When she got home, she saw Deng Fan's motorcycle parked outside the door. It was rare for these two people to come to her house together.
"What brings the conscientious Young Master Deng here!" Qiao Mei walked into the main hall and saw the couple sitting together and holding hands.
"Here to exploit you, of course!" Deng Fan said with a smile.
"Tell me about it. I want to know how you plan to exploit me," Qiao Mei said as she sat in the rocking chair and looked at them.
After Xia He returned home, she discussed with Deng Fan for a long time and they finally decided to buy the house which Qiao Mei had set aside for Xia He. Their only condition was to buy it at the same price which Qiao Mei had bought it plus the renovation costs. They would not pay anything less than that.
They were already lucky to be able to buy such a good house. If Qiao Mei needed to lower the price to help them out, she would incur a huge loss and they did not want to see that happen. Although they knew that Qiao Mei did not lack money at all, she could not waste money like this no matter how rich she was.
"We've thought about it for a long time and finally decided to buy the house you mentioned. However, we want to take a look at your original purchase agreement and also the contract with the renovation contractor," Xia He said sternly.
"Why! Are you worried that I'll cheat you!" Qiao Mei said.
"Of course not!" Deng Fan said quickly.
"I won't tease you anymore. I know what you're trying to do. Since you really want to give me money, I'll fulfill your wish. I spent 7,000 dollars on the house and 500 dollars on the renovation. If I include the costs of modification for the plumbing and electrical works, and all the other miscellaneous expenses, the total is about 8,000 dollars," Qiao Mei said after doing a rough calculation.
This price was within the couple's budget and they could afford it. However, Qiao Mei felt a little unhappy. She only wanted to sell this house to Xia He so that it remained as part of Xia He's premarital assets!
It was not as if Qiao Mei was cursing Xia He's marriage to end in a divorce again, but who could tell what would happen in the future? One must definitely leave oneself a way out. If the Deng family paid for a share of the house, then half of the house would go to the Deng family in the event of a divorce. This was completely different from Qiao Mei's original intention.
"Who will sign the agreement?" Qiao Mei asked.
Before Xia He could speak, Deng Fan immediately said, "It will be in Xia He's name."
"Didn't we agree to buy it in your name?" Xia He whispered as she tugged at the corner of Deng Fan's shirt.
Qiao Mei's hearing and eyesight were extraordinarily sharp. She could hear even the tiniest sound clearly.
"You won't regret it?" Qiao Mei continued to ask.
"Yes! This is what my family agreed on. It will be Xia He's name on the title deed," Deng Fan said to Qiao Mei with a smile.
Qiao Mei sized up Deng Fan for a while. After a long silence, she said, "Alright. There's no urgency to give me the money. When I have time, I'll draw up an agreement and sign it with my elder sister."
After having a simple discussion on the details, Deng Fan made to leave. There was still some work to be done at the factory and he still needed to go there to deal with it.
"Elder Sister, stay behind. I want to talk to you," Qiao Mei said as she grabbed Xia He's arm.
Xia He nodded. After sending Deng Fan off, she returned to the house dejectedly. What happened today was completely different from what she had imagined. That was not what Deng Fan had told her in the beginning.
"Don't tell me you're spending the entire 5,000 dollars on this house," Qiao Mei said.n(-OveLBIn
"No, although that's what I wanted to do at first," Xia He muttered softly.
After Xia He and Deng Fan discussed the issue, Deng Fan secretly went home to talk to Deng Rui and Jiang Shu about it. Qiao Mei was paying Deng Fan 5,000 dollars for the work done at the factory. He already had a total of 1,200 dollars in savings, while Deng Rui and Jiang Shu also had around 2,000 dollars in savings. In total, they managed to pool together 9,300 dollars.
It was enough for them to buy the house as well as the Four Big Things. However, they had an issue with the betrothal gifts. They knew that when Xia Zhe married Qiao Mei, he had given her 2,000 dollars. If they only gave Xia He 500 dollars, would that not seem like a slap on Xia He's face?
Even if they had to sell everything they owned, they must show Xia He enough respect. They must let Xia He marry into their family in a grand manner. Any hardships would only last for a while. After some time, they would have a comfortable life again.
It was Deng Rui and Jiang Shu who wanted to put Xia He's name in the title deed of the house. They had seriously mandated Deng Fan to do it. Otherwise, the couple had to buy another house.
After Xia He finished explaining the cause and effect, Qiao Mei nodded in satisfaction. It seemed that the Deng family was truly nice to Xia He. In that case, Qiao Mei finally felt at ease. She could just pay Deng Fan more. After all, she had the final say in this matter!