Buy a house with 30,000 yuan and live in a small town

"What money do you want?" Liu Wangxue didn't understand what was going on. She had heard from Tao Huaxin that Qiu Xiangrong would give his parents a sum of money every month as alimony. Although it wasn't much, considering the old couple's consumption level, it was not only enough for them to spend, but they could also save some.

Liu Wangxue thought, isn't he rich? Why does he want more money, and why does he come to Taojia Village and block Tao's father and mother's door to ask for it?
Aunt Changxiu glanced at Liu Wangxue and came to a conclusion with certainty. She felt that there must be no such annoying relatives in her family. She continued in a low voice: "What other money do you want? You just want the money from Xiangrong's cake sales!"

"Ah?" Liu Wangxue raised his eyes and looked at Xu Qingsong.

Aunt Changxiu quickly added another sentence, and Liu Wangxue understood. Aunt Changxiu said: "It is to buy a house in a big city for my youngest son."

Liu Wangxue knew roughly what was going on in Qiu Xiangrong's family.

The topic was extended when Qiu Xiangrong first went to Liu Wangxue's house with Tao Huaxin and his baked cookies. At the end of December, Liu Wangxue came back from the crew and chatted with Tao Huaxin. She learned about her love story with Qiu Xiangrong. When she wanted to write a script based on their love, she chatted with Tao Huaxin several more times to make the characters and the plot more in line.

Qiu Xiangrong is not the only son in the family. He has an older brother and a younger brother. He is the middle child who is always neglected. Neither his father nor his mother loves him.

The eldest brother Qiu Xiangjie was admitted to university, and after graduation he worked directly in the big city where the university was located. Later, he found a local girlfriend and settled there completely. He took out a loan before marriage to buy a house and a car, and emptied his parents' coffin money. Qiu Xiangjie rarely came back since he went to college, and his wedding was also held in a big city because his girlfriend didn't want to come back, and neither did he. Qiu's father and mother loved their eldest son, so naturally they agreed to whatever he said. After marriage, Qiu Xiangjie didn't come back for a year. His son and daughter are now in elementary school, and they haven't even seen their grandparents a few times.

The younger brother Qiu Xiangbin was not as good at studying as his elder brother, but he managed to get into a private college. He didn't want to study at first, but the old couple forced him to study. After graduation, he went to the city where Qiu Xiangjie was, found an ordinary job and lived a mediocre life. His monthly salary was not enough to spend, so he either relied on his elder brother for help or asked his parents for money. Qiu Xiangbin dated several girlfriends, but none of them lasted long. Qiu's parents were very worried and kept urging him to come back for a blind date if it didn't work out. He was not young anymore, so he had to get married quickly so that they could have grandchildren.

The village where Qiu Xiangrong's family lived was called Qiulinwan, not far from Taojia Village. Aunt Changxiu's sister Changying married to Qiulinwan, which happened to be opposite Qiu Xiangrong's family. Therefore, Qiu Xiangrong was also raised by Aunt Changying. The marriage between Qiu Xiangrong and Tao Huaxin was successful with the help of Aunt Changying.

Before she got married, Tao Ma and Aunt Changxiu were from the same village, and they were good friends since childhood. After Qiu Xiangrong and Tao Huaxin got married, Aunt Changying assigned herself the task of "spy". She would always pay attention to the opposite door when she went in and out, and call Aunt Changxiu as soon as there was any disturbance, asking Aunt Changxiu to tell Tao Ma to remind Qiu Xiangrong to prevent the two old women from making trouble. But usually it was nothing serious, the most important thing was that Qiu Ma pretended to be sick and wanted to trick Qiu Xiangrong back.

But what Aunt Changying noticed this time was different. The youngest son who lived next door to her and had not been home for three or four years suddenly came back on New Year's Eve.

During the Chinese New Year, people in the village who were seeing each other visited each other and exchanged auspicious words to have a lively time. Aunt Changying followed everyone to the house opposite the one she chose, out of curiosity, to find out why this wealthy family, which had flown away, suddenly gave up the wealth and glory of the big city and came back.

