Chapter 63: Chapter 31 (part 2)

"Buying a house is spending money, not getting rich!”

Old Ji glared at Ning Wan. "Use your head! You're young and short-sighted. When you get married and have children in the future, you'll have to buy a house in a school district, so right now, when a house is priced low, you'll save money if you buy! Then when you need it, you'll have it."

Deliberately attempting to keep her in suspense, Old Ji slowly dragged out his words. "This is a house in our very own Yuelan Community. The owner is an emigrant whose family wishes to buy a place in the United States. He's taken a fancy to a house there, but he's a little short of money and the place is quite popular, so he has quite a few competitors. So as to get the deal done quickly over there, he's selling this one with some urgency. This is why he has contacted the community admin and entrusted the sale of the house to us."

"Since he needs the money quickly, he's selling the place at a much lower price than houses in the community typically go for. It's got a good layout for a small family, so even if you sell it in the future you won't have any trouble finding a buyer. And as you know, our Yuelan school district is one of the best in Rong City. If I hadn't just helped my granddaughters buy houses and used up my quota, I would definitely have taken it."

It did sound really good. Old Ji was right - the value of a house in Yuelan Community would at the very least stay constant if not go up. Yuelan was a mature community, with facilities such as supermarkets, subway stations, business districts, hospitals and schools. It was a convenient place to live, and because of this housing there was a seller's market. If this house truly was as Old Ji has said, then even if one didn't need it, one could simply wait a little and then sell it when the market was high. It truly was an opportunity to make a fortune.

But...

"But Old Ji, I just bought my apartment last year. I don't have the liquid to put a down payment on a house right now."

"All my relatives don't have the money or quota either," said Old Ji with a look of regret. "Such an excellent prospect will definitely be snatched up immediately after being posted. I was hoping to keep it in the family..."

It was casually said, but Ning Wan heard a deeper meaning in his words. She couldn't buy the house herself, but even if it wasn't meant for her, she should let it go to one of her own. She hadn't thought of it at first, but all of a sudden someone appeared in her mind.

Wasn't Fu Zheng just talking about wanting to save money for a house because he didn't have a place of his own? Wasn't such a house in Yuelan Community exactly in line with what he had said he wanted? The down payment he had would only buy him a small apartment, but if this place was being sold as cheaply as Old Ji said, he was only lacking roughly a few tens of thousands of yuan. It wasn't impossible for him to afford this house...

"Old Ji, actually our Fu Zheng has recently been thinking of buying a house, and this one seems very suitable."

As soon as Old Ji heard this, he lit up. "That's great! Xiao Fu is a striking young lad, I liked him from the very first time I saw him. Are you thinking of helping him out?"

"Well, there's a problem..." Ning Wan bit her lip. "If Fu Zheng buys, he'll have to take out a loan. If the owner is in such a hurry, do you think they'll only accept full payment in cash? It'll take some time for the loan to be approved and all."

This was a very real problem. Old Ji frowned. "I'll ask the owner if he's willing to take loans. If he is, I have an old acquaintance or two who work at banks and deal in mortgages. if Xiao Fu wants the place, I'll give them a call and see if they can expedite it."

Without further ado, Ning Wan left Old Ji and ran back to her office to tell Fu Zheng the good news.

"In short, this house is exactly what you wanted! And it's being sold at a steal. Since you wanted a house, you should definitely consider it!"

But sadly, Ning Wan's passion didn't seem to rile Fu Zheng up. When he first heard the news, he seemed completely dumbfounded, but after that even though he always seemed to show just the right amount of enthusiasm, she somehow felt that he secretly wasn't really that interested...

"This place is a good deal, and I've got some money saved up, but the other side might not agree to taking a loan, since they're in urgent need of money. Plus, even if I could get a loan, I'm still tens of thousands short of the down payment." Fu Zheng pursed his lips. His head drooped and he said quietly, "It seems like this house and I aren't fated for each other."

This made her realize that it wasn't that Fu Zheng wasn't interested, but that he didn't dare to invest feelings into it. His depressed mood right now must be because he was short of money...

"How many tens of thousands are you short?"

Fu Zheng paused. "What?"

Ning Wan stopped pushing the question. "It's fine, the most it could possibly be is 90,000, and I've got over 100,000 yuan in savingsIf you're not living in China, which I assume most aren't, 10,000 yuan is around 1,500USD. Ning Wan has over 15,000USD in savings, and she's offering to lend him somewhere between 2k and 14k.. You want this house so badly, and such a low price is unlikely to come by again in the next thousand years! If the landlord will take loans, I'll lend you whatever you need to top up the down payment, and you'll be able to win this house in one fell swoop!"

