My 1995 Small Farm.

"Is this okay, Ah Ling?"

“Sure, of course! Brother Yue Min and the others have basically finished their business in Hong Kong. Let’s all go and take a look.”

Chen Ling walked over, picked up a comb, and began to comb his wife's hair.

"Buying a house is a big deal, you also need to see if you like it."

"Besides, we're looking at finished apartments today, the kind you can move into right away. We're taking the kids to see the environment, and if it's suitable, we'll try to finalize it as soon as possible, so we don't have to keep bothering Brother Yuemin and Sister-in-law Yinhuan."

Wang Susu thought for a moment and nodded: "That's fine. Zhenzhen, eat quickly, and after you finish eating, help your sister change Kang Kang and Lele's clothes for going out."

After the family finished breakfast and tidied up, they were all ready to go.

Not long after, Liang Yuemin and Liu Yinhuan arrived by car.

"Fugui, Susu, this rain is just right, it'll be sunny so we can look at houses without the sun today..."

Liang Yuemin greeted them with a smile, while Liu Yinhuan skillfully helped Wang Susu put on the children's raincoats.

In the car, Liang Yuemin drove while explaining, "Fugui, as you said, if you're going to buy something, buy the best."

“I asked someone to find several ready-built houses in Mid-Levels and Repulse Bay. They are all sold by owners who are emigrating or urgently need funds, and they are very cost-effective.”

"One of them is not far up from where we live now. The environment is excellent, the view is wide open, and most importantly, the decoration and maintenance are extremely good."

“The previous owner was a British man, very particular, and you could move in right away. I think it would be perfect for your family.”

Chen Ling smiled and said, "Brother Yuemin, I trust your judgment. My idea is simple: the location must be good, the environment must be quiet and safe, and the house must be spacious and comfortable, suitable for children to play in."

"As for the price, as long as it's worth the money, it doesn't matter if it's a bit expensive."

"Our current dividends from 'Fu Gui Villa' plus the upcoming revenue from the Hong Kong Island store should be enough to support the down payment or even the full amount for a nice house without much pressure."

"At worst, I'll move the ones from Beijing over here first, and postpone the shops there."

"Hahaha, what you're saying is not just not stressful, it's quite relaxing!"

Liang Yuemin said with certainty, "You have no idea how popular our store is right now! Even with the heavy rain yesterday, our sales hit a new record!"

"At this rate, your year-end dividends will be enough to buy two houses like this outright!"

"Now is the perfect time to buy. Properties in good locations on Hong Kong Island will only become more and more valuable."

Liu Yinhuan chimed in, "Yes, Susu, you shouldn't hesitate."

"Having our own house will make it more convenient to come to Hong Kong Island in the future, and it will be very close to us when we come for vacations and sightseeing."

“I’ve seen the photos of that house. The yard is big enough for Rui Rui and the others to run around in, and they can even grow some flowers and plants.”

The car wound its way up the slippery mountain road, the windshield wipers swaying rhythmically from side to side.

Soon, we turned into a quiet corner of the road, nestled among green trees, and stopped in front of a three-story European-style villa with a private courtyard.

The villa's exterior walls are made of warm-toned stone, which looks quite old, but is very well maintained.

The black wrought iron gate exudes a sense of composure, the lawn inside is neatly trimmed, and several tall trees appear even more verdant in the rain.

The real estate agent was already waiting at the door; he was a well-dressed, articulate middle-aged man.

Upon seeing Liang Yuemin and Chen Ling's group, they immediately greeted them warmly.

"Mr. Liang, Mr. Chen, Mrs. Chen, hello! It's raining heavily outside, please come in!" The agent skillfully opened the door and led everyone inside.

As soon as they entered, everyone's eyes lit up.

The interior decoration of the villa is in a classic European style, but not overly complicated, making it elegant and grand.

The living room has a high ceiling, and the huge floor-to-ceiling windows offer a stunning view of the misty mountains and the faintly visible bay.

Despite the rain, the indoor lighting was still ample.

"The house has a usable area of ​​about 300 square meters, with three floors above ground and one basement level for the garage and storage room. The front and back yards together are nearly 100 square meters."

"The renovation was done by the previous owner three years ago, and all the materials used were of high quality..." the agent began to explain in detail.

Chen Ling and Wang Susu took their child to visit each floor.

The living room, dining room, kitchen, study, bedroom, and bathroom are all rationally laid out and have good lighting and ventilation.

The master bedroom on the top floor, in particular, has a huge terrace. You can imagine how pleasant it would be to drink tea and enjoy the view here on a sunny day.

"Mom, the yard is big! We can play hide-and-seek with Afu and Ashou!"

Rui Rui excitedly ran around the living room with its wooden floors.