As soon as I entered the house, I heard Father and Mother Qiu proudly showing off how good the third son's job in the big city was, how much he earned a year, and now like his eldest brother, he had found a girlfriend in the big city, and planned to buy a house in the big city with full payment in a few months and get married after the house was purchased.

Mr. and Mrs. Qiu were smiling with their faces flushed, immersed in this joy and unable to extricate themselves.

People from the same village who came to pay New Year's greetings could not stand it, thinking that these two people were bragging without thinking. The housing prices in Xishi City were so high per square meter, not to mention the larger cities. Full payment? That would be several million, right? With the salary that they just mentioned, Qiu Xiangbin couldn't save up even if he didn't eat or drink for ten years. Unless they robbed a bank, where would their family get so much money?

But no one asked so directly: "Xiang Jie's father, I heard that the house and car Xiang Jie bought when he got married were all mortgaged. Have you paid off the loan?"

Father Qiu said: "No, his house is big, and he has to pay off the loan for another 20 years."

Someone asked again: "How can he have the spare money to support Xiang Bin in buying a house?" Even if he has the spare money, he has to pay off his own loan first.

Everyone looked at Qiu Xiangbin, who was sitting with his legs crossed and his feet shaking as he peeled oranges. They didn't believe that he had the ability to buy a house in full.

Mother Qiu continued, "Well, how can the eldest son have the extra money to help him? The eldest son has two children, and the daily expenses are huge enough. He can't even take care of himself. Isn't this the second son? He also makes a lot of money selling cakes. It's only right for him to help his younger brother..."

Father Qiu gave her a look and she stopped talking and changed the subject abruptly.

After the New Year greetings, someone asked Aunt Changying, "Isn't your sister's family in Taojia Village? Has she ever told you how the second son of the Qiu family's cake business is going? Is it really that profitable?"

Before Qiu Xiangrong opened his own bakery, everyone in Taojia Village knew that he was sending desserts and afternoon tea to the crew. Later, when the crew finished filming in Xishi and left, the wing room in Tao Huayu's yard began to be renovated, and the people in Taojia Village also knew that Qiu Xiangrong was going to open a private bakery. When everyone was chatting among relatives, they talked about it, and people in the surrounding villages also heard about it. The funny thing is that Qiu Xiangrong's parents also heard about it from other people.

When Mr. and Mrs. Qiu found out about this, they immediately used an old trick - they pretended to be sick and called Qiu Xiangrong back. Their intention was that Qiu Xiangrong now had a new job to do, so they should increase the amount of alimony they were given.

The bakery was still under renovation at the time. Qiu Xiangrong did not respond after hearing this. Instead, he stretched out his hand to ask the old couple for money: "It just so happens that renovation, equipment, and raw materials all require money. I don't have enough on hand, and I have already borrowed some from Huayu. How about you also give me some money, and I will consider it as your investment and give you dividends at the end of the year."

When Mr. and Mrs. Qiu heard this, they immediately shut up and never mentioned increasing alimony again.

Aunt Changying thought, as long as the business can be successful, it will make money, but she didn't know whether it was a lot or a little, and only a fool would tell others.

"If he really makes that much money, can his second son live in his father-in-law's house like a live-in son-in-law?" Aunt Changying asked back, and then evaded other inquiries.

After walking around the village to pay New Year's greetings with everyone, Aunt Changying called Aunt Changxiu as soon as she got home and repeated to her what Father and Mother Qiu had said word for word: "Sister, go to Sister Yuehua's house right away and tell them about this. Let Xiangrong be on the lookout."

Aunt Changxiu came to see Tao Ma that afternoon and whispered to her, "Those two old people are shameless and are trying to pin their plans on Xiang Rong. Hua Xin is still pregnant now. You have to talk to Xiang Rong and tell him not to be confused. After all, his own little family is the most important."

Aunt Changxiu felt that Qiu Xiangrong was too kindhearted. If she had been treated like that by her parents before, she would have been generous if she could just treat them like a stranger and not have any contact with them, let alone support. On the other hand, Xiangrong not only gave support, but also went back to see them whenever they asked him to go home because of a headache or fever, even if they knew they were faking it.

Aunt Changxiu looked down on Mr. and Mrs. Qiu's behavior: "The eldest and the third are our dearest children. They have loved us all their lives, but in the end, isn't it the second child who takes care of us in our old age? They are so confused that they still can't figure out who they can rely on, and they are still restless. If Xiangrong is completely disappointed, I think they will starve to death!"

Aunt Changxiu was just saying it casually at the time, but she never expected it to come true.

After Aunt Changxiu left, Tao's mother quietly told Qiu Xiangrong about the matter. Qiu Xiangrong hadn't been home for a while, and Qiu Xiangbin didn't tell him when he came back, so he didn't know anything about it. But he didn't react much after hearing it, and even comforted Tao's mother: "Mom, don't worry, this is a big deal, I'm definitely not confused."

Moreover, he has grasped the weakness of the old couple. They are afraid that when they are too old to move in bed, there will be no one to serve them tea. They also know that the eldest and youngest sons are impossible to serve them. If something really happens, they still have to rely on Qiu Xiangrong. In fact, the old couple has been subdued by him over the years, but they still have the problem of being quick to talk. If they really want to take over his bakery this time, Qiu Xiangrong thought, it is probably instigated by the third son. I don’t know what unrealistic dream the third son has given them.

Tao's mother knew how Qiu Xiangrong treated his biological parents. She couldn't use the grace of raising him to blackmail her son-in-law and ask him to repay evil with kindness. It's not just blood relations that make a family. She often said to Qiu Xiangrong: "Do what you should do, just save face, and don't give others anything to talk about you. If black and white are reversed, it's your fault even if you're not the one."

Tao's mother still said this, and warned him again: "Go home tomorrow. If your parents really quarrel with you about this, you must handle it calmly. If it really doesn't work, come back first. Can they chase you here?"

On the morning of the second day of the Chinese New Year, Qiu Xiangrong went home alone with his belongings. After marrying Tao Huaxin, he considered himself a live-in son-in-law, living here all year round, not even going home on New Year's Eve. If he did, it would be on the second day of the Chinese New Year or the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day.

When he returned to Qiulinwan, he met people from the same village. Some elders who liked to joke would jokingly say, "Hey, Xiangrong, you've brought your wife back to her parents' home." Qiu Xiangrong was not angry, but responded cheerfully, "Yes." Every time Qiu's father and mother heard about this, they would get angry and treat Qiu Xiangrong and Tao Huaxin badly.

This year, Qiu Xiangrong did not let Tao Huaxin go back with him, because he knew that there would be 80% to 90% unpleasant things going on after she went back. In addition, with Qiu Xiangbin back, the old couple would probably be even more reckless with the support of the third child. Tao Huaxin was already nearly eight months pregnant, and Qiu Xiangrong did not want her to be exposed to any risk, not even the slightest bit.

I didn't expect that when I got home, Qiu Xiangbin was not there. When I asked, I found out that he only came back to spend New Year's Eve and left in the afternoon of the first day of the new year.

For the first time ever, Mr. and Mrs. Qiu prepared a sumptuous lunch - in the past, when Qiu Xiangrong and Tao Huaxin came back and stayed for dinner, the young couple would cook the meal themselves, but this time it was really different, Qiu Xiangrong thought.

When Qiu's father and mother saw that he came back alone, they asked, "Why didn't Hua Xin come back with you?"

Qiu Xiangrong replied perfunctorily: "She is heavy and the journey is long. I am afraid of tiring her."

Mother Qiu secretly curled her lips, thinking, how far is the road? You two didn't walk back, how could you be tired riding a battery bike? Besides, doesn't Hua Xin walk to work every day at the company owned by the out-of-town boss? What if she, as a mother-in-law, knows nothing? But today was not the time to be unhappy, so she had to swallow all these words. The old couple had more important things to say to Qiu Xiangrong. No, it was better to speak nicely at this time, to discuss.

During the meal, Father and Mother Qiu, contrary to their usual practice, picked up some food for Qiu Xiangrong. Father Qiu even opened the good wine that Qiu Xiangbin had brought back, saying that he wanted to have a good drink with Qiu Xiangrong.

