"Qinglan, I have something to discuss with you.”
"What is it?"
" Look, Yaya is getting older. She doesn't even have her own room, so it's always inconvenient. Should we consider buying a house of our own? This room is too small. If the child is young, it'll be fine. But now that Yaya is older, it really can't stay here anymore.”
"I've been thinking about this for a long time, but I was afraid that I didn't have enough money, so I didn't tell you.”
"What do you think?"
"Old Xiao from our museum recommended a house to me. I think it's suitable.”
"Tell me about this house first.”
"Xiao Danian's relative works in an oil company. The oil company has a lot of money. They built new buildings for their employees, so they want to get rid of this old building.”
"Is there some kind of trick in this? Since it's worth it, why didn't he buy it? Instead, he wanted to matchmake you buy it?”
"He has already bought someone else's house and doesn't have the money to buy this house anymore. He also bought someone else's house and renovated it. It doesn't look good on the outside, but it's still as good as new on the inside.”
"What kind of house is it? How much did he spend?”
"Three rooms and one living room. There's a balcony, a kitchen, and a bathroom. It cost more than 30,000 yuan in total. The interior decoration cost another 3,000 to 4,000 yuan, so it's about 40,000 yuan in total.”
"Is his relative's house the same as his?”
"The area is about the same, and the structure is basically the same. They all have three rooms and one living room with a balcony, kitchen, and bathroom. The layout might be different. If he wanted to buy it, it would probably cost around 40,000 yuan. The advantage of buying a house from an oil company was that the quality of their houses was better. After all, they were rich and willing to spend money. The quality of their houses was definitely better than that of ordinary units.”
"This is an opportunity. When the housing reform is done, there might not be such a cheap house. We can't wait any longer. After all, the child is old. Tell Director Xiao to stop selling to others.”
"I told him when I got to work in the afternoon that if he has time, I'll ask him to take me to see it. I'll take you to see it when you have time. Do we have that much money now?"
"You don't know if you've never worried about money before. I've saved up everything I could in the past few years and saved up 30,000 to 40,000 yuan. If this house is only around 40,000 yuan, we can buy it immediately. If the price can be lower, we still have the money to renovate it. How is it? Your wife is a good person, right?”
"Alright, not bad. You're a person who lives a good life. I'll look for Old Xiao as soon as I go to work in the afternoon. I'll ask him to calm his relatives down and not sell it to others for now. Last time, Old Xiao mentioned to me that there were others who had the intention to buy it.”
"Let's not talk about anything else first. The most important thing now is not to let his relatives sell it to others.”
As soon as she got off work in the afternoon, Shang Liu Xin rushed home and waited for Zheng Qinglan to come back to report the news. Zheng Qinglan only came back after one to two hours. "How is it? Have you found out about the house?”"Yes, I came back from there.”"What's the situation? Tell me about it.”"The house is less than a mile away from here, on the main street. The size and structure are what I told you at lunch.”"What about the price? Did they say anything?" "Old Xiao's relatives have already moved into the new house. There's only one old man guarding the old house. He said that he's not in charge of the price and that he'll discuss it with his son. He gave me a phone number.”
"What did Director Xiao say?"
"He said that he would only help us pull strings. He didn't ask about the specific price and let us discuss it ourselves. However, he promised me two things. First, the quality of the house is absolutely excellent, and second, the price will definitely not be higher than others.”
"These two conditions are enough. Director Xiao is still willing to help.”
"Then I'll take you there after lunch tomorrow. If you're satisfied, we'll call the boss to discuss the price.”
"Okay, that's settled. Come back early tomorrow afternoon. After lunch, we'll go over early to take a look. Not only will we look at this house, but we'll also look at other houses and make comparisons.”
The next day after lunch, Shang Liu Xin said to Ya Ya,""Ya Ya, remember to go to school by yourself later. Don't forget, I'm going to look at a house with your father. After we buy a house, you can have your own room.”Ya Ya agreed. Zheng Qinglan brought Shang Liuxin to the oil company's compound. There were more than ten buildings in the compound, and most of them were about eight stories tall. The outer walls of these houses were all made of cement. Because of the age, some of the cement had already weathered, and the walls had become uneven, making people think of an ugly and pockmarked face. The steel bars that sealed the balcony were also rusted, like the teeth of an old chain-smoking addict.
"The environment here doesn't seem too good. The house seems too old.”Shang Liu Xin said.