After she had said this, Fu Zheng's jaw dropped in undisguised bewilderment. "Did you just say that..."

"Yes! I'll lend you the money!" Ning Wan nodded. "Don't get too excited! And don't cry either! Just remember to listen to me in the future, repay me with your hard work, and pay back the money. It'll be even better if you could repay the grace of a drop of water with a springpaying her back with interest...."

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“……”

Sure enough, Fu Zheng answered her offer with silence. It was said that most men aren't too good at expressing their feelings with words. In this world, relatives and friends might not even be willing to lend one a four-digit loan, but Ning Wan had just offered him a sum in the range of tens of thousands. It was such a large sum that Fu Zheng couldn't even speak, he was so moved. He only stared at her with complicated eyes.

When he did say something, his voice was dry, perhaps with too much emotion. "Are you sure? Many people borrow money but don't pay it back. This isn't a small sum. Aren't you afraid I will run away with your money after borrowing it?"

Look at this guy. She had thought that he was a delicate fellow, but it seemed he had some self-esteem. Any other man would be quickly going with the flow and thanking her non-stop, but he was confirming seriously whether she had thought it over and if she really wanted to lend him money.

Though Ning Wan had indeed been a little hesitant at the beginning, when she saw his reaction she made up her mind. Fu Zheng hadn't lost himself in the face of easy benefits. Instead of drooling over the offer, he was calm and restrained. Ning Wan believed that it was impossible for a person like this to borrow money without paying it back.

"I'm sure. I trust you, Fu Zheng." She looked into his eyes. "Housing prices are very low right now, and this place is cheap on top of that. If you don't ride the wave of the housing market at this point, you may lose the opportunity to do so when prices skyrocket and currency depreciates in the future. When that happens, the down payment you've saved up will become less and less valuable. Many people lose the opportunity to buy a house because their salary is never enough to keep on top of housing prices. Since you're my subordinate and I'm able to lend a hand, let me do so!"

Fu Zheng pressed his lips together as if trying to persuade her to give up. "Thank you for believing in me, but as you know, my family is in difficult straits and my income isn't high. I'm older, and a lawyer here in the community with no future. It may take me a long time to repay you. I might even just run away with the money once I have it. Don't lend it to me," he advised her sincerely. "I might not be able to withstand the temptation."

But the more he did this, the more Ning Wan trusted him. "You won't do it, Fu Zheng. Didn't you want to buy a house badly? We'll write up a loan agreement between us. Its only a few tens of thousands, not millions. You can take your time paying me back the money. When you get your monthly salary, just take out your living expenses and leave me the rest!"

……

Fu Zheng hadn't expected a second-hand house that met his 'requirements' to a T would miraculously pop up right after he said a few casual words. On top of that, Ning Wan was daft enough to insist on lending him money. He was riding a tiger and unable to come up with a reasonable reason to refuse it.

After all, as far as pricing, compatibility, convenience and size, it was like this sudden second-hand house was tailor-made for his previous nonsensical words. No normal person would refuse without even looking at the house...

He could only hope that the owner would not take a loan.

Since they were in hurry to the point of selling at a reduced price, surely they wouldn't want a loan. They would want cash paid up-front in full...

But unfortunately this time, Lady Luck wasn't on Fu Zheng's sideWas she ever?!?.

Only a few minutes later, his face full of excitement, Director Ji pushed open the office door--

"Ning Wan, Xiao Fu, I did it! I found a friend who worked in a bank whose relationship to me was close enough to lean on. You can have a loan in a week." Old Ji smiled, seeking credit. "I guaranteed your character with mine, saying that you were a reliable buyer. When the landlord heard that, he felt like a week was acceptable and agreed! Tell me, when would you like to go and see the house?"

Fu Zheng's prayers had come to nothing. Ning Wan wasn't sure what he was thinking, but on her face was undisguised excitement. "Fu Zheng, let's hurry and make an appointment! It's right here in the community anyway, so long as it looks decent, we should grab it quick!"

“……”

Fu Zheng lost all expression. Ning Wan patted him vigorously on the shoulder. "I envy you. To have a mansion worth 50,000 yuan at such a young age puts you into a completely different class!"

 

Fu Zheng gazed at the 'mansion' before his eyes, feeling a little desperate. The Yuelan Community wasn't old, but it was definitely not too new. The 'mansion's façade was a little yellow, and all the little apartments in the building were only 50 square meters! 50 square meters! The combined area of all the toilets in his villa was larger than this...

But well, Ning Wan's talk of a completely different class wasn't fake, right? He was going from having a massive villa to a broken down little 50 square meter apartment. How very gratifying.