Qiu Xiangrong sneered in his heart. He usually didn't drink much, and when he did drink, it was the low-alcohol wine that Tao Huayu brought back. He would get drunk after just a few sips. His father poured him white wine with an alcohol content of more than 50%. What was going on? Did he want to get him drunk so that he could make demands?

Qiu Xiangrong only picked up the chopsticks to eat the food and didn't even touch the wine.

Seeing that they could not persuade him, Qiu's father and mother had to give up. They usually did not communicate much with the second child, and they suddenly wanted to get closer to him. They did not know how to find a topic, so they could only talk about this and that, and Qiu Xiangrong's answer was also very perfunctory. Finally, they finally changed the topic to private baking and asked Qiu Xiangrong about the revenue. Qiu Xiangrong did not answer, put down his chopsticks, took out his mobile phone, lowered his head and clicked a few times, turned on the recorder to start recording, then turned off the screen, put the phone on the table, and directly said: "You want me to pay for the wedding house for the third child?"

His frankness made his parents feel a little embarrassed, but this kind of embarrassment was the embarrassment of being seen through. The old couple simply stopped pretending, it was tiring.

Father Qiu said: "It's not easy for your brother to work hard outside. It's hard for him to find a girlfriend who is willing to marry him. The girl is from a big city and has high aspirations. The prerequisite for her to agree to marry your brother is that he must buy a house there."

Mother Qiu continued, "It's not just the house, but also the car and the betrothal gift. The car doesn't have to be that good, just drive it around every day, but the betrothal gift is 18 yuan, for good luck."

Wow! Qiu Xiangrong laughed as if he had heard a great joke. He could hardly hold his chopsticks. He asked, "When my brother got married, how much was the bride price my sister-in-law gave?"

"Didn't your sister-in-law ask for a dowry? What a poor memory you have." Aunt Qiu said, "She was stupid. I didn't expect her parents were also stupid. Your brother got a great bargain."

Qiu Xiangrong nodded and asked, "Then how much was Hua Xin's gift when I got married?"

When Mrs. Qiu thought about this, she got angry and said faster than Mr. Qiu: "How should I know? Didn't you give her all your savings? If you ask me, you are also a fool..."

With a look from Father Qiu, he suppressed her impulse to continue talking, fearing that she would make the person angry and leave.

Qiu Xiangrong didn't respond and continued to ask, "How big a house do you want to buy, third brother?"

Father Qiu thought that since he asked this, it meant that he might agree, so he was delighted: "It's not too big, just 200 square meters."

Mother Qiu continued, "Xiang Bin came back the day before yesterday and showed us the plan of the house. It has three bedrooms and a living room. He said one of the rooms is for your father and me, and after he gets married, he will take us in to live there."

Qiu Xiangrong thought to himself, he had guessed right, the third brother's dream was to bring them to a big city to live out their retirement.

Father Qiu said, "Logically, we gave birth to you and raised you, and you paid for this house, which is also a way of honoring me and your mother. In terms of kinship, Xiang Bin is your brother, and you should contribute to his marriage. The car and the betrothal gift together are not much."

Wow, Qiu Xiangrong continued with a smile: "Dad, Mom, how much do you think I can make in a month by selling cakes and biscuits?"

The expression on Qiu's father's face clearly said, "Don't lie to me, I know everything." He asked back, "If you can't earn this money, would we ask you for this?"

Mother Qiu's expression was exactly the same as Father Qiu's. "Your brother has already checked online. The raw materials for cakes and biscuits don't cost much. Your brother has also looked at your online store. The sales are so good every day. He has done the math for you. It doesn't cost money to open an online store. You don't have to hire any workers. After deducting the raw materials, you can make more than 100,000 yuan a month."

Actually, there is salary, from Tao's father and mother, but the old couple did not announce the fact of their salary to others. Firstly, they don't want to show off their wealth. Their combined monthly salary is 5,000 yuan. Who wouldn't ask, "How much does Xiangrong earn a month? He only gets 5,000 yuan in salary?" Secondly, the old couple saves the money and will not spend it. They will keep it for their children in emergencies in the future.