"There's another building that was built the latest in this courtyard. The one we want to buy is on this building.”As she spoke, she arrived in front of that building. Shang Liu Xin took a look and indeed, it was different from what she had seen earlier. The outer walls were all inlaid with ceramic tiles. Although it wasn't as shiny as the new ones, it was still many times better compared to the old buildings she had seen earlier. When the two buildings were placed together, it was like comparing a beautiful old lady with an extremely old woman. The stairs were wide enough for three or four people to walk on at the same time. However, there was a lot of junk on the stairs, waste paper, plastic bags, milk boxes, rags... There was everything. The places where people rarely walked were covered in a thick layer of black dust. The walls were also covered with spider webs. Some of the spider webs were broken and hung there, fluttering from time to time.
When they reached the sixth floor, Zheng Qinglan knocked on the door on the right. The old man who opened the door narrowed his eyes and recognized Zheng Qinglan."It's you guys. I thought it was someone else.”He let them in. "I'm the only one left here. You guys can look around.”Shang Liu Xin looked through all the rooms and asked the old man,"Sir, how many years have you lived in this house?”"It has been six years since I moved in. The quality of this house is good, and the direction of the door is good. In the summer, I can sit on the balcony to enjoy the cool breeze without even using an electric fan. In the winter, I can sit on the balcony and bask in the sun without going downstairs. I don't know how comfortable it is. I was reluctant to move out, but my son said that they were worried about me being alone here, so they insisted that I move to the new house to live with them. The new house is more spacious and stylish than this, but the elderly have the habit of loving their home. I still think the old place is better."
"So you don't plan to sell it?"
"Why wouldn't I sell it? No matter what, how can I live in such a big house alone? It's a waste of my life. As long as someone buys it, I'll move in with my son.”
"Have you sold all the residents in this building?”
"Some are for sale, and some aren't. The one opposite us isn't for sale. The two houses on the fifth floor below are planning to sell, and one of them seems to be already applying for the property ownership certificate.”
"Oh, I still have to get a property ownership certificate."
"Yeah, isn't the housing reform going on now? The house will be private in the future, and you have to apply for a property ownership certificate.”
"How much is your house?”
"I don't care about the price. You can talk to my son. Xiao Danian is my son-in-law. He said that you are his friends.”
"Sir, thank you. We like this house. We'll go back and think about it.”
"You have to hurry up. There are already several groups of people who have come to inquire about it. If it weren't for Danian's repeated words, we might have sold it to others long ago.”
"We got it. We'll reply to you in the next two days. Don't be in a hurry to move into the new house. It's yours anyway.”
"Miss, you're good with words. I'll stay here for a few more days. I'll leave after you come and buy it, haha.”
After the old man left, Shang Liu Xin said to Zheng Qinglan,""Let's go to the fifth floor and take a look."
"It's all the same house. What's there to see?”
"Without comparison, there is no identification. There is no harm in looking at two more.”
Shang Liu Xin knocked on the door on the left, and an old man came out. Shang Liu Xin said,"Old man, I heard that you're selling your house. Can we take a look?”The old man said,"Yes, come in."”The two of them walked in and looked around the rooms. Shang Liu Xin asked the old man again,"How do you plan to sell this house?"”"I don't care about the price of the house. If you want to buy it, ask my son and daughter-in-law.”"Didn't they tell you? You can give me a rough price.”"I'm an old man, so why should I worry about those things? I just need to take care of my own matters. I have my son's name card with his number on it. You can ask him if you have any questions.”As she spoke, she handed over a name card. Shang Liu Xin took it and put it in her pocket. After that, the two of them left.
"This family asked for nothing. They didn't ask anything and wasted time. It's almost time to go to work. Let's go.”Zheng Qinglan said.
"It's not a waste of time. Didn't we take their business card? We can call both families and ask which one is suitable. Anyway, they're all in the same building, so the quality will definitely be the same.”
"Then doesn't Old Xiao have any opinions?”
"What does he think? This is a matter that requires money. Moreover, it's not just one or two yuan. It can easily be hundreds or even thousands. If it's expensive, the loss will be huge. This Old Xiao is a sensible person. He's only responsible for pulling strings and not participating in the transaction between you and his relatives. If his relative asked for a lower price or the same price as the fifth floor, we would buy his relative's house. If the price was higher, we would definitely buy someone else's house. This was very normal. After all, money did not come in waves. He would definitely understand.”
"I think it's better to buy Old Xiao's relative's. Don't ask around. Old Xiao has already said that, and we're still asking this and that. Aren't we too skeptical of Old Xiao? If Old Xiao finds out, he'll have an opinion of us.”
