Starting a new chapter in life

Chapter 224 Buying a House for Zhizhi and Xiaoxiao

With housing prices rising so fast, she's worried she won't be able to afford a house in a few more years. The house Ci'en bought when she went to university cost only 600 yuan per square meter, but in just over a decade, it has risen to 2,700 yuan, more than four times the original price. That's much faster than making money.

After hearing what she said, Chen Ping felt that what she said made sense, and after considering it for a moment, she said: "How about we each buy one? But I have to ask Lao Lu how much money his family has. It's close to 300,000 yuan. My family probably doesn't have that much money."

"Take a look and see how much you're short. I still have some money on hand, I can lend it to you first, and Xiaoxiao can pay me back later when she earns money," Jingyan said with a smile.

Chen Ping shook her head. "No one's money comes easily. Although my family may not have that much money, both our families have been wealthy for generations, and we've left behind quite a few good things, including several gold bars."

The current market price of gold is about sixty yuan per gram. I don't manage the money in my house, so I don't know the exact amount. I'll call Lao Lu when I get back to the hotel and ask.

The two had looked around enough and got up to go find their child across the hall. Just then, the real estate agent was waiting at the door. Seeing them come out, he quickly came over: "Have you finished looking? Which one did you like?"

Jingyan smiled at him: "Both of these are nice, but buying a house is a big deal. We need to go back and discuss it with the men in our families. Once we've confirmed it, we'll ask you to place the order. It should only take three to five days."

The real estate agent showed no disappointment or dissatisfaction, nodding enthusiastically as always: "Of course, buying a house is a big deal, and house prices have changed a lot in recent years."

Buying a house often means emptying your savings, so being cautious is understandable. However, this neighborhood is really nice, and the houses are quite new; you won't lose money by buying them.

Jingyan nodded in agreement, called the two children, and the group went downstairs to leave. The real estate agent locked the doors of the two houses and followed them down. After leaving the community, the agent said goodbye to them and left first, showing no sign of being in a hurry to close the deal.

His nonchalant attitude surprised Chen Ping: "Is he not in a hurry to sell the house? He didn't even offer a word of advice, and he left so quickly."

Jingyan looked at his back and laughed, "That's a smart man. He realized that we intend to take over these two sets, but we're currently considering the money. Otherwise, why do you think he would suddenly bring up the set across the street?"

Since we already have our own ideas, the more he says, the less effective it will be. He might make us feel uncomfortable, and the deal might actually fall through. But he seems to know when to advance and when to retreat. As long as we have enough money, we will definitely buy from him. After all, it's better to buy from someone you know than someone you don't.

With that composure and insight, his sales performance must be excellent. Everyone wants a pleasant shopping experience; nobody wants to be pressured into buying something, even if it's a truly good product.

Chen Ping thought about it and it seemed to make sense. The group strolled back to the hotel. Chen Ping called Commander Lu, while Jing Yan was much more relaxed. She had planned to buy a house before she came, so she brought her bank card with the profits from the shop, and she had enough money.

Chen Ping returned shortly after, beaming. "My husband said that we only have a little over 300,000 yuan in savings right now, so buying the smaller apartment shouldn't be a problem. Jingyan, why don't you choose the bigger one for Zhizhi?"

Jing Yan nodded: "Sure."

Chen Ping continued, "I was thinking, since the children are still young, why don't the two children live together? We can just tell the real estate agent to rent out the smaller apartment, and the rent can be split equally between the two children, which can also be considered Xiaoxiao's rent. What do you think?"

If we can really rent it out for 1200 or 13000, I think they won't go hungry for the next three and a half years, even if we don't give them living expenses.

Jing Yan shook her head: "We still need to pay for living expenses. As for rent, normally some students start working part-time in their third year. This industry is different from other industries; the dress code is high, and clothing costs aren't cheap. Why don't we just leave the money for them to cover clothing expenses?"

Since they chose this path, spending a lot of money upfront is to be expected. I just hope they don't remain unknown forever; otherwise, the investment and return will be disproportionate. Oh well, let's just consider it fulfilling the children's wish.

Chen Ping also loves her children, though it might not be obvious in everyday life, she is very generous with money. Hearing this, she nodded and said, "Okay, I'll listen to you."

