Chapter 051: Buying Another House

The idea of renting first to secure a spot in the housing market simply didn’t work.

The area would soon be under government control, which meant that when floods submerged half of Wucheng, countless homeless people would need to be accommodated. Besides property owners, all arrangements, including rentals, would follow government mandates. After half a year of chaos, no one dared defy the rules—non-compliance meant no food and possible forced labor.

This included reassignments of rentals where those with connections might squeeze in additional people, while those without were relegated to living in marked parking spaces in underground garages. Even those with mortgages were expected to contribute food monthly because the loans were through banks owned by the state.

And how did the government know whether you bought a house or how you paid for it? Since the advent of big data in 2018, a swipe of your ID card could reveal everything about you, including any relief grain you collected on a specific date in December 2022.

In the post-apocalyptic world, no freeloaders were tolerated. To survive, one has to create value.

As Jing Shu’s thoughts wandered, more messages appeared on her phone.

For Sale, Building 25: “Big sister, I spent 250,000 yuan on this house and another 100,000 yuan on renovations and new appliances, all of which I include for free. I originally bought this for weekend stays but am now selling it at a loss!”

Wang Cuihua sent a voice message: “Try asking others who might need housing. Right now, buying cars or houses is foolish.”

For Sale, Building 25: “… You don’t have to buy it, but please don’t undermine my efforts.”

Jing Shu added the seller as a friend and sent a message: “I’ll take the house for 130,000 yuan, cash ready now. I’m only buying to stockpile property. If prices rise in a few years, fine, otherwise I won’t consider it due to the imminent risk of a market collapse.”

After pondering for over ten minutes, the seller agreed, desperate to make any sale: “It’s better than getting stuck with it. I can use the money to buy food since even cabbage is now over 100 yuan a piece. Let’s finalize the paperwork at 5 AM tomorrow.”

The next day, Jing Shu and her father accompanied her mother to work, bringing a packed lunch of sweet and sour radish, stir-fried pork with wood ear mushrooms and cabbage, rice mixed with spicy kimchi, two marinated eggs, and a bowl of chilled milk. They avoided bringing better or fresh produce since vegetables were rare, and her mother had to eat discreetly due to her increased appetite.

Given recent policy changes, the lower-tier staff like her mother were working overtime, replicating the conditions of her previous life. But Jing Shu knew her mother’s opportunity was coming, and this time, it must be seized.

Afterward, they took her grandparents’ IDs to the real estate office to complete the purchase with the seller. The transaction was smooth, motivated by a willing buyer and a desperate seller, and they quickly transferred ownership.

Receiving the keys, Jing Shu and her father visited the newly purchased apartment in Building 25, located just 100 meters opposite their villa. Her father was bewildered, “Why did you buy another apartment for your grandparents? This area is so remote; I was thinking of buying a city apartment once our financial situation improved.”

“It’s too quiet here, inconvenient for transport and shopping, just like traveling from the countryside to the city,” Jing Shu’s father reflected on the recent hassles of queuing at supermarkets and commuting.

Jing Shu toured the apartment with her father, pleased with the three bedrooms, two living rooms, and two bathrooms. Furniture and appliances, except for an air conditioner, were included, making it almost ready to move in.

“The renovation is basic, using cheap materials,” her father noted.

“We owe your grandparents 200,000 yuan, right? They won’t accept the money, so buying them an apartment seems right. Plus, putting it in their names means no matter which aunt comes to visit, they feel at home. We’ll live here a few more years, won’t we?”

She explained her thoughts to her father, suggesting, “When you and grandpa aren’t arguing, you can live together. If there’s a quarrel, they can move back here for a few days, right? They can stay in the countryside or here whenever they want—it’s all their property.”

Her father’s eyes brightened with the idea. He had always wanted to live with his parents but didn’t want to stress his father into another heart attack. Now, this arrangement seems to solve that problem.

In the following days, Jing Shu and her father busied themselves refurbishing the apartment to surprise the elderly couple. They couldn’t install a UBC solar system due to its ground-level location, nor an air conditioner, but they quickly installed various water purifiers due to the ongoing water shutdown, which had become cheaper as demand plummeted.

They also stocked up on linens, household goods, and some of her grandparents’ clothes.

Jing Shu spends her days sorting these things, preparing meals in advance, and checking on the poultry in her space in the evenings. The quails had multiplied to over six hundred, just waiting to be roasted. The soybeans had matured in three batches, ready for her grandmother to make tofu when she arrived.

In February, universities decided to extend vacations indefinitely, waiting for further notifications as high school seniors were also given a break due to the cancellation of special electricity provisions for schools.

Wucheng reduced the electricity supply further to only 3.5 hours per day from 4 PM to 7:30 PM, causing significant disruptions for many citizens. People had to buy extra power banks to prevent their phones from dying, boil water in advance, and deal with defrosting and spoiling food in refrigerators that were only on for a few hours a day.

Those who had been growing vegetables at home under simulated sunlight might have to abandon their efforts as plants failed to thrive.

While daily challenges could be overcome, the physical toll was harder to manage. Previously, at least six hours of air conditioning helped, but now almost no one can use it, leading to widespread heatstroke. Hospitals, already overwhelmed and without a resupply of medications, faced dire conditions.

Pharmacies sold out their stocks even with purchase limits, and the government announced a suspension of medical insurance cards, taking over all pharmacies and seizing their medications!

As in her previous life, medical insurance cards soon became useless, and the government began seizing all resources forcefully. At this time, some food manufacturers were hoarding supplies, adding to the crisis.

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Thank you, zw7774 and chen33, for your support! Sad that I couldn’t buy Brazilian nuts at the double twelve sale; they aren’t delivered to my area. ��