Wang Zhenzhen also liked the terrace: "Brother-in-law, sister, you can see the sea from here! It must be amazing to see the stars at night!"

Although Kang Kang and Lele didn't understand, they crawled around in the spacious room, babbling happily.

Wang Susu carefully inspected the corners and windowsills, and checked the water pipes in each bathroom. She whispered to Chen Ling, "Ah Ling, this house is really nice. It's clean and doesn't smell at all. It's been well maintained."

"The yard is also square, so you can build a small fish pond or grow some vegetables if you want in the future."

Chen Ling nodded; he valued the environment and privacy here more.

Located in a semi-mountainous area, with strict security, wealthy and influential neighbors, and a clean and uncluttered neighborhood, it is an ideal place for families to live.

Moreover, it's very close to Liang Yuemin's house here, so they can look out for each other.

He then asked the agent about details such as the property, utilities, and surrounding facilities. The agent answered fluently, clearly very familiar with the area.

Seeing the satisfaction of Mr. and Mrs. Chen, Liang Yuemin whispered as the agent took the children to see the backyard, "How is it? Rich and noble? This one is really nice, isn't it?"

"The owner is selling urgently because their business focus has shifted to Europe. The price is more than 20% lower than the market price, so this is a rare opportunity."

Chen Ling and Wang Susu exchanged a glance, both seeing approval in each other's eyes.

Chen Ling wasn't one to procrastinate. Since he was satisfied with everything and the price was right, he said to Liang Yuemin, "Brother Yuemin, I think this is the one. Please discuss the details with the agent and sign the contract as soon as possible."

"readily!"

Liang Yuemin slapped his thigh, "I knew you'd like it! Don't worry, leave it to me, I'll definitely get you the best terms!"

Liu Yinhuan smiled and said to Wang Susu, "That's great, Susu! We'll be neighbors now, it'll be so much easier to visit each other!"

The important decision to buy a house was efficiently made on this rainy morning.

It only took two or three hours in total.

Chen Ling's philosophy is simple: once you decide to buy something and it's within your means, choose the best one, act decisively, and save time and effort.

At noon, the two families had a meal together to celebrate the Chen family's upcoming move to Hong Kong Island.

During the meal, the conversation naturally turned to the upcoming arrangements.

“Fu Gui, the house paperwork should be completed in about a week. Are you planning to move in now, or wait until you return from Hong Kong Island?” Leung Yuet-man asked.

"Since it's decided, let's move in as soon as possible."

Chen Ling said, "It's not convenient to stay at your place all the time. I'll take advantage of these few days when I have some free time to buy some furniture and appliances, and also get a big fish tank. I want to keep some fish."

Chen Ling was thinking about the ever-growing number of ornamental fish in the cave. He wanted to have his own house on Hong Kong Island, with a beautiful large fish tank, so that it would be convenient to "ship" them in the future.

Of course, right now, all I'm thinking about is having fun by myself.

Being by the sea, there's nowhere to raise the fish, so we can only keep them in the cave. It's not very convenient to just peek at them a few times each night. "Alright! Let me know if you need any help with the move!"

Liang Yuemin readily agreed, then remembered something else, his expression turning slightly serious. "By the way, Fugui, there's something else. There's news about the ex-husband of that Director Qin you asked me to inquire about."

Chen Ling put down her chopsticks: "Oh? What do you mean?"

Liang Yuemin shook his head, his tone tinged with helplessness and disdain: "That guy is incredibly slippery! I wonder if he's done too many bad things, because he's exceptionally vigilant."

“We asked someone to pass on a message, saying that an old friend in the mainland wanted to meet him and talk about Director Qin.”

"But he was fine. As soon as he heard that I was from the mainland, especially that I was related to Director Qin, he immediately acted like he had been stepped on. He stammered on the phone and hung up after only a few words."

"When we called again later, his people just refused, saying there was nothing to talk about and that we shouldn't bother him."

Liu Yinhuan added, "We made some inquiries and found that his 'Rongsheng Trading' is nominally doing legitimate business, but it seems to have some connections with the gray areas in Shenzhen."

"He spends most of his time in Shenzhen now and rarely returns to Hong Kong Island, probably to avoid some kind of trouble or controversy."

Chen Ling frowned slightly.

The situation was more complicated than he had anticipated.

The other party's avoidance attitude clearly indicates that they do not want to have any further ties with the past, and may even have ulterior motives.

"The more he tries to avoid it, the more this matter needs to be resolved as soon as possible."

Chen Ling pondered for a moment and said, "Dragging this out won't do Qiu Mei any good. The key is that Su Su and I have already agreed to help, so we have to get him to sign the document."

"That's true, but he won't meet us. We can't just barge in, can we?"