People in Taojia Village would never think of asking Tao's father and mother whether they have received any salary. Everyone has the same idea that as parents they must help their children's business. There is no point in talking about money. If the children live well, the parents will surely live well too.

Let's talk about the "more than 100,000" again. This number was not obtained by Qiu Xiangbin through observation or calculation. He just searched the topic of private baking on the Internet and saw an advertisement for a "store management" course, which mentioned a baking shop and attached a store revenue statement. When he saw that the number of orders was almost the same as the number of Qiu Xiangrong's mini program stores, he took it for granted that Qiu Xiangrong could also earn that much.

In fact, this number is about half of the monthly revenue of Qiu Xiangrong's private baking. The venue and manpower are limited, and not many things can be made in a day. Qiu Xiangrong's original intention of making desserts is for his family and his unborn daughter, so he is very particular about the ingredients. This will inevitably increase the cost, and he does not want to set the price too high, otherwise it will be against his conscience. In addition, there are water and electricity fees, packaging fees, and express delivery fees. If the goods are damaged when they are delivered to the customer, he has to send them for free, all of which must be calculated into the cost.

In addition, Tao Huaxin's due date is in late April, and she will go to the city hospital in advance to give birth. He has also booked a confinement center in the city a long time ago, plus preparing things for the baby. All in all, from the official opening of "Butian" to now, Qiu Xiangrong and Tao Huaxin have not had much money left, because they spend all the money they earn immediately.

Father Qiu was still calculating what he thought was his account: "You make 100,000 a month. Haven't you already given it to that crew since October? It should be a lot, right? But there aren't many people in the crew, so let's just say 50,000." After he finished speaking, he asked Mother Qiu: "When did he open this online store?"

"Early November?" said Mother Qiu. She remembered that the third child said this.

"Let's say it's twenty days," Father Qiu continued to calculate, "Twenty days should be about 60,000 or 70,000, right? Add up December, January, and half a month of February, and you should have at least a-"

Father Qiu counted on his fingers like a fortune teller, paused for a moment, and said, "It should be at least 370,000 or 380,000!"

Mother Qiu was not surprised to hear this number, because after Qiu Xiangbin came back, the three of them had already calculated it once. Now they calculated it again in front of Qiu Xiangrong, just to show him, to show that they "know it like the back of their hand".

Mother Qiu nodded and said, "The house your brother likes will cost about three million. He and his girlfriend have agreed that a car worth one hundred thousand will do, plus the 18 yuan for the betrothal gift, so the total is three million three hundred thousand. This money is not difficult for you."

Three million three hundred thousand, this number comes out of their mouths as if it is just a number. Qiu Xiangrong wondered, have they ever seen three million three hundred thousand? Do they know how high and heavy a stack of three million three hundred thousand banknotes would be? They have never even seen three hundred and thirty thousand in their lives, how can they say that three million three hundred thousand is not difficult?

Speaking of cars, he said "one hundred thousand is fine", did he really think money is so easy to make? He was reluctant to buy a second-hand car that cost less than ten thousand before, and when he went to the city to have afternoon tea with the crew, he drove an old car that Huayu had discarded. If Huayu didn't need to show off his business, he wouldn't have changed his car. He didn't sell the old car because he knew he couldn't bear to buy one, so he drove it for him.

Qiu Xiangrong was too lazy to prove to them how much money he could make from baking in a private house. He couldn't let them know his real income. He asked, "Didn't you say you would pay for the house for the third brother? I don't have the three million on hand. What should I do? Will you make up the rest? Or will the eldest brother make up the rest?"

Father Qiu and Mother Qiu immediately looked at him with condemnation in their eyes. Father Qiu said, "Why are you so ignorant? I've already told you that your eldest brother has two children and it's not easy for him. Why are you still thinking of asking him to pay?"

"That's right, second son," Qiu's mother continued, "your father and I said we would pay in full, but that was just a statement to others to make it sound good. We know you can't come up with so much money all at once, but you've always had an income, so you can just take out a loan to buy it."

