Su Lanzhi was powerless against the crowd. Her superior, Yu Caini, clearly came prepared, using both pity and authority to pressure her.
"Then let's not sell for now. I need to discuss with my husband," Su Lanzhi said, yielding to superior pressure. She avoided confrontation openly; saying no outright would mean risking her job.
Being one rank higher was overwhelming, and Yu Caini had backup.
"Xiao Su, think carefully. Housing prices are dropping fast. Maybe even central city properties will stop trading in a few days," said a bald, middle-aged man with a large belly, blowing smoke rings that filled the room. This was Steward Liu.
In the apocalypse, houses and cars were nearly worthless, and Jing Shu had no intention of selling at inflated prices just to take advantage of someone.
But for people who came with the mindset of taking advantage, Jing Shu decided it was necessary to teach them a lesson. Logging into her secondary account on 58.com, she orchestrated a little show of two parties competing for the house.
After setting the scene, Jing Shu rushed forward and greeted each person individually: "Hello uncle, auntie. I am Su Lanzhi's daughter, Jing Shu."
She remembered who had come and added: "I'm really sorry. We've already arranged for two other buyers to view the house. They've offered 1.39 million. My father said we would sell to whoever offers more."
She showed the chat records to everyone. One buyer needed to transfer schools, the other needed the property for schooling. Both urgently needed a house like this.
Su Lanzhi exhaled in relief and secretly gave Jing Shu a thumbs-up. This child had grown up so cleverly without anyone realizing it.
"Besides, Uncle Liu is right. If the market crashes in a few days, won't that cheat Aunt Yu? My mom's good intentions would have backfired," Jing Shu said.
Liu Keyuan froze. Normally, buyers tried to bargain down the price. How could someone actively curse their own property?
Yu Caini glared at Steward Liu, wondering if this awkward boy even knew how to negotiate.
"Young lady, nonsense. Central district school houses won't crash unless it's the end of the world. Selling to anyone is fine. Why not sell to me? We can discuss the price," Yu Caini pressed, losing her initiative within a blink.
Jing Shu firmly refused to let Aunt Yu be taken advantage of. She reminded everyone that her father had said they could not break promises to scheduled buyers. No matter what, they would wait until the buyers arrived before deciding whom to sell to.
Yu Caini was furious but could not act. She winked at Su Lanzhi but it didn't work. She feared the arriving buyers might raise the price unexpectedly. What use was her status? Even if she sought revenge later, she knew she would remember this.
"Lan Zhi, I guarantee the market crash has nothing to do with you. Don't listen to your daughter," Yu Caini said.
"I'll offer 1.395 million, okay? That's 5,000 more than them!"
"Hi Lan Zhi, I'll transfer the deposit now and complete the transfer tomorrow. Tell the other two they don't need to come," said another buyer.
In this way, the house originally planned to sell for 1.3 million was sold for 1.395 million. One could not call it overpricing or underpricing. If demand was high, the price could have gone higher; if not, it would drop.
Jing Shu only needed the funds to buy more supplies. Selling to people trying to use power or opportunism did not bother her, nor did forming enmities.
The next day, Yu Caini accompanied Su Lanzhi to complete the paperwork. It took two full days to finish. The contract officially stated that from December 1, the house belonged to Yu Caini. Jing Shu's family had about ten days to move.
Old furniture was left behind. Only some miscellaneous items and personal clothing remained. Her parents decided to move in the last few days.
With the house and two cars sold, and taxes paid, the remaining 1.36 million yuan was in Jing Shu's hands. Their financial crisis was temporarily over. That evening, the three held a family meeting.
"After paying the contract, you have 860,000 left. 100,000 goes to your eldest uncle, 200,000 to your grandmother, 300,000 to your three aunts. The rest is enough as your starting capital, right?" Su Lanzhi calculated.
Jing Shu shook her head. "The initial investment is big. I need to buy raw materials and other supplies. Give me another month, and it should be enough."
The money would be used to buy as many supplies as possible now. After the apocalypse, she could repay them with food. It also served as a way to protect her relatives from disasters.
Jing Shu wanted to ensure that those who helped her would not suffer in the apocalypse. Lending money was, in essence, helping family avoid calamity.
"Recently, you've grown so fast. You have your own opinions and ideas, and you always have reasons to persuade us. Mom trusts you won't waste money, but you must record every expense. I'll check at any time," Su Lanzhi said. She felt that in just one month, her child had become surprisingly decisive.
"The day after tomorrow, I'll bring Grandma and Grandpa over to help. With their skills, everything will be almost foolproof."
Su Lanzhi noticed Jing Shu had planned everything. Grandma and Grandpa's pickling skills were indeed essential. Jing Shu wanted to stock semi-finished food and relied on them. She would not let them die this time.
Living together permanently, however, was unlikely.
Su Lanzhi glared at Jing An. "Don't get angry at him again. If he scolds you, don't reply."
Jing An sighed helplessly. "If he scolds me, I stay silent, and he says I am useless. If I reply, he says I'm talking back. If I ignore him, he says I'm disrespecting him. If I listen silently, he says I'm faking it. What can I do?"
Jing An was at his wit's end.
He and Grandpa seemed born to clash. Whenever they were together, they argued. They irritated each other and found everything the other did unbearable. If apart, after a few days, they would call each other again, still frustrated. Perhaps this was love coupled with deep responsibility.
"About Lao Sun, I apologize. Through these events, I've realized he deliberately refused to repay me. Since he doesn't consider me a friend, he is no longer my friend. I plan to recover the debt through legal means."
Jing's Dad valued this friendship and had given Uncle Sun many chances. In the past life, he had no financial pressure. In this life, money drove him to madness. At critical times, he was betrayed. Uncle Sun bought his son a Mercedes and his wife a diamond ring, but on repayment day, the family avoided him for days, not answering calls. A true friend would not act this way.
Even someone as naive as Jing's Dad felt hurt and betrayed. He still harbored some resentment. What had he done to deserve this from Lao Sun?
Legal action? Too easy for them. Jing Shu thought their enmity was not limited to this life. She intended to settle old scores from the past life, one by one.
Jing Shu kept creating situations to let Jing's Dad see his frustration, so he could recognize Uncle Sun's true face. She could not kill him outright yet.
The image of Uncle Sun as a model friend would remain in Jing's Dad's mind until now. With Jing Shu's intervention, he would soon see a deeper, darker side of Uncle Sun.