The Life of a Son-in-Law in a Courtyard House

Gong Xuemei didn't take the money but pressed his hand down, first blocking others' view, before asking him in a low voice, "Dalinzi, where did you get so much money?"

Yang Dalin whispered: Sister-in-law, this is my salary and the savings Aunt Qi put together for me.

I can't let you pay for all of this for me.

We'll provide this much; if it's not enough, you can help me cover the rest.

I also feel sorry for this couple. Sister-in-law, this price is fine, or don't push it too high. The old couple's children aren't around, they're pitiful enough. I'm still young and can earn more money, so let's negotiate a higher price.

The extra amount was borrowed from me, and I will pay you back as soon as possible. I just feel a little bad about it, since the higher the price we negotiated, the more money you would have to cover for me.

So I have to pay this money.

Gong Xuemei smiled and said, "Don't worry, your kind sister-in-law knows. We won't push the price down too much. These two are indeed having a tough time, and we understand that. We'll lend you whatever you can, big or small, and you'll have to pay it back in the end anyway."

Take out this five hundred yuan. Do you have any other money at home? If not, keep one hundred.

Yang Dalin has tens of thousands of yuan in his storage space, but he doesn't dare to take it out.

He could only take out five hundred yuan in secret from his aunt, and even then, he had to use her name. So Yang Dalin said, "No need, sister-in-law. We have a few dozen yuan left at home for emergencies. We'll come to you if there's an emergency."

I definitely can't let you all pay for it for me, so let's leave it at that.

After saying that, Yang Dalin stuffed five hundred yuan into Gong Xuemei's hand.

Then Yang Dalin went to the seat where Aunt Qi was sitting and went to get some water with Wang Tonglin's wife.

Yang Dalin didn't want to lower the price too much because he learned through conversation that Wang Tonglin's son was a very good student since childhood.

Especially in mathematics, after graduating from university in another city in the 1950s and getting a job, he was suddenly transferred to work somewhere and rarely replied to letters. He never came back.

He would only write home once every six months or even once a year.

When Mrs. Wang talked about her son, she was full of pride, but perhaps because they were both in poor health, the couple coughed from time to time.

Yang Dalin could probably guess that Wang Tonglin's son had either gone to the Northwest to grow mushrooms or joined a secret research department.

Yang Dalin was naturally unwilling to lower the price too much for the families of these respectable scientists.

Helping them indirectly would make Yang Dalin feel better.

Gong Xuemei, Liu Meimei, and Wang Tonglin went to the door to discuss the price.

Although the voice was kept very low, Yang Dalin could hear it clearly.

Wang Tonglin's idea was to pay an additional 1,200 yuan after the houses were exchanged.

After all, Yang Dalin's house was at most about the same size as three main rooms.

They even added two side rooms and three east wing rooms.

One east wing room costs 400, three rooms would cost 1200, and the two side rooms weren't charged.

This price is actually not that high.

If it's a normal house that doesn't need repairs, this price isn't high at all; two side rooms can sell for three or four hundred.

This amount of money is equivalent to them voluntarily reducing or waiving it, leaving Yang Dalin with the money to repair the house.

However, Yang Dalin's house is a new house, and it's an apartment building. Heating may be available next year.

Comrade Lao Wang's house is an old house, over a hundred years old, passed down from the older generation.

Therefore, the price can definitely be lowered.

Gong Xuemei's original plan was to offer eight or nine hundred.

However, remembering Yang Dalin's words, I did feel sorry for the old couple.

I made a token gesture and lowered the price to 1,100 yuan.

This not only took care of the other party, but also saved Yang Dalin some money, even if it wasn't much.

Comrade Lao Wang thought about it for a moment and agreed, but requested that the move be made after the New Year, in the spring.

After all, the apartment building is newly built and needs some simple tidying up, but it's not suitable to tidy up in winter since there's no heating yet. So I'm thinking of moving from the old house after the New Year in the spring.

Gong Xuemei called Yang Dalin over and told him about Old Wang's request. Yang Dalin readily agreed: "Okay, Uncle Wang. I don't need a place to stay for now. You can move over there after spring. I also need to tidy up here after spring. So, we'll pay you a deposit of five hundred yuan first."

I'll find someone to clean out a room in the east wing. Sometimes I have to work overtime, and if I work too late, I'll come here to stay temporarily as a dormitory close to home.

I will give you the remaining money after the New Year, before you move out.

What do you think?

Comrade Lao Wang readily agreed: "Sure, sure, you can come and stay occasionally. It will add some liveliness, which is good. My wife often tidies up my son's east wing room, so it's alright and not that dilapidated."

"I agree to pay half upfront."

Then Gong Xuemei asked Comrade Wang to draft three agreements.

They also invited the owners of the two neighboring houses in the other courtyard.

The male head of the household in the west wing was a retired soldier with a leg disability, who walked with a limp. His name was Li Dasheng.

My family consists of my elderly mother, my wife, and three children: two sons and a daughter, making a total of six people.

He was a signalman at the train station, responsible for inspecting and maintaining signal equipment to ensure accurate train signals.

The owner of the house in the back row was an honest and simple man named Hou Shuangxi, around thirty years old, who worked as a loader and unloader of checked baggage on trains.

Hou Shuangxi has a wife and a son and a daughter, totaling four people.

When Li Dasheng and Hou Shuangxi arrived, they heard that they wanted to be witnesses.

Without any refusal, Yang Dalin and Wang Tonglin wrote down their names and fingerprints after Wang Tonglin wrote the agreement.

Li Dasheng and Hou Shuangxi, as witnesses, also signed and affixed their fingerprints.

Yang Dalin and Wang Tonglin each received a copy of the agreement.

Then, Gong Xuemei handed the remaining copy to her workplace, where she got it stamped and then sent it to the subdistrict office.

Although it was a private housing exchange between colleagues from the Ministry of Railways, the neighborhood committee still needed to be informed.

The streets now wield considerable power.

Finally, the police station under the Ministry of Railways' public security department responsible for this area also needs to be registered.

After signing, Gong Xuemei asked Comrade Wang Tonglin to write another receipt before handing over the five hundred yuan to him.

Comrade Wang Tonglin counted carefully three times to confirm that there were no errors before he considered half of the procedures completed.

Wang Tonglin and his wife wanted Yang Dalin and the others to stay for dinner.

Yang Dalin would never agree to that. The Wang family was sick and thin, clearly they were not doing well and were definitely malnourished.

Otherwise, the elderly couple wouldn't be in such a weak state.

His family isn't well-off either, so how could they possibly offer him a meal?

After Yang Dalin and the others said goodbye, Gong Xuemei insisted on taking Aunt Qi to their house for dinner.

Yang Dalin said there was no time to cook now, so he would just go and find a place to eat at a state-run restaurant.

After all, everyone has to go to work soon.

So, Yang Dalin went to the state-run restaurant next to the nearby train station square to order food, while Gong Xuemei took Aunt Qi's family and Ma San to get acquainted with her house and Brother Tian's house.

They'll go over to eat later.