"What do you know? No matter what, they're relatives. At most, you can be considered as colleagues who have a good relationship with him. Isn't it obvious who's close and who's distant? Don't believe what he says so much. Besides, they don't know that I called both families. Don't worry about this. I'll call them when I get back tonight and buy from whichever one has a reasonable price.”
"I've worked with Old Xiao for more than ten years. I understand his temper. He always does what he says. He never plays tricks.”
"You're really stubborn. You won't tell him about what we asked the other families, right? If you don't tell him, does he know that you asked someone else? Moreover, it was normal to ask around. Who didn't like to compare goods with others when buying things now? You only know how to hang on to one tree.”
"Then it's settled. If the price difference between the two families isn't big, we'll buy Old Xiao's relative's.”
"Alright, you can't say a word when negotiating with others for a long time, but you're very tough when negotiating with me.”
"Forget it, I won't talk to you anymore. I have to go to work.”
"If Old Xiao asks you, do you know how to answer him?”
"I know. Don't worry."
"I'm just worried that you'll say something that shouldn't be said. Tell me about it.”
Zheng Qinglan hesitated for a moment before saying,""I told him that we looked at the house together and we're thinking about it now. He won't ask any more questions. If there's anything, we'll discuss it when we come back tonight.”
"That's more like it. You can't say it in one go. So you're not that stupid.”
"It's just…" Zheng Qinglan smacked her lips.
"Don't just say that. Go to work.”
She had called both houses, and the price was about the same. Shang Liu Xin couldn't make up her mind. She wanted to delay the price and ask them to lower the price, but both houses didn't have the intention to lower the price. The one on the fifth floor was sold in a few days. Shang Liu Xin knew that she couldn't lower the price even if she waited any longer, so she gritted her teeth and took out the money to pay.
"Do we still have money to renovate the house?”
"Don't you know whether you have money or not? Why are you asking me?”
"Didn't I give you all the money? I didn't care about the money at home.”
"You make it sound so nice. That's also called managing money. That's called managing accounts. How much money have you let me manage? Originally, he still had some money in his hands, but now, his hands were empty. The money for buying the house came from me, so the money for renovating the house should come from you.”
"I don't know how to make money. What can I do? I can only borrow money from others.”
"Can't you ask your parents for some? You haven't taken a single cent from your family all these years.”
"It's true that I didn't take money from home, but I didn't give money to my family either. I have my own salary, so how can I ask my family for money? Why don't we borrow some from our relatives?”
"Which relative has the money to lend you? Let me tell you, don't count on my relatives. Don't say that they don't have money. I won't borrow money even if I have it. If you can open your mouth to borrow, I won't stop you.”
"Then I'll go home this Sunday to take a look. If my family has money, we'll borrow it for the time being.”
"I don't care what you do. Anyway, the house needs to be renovated immediately. You can't spend tens of thousands of yuan and just leave it there.”
On Sunday, Zheng Qinglan went home and told her parents about buying a house. Her parents also said that their child was old enough to buy a house, so they gave Zheng Qinglan 2,000 yuan. "I'll return the money to you when I have money in the future," Zheng Qinglan said.”His mother said," We're all family. What's the point of returning it? Buying a house is a big deal. We can only blame ourselves for being limited and not being able to help you.”Zheng Qinglan passed the money to Shang Liu Xin. Shang Liu Xin accepted it with a smile and said,""That's more like it. Your family has finally contributed a little to you.”With the money, Shang Liu Xin immediately got someone to fix the windows, make fake porcelain, and make curtains. Three months later, the smell of the renovation in the house disappeared, so they moved in.
On this day, Shang Liu Xin was walking on the street after work. She saw a few people surrounding a telephone pole and looking at something. She couldn't help but feel curious. She walked closer and saw that those people were looking at a recruitment notice pasted on the telephone pole. It turned out that they were looking for kindergarten teachers. Shang Liu Xin's heart moved. The place she was working at now was too small. The children had no place to play at all. The classrooms were also renovated from the wing room, so there was no possibility of expanding them. Such a kindergarten would only be eliminated in the future. If she did not find a new place, she might have to find another job in a year or two. Since she still had to find a new job, she might as well find one now. The earlier she entered, the better. While eating, Shang Liu Xin said to Zheng Qinglan,""When I came back today, I saw a job advertisement. It's for kindergarten teachers. The place I'm working at now has no future, so I want to go over and take a look.”"Sure. Since you want to find it, you should do it early so that you won't be flustered. Do you know where the kindergarten is?”"There's an address on it. I'll go and take a look later. This county is only so big, so it should be easy to find.”"When do you plan to go?" "Let's go after dinner.”"There's no such thing as early or late in the recruitment process. It's not like it's a matter of first come, first served. As long as you register within the time limit set by them, it's fine. They definitely hope that the more people register, the better. This way, the chances of selection will be greater and the quality of the people recruited will be higher.”"That being said, it's better to register early. At least we can understand the situation first and make some preparations in advance.”
