"It's fine, I actually intend to buy all four! Just tell me which one you like." Qiao Mei patted Li Gui's shoulder to reassure her.
After thinking about it, Li Gui still felt that the last house was better. It was close to Qiao Mei's house and six rooms were definitely enough for her and the four children to live in. It would even be enough when the children got married in the future.
"Then let's get this one. I'll pay you rent every month. Take it that I'm renting it from you," Li Gui said.
Xia He and Xia Wen had thought that Qiao Mei was buying a house for Li Gui. Seeing Li Gui's attitude, they had a much better impression of her.
They did not know if their family was cursed when it came to relationships. Xia He's mother-in-law and Xia Wen's mother-in-law were both not easy to get along with. Before they met Li Gui, they were already worried that Li Gui would be an arrogant and domineering person.
After all, Qiao Mei was raised by Qiao Qiang and Li Gui did not participate in Qiao Mei's upbringing at all. It was all thanks to Qiao Qiang that Qiao Mei was brought up so well. Therefore, they were not able to judge Li Gui's character.
It appeared that Li Gui was much better than most of the other people they knew. Xia He was also especially fond of her. Perhaps it was because she felt like she had met her own kind. After all, there were still very few divorced women in this era.
Qiao Mei had told Li Gui about this matter on the train, worried that Li Gui would talk too freely and touch on topics that Xia He found sensitive, like asking questions about her marriage and having children.
The Xia family knew everything about Qiao Mei's family. Every once in a while, they would send someone to check on Qiao Mei and see if she needed any help.
"Eldest brother, I want this house and the first house we saw. The sooner we sign the contracts, the better," Qiao Mei said.
Xia Wen had already drawn up the contracts. As long as the owners agreed, they could sign immediately. The property rights to these two houses were very clear and the sale and purchase process would be simple.
Ever since Qiao Mei married into their family, they had become more particular about matters of the law. Their family now had a specialized legal consultant who would handle any important matter, like drafting of contracts and agreements. They just needed to check if there were any mistakes in the most basic details.
Qiao Mei would always find time to impart more knowledge about the law to them. Under her influence, everyone started to become keen in learning.
"We can do it tomorrow. I'll contact the owners when I go back later and ask them to prepare the relevant documents and sign the contracts with us tomorrow," Xia Wen said.
Qiao Mei nodded. She did not have much money on hand. The limited edition denominations that He Ning had given her back then were now stored in the bank. She had to quickly call He Ning to ask for money.
There was no telephone line nearby and there was no way to install a phone at home. If she wanted to make a call, she had to go to the public phone at the entrance of the alley.
The capital was not like the village where one could install a phone at will. The procedures in the capital were much more complicated than those in Foshan Village. She could only think about this matter in the future.
Qiao Mei went to the public phone booth and dialed He Ning's phone number. When the call got through, she said, "Give me 400,000 dollars."
He Ning simply hung up the phone with a puzzled expression on his face. He did not even ask who the other party was.
"Who called? Why did you hang up?" Huo Gao asked as he sat at the side.
"I don't know. It must be a lunatic. The moment she spoke, she asked me for 400,000 dollars. In this day and age, everyone must be really crazy about money. A scammer can even ring me up," He Ning said as he shook his head helplessly.
Qiao Mei looked at the phone receiver in shock. He Ning actually hung up on her in order not to give her money!
Was He Ning trying to go back on his word!
My 1.28 million dollars could not disappear just like that!
Qiao Mei angrily dialed He Ning's phone number again. This time, she did not quote the amount immediately. Instead, she chose to identify herself first.
"I'm Qiao Mei. Can you give me 400,000 dollars tomorrow? Give me a portion first," Qiao Mei said angrily.
After He Ning heard this, he realized that the lunatic just now was actually Qiao Mei.
"400,000 dollars is too much. I don't have that much money. I only have 150,000 dollars now," He Ning said.
"Are you lying to me? Before I came to the capital, you told me that you had already raised half the amount of money. Now you're telling me that you don't have the money?" Qiao Mei asked.
He Ning was speechless for a moment. He just wanted to find an excuse to eat at Qiao Mei's house a few more times. If he gave her less money each time, he would be able to make more trips to her house. Then he could at least get free food a few times.