CHAPTER 222: CHAPTER 222: MEETING A FRIEND

"We’ve got Xiao Yun’s gift, but what about the other ones? I still don’t know what to give them!" Lin Xue gathered her things, sighed, and stepped out from their hiding spot with Zhang Yuan, pondering.

"Why don’t we see what they need and give accordingly?" Zhang Yuan suggested.

"You’re right... What do they need... They have bicycles, oh yes, watches! They don’t have watches yet. The ones in my supermarket can’t be taken out, but... I don’t have any watch coupons! How am I supposed to buy them?" Lin Xue said, frustrated.

"I’ll take you to meet a friend!" Zhang Yuan suddenly said.

"Huh? What friend? Aren’t we talking about gifts?" Lin Xue asked, puzzled.

"The friend I’m taking you to meet is the one who helped exchange gold for supplies before. Getting watches for your siblings is a piece of cake for him! Come on!" Zhang Yuan grabbed Lin Xue and started walking.

They paid no mind to the frequent glances cast in their direction.

In those days, it was quite a statement for a man and woman to hold hands in public.

They arrived at the restaurant and soon enough, the friend showed up. After introductions and some chatting, Zhang Yuan brought up the request about buying watches, and the friend agreed readily.

"Brother Yuan, getting watches is no problem, I’ll have them for you tomorrow. But as for the liquor and cigarettes... Little brother here can pay for them, alright?"

He asked carefully, afraid of being turned down. After all, he’d benefitted from past exchanges, and with Zhang Yuan back, he wasn’t about to miss the opportunity.

On their way there, Zhang Yuan and Lin Xue had already discussed this. Since the friend wanted it and they had no shortage, there was no issue. So Zhang Yuan nodded, though he didn’t appear overly eager, giving the impression of reluctance.

As expected, seeing Zhang Yuan’s reluctant nod, the friend didn’t even haggle over the price and the deal was quickly struck.

After they left, Lin Xue had an idea. In this era when the Capital City is undeveloped and land isn’t yet as precious as gold, why not buy a house? It could be a home for future parental visits or siblings coming over.

Being a reincarnated soul, she shared the common trait of immediately wanting to buy a house once she had money, influenced by the outrageous property prices in the future.

As for buying more, she wasn’t in a rush. It was only the seventies, and they had time before settling in the capital, so buying later wouldn’t be too late. For now, having one property ensured she wouldn’t be caught off guard.

"Brother Yuan, is it easy to buy a house here?" Having made up her mind, she asked.

"You want to buy a house?" Zhang Yuan asked, surprised.

But then again, he understood her fondness for buying properties. She had a courtyard house in Pingyang Town, another courtyard and a small western-style building in Chenxi County, so it made sense to invest in Beijing.

"Yes! I want to buy one, so when mom, dad, or my siblings visit, they won’t be without a place to stay!" Lin Xue explained.

Zhang Yuan understood. Though her grandparents genuinely cared for her, she wouldn’t let her family trouble them. Buying a house was ultimately about security for herself, so he nodded immediately.

"I’ll take you to see some! If you find one you like, we’ll buy it." Zhang Yuan said this as he got into Xiao Qin’s car, heading toward the housing bureau.

Since arriving, Lin Xue couldn’t claim to understand everything here.

Some things aligned with the future she knew, like the cultural movements.

Yet other aspects didn’t match up at all. Currently, in the Capital City, private buying and selling were just beginning, with many individuals hawking goods at stations.

For instance, there were people selling home-grown vegetables, cigarettes, biscuits, and even large buns.

Meanwhile, in smaller cities, private business activities were strictly monitored and discouraged.

She thought it might be a parallel universe, unsure if the college entrance exams would truly occur as she remembered, or if they might happen sooner than expected.

This awareness instilled a sense of urgency; she couldn’t afford to waste time and planned to start preparing for high school education again, at least refreshing her memory. Although she was a graduate student in her past life, she was already thirty and had forgotten much.

Things like math formulas and physics or chemistry equations needed serious brushing up as they were long forgotten.

Lost in thought, Xiao Qin had already driven them to the housing bureau.

Zhang Yuan led her inside, where the staff were quite sycophantic, noticing they arrived in a car, those unoccupied quickly approached to greet them.

"Comrades, we only have two courtyards available that meet your requirements. Would you like to take a look?" a man in his forties spoke up.

He seemed to be in charge, possessing significant authority, and seized the chance to speak.

"Sweetheart, what do you think?" Zhang Yuan did not answer him but instead asked Lin Xue’s opinion.

"Let’s take a look!" Lin Xue whispered.

However, the man, keenly observing, didn’t miss her quiet words and immediately stood up, "Let me take you both to see the properties!"

So, they followed the man to view two courtyard houses.

The designs were similar, but one was slightly larger, with a main house of five rooms, five rooms each in the east and west wings, plus a gatehouse, fairly substantial, with a yard in the back, almost like a two-entry courtyard, though lacking a house, the yard was quite large.

Situated in the city center with a prime location, in the future it would be worth over a billion, but now the price was exciting for Lin Xue.

This entire courtyard house was only eighteen thousand, and from the man’s tone, it was negotiable.

"Brother Yuan, I really like this place!" Lin Xue hinted, without absolute statements or declaring purchase intentions, trusting Zhang Yuan would understand.

He turned around and began discussions with the middle-aged man from the housing bureau.

Quickly, Zhang Yuan achieved his aim, haggling down two thousand for a final price of sixteen thousand.

They followed the man to the housing bureau for property transfer; Lin Xue, during this, had prepared the money, stashed in her shoulder bag. Thankfully, she tucked the bulky items into her space, preventing anyone from noticing the transformation of her bag’s contents to cash.

Zhang Yuan initially intended a bank visit for cash withdrawal, but Lin Xue firmly refused, insisting on paying from her own pocket for her first home in the Capital for the sense of accomplishment and peace of mind it provided.

Zhang Yuan could only oblige, knowing she wasn’t short on money, he chose not to insist.

After completing the house paperwork, the two, stepping out, found it was already afternoon, with Lin Xue feeling exhilarated. Never in her past life had she dared to dream of owning a courtyard house worth billions in such a bustling area of the Capital.

In the following days, both Lin Xue and Zhang Yuan left early and returned late, engaged in tidying up the courtyard house, repairing and renovating, even raising the walls considerably.

Additionally, Lin Xue took every opportunity to explore the streets, looking for exciting food or things to bring back for her family.