After lunch, Shang Liu Xin followed the address on the recruitment notice. She recognized this place at a glance. There were two or three rows of bungalows here, all newly built. They might be classrooms. There were many facilities for children's activities in a field, and there was also some open space. It was noon, and the entire garden was very quiet. There was not a single child or teacher in sight. Shang Liu Xin found the director's room according to the sign. She knocked on the door and a voice came from inside," Please come in." She pushed the door open and walked in. There was only one person inside. It was a fair skinned, strong man with a pair of bulging eyes. He was still leaning on the sofa, looking like he had just woken up.
"Are you the director? I'm here to apply for a job."
The man stood up and sat at his desk. He pointed at the sofa and said,"Please take a seat."
Shang Liu Xin sat down.
The man said," I'm in charge here. My name is Du Bolao. You can call me Old Du. You're here to apply. Do you have any conditions?"”
"I'm a high school graduate. I'm currently working in another private kindergarten.”
"Then why did you come here to apply for a job? This is also a private kindergarten.”
"The place I'm working at now is in a private house. There's almost no activity space, and there's no place to expand. There's definitely no future for development. I'm looking for a kindergarten with a larger scale, better conditions, and a promising future.”
"We have all the conditions you mentioned, but whether you can come or not depends on your own conditions. Do you have any strong conditions? There are already a few who have come to register with us. You have to be better than them.”
"I think I have two best conditions. First, I get along well with children. I like children very much. I'm willing to treat them as my own children and serve them well. Of course, I'm also very strict with them. Secondly, I like to deal with parents, and they all approve of me. The place where I work now originally only had a dozen children. After I went there, through communication with the parents, the parents recommended ten more children to me. The boss and I went to work. These children are now in my class. Because of this, the boss even took the initiative to give me a raise. I have worked there for several years, and there are many students who request to join my class every year.”
"What about your diploma? Nowadays, everything depends on the diploma. Although we are only a private kindergarten, we are still an educational unit. We can't be careless about the diploma.”
"The diploma is easy to talk about. There are many famous self-study programs now. I can sign up to study at any time.”
"I've noted down all the conditions you mentioned. I can't say if you can work here now. Firstly, there are a few applicants. We have to evaluate them comprehensively and choose the best. Secondly, I also need to report to the boss. After all, he is the boss and I am in charge.”
"Boss, you only care about the general direction. You can decide on the specifics. If you choose me, I promise to do my best for the development of the kindergarten.”
"Of course, we recruit people to do things. If you come over, can you bring all the children in your class over?”
"Director Du, no matter what, I won't ask the parents to transfer their children over, but if they are willing to come, I won't stop them. I work there, and the boss treats me very well. Then again, although I won't bring the children there, I can work hard to attract other children to this garden.”
"Yes, you did the right thing. I like people who are loyal. If we hire you, when can you come back to work?”
"Oh, it's like this. I still have to discuss it with the boss. I have to let them find new people. I can't just leave and let them worry.”
"That's right. How about this? Our recruitment deadline ends tomorrow. You can come and see the results in two days. Also, you can tell your boss to find someone and prepare them there.”
"Does that mean I have a chance of working here?”
"At the moment, I can only say that there is hope. As for the specifics, let's wait for the results the day after tomorrow. I can't give you an answer yet.”
When she went to work in the afternoon, Shang Liu Xin told her boss that she was leaving. However, she didn't say that she was the one who found him. Instead, she said that her husband had helped her find him. The boss didn't say anything. He just said,"Teacher Shang, I can't find anyone for the time being. Can you wait a few days? Wait until I find someone to replace you before you leave.”
"Of course. I've already discussed it with the director over there. He said that I can only leave after you find a replacement here. He agreed.”
"Then I'll hurry up and look for it. However, I still have something to discuss with you.”
"What is it? Just say it, as long as I can do it.”
"After you came here, I added a lot of new students. I know that many of these students came for you. Now that you're leaving, you won't bring these students with you, right?”