"After we send them to register tomorrow, shall we go to the real estate agency the day after tomorrow to finalize the house reservation?" Jing Yan asked Chen Ping.

Chen Ping nodded: "The timing is fine. Lao Lu will deposit the money into the bank card I brought tomorrow, and it will be available the day after tomorrow."

The next day, after breakfast, we first checked out of the standard room where the children were staying, and got back one day's room fee and the deposit for one room. We then took the two children's suitcases and headed straight to the school. When we arrived at the registration area, we started paying tuition fees, getting dormitory keys, and so on. By the time we were all settled, half a day had passed.

The two children took their parents to the school cafeteria for lunch with their newly acquired meal cards. Surprisingly, the prices were reasonable. They didn't order any stir-fried dishes, but instead got four liang of rice, two meat dishes, three vegetable dishes, a spicy hot pot, and a beef noodle soup, all for a total of only ten yuan. Considering this level of spending, eight hundred and fifty yuan a month is quite a comfortable allowance.

The food tasted quite good, and the two adults were truly relieved: "The food is good. Make sure they eat plenty of fruit and drink milk regularly to ensure they get adequate nutrition."

"There are scholarships in universities. You two should work hard. If you get a scholarship, it will be your little nest egg. We don't need it. If you don't get one, it's okay. Our family doesn't need your money anyway." Jingyan said while eating.

Chen Ping chimed in, "Tomorrow, Jingyan and I will go and buy those two apartments we liked yesterday. The corner unit is for Zhizhi; Xiaoxiao, you and Zhizhi can live there from now on."

The smaller apartment is for Xiaoxiao. You two won't need it for now, so I'll ask an agent to rent it out. You can split the rent revenue equally.

Don't spend this money recklessly. Save it; you might need it later if you want to find part-time jobs related to film and television.

After buying this house, we've pretty much emptied our savings. So please don't spend money recklessly. Don't skimp on necessary expenses, but also don't try to outdo others with unnecessary spending.

"Wealth and fame are traps; those with fickle minds should really avoid them, as they easily lose their temperament."

Both children are smart and understand what Chen Ping means. Actually, the one who is most worrying is Xiao Xiao, since actors face far more temptations and difficulties than directors.

Xiaoxiao earnestly agreed: "Mom, Aunt Zhang, I understand your concerns. I won't go against my conscience for the sake of fame or a role."

I remembered what Aunt Zhang said: "If I can't make it in this line of work, I can always go home and find another job. My family won't let me go hungry, and I won't have to suffer for a living."

No matter how much you reassure your children when they are away from home, parents will still be worried. But what else can they do? Young birds will eventually grow up and fly. They can't break their wings because of their own worries. The only thing they can do is to be their most reliable support and haven.

"I asked the school teachers, and they said you two have to live on campus this semester. Next semester you can apply to live off-campus. Although your dormitory is not bad, it is still a six-person room. If you want some peace and quiet on weekends, you can go back to your own room."

"You two have different majors, so you won't be assigned to the same dorm. You've been used to living together for so long, it's normal to feel a bit uncomfortable being separated all of a sudden. You'll get used to it after a while," Jingyan said with concern.

Zhizhi and Xiaoxiao are both very well-behaved. The dorm isn't fully occupied yet, so it's uncertain if they'll be easy to get along with. However, there are relatively few girls in Zhizhi's major, so at least they can support each other after graduation, aside from competition.

As for Xiaoxiao's major, it's understandable that there are many girls. After graduation, the chances of them becoming rivals are far greater than the chances of them becoming friends. Xiaoxiao didn't expect to make any friends in college; just getting by on a superficial level was enough.

After dinner, we took everyone back to their dorms. By then, most of the people had arrived, and they all seemed quite nice. At least they were all talkative and cheerful, creating a harmonious atmosphere. Unfortunately, how much of this friendliness will remain in the competition for various resources in the future?

After packing all the daily necessities for the child, a girl looked at Xiaoxiao's suitcase and asked, "Lu Xiaoxiao, you only brought so few clothes, how is that enough? When are you going to buy new clothes? Let's go together!"

I didn't bring many clothes this time. My mom gave me money to buy whatever I liked here. By the way, how much allowance does your family give you each month? My mom is worried I'll suffer, so she gives me a thousand yuan a month.

