Chapter 018: Two Naturally Incompatible People

  Jing Shu’s mother couldn’t withstand the pressure from everyone around her. Her supervisor, Yu Cainai, was clearly prepared, using both emotional manipulation and authority to press her.

“Well, let’s not sell for now. I need to discuss it with my husband,” Jing Shu’s mother said, temporarily retreating in the face of her superior’s pressure. Saying no directly would risk her job.

Being one level higher can crush someone, not to mention that Yu Cainai had people backing her.

“Think carefully, Su Lanzhi. The housing prices are plummeting. Who knows, in a few days, even downtown properties might halt trading,” said a middle-aged man with a bald head and big belly, exhaling smoke that filled the room. He was Manager Liu.

Since properties and cars would become worthless after the apocalypse, Jing Shu hadn’t intended to sell at a high price to take advantage of anyone.

But facing someone who came knocking just to “take advantage,” Jing Shu felt it was necessary to teach them a lesson. She logged onto 58.com with a second account and began orchestrating a scenario where two buyers were competing for the house.

After setting it up, Jing Shu stepped forward and greeted everyone politely, “Hello, uncles and aunties. I’m Jing Shu, Su Lanzhi’s daughter.”

She took note of who was present today and continued, “I’m really sorry, but we’ve already arranged for two buyers to view the house; they’ll be here any minute. They’ve already offered 1.39 million yuan. My dad said we’ll sell to whoever offers the highest price.”

As she spoke, she showed the chat records to everyone. Both buyers urgently needed a house like this—one for a school transfer and another for school enrollment.

Jing Shu’s mother breathed a sigh of relief and secretly gave Jing Shu a thumbs-up. She wondered when her child had grown up so much and become so clever.

“Besides, Uncle Liu is right. If the housing market crashes in a couple of days, wouldn’t that harm Aunt Yu? It wouldn’t be good if my mom’s good intentions led to bad outcomes.”

Manager Liu was stunned. Isn’t it common to depreciate and haggle when buying something? How come someone is cursing their own belongings?

Yu Cainai glared at Manager Liu. “Look at that clumsy mouth. Can’t you bargain properly?”

“Oh, you silly child, what nonsense are you talking about? How could central school district housing crash unless it’s the end of the world! Selling the house to anyone is still selling it. You might as well sell it to your aunt. The price is negotiable,” Yu Cainai was anxious. Earlier, they had the upper hand, but now they were suddenly passive.

Jing Shu insisted on not harming Aunt Yu, saying that her dad had already made appointments with the potential buyers and couldn’t back out. They had to wait until the buyers arrived before deciding whom to sell to.

Yu Cainai was furious but couldn’t show it. Giving Jing Shu’s mother meaningful glances didn’t help, and she was afraid that once the buyers arrived, the price would be driven up. What use was pulling rank now?

Even if she settled scores later, what good would it do? Yu Cainai made a mental note to remember this grudge.

“Lanzhi, I guarantee that even if the housing market crashes, it won’t affect you. Don’t listen to your daughter.”

“I’ll offer 1.395 million yuan, okay? That’s 5,000 yuan more than them!”

“Come on, Lanzhi, I’ll transfer the deposit to you right now and handle the paperwork tomorrow. Quickly tell those two not to come.”

And so, the house they originally planned to sell for 1.3 million yuan was sold for 1.395 million yuan. It can’t be said whether they sold high or low. If there was demand during this period, the price could have gone higher; if not, they might have had to lower the price.

Jing Shu simply needed more funds to buy supplies. Getting more money from someone who wanted to take advantage and use authority to pressure them didn’t bother her. She didn’t care about making enemies anymore.

The next day, Yu Cainai and Jing Shu’s mother went through the procedures. It took two days to complete everything. The contract stated that starting from December 1st, the house would officially belong to Yu Cainai. Jing Shu’s family had about ten days to move out.

They decided to leave the old furniture behind, taking only some miscellaneous items and personal belongings. Jing Shu’s parents planned to move in the last few days.

Having sold the house and two cars, after paying taxes, they had 1.36 million yuan left, all of which was with Jing Shu. The family’s financial crisis was temporarily over. That night, the three of them held a family meeting.

“After paying what’s stipulated in the contract, we have 860,000 yuan left. We’ll return 100,000 yuan to your eldest uncle, 200,000 yuan to your grandmother, and 300,000 yuan to your three aunts. The remaining money should be enough as your startup capital, right?” Jing Shu’s mother calculated.

Jing Shu shook her head. “The initial investment is large. I need to buy a lot of raw materials and cover other costs. Give me another month, and it should be enough.”

She planned to use the money to buy as many supplies as possible. After the apocalypse, she could repay them with grains, effectively helping them avoid disasters.

To express gratitude to her relatives who lent money, she couldn’t let them suffer in the apocalypse. Borrowing money was essentially helping relatives mitigate calamities!

“You’ve suddenly grown up these days, not only having your own insights and ideas but also always convincing us with reasons. Mom believes you won’t spend money recklessly, but you need to keep track of where every penny goes. I might check the accounts at any time,” Jing Shu’s mother felt that in just a month, her child had become somewhat “dictatorial,” always having the final say.

“The day after tomorrow, I’ll bring Grandma and Grandpa over to stay for a while to help me. With their skills, we can be fully confident in this venture.”

Jing Shu’s mother thought: Look at her; she’s got everything planned out.

Grandma and Grandpa’s pickling skills were indeed indispensable. Jing Shu needed to stockpile semifinished foods and really needed their help. Besides, in this life, she wouldn’t let them pass away like before.

As for living together permanently in the future, that was unlikely.

Jing Shu’s mother glared at her father. “When Dad comes, don’t upset him again. If he scolds you, don’t talk back.”

Jing Shu’s father sighed, “If he scolds me and I stay silent, he says I’m useless. If I respond, he says I’m talking back. If I ignore him, he gets angrier, saying I’m disrespecting him. If I listen quietly, he says I’m pretending. What can I do?”

He was quite helpless.

Perhaps Jing Shu’s father and grandfather were born incompatible. They argued whenever they were together, both irritating each other and finding everything the other did displease. Yet, when apart, they’d call each other every few days, missing each other.

Maybe this is what they call “deep love, deep responsibility”?

“Regarding the issue with Old Sun, I want to apologize to you both! Through these events, I’ve finally seen his true colors. He’s deliberately not repaying me. Since he doesn’t consider me a friend, I won’t consider him one either! I’m preparing to take legal action to recover the debt.”

Jing Shu’s father valued this friendship greatly and had given Uncle Sun many chances. In the previous life, there was no financial pressure. In this life, driven crazy by money and betrayed repeatedly when he needed it most, Uncle Sun bought a Mercedes for his son and a diamond ring for his wife. When it came time to repay the debt, the whole family avoided him for days, not answering calls. A true friend wouldn’t act like this!

Even a soft-hearted person like her father was deeply hurt. He even harbored some resentment toward Old Sun, wondering what he had done to deserve such treatment.

Legal action? No, that’s too easy on them! Jing Shu thought. Their grudge wasn’t just that; she wanted to settle all the scores from her previous life, one by one.

Jing Shu had been creating opportunities to make her father feel frustrated, so he could see Uncle Sun’s true face. She couldn’t just take out Uncle Sun right away, could she?

If she did that, Uncle Sun would remain a good image in her father’s mind. Now, she no longer had any reservations. Soon, her father would see even deeper layers of Uncle Sun’s true nature.

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