Chapter 64: Acquired
Wang Shengli led the group toward the end of the alley. As they passed a small convenience store, Xu Youyou stopped, lowered her voice, and gave Xu Fang a few instructions. When Xu Fang came out, she was carrying a carton of cigarettes.
She handed the cigarettes directly to Wang Shengli.
Wang Shengli immediately waved his hands, refusing, “I’m just leading the way, why are you being so polite? And even bringing out Feitian!”
Xu Fang smiled and said, “Big brother, without you, we’d probably still be wandering around this alley. This is just a small token of appreciation.”
After hesitating for a couple of seconds, Wang Shengli finally accepted the 500-yuan Feitian cigarettes.
“Brother, is the owner of this house easy to talk to?” Xu Youyou asked.
After receiving the cigarettes, Wang Shengli seemed even more talkative. “Don’t worry, he’s easy to talk to. Even if he wasn’t before, he definitely is now!”
Xu Youyou raised an eyebrow, sensing there was a story behind this. “What happened before?”
“Little sister, you seem like a good person, so I’ll tell you the truth. This family is rotten to the core, and now they’re facing retribution. If you really want to buy a house, you might as well buy from someone else. No one wants to buy their house—it’s cursed.”
Xu Youyou asked, “What do you mean? Did the owner do something terrible?”
Wang Shengli clapped his hands. “Sis, you hit the nail on the head! Everyone in this alley knows about them. The old and the young—none of them are good people!”
Xu Youyou feigned confusion. “Really? What happened?”
Lowering his voice, Wang Shengli explained, “This house didn’t originally belong to them. The previous owner was their son-in-law. Their daughter had a hard life—after a few years of marriage, her in-laws all passed away, leaving her alone with her little daughter.”
“They say maternal uncles should be kind, but instead of taking care of his widowed sister and niece, this guy coveted the dowry money. He forced his sister to remarry, and the new husband was a monster. Drunk all the time, he beat her to death.”
Xu Youyou frowned. “Wasn’t there a little daughter left?”
Wang Shengli sighed. “That poor girl. Her stepfather didn’t want someone else’s kid, so she had to stay with her uncle. If he could force his sister into marriage for money, do you think he’d treat his niece well? Within a year, she ‘fell’ into a well and drowned.”
Lowering his voice even more, he added, “The neighbors whisper that she didn’t fall in—her cousin pushed her. That boy was two years older and a real troublemaker.”
Xu Youyou listened to this tragic tale and asked, “And what do you mean by retribution?”
“The uncle and grandmother who harmed their own family got what they deserved. The old hag was electrocuted, the uncle was diagnosed with kidney failure, the wife ran off with another man, and as for that troublemaker cousin—he lost his mind. They say he saw the girl’s ghost and went crazy.”
Hearing this, Xu Fang—who had two daughters of her own—was furious. “Serves them right! How could a maternal uncle and grandmother be so heartless?”
Wang Shengli nodded vigorously. “Exactly! People here don’t value sons over daughters, so everyone thinks this family is cursed. They avoid them.”
By now, they had reached the house. Xu Youyou didn’t go in immediately but asked another question, “What did the original owner do for a living?”
“They were good people. The parents were sent-down youth during the Cultural Revolution. I heard their ancestors were scholars. But good people don’t live long.”
Xu Youyou sighed, then followed Wang Shengli into the courtyard.
From the outside, the house looked barely decent, but the moment they stepped in, she wrinkled her nose. A strong musty smell filled the air, junk was scattered everywhere, and flies buzzed around an overflowing trash bin.
Everything screamed filth and neglect.
“Rich folks moved to new houses, leaving only us poor people behind. Ugh! This brat didn’t even sweep the floor. What the hell did I step on?” Wang Shengli muttered, having nearly slipped on something sticky.
Xu Youyou couldn’t stand the smell. She stepped back outside and waited.
Wang Shengli shouted, “Qian Datou! Where are you? Do you know you’re about to get rich?”
Inside the house, hushed voices whispered. After about five minutes, two people emerged—one following the other.
The homeowner, Qian Datou, had greasy, unwashed hair and a sickly yellow complexion. He reeked of something foul. When he saw Xu Youyou, his eyes lit up with astonishment.
Xu Youyou, disgusted, gave Xu Fang a look.
Xu Fang stepped forward. “Our boss wants to buy the house near the alley entrance. Name your price.”
Qian Datou’s eyes gleamed. “This house is about to be demolished! Less than a million—no, three million—I won’t sell!”
But Wang Shengli immediately exposed him. “Give me a break! The government already announced they’re preserving this area. No demolition is happening!”
Qian Datou shot him a glare.
Xu Fang’s face turned cold. “Our boss isn’t a fool. If you want to play games, we’ll just buy another house. Yours isn’t the only one for sale.”
Wang Shengli added fuel to the fire. “I know exactly which houses are available. If he doesn’t want to sell, I’ll take you elsewhere.”
Panic flashed across Qian Datou’s face. “Hey, let’s talk this out. It’s fate that such a pretty lady is interested in my house. Fine, no tricks—500,000 yuan!”
“That’s way too much!” Wang Shengli scolded. “People still need to renovate after buying this dump! And you’re asking for 500,000?”
Qian Datou sighed. “Come on, you all know my situation. I need the money for medical treatment.”
Xu Fang scoffed. “That’s your problem, not ours. If you don’t want to sell, we’ll find another house.”
Qian Datou hesitated, then raised three fingers. “How about 300,000?”
Xu Youyou nodded slightly at Xu Fang.
But Xu Fang, utterly repulsed by Qian Datou, didn’t agree immediately. Instead, she put her bargaining skills to work. “200,000!”
“That’s too low! 290,000.”
“210,000.”
“280,000.”
Wang Shengli clapped his hands. “Enough! My head hurts from all this arguing. Meet in the middle—250,000.”
Qian Datou wanted to haggle more, but Wang Shengli said, “Don’t push your luck. Lao Sun just sold his bigger house for only 280,000.”
“Fine! 250,000,” Qian Datou relented.
The deal was sealed, and that very day, Xu Youyou took Qian Datou to transfer ownership. When signing the contract, she made sure to specify that all belongings in the house were now hers.
The property bureau worked quickly, and since it was a full-cash transaction, the deed was issued the same day.
For her expert negotiation skills, Xu Fang received a 10,000-yuan bonus. Eager to please, she asked, “Boss, do you want me to hire cleaners right away?”
Xu Youyou shook her head.
She had other plans.
Leaving the others outside, she took a flashlight and walked into the house, heading straight for the kitchen.
