll ask Xiaobing later." Not long after, Zhang Jing called Zhang Yongle again and said, "I've asked Xiaobing, and he agrees. But he won't be able to start until a week later because he's busy with the paperwork for buying a house."

Hearing this, Zhang Yongle was stunned for a moment and asked in surprise, "What? He's actually planning to buy a house?" Zhang Jing smiled and explained, "Yes, there are five or six houses for sale in our neighborhood recently. I'm also thinking about buying the house downstairs and waiting for it to be demolished in the future."

Zhang Yongle became excited when he heard this, and asked quickly: "Really? What are the prices of those houses downstairs?" Zhang Jing introduced them one by one slowly and explained the price of each house clearly.

After hearing this, Zhang Yongle excitedly said, "Okay, I'll come over and take a look tomorrow." Actually, he had been thinking about buying the house of Zhang Jing's downstairs neighbor. But he couldn't let Zhang Jing know about this. After all, if she caught on to something, it would be a disaster.

The demolition has been rumored for a long time, but there's still no definite news. But Zhang Yongle thought, who cares if it gets demolished or not? He might as well buy a house and keep it here as an investment. If he's lucky enough to catch the demolition someday, he could still get a good sum of money back.

It was this idea that allowed several people to inadvertently catch the opportunity that Zhang Jing had set her sights on.