Liang Yuemin shrugged. “Although we have some connections in Shenzhen, it’s not worth using them for this matter, and it could easily cause unnecessary trouble.”

Chen Ling pondered for a moment, a resolute glint in his eyes: "Forcing my way in is definitely out of the question. But I must see him. Isn't he in Shenzhen?"

"Okay, Yuemin, can you help me make an appointment with him and give me a different answer?"

"Not to mention Director Qin, let's talk about... Mr. Chen from 'Fugui Villa'. He's interested in his business in Shenzhen and wants to discuss cooperation."

"Since he's in business, he wouldn't turn away business that comes knocking on his door, would he?"

Liang Yuemin thought for a moment and nodded: "Hmm, that works too. Our 'Wealthy Manor' has a great reputation now. If we use this identity to invite him, he'll most likely agree to meet us!"

"When we meet, how we talk will be out of his hands!"

"Correct."

Chen Ling nodded, "Once we meet, we'll give him Qiu Mei's letter and make things clear."

"It's not difficult. He signed it, and we can all part ways amicably. Nobody will do anything to him..."

These days, people who illegally cross the border are actually wary of their fellow countrymen from the mainland.

Chen Ling had heard many similar stories in his previous life.

That's just how it is these days; there are quite a few people who stab each other in the back when they meet from the same hometown.

"Understood!"

Liang Yuemin understood, "I'll make arrangements right away, find a reliable middleman to pass on the message, and arrange to meet him in Shenzhen."

"Let's set the date... after we've completed the paperwork for the house? You can also take a trip to Shenzhen; it's developing very rapidly there."

"can."

Chen Ling agreed to the arrangement: "The sooner the better. After we finish this, we should prepare to go home."

“I’ve been away for a while now. My parents must be worried about me. I wonder what kind of trouble Afu and Ashou have caused.”

Thinking of the huge mess at home and the adorable animals, Chen Ling couldn't help but smile.

Hong Kong Island may be nice, but it's not a place to stay forever.

The idyllic landscape of Chenwangzhuang was what truly captured his heart.

"Haha, I saw you brought another little gadget into the house, I knew you wouldn't be able to stay here any longer..."

Liang Yuemin laughed heartily: "I forgot, what was that? A pet squirrel?"

"No, how could it be a squirrel? That's a mongoose, a small animal native to Hong Kong Island, a crab-eating mongoose..."

Chen Ling explained with a speechless expression, "It means a mongoose that eats crabs. Actually, this thing mainly eats insects. We even fed it snails yesterday, and it ate them very happily."

"Of course, the most important thing is that it can eat venomous snakes. I want to keep one as a pet to protect against venomous snakes, and it's also very cute."

"Oh? It can also repel poisonous snakes?"

Liang Yuemin also became interested, "Is it reliable? Is it easy to raise?"

"Well, I can't say for sure whether it's easy to raise. I'll give it a try first..."

Chen Ling said, "But eating cobra is really like eating spicy snacks."

"Also, if it weren't for the recent rain, I would really like to hire a local guide to take me to explore the mountains around here."

"Look at these mountains, how are they different from ours?"

Upon hearing this, Liang Yuemin said, "Yes, it is indeed different. I went there a few years ago, but I didn't explore it in depth. I don't like mountains and forests as much as you do. I just travel for fun. Anyway, there are tropical rainforest-like landscapes here, which is quite nice."

"I don't understand anything else."

"All I remember is that there are a lot of monkeys here."

"Also, the original landforms in the mountainous areas are well preserved."

Liang Yuemin is right.

Despite its advanced development, Hong Kong Island's mountainous areas haven't been overdeveloped.

There are many wild animals inside.

Moreover, its original appearance has been well preserved.

Upon hearing this, Chen Ling immediately felt that this place really did match his choice.

From this perspective, buying this house was definitely the right decision.

"Hehe, just hearing about it makes me really want to go. Once the rain stops and the weather gets better, I definitely have to go for a trip in these mountains."

Chen Ling couldn't help but feel a surge of desire.

I thought to myself, if only the lynx were here, but unfortunately the old man is at home taking care of the kids.

Otherwise, it would be really fun to take the dog and explore the rainforest on Hong Kong Island.

"Oh my god, really? Now that I've said that, you don't want to go back, do you, Fugui?"

Seeing his good brother in this state, Liang Yuemin couldn't help but ask with a smile.

Liu Yinhuan couldn't help but chuckle, saying to Wang Susu, "Look at Fugui, as soon as he hears there's something fun in the mountains, he immediately becomes restless."

Wang Susu glanced at Chen Ling, then smiled and said, "That's just how he is. Most of the time, he's like a big kid." (End of Chapter)