Tan Bai quickly waved his hands and said, “We’re not buying one. How can we afford to buy a house?”
“Oh! So you want to rent a house?” Xia Wen asked.
“We’re not renting a house either. I just want to ask if your sister-in-law has any spare room for them to move in. We don’t have any money yet, but we’ll definitely pay her back when we become rich in the future,” Tan Bai said.
That was certainly some grand wishful thinking. He would be embarrassed to talk to Qiao Mei about letting the Tan family move into her newly purchased house.
Tan Jing quietly raised her head and looked at Xia Wen expectantly. If he agreed, then the two of them could also move into Qiao Mei’s new big house together. The day before yesterday, she had secretly gone to take a look after she got off work. That house was no different from the one Qiao Mei was living in now. It was extremely big. If they could all move in, the Tan family could live in the back part and she and Xia Wen could have the front part to themselves.
“Then how much rent are you going to pay my sister-in-law every month? How will you bear your share of the monthly electricity and water bills? My sister-in-law’s house is newly renovated. If the house is damaged and the furniture is damaged, how are you going to calculate these expenses?” Xia Wen said.
When Xu Xiang heard this, she immediately became unhappy. She pointed at Xia Wen and said, “Money, money, money! Why are you always talking about money! We’re relatives. Shouldn’t relatives help one another? Money is such a touchy issue!”
Relatives? Xia Wen curled up his lips mockingly. What kind of relationship did they have with Qiao Mei?
As much as they wanted to say there was a connection between them, there was really nothing. At most, she was Tan Jing’s sister-in-law. If they were willing to pay rent, he might be able to talk to Qiao Mei about it. After all, it was such a big house. If Qiao Mei wanted to rent it out, he could ask her to consider the Tan family.
“You’re a family with me, but not with Qiao Mei. We have to make these things clear, otherwise I won’t be able to discuss the issue with her. I’m still not that shameless that I can ask to live in someone’s big house for free,” Xia Wen said.
“Who are you calling shameless!” Xu Xiang roared at Xia Wen.
Xia Wen smiled gently and said, “Why are you so worked up? I remember that your parents forked out the money for you to build your current house. I think my family also contributed a lot of money then. Why don’t you return that amount of money to us first so that my family can lend the money to Tan Bao and Tan Yue. After all, we’re a family. We should repay what we borrowed.”
Tan Hu, the Tan family’s eldest son, grabbed hold of Xu Xiang, who was about to go forward and argue with Xia Wen. After all, this matter had nothing to do with their family. Their family had their own house and it was big enough for them to live in. They must not get themselves into trouble. If Xia Wen got angry, they would also be affected.
“In that case, ask your sister-in-law to lend us the money. We will definitely return the money to her in the future. She must still have a lot of money left after buying these houses,” Jiang Yi said.
Xia Wen asked again, “Then how do we calculate the interest?”
“Do we still need to pay interest? Even if we’re not close relatives with her, we’re still in-laws of the Xia family. Shouldn’t she not ask for interest on your account?” Jiang Yi said disdainfully.
Xia Wen knew that he did not have any say. If Qiao Mei put the money in a fixed deposit account in the bank, she would be able to earn a few hundred dollars a month. There was no need for her to go to work at all. She just needed to wait for the bank to pay her interest every month. Moreover, Qiao Mei had even more money locked away in the bank vault. He knew all these because he was the one who made all these arrangements for her.
“I don’t borrow money to pay for my expenses. If you find it tough to live at home, then come and stay at my place for a few days. We can still fit quite a number of people in my living room. It’s fine as long as you don’t mind staying here. I can also help take care of the children. I like being with children the most. It’s fine for all of them to come to my house,” Xia Wen said with a smile as he looked at Tan Yue’s children.
Tan Jing stood by the kitchen and was stunned. What did Xia Wen just say…
He liked children… he said he liked children…
For so many years, every time she asked Xia Wen about this matter, he would avoid answering her. However, she knew that Xia Wen wanted a child of his own. Every time Xia Wen passed by the children’s park downstairs, he would stay there for a long time and watch the children playing with a smile on his face.
Xia Wen finally admitted that he liked children.
“How can we live in your house!” Tan Yue whispered.
Seeing that there was no way to negotiate the terms, they did not dwell on it. At most, they would think of a way to resolve it themselves and not ask Xia Wen for help.
“Let’s go! We won’t beg you, alright!” Jiang Yi said as she smacked the table.