Chapter Nineteen: Not Buying a House Just Yet

The remarks by Xuanying successfully eased Bilizhu’s attitude. She glanced at her son. Seeing his equally serious expression, she knew this was truly the result of a mutual decision between the young couple. Bilizhu let out a slight breath of relief. It wasn’t that she was overthinking, but given the current circumstances of the two families, she had to consider the possibility that things might still change as the wedding approached.

“If we don’t buy a house right away...” An Jianping pondered for a moment, looking at his son, somewhat uncertain about their plan.

An Songlin glanced at his fiancée before turning to his parents and said, “Dad, Mom, after discussing it with Aying, we agree that you can use the down payment to contract mulberry fields or orchards in the village.”

He knew that even if the family took out a loan, the money hadn’t been touched yet. Besides that, he actually had some savings himself—though not much. Originally, he planned to use it for furnishing the new house with appliances, bedding, and other small items after renovation. Now, he was ready to put that money toward this project as well.

“Recently, we’ve not only checked out the new factory site but also visited many places in Rongdi and Liangdi,” he explained. “It’s clear that once the new factory area is fully operational, it will greatly impact the surrounding regions. Especially since the new district isn’t just one or two factories—it’s an entire cluster of industrial buildings.”

For this reason, even though he was not entirely sure about the demolition news his sister had heard, An Songlin still believed investing in Jiang Village was worthwhile. However, he couldn’t fully express these thoughts in front of his fiancée, so he analyzed the situation from a practical development perspective.

“The neighboring Lin Village next to ours has shrunk to just one-third of its original size, and they are focused on developing rental housing. Plus, Lin Village has historically been fertile, with three harvests a year, producing good grain yields. In contrast, our village has transitioned from mulberry cultivation for silkworm farming, to mulberry-based fish ponds, and previously to growing flowers and trees.”

“All these have created favorable conditions for developing agritourism today. Although most of the land around the village is well managed by locals now, the remaining plots are farther out, with no access roads.”

“But those abandoned fields aren’t entirely idle—they’re just unmanaged. For example, the mulberry fields and fish ponds you contracted, Dad, even without rebuilding silkworm houses for silk production, can still yield mulberries and leaves for making mulberry wine.”

“We can also collaborate with other agritourism ventures in the village during the mulberry harvest season, allowing visitors to pick fruit themselves. Since there are no other fruits ripe for picking at that time, this adds another attraction to draw customers.”

“Mulberry wine made in-house sells well too. I’ve checked with various local agritourism spots, and homemade fruit wine has a strong market. If we’re truly dedicated, managing the mulberry fields well will surely find a profitable path.”

“Moreover, although the new district is closest to Lin Village, it’s not far from Jiang Village either. Especially after the demolition in Lin Village, usable land there is scarce. Just a couple of factories nearby can fill Lin Village with workers renting houses. When that happens, Jiang Village will have opportunities.”

“Even if few workers rent directly in our village, the short distance between the two villages means those renting in Lin Village will frequently visit ours. I’ve heard private factories in the new district pay well. When they see our village offers both food and entertainment, how could they resist?”

“In short, no matter how you look at it, I don’t think Jiang Village will be left behind.”

An Songlin spoke with genuine consideration. The mulberry wine idea, for instance, wasn’t mere fantasy—it was based on factories where classmates worked that already produced fruit wine. He had consulted classmates and experienced craftsmen many times.

Xuanying’s eyes gleamed with admiration. Over the years, many large state-owned factories had faced waves of layoffs. Those enduring to this day either thrived or barely survived. The First Silk Weaving Factory of Shuncheng was an exception. Despite several upheavals, it not only avoided decline like other state factories but showed signs of growth thanks to early public-private partnerships.

In this context, when An Songlin felt constrained by finances for the wedding house, he immediately sought alternative solutions. Xuanying found not only his intelligence impressive but also a strong sense of reliability.

An Jianping wasn’t worried about other matters but asked, “Xiao Xuan, before you made this decision, did you discuss it with your family?”

Xuanying nodded. “Actually, my family influenced this choice. At first, the atmosphere at home regarding our wedding house wasn’t very good. But a few days ago, when my little aunt came home and heard about it, she scolded my parents.”

Her aunt’s family lived in Liangdi, and their younger cousin was at a crucial stage transitioning from middle to high school. Unfortunately, their area wasn’t within the catchment for Shuncheng No. 1 High School. So now, Xuanying’s cousin had to compete with the city’s top talents nationwide for limited spots at that prestigious school.

Coincidentally, Xuanying’s aunt’s colleague’s children were in the Shuncheng No. 1 school district. Their daughter’s exam experience last year was far less troublesome than her cousin’s, even though their grades weren’t better.

Because of this, Xuanying, so close to marriage, began seriously considering whether the new house’s location was suitable. Her parents, who had been uneasy about switching from a full cash purchase to a loan, surprisingly encouraged the young couple to be cautious in their home buying.

Thus, the young couple had the chance to share their recent observations with the family. Though Xuanying’s parents remained somewhat uneasy, she had full confidence in An Songlin. In her heart, she took pride in their approach. If this was the only way to ensure peace of mind, then her vision was simply limited.

Others in the An family were unaware of these details. Seeing Xuanying’s determination, An Jianping said no more, only reminding them, “Next week, confirm a suitable time. Then you’ll come with me to visit Jiang Village.”

An Jianping had resolved that even if they didn’t buy the new house, the money should belong to the couple. So he planned to put the contracted land under An Songlin’s name. That way, any future compensation from demolition would not involve other family members.

In fact, when An Songyu and her sister signed their contracts, they hadn’t read them carefully. Otherwise, they would have known that the land An Jianping contracted in the village was not only mortgaged under the family members’ names but also contracted individually. This allowed them to allocate homestead land smoothly for An Songyu and her sister.

The issue of homestead land, which had long worried the two sisters, