Chapter 0007 – Old House Demolition

The train pulls the long whistle, with an ear-splitting roar slowly into the platform of Pengcheng station, just out of the door, a cold snowflake floats down on Zhuang Rui’s neck, the piercing north wind makes Zhuang Rui wrapped tightly clothes, carrying luggage and mother out of the station.

Pengcheng Railway Station in the country, is a relatively large transit station, south to Zhonghai, north to Beijing, west to Xi’an, almost all have to transfer from here, although it is now more than 11 o’clock in the middle of the night, in the wide station square built on the temporary waiting room, there are still many people waiting for the arrival of the train, there are still more than ten days time will be New Year’s Eve, although it is the cold winds, but the imminent return to home to see their loved ones, make people’s faces are overflowing with happiness, there are still a lot of people waiting to see their relatives. Make people’s faces are overflowing with happy smiles.

Zhuang Rui family in this ancient city has two properties, one is the family’s old mansion, located in the beautiful scenery at the foot of Yunlong Mountain, that is the family’s ancestral home, in the ten years of turmoil was once expropriated, and later returned, but Zhuang Rui just spend their childhood there, at the age of about ten years old, moved to another place to live.

Another residence is the mother’s former school allocation, a few years ago, the state implemented property reform, the original allocation of the house should be based on the length of service discounted into cash to buy, this house in Zhuang mother’s former school next to the area is not large, two rooms and one hall only seventy-two square feet, but the location and the floor is very good, the home is also equipped with heating, shopping and traveling is very convenient, Zhuang Rui has been living here to graduate from high school last year when spent more than 30,000 yuan. When spent more than thirty thousand dollars to buy it off, a few days ago when Zhuang Rui heard his mother talk about it, only to know that last month has got the real estate license.

Zhuang Rui stopped a cab, just the starting price to the home, up to the second floor, after seeing the lights of the house is bright, I know that my sister Zhuang Min live here today, pushed open the door of the room, the house of the hot air on the face, a two or three years old little girl is hiding behind her sister, secretly looking at a snowflake Zhuang Rui.

“This girl, shouted for a day to see uncle, so late and do not sleep, and now uncle came and recognized, nan nan, quickly call uncle ……” said Zhuang Min with a smile.

Looking at two bowls of steaming noodles on the table, with a poached egg spread on top, Zhuang Rui’s heart immediately rose a warm current, this is his home ah! Living and working in Zhonghai for more than a year, shrinking in a rented house when sick without being asked, when it’s hot, you can only take a cool shower over and over again to cool down, thinking of these, Zhuang Rui’s tears can’t help but flow down, at this moment, he has an impulse to quit his job in Zhonghai and come back here.

Zhuang Rui will be high up the inamorata lifted up, scared little girl wow, just put down to hide to the grandmother’s arms, no longer dare to approach the uncle, until after dinner Zhuang Rui took out the special product of the Great White Rabbit Milk Candy in China, only to make the little girl and uncle affectionate up.

After dinner is already more than 12 o’clock at night, Zhuang Rui wash back to his room, as a year ago, there is no change, lying on the bed, looking at the familiar room, after a long time, Zhuang Rui only fell asleep.

The next day Zhuang Rui took his niece to the park to play for a day, what the seaplane, carousel collectively sat once, immediately let himself upgrade to become the little niece in the heart of the closest person, no one.

Today is Friday, to the evening, after work brother-in-law also came to the home, bring a lot of New Year’s goods, Zhuang Rui this just thought up to do New Year’s goods, but now the New Year’s shopping generally go to the supermarket, but also convenient.

“Brother-in-law, how is the benefit of your factory now?”

After dinner, the family sat on the sofa and watched TV and chatted, the little inamorata crawled around on the crowd, and after being glared at by Zhuang Min, she hid in Zhuang Rui’s arms.

“The same old thing, restructuring has not made much progress, a thousand dollars a month salary, not hungry to hold out, just let your sister follow me to suffer.”

Zhuang Rui’s brother-in-law Zhao Guodong is a thick person, in the railroad system of a subordinate enterprise inside the work, although a handful of excellent repair technology, but in the state-run enterprises, will not be able to slip through the cracks, can only be mixed with a dead wage, these days, have the ability to have funds or have a relationship with the sea to go to the business, the pain of the enterprise restructuring, the pain of the early part of the century is particularly prominent.

“Blabbering again, and not afraid to make my brother laugh.” Zhuang Min interrupted his husband’s words, Zhao Guodong laughed nervously and stopped talking, look at this appearance, Zhuang Min is mastering his husband.

“Right, mom, last time I heard you say, the house next door to Aunt Xie’s, is it for sale? Let’s buy it over! It’s not bad to keep it for your sister to live in or rent it out ……”

Zhuang Rui suddenly remembered a few days ago and his mother chatting about the topic, he knows in Zhonghai, but in two years housing prices soared, last year or more than three thousand a square foot of housing prices, this year has been approaching the six thousand mark, I heard that after the year will also go up, although Pangcheng is located in the northern part of the Soviet Union, but from the general trend, now go out and buy a few sets of houses, is absolutely value-added.

Zhuang Rui would like to buy this house to his sister, brother-in-law’s family brothers are more, housing is very crowded, hit the youngest sister on the Zhuang Rui extremely good, he is trying to buy so that his sister’s family to move over to live, and Zhuang mother’s age is also older, sister live over to take care of will also be much more convenient.

“This house buy off down spent more than thirty thousand, to my savings are tossed out, where there is money to buy a house, wait for you to get married and then say it! When the time comes, sell this house and add some money for a bigger one.”

Although Zhuang mother is old, but not conservative, after retirement and a group of old ladies nothing to do at home next to the square dancing, information is also fluent, the last time we talked about this topic, Zhuang Rui proposed to buy the house, she is also a little moved, next door to the house is also a unit of the previous allocation of the unit, due to the colleague elsewhere there is real estate, would like to sell this set of house type and their own home is the same, the price is just in her purchase price! The price is just ten thousand dollars added to her purchase price, it is appropriate to buy it.

“I’m not a hundred thousand, mom, you go tomorrow to ask, if appropriate, we will buy, anyway, this money is also for nothing, the house bought to the old sister, when I gave the dowry of the daughter, haha ……” Zhuang Rui in the side of the encouragement.

“Uncle, what is the dowry?” The little guy bites his finger and lies in Zhuang Rui’s arms and asks in puzzlement.

“Such a big person, talking or not a square, that money can not be moved, that is your life in exchange for, leave you to marry a daughter-in-law with ……” Zhuang Min held his daughter over, a mouthful of rebuffed.

“You do not want that house, but also to buy it, as an investment, sister, you do not have to manage, I discuss with mom ……”

Zhuang Rui in Zhonghai, the heart of the idea to leave that 100,000 dollars to the family, his own salary last year also saved more than 20,000 dollars, even if it is after the year back to Zhonghai, re-rent a better house is also enough, after all, after mentioning as a pawnbroker’s manager, the salary and benefits will be much higher than before.

“I do think that we should also buy it, Guodong is not much different to me and my own son, and it’s nothing to give you a house, besides, Minnie, you didn’t accompany much dowry when you got married, so let’s say it’s to make up for your dowry.”

Zhuang mother thought for a while, after the clapboard settled down, these years Zhuang Rui in the field school work, the family big and small things are this son-in-law in the labor, to see her son has the heart, she naturally will not oppose.

“Okay, no need to say again, right, Guodong you tomorrow and Xiao Rui together to go to the old mansion, there is about to be demolished, when we do not have another set of house, some things to take back, I have hit the good package packed up, you rent a car directly pull back on the line.”

Seeing that her son-in-law seemed to want to push back, Zhuang mother diverted the topic.

“The old mansion is going to be demolished?”

Zhuang Rui or the first time to hear his mother talk about this, a time in the heart is like a bottle of five flavors, sweet and sour, bitter and spicy all surged to the heart.