"The principal over there did mention this to me, but I rejected it. I won't burn the bridge after crossing it. I promise not to make any requests for your students.”
"That's good, that's good. Teacher Shang, thank you for helping me all these years.”
"You're welcome. I'm doing what I should be doing. I've received your salary, so I have to do my best for you.”
Two days later, after Shang Liu Xin had lunch, she went to Director Du's kindergarten. Although she had a hunch that she would be hired, she had not made a decision. She was still very nervous and could not help but feel uneasy when she saw Du Bolao.
"Director Du, I'm here to ask if your recruitment results are out yet?”
"Are you in a hurry?"
"Yes, it's a little urgent."
"Don't you have a job? What's the hurry?”
"Last time, you told me to ask the boss to find someone to replace me. When I went back, I told her that your request was urgent and her boss was very magnanimous. She immediately went out to find someone. This morning, I asked her how the person she found was, and she told me that she had already found someone.”
"That's good. Actually, we've already decided on it. You can come to work tomorrow.”
"Really? So fast?"
"Of course it's true. Actually, from the first time I saw you and talked to you, I had already recognized you. I can officially call you Teacher Shang now. Teacher Shang, I see that you are a person who does things. You have the courage to speak and do things. Our garden will definitely expand in the future. Look at all the empty space. It will be good for you in the future.”
"Thank you, Director Du. I will definitely not let you down. I will strive to do my job well and satisfy you and the boss.”
"I trust you. How about this? You don't have to work here this afternoon. Come early tomorrow morning. I'll show you around. When the students come, I'll send you to the classroom.”
"Are you the one who sends the other new teachers into the classroom?”Shang Liu Xin asked.
Director Du probably didn't expect Shang Liu Xin to ask such a question. He hesitated for a moment before answering,"No, they all enter the classroom by themselves. I think you're different from them, so I wanted to personally send you into the classroom as a special care.”
"Thank you, Director Du. Can you tell me what's the difference between you and them? You said that I can change easily. I think I should be like them. Otherwise, people will say that I'm too unique.”
Du Bolao smiled and said," I think it's a good thing that you're different. You don't need to change it. If you change it, it'll be bad."”
Shang Liu Xin also smiled, saying: " Now that you've said it, I want to know more about how I'm different from the other teachers. Can you tell me now?”
"I feel that you are more responsible than them, and you are more capable. Also…you are prettier than them, and I believe that you will be more useful than them.”
"Director Du, you flatter me. As long as you trust me, I promise to satisfy you.”
"Yes, of course I am. I believe we will have a pleasant cooperation.”As he spoke, he revealed an imperceptible smile.
During dinner, Shang Liu Xin talked about what Du Bolao had said to her at noon, her face beaming with joy. Ya Ya said," Mom, you're really awesome. You haven't even started work yet, and the leader already has a good impression of you."”"This is a good thing and a bad thing. Think about it, if I'm a little sloppy in my work, the leaders will think that I only know how to say and not do it. Qinglan, don't you think so?" "Let's eat first. We'll talk about this after we eat.”"You're really such a happy person. Isn't it good for a family to eat and talk? You see, when I'm happy, I don't even eat the dishes. I've already eaten more than half of the meal. Your cold words made me lose my interest. I'm done eating. I'm not eating anymore."
After dinner, Ya Ya went to her room to study. Zheng Qinglan washed the dishes and sat in front of Shang Liu Xin. Shang Liu Xin glanced at her but didn't say anything.
"Don't you think that Director Du is deliberately flattering you?”
"I don't have an official position, so why would he flatter me? What benefits does he get by flattering me?”
"In any case, he's saying something else. You have to be careful.”
"What do I have to be careful of? Don't be so paranoid.”
" You... you..." Zheng Qinglan wanted to say something like " you need to learn a lesson ", but she couldn't bring herself to say it, so she changed the topic." Think about it. Usually, when leaders meet employees for the first time, they talk about work. Why did he say that you're prettier than other teachers? Do you think it's normal for him to say that?"”
"What's abnormal about it? She was just saying it casually. It's not as complicated as you think. Besides, she's mainly talking about work, not just about who's beautiful.”
"You don't know him well either. I'm just reminding you.”
"You're a fox. You're too suspicious. I have a fixed star in my heart. You'd better say something that makes me happy. Otherwise, don't say something that makes you feel disheartened.”
"I'm not exaggerating. I hope you'll listen.”
"Come on, when have your words ever come true? I know what I should do. I don't need you to teach me.”
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]