The other children also quieted down, and the parents who brought their children were a little embarrassed. A cheerful girl smiled and said, "Your family is really well-off. My monthly allowance is only five hundred yuan. Before I came here, I thought it was a lot."

The remaining children quickly smiled and spoke up:

"Yes, I got a little more than you, six hundred,"

"Oh dear, I'm not even as good as you. I only have four hundred yuan, and I don't even know if that will be enough to live on..."

With everyone's interruptions, Lu Xiaoxiao's expression improved considerably, and she said with a smile, "I only have six hundred yuan. My mom said that girls should learn to be thrifty and manage their households well, and shouldn't spend money recklessly."

I don't need to dress too nicely. After all, my face is already attractive enough. If I dress up too extravagantly, people who know me will think I'm here to study, but others will think I'm here for a beauty pageant. It's unnecessary, really unnecessary.

Zhizhi opened her mouth wide. She had always known that Xiaoxiao's mouth was poisonous, but it hadn't been used on her for so many years that she had almost forgotten when the two of them had first clashed. Now, the scene was repeating itself.

Seeing the girl's fiery gaze, Zhizhi sighed, thought for a moment, and finally interjected, "Hello, I'm a freshman in the directing department. My dorm is upstairs from yours. I might come over often in the future, since Xiaoxiao and I grew up together."

The girl glanced at Zhizhi and asked, "Why didn't you apply to the acting department? Is it because you're not as pretty as her? Actually, you're not exactly plain-looking. If you were an actress, you might not fail to make it." She pointed at Xiaoxiao and asked Zhizhi.

Zhizhi chuckled: "I don't like acting, I don't have the talent, but I like watching other people act, so directing might actually be a good fit for me, don't you think?"

The girl's mother tugged at her sleeve, then turned and smiled, saying, "You'll be classmates from now on, you should help each other out. Don't let a little argument in the heat of the moment cause any unpleasantness."

The acting industry seems big, but the circle isn't actually that big. You'll be running into each other all the time. Having a bond with your classmates is always better than being strangers. Don't let things get unpleasant; you'll be together for four years. Get along peacefully, get along peacefully!

Xiao Xiao knew when to stop and nodded, "Auntie is right. I may not be a big-hearted person, but I'm not one to cause trouble. As long as others don't bother me, I won't go looking for trouble."

That little bit of friction has passed, and as for what those two people who were arguing were thinking, nobody can control that.

They had gotten to know each other, and Xiaoxiao followed Zhizhi to her dormitory. Zhizhi's roommates were much easier to get along with, since the competition for resources wasn't as fierce as in the performing arts department, and they were all pure-hearted students.

After getting to know each other, those who knew about this area started chatting: "When do you guys have time? Let's go buy the equipment we'll need next weekend."

Upon hearing this, Zhizhi looked completely bewildered: "What other equipment do we need to buy?"

"We should prepare some professional equipment and materials, such as cameras, lights, and sound systems. These might be used in class, and some homework will also require them. It's inconvenient to keep borrowing equipment, not to mention it's unnecessary to ask for favors." The girl clearly knew a lot about this industry.

Jing Yan asked with a smile, "Um, are there any school-wide requirements for the equipment we buy? Can we just buy whatever we want?"

"The equipment required by the school isn't very high-end; it's more of a mid-range option. Generally, they'll list out all the requirements at the beginning of the semester, and students can purchase them according to their own needs."

Some students from families with average means will buy secondhand equipment from graduating seniors, which saves them a lot of money. Those with better financial means will buy equipment that is more advanced than what the school requires, but the school doesn't provide that. This student is indeed very knowledgeable.

Jing Yan nodded: "Generally speaking, how much would it cost to equip all the necessary items?"

The student shook his head: "I don't know about that, but my dad gave me 20,000 yuan to buy equipment and supplies. I was thinking that we could all go and buy together, and maybe if we bought more, we could even bargain. The money saved would be my own little savings."

Jingyan chuckled. Sure enough, the idea of ​​having a secret stash of money is a universal trait, regardless of time, gender, or age.

“Zhizhi, Aunt Chen Ping and I will be staying here for a while. Why don’t you invite us when you go this weekend? We can go look around and pick things out together. I used to think that Xiaoxiao’s major was the most expensive, but I didn’t expect it to be yours.” Jingyan couldn’t help but sigh.