This little old lady even knew about "loans". Qiu Xiangrong thought that at this moment he really admired himself for being calm. He was really calm: "If I take out a loan, the down payment seems to be 30%? That means I have to pay yuan at once. I don't have that much."

"It's okay, there's no rush." ​​Father Qiu and Mother Qiu had already made plans. Father Qiu said, "Your brother isn't getting married right away. He said that your cake, no, it's some kind of baking, will make more money once you become famous, so you don't have to worry about not being able to pay. His wedding will be at least half a year later."

That's great, Qiu Xiangrong thought, they are such a loving family, and the parents have considered everything for their children. Fortunately, he had given up hope a long time ago, and no matter how cruel the reality was, it could not defeat him at all.

But he still felt a little unwilling, and wanted to ask the so-called "parents" in front of him, it's not easy for the eldest brother to raise two children after marriage, and it's not easy for the third brother to work hard outside, so is it easy for him? He really didn't want to talk about many things in the past, knowing that it was useless to talk about them, so he only asked: "Dad, Mom, Hua Xin and I are about to have a child, have you ever thought about whether it will be easy for me in the future?"

"What's so difficult about it?" Mother Qiu blurted out with a hint of anger, "Aren't you marrying into the Tao family? Since you're married into their family, they have to be responsible for you to the end."

Father Qiu also said, "Doesn't your brother-in-law run a big company outside? Your child will have to call him uncle when he is born. Can he not care? He must care! If he does, will you still need to worry about money?"

Qiu Xiangrong closed his eyes, stood up and went to the table against the wall to get a pen and paper. After sitting down, he settled the accounts with the old couple: "Indeed, all the affairs of our family are managed by my brother-in-law Huayu. Let's not talk about other things for now. For example, this private bakery I opened is actually not opened by me-"

Qiu Xiangrong deliberately paused here.

Father Qiu and Mother Qiu looked at each other and asked, "What do you mean?"

Qiu Xiangrong wrote and drew on the paper while answering half-truthfully: "I don't know if you and Lao San have ever learned about the prices of the equipment in the bakery. When the bakery was still under renovation, you asked me to come back and ask me to increase your alimony, but I really had no money at that time. I also wanted you to lend me some money, not for nothing, as an investment, and give you dividends at the end of the year, but you refused. You also know that before I opened a private bakery, I was a farmer. Before Hua Xin and I got married, you broke your leg, and our family's land has been mine since then. After getting married, my father-in-law and mother-in-law have grown old in the past few years, and I have been in charge of the land at home. I usually set up a stall at the morning market to sell vegetables. Mom and Dad, you have been farming for your whole life, and I can't hide how much I earn in a year from you. I really had no choice when I asked you that time. You didn't support me, and I couldn't afford so much money. The money for the decoration and equipment was naturally paid by my brother-in-law Huayu, but how could I, as his brother-in-law, take advantage of him? So this bakery is in Huayu's name, and I am just an employee for him."

When Qiu Xiangrong said this, he silently apologized to Tao Huayu in his heart, I'm sorry, your brother-in-law will use you to block it for the time being.

Seeing that they didn't say anything, Qiu Xiangrong leaned over and put the paper in front of Qiu's father - Qiu's mother was illiterate, and although Qiu's father could read, he didn't understand much.

Qiu Xiangrong continued, "Mom and Dad, if you want to use this money to buy a house for the third child, that's fine. Huayu is easy to talk to. As long as you pay Huayu every penny for the decoration and equipment, I can tell him to transfer the store to the third child. I will work for the third child in the future as long as he pays me on time."

When Father Qiu saw it, he immediately got angry and grabbed the paper and threw it at Qiu Xiangrong: "Nine hundred thousand! Why don't you go and rob it?!"

Qiu Xiangrong didn't even try to evade the question. He deliberately calculated the amount to 900,000 yuan, which was exactly the down payment for the house Qiu Xiangbin wanted to buy. He stared into Qiu's father's eyes and repeated his words in a light and cold voice: "Yes, why don't you go and rob him?" (End of this chapter)