CHAPTER 218: 218 SURPRISES AREN’T EASY

Du Heng didn’t quite understand Du Ping’s intention.

Isn’t it obvious at this point?

"What’s wrong, Big Brother?"

"Ask Xiao Wang’s parents to pick a time. We should meet them."

Du Heng chuckled and said casually, "Why would you want to meet them for no reason?"

Du Ping kicked Du Heng’s butt, his expression souring as he said angrily, "You little rascal! Their daughter has come all this way for you. Isn’t it time for us, as parents, to meet and settle things regarding your relationship? If you leave things in this improper state, what will people think of you? How will they gossip about Xiao Wang?"

Du Heng suddenly snapped back to reality. He had been too careless.

This was the village, where everyone knew each other much more intimately than in the city. The villagers’ favorite pastime was gossiping. It wasn’t like the city, where you could shut your door and know no one.

As a man, he might not care; he might even be seen as someone who’d hit the jackpot. But it wouldn’t be the same for Wang Shuqiu. In just a couple of days, rumors about her would spread all over the village. It was frightening to even imagine what these gossiping villagers might turn her into.

Du Heng slapped his own hand in self-reproach and quickly reassured Du Ping, "Relax, Big Brother. I’ll ask her right away. If she has no objections, I’ll arrange for you all to meet as soon as possible."

Du Ping kicked him again, and Du Heng didn’t dare to dodge.

However, he didn’t understand why Du Ping had kicked him again.

"What’s wrong now?" Du Heng said, a hint of grievance in his voice. "Didn’t I just promise to go ask?"

Du Ping looked at Du Heng with exasperation. "You’re hopeless! And to think you’re a university graduate."

This time, Du Heng felt truly wronged. How did this have anything to do with whether or not he’d gone to university?

But Du Ping said no more. He tossed Du Heng’s belongings towards the door and walked away, hands clasped behind his back.

"What does he mean by that?" Du Heng reached down to rub the spot where he’d been kicked.

Watching Du Ping’s retreating figure, he didn’t dare to go up and ask again.

The eldest brother is like a father.

If Du Ping wasn’t angry, Du Heng would dare to joke with his big brother, and they would maintain a harmonious, respectful relationship.

But once Du Ping’s expression changed, it didn’t matter that Du Heng was now a Dean; he still wouldn’t dare to act defiantly in front of Du Ping.

Taking his things and going inside, he saw Wang Shuqiu still busily tidying up. It seemed he finally understood what his big brother meant.

"Don’t just stand there, come and help. Why is everything in this cabinet just tossed in so haphazardly?" Wang Shuqiu, seeing Du Heng standing motionless with his bag, tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and gestured for him to help.

"Let’s get married," Du Heng said abruptly.

"Okay."

Wang Shuqiu’s reply was quick, crisp, and direct. Moreover, she seemed completely unsurprised by Du Heng’s words and continued tidying.

It was as if he’d asked if she had eaten, and she had replied that she had.

Her response left Du Heng, the one who had spoken first, unsure how to continue.

He scratched behind his ear with his index finger, grinned, and walked over with his bag to help Wang Shuqiu tidy up.

"My big brother said I should ask you to check with your uncle and aunt—I mean, your parents—to see when they’re free. He wants our families to meet for a meal."

"And what do you think?" Wang Shuqiu asked, seemingly nonchalantly, as she continued folding Du Heng’s messy pile of clothes.

Squatting beside her, Du Heng pulled apart the clothes Wang Shuqiu had just folded and carelessly wadded them into a pile again. "I definitely want to. I was just about to ask your opinion."

"Then I’ll call my mom." Having said that, she looked at the clothes Du Heng had messed up and said disdainfully, "You should go wash your feet. You’re being more of a hindrance than a help. I just finished tidying these clothes, and you’ve messed them up again."

Du Heng looked at the clothes beneath his hands and asked doubtfully, "This is what you call ’tidied’?"

"Just get out of here and stop causing trouble."

"You said it."

With that, Du Heng actually got up and went out to wash his feet.

As he went to the living room to wash his feet, he didn’t see Wang Shuqiu, who had bent down to refold the clothes, a faint smile playing on her lips.

「The next day」

On his way to work, Du Heng called Wu Buwei to tell him he wouldn’t be going to the Health Clinic that day. Then, he drove Wang Shuqiu directly to her workplace.

As for himself, he didn’t attend to his other work matters. Instead, he turned around, went two blocks over, and entered a property sales center.

One party was eager to sell, the other genuinely wanted to buy.

Moreover, the houses were ready for immediate occupancy, and the developers could handle the renovations, which would save him time and effort.

However, Du Heng was a bit puzzled about one thing. Back in April, the sales center had been bustling with people every day. It had seemed like demand far outstripped supply, and the sales center kept claiming everything was sold out.

So how was it that now, two months later, he could still easily buy a house, and on a desirable floor like the sixth, with any layout he chose?

Scammers, all of them!

After haggling with the salesperson for a good while, Du Heng received some bad news: his housing provident fund could only be used for the loan and couldn’t be withdrawn for the down payment.

What a blow!

He went out, found a convenience store, bought a popsicle, and sat down on a bench beside the store, slurping it slowly.

He had thought everything was set. With his current income, plus his housing provident fund, the down payment should have been manageable. And his subsequent monthly income should have made the mortgage payments a breeze.

Yesterday, when he proposed, it had been a spur-of-the-moment decision, made with no preparation whatsoever.

No flowers, no ring.

Even though Wang Shuqiu had agreed without the slightest dissatisfaction, when he thought about it in the middle of the night, he felt he’d handled it too casually.

He had wanted to buy a house to surprise Wang Shuqiu, but reality slapped him hard in the face.

His housing provident fund was unusable for the down payment, and his savings weren’t enough. He was in a real bind.

Taking a couple of loud SLURPS from his popsicle, Du Heng pulled out his phone and dialed Wei Kaida.

"Well, well, if it isn’t the big star! What made you think of calling me?" Wei Kaida sounded quite cheerful on the other end of the line, his words almost bouncing.

Du Heng’s feature in the Jinzhou Evening News had brought him some fame, and their Perilla Clinic had also experienced a small boom in business as a result.

Just because the newspaper had mentioned them in passing, their clinic had seen a significant influx of patients over the last couple of days.

"I need a favor. Can I borrow some money?"

"For what?"

"To buy a house."

"How much do you need?"

"How much can you lend?"

Wei Kaida was silent for a moment. "Where are you right now?"

Du Heng glanced at the sign of the sales center across the street. "At the convenience store opposite the XX Sales Center."

"Wait for me." Wei Kaida said, then promptly hung up.

Du Heng listened to the dial tone, completely confused by Wei Kaida’s response. Would he lend the money or not? What on earth did ’wait for me’ mean?