Chapter 341: Dispute
Chapter 341: Chapter 341: Dispute
Li Huan felt that this two-courtyard house was even more beautiful than Su Qing’s own in Xilin Alley.
Upon entering through the ornamental gate, one was flanked by covered walkways on both sides, connecting the east and west wings to the main house. The walkways were paved with green tiles, and though neglected, one could see weeds growing between the cracks. This didn’t detract from its antique charm in the slightest; instead, it lent the place a profound sense of enduring time.
Beneath the green-tiled roofs, one side of the walkway featured latticed windows set into the walls, while the other side, under the eaves, was adorned with a regular, hollowed-out meander pattern. The walls of the covered walkway were carved with images of flowers, birds, fish, and insects—truly a place of carved beams and painted rafters, beautiful beyond words.
Beyond the walkways lay a spacious courtyard. In the corner to the right of the ornamental gate, beneath the walkway, a small pond had been dug out and lined with bluestone. A few withered lotuses stood in the pond, its surface dotted with dead branches and leaves.
The entire courtyard was paved with bluestone. In the center stood a large parasol tree, beneath which sat a stone table and chairs. The east and west wings and the main house were fully furnished, but otherwise empty, clearly having been cleared out already.
Lu Changsheng led Su Qing and the others on a tour of the entire property, then said, "This house originally belonged to my parents. They’ve passed away, and we don’t plan to live here, so we’ve decided to sell. As you can see, it would be ready to live in with just a little tidying up. It has many rooms, it’s large, and it’s located on the Beijing University campus. For these reasons, the price isn’t cheap—it’s a bit more expensive than other courtyard houses. Is that acceptable to you?"
"My friend told me you’re selling this house for thirty thousand, right?" Su Qing asked.
"That’s right," Lu Changsheng said with a nod.
Li Huan couldn’t help but chime in, "But isn’t that price a bit too high? Even courtyard houses in downtown Beijing aren’t this expensive."
In truth, Li Huan had no idea how much a courtyard house in downtown Beijing cost, but that didn’t stop her from trying to haggle for Su Qing.
Lu Changsheng smiled. "This is the lowest price we can accept. As you saw, we haven’t moved out the furniture from the rooms. My grandfather spent a great deal of money on these pieces back in the day. They’re all made of fine wood and are very well-preserved. So, that thirty thousand yuan includes all the furniture."
Su Qing had already examined the furniture. Just as Lu Changsheng said, they were indeed fine pieces—one could even call them valuable antiques. They were all made of Huanghuali wood. The bed in the main house was a particularly exquisite canopy bed. In her opinion, thirty thousand for this house was a bargain.
"Alright, it’s a deal. I’ll take this house," Su Qing said to Lu Changsheng.
Lu Changsheng was taken aback by Su Qing’s words. He had assumed the older woman would be the one making the final decision, not this teenage girl. He glanced at Li Wan. "Are you sure you want the house?"
Li Wan smiled. "My daughter has made up her mind, so it’s decided."
Lu Changsheng was now certain. This family truly doted on their daughter, allowing her to decide on such an expensive property just like that. Still, the sooner the house sold, the sooner they could go abroad. So he smiled and said, "Alright then, we can go handle the paperwork in a bit. I’ve brought all the necessary documents with me."
Just as Su Qing was about to agree, a knock came from the outer gate.
Lu Changsheng said, "Excuse me. That’s probably the other family who wanted to see the house. I’ll go check."
Seeing this, Su Qing quickly said, "Uncle Lu, we just made an agreement. I’m buying this house. I hope there won’t be any changes. And don’t worry about the money; I brought enough."
"Haha, don’t worry. Since we’ve agreed, nothing will change." Lu Changsheng was a man of his word; he wouldn’t go back on it.
"Good, thank you."
Lu Changsheng went to open the gate. As expected, it was the other prospective buyers: a mother and daughter.
"I’m so sorry, but I just finalized a deal for the house. It already has a buyer," Lu Changsheng said, apologizing to the mother and daughter with a smile. "I’m really sorry to have made you come all this way for nothing."
"What!" From inside the courtyard, Su Qing and the others could hear an arrogant, domineering girl’s voice. "Didn’t you say we were coming to see the house today? Why would you sell it before we even got here? We haven’t even seen it! What’s wrong with you?"
Li Huan frowned as she listened. "Why does that voice sound so familiar?"
Su Qing didn’t recognize the voice, so she asked Li Huan, "Do you know her?"
"I think it’s Liu Jiajia," Li Huan said after a moment’s thought. "Right, I think her mom’s surname is Tang. Oh no, don’t tell me Liu Jiajia wants to buy this house too?"
"Who’s Liu Jiajia?" Su Qing asked. "Is she also from our compound?"
"No, she’s a classmate of mine. Her dad is the Vice Minister of Finance, and I think her mom’s surname is Tang." Li Huan nodded, a look of disgust on her face. "Anyway, this Liu Jiajia is a really awful person."
Before the two could finish whispering, Lu Changsheng failed to stop them, and Liu Jiajia and her mother barged in.
The moment she entered the courtyard, Liu Jiajia spotted Li Huan and said angrily, "I was wondering who was trying to snatch this house from me. So it was you, Li Huan. You did this on purpose, didn’t you?"
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Li Huan sneered. "Who knew you were coming to see this house? First come, first served, ever heard of it? We got here first, liked the house, and made a deal. What, was I supposed to wait for you? Who do you think you are?"
Liu Jiajia fumed, "I got into Beijing University, so of course I need a place to live around here. What are you doing meddling in my business?"
Li Huan just smiled. "Sorry, but I got in too."
"What!" Liu Jiajia hadn’t known that Li Huan had also been accepted to Beijing University. She looked Li Huan up and down, then scoffed, "Are you kidding me? With your grades in school, you think you could get into Beijing University?"
"It doesn’t matter if you believe me or not. I got in," Li Huan said, lifting her chin.
"Hmph. Pulled some strings, did you?" Liu Jiajia simply couldn’t believe that Li Huan could get into Beijing University. Back in school, Li Huan’s grades had been worse than hers. In fact, she herself had only gotten into Beijing University because her dad had pulled some strings. It was only natural for her to assume Li Huan had done the same.
Liu Jiajia wasn’t afraid of Li Huan. In the eyes of many classmates, Li Huan had a good family background, but hers wasn’t bad either. Her family also lived in a government compound, so she considered herself Li Huan’s equal.
"Shouldn’t you be asking yourself if *you’re* the one who pulled strings to get into Beijing University?" Li Huan chuckled dryly and looked at Liu Jiajia with contempt. "I got in fair and square. Don’t project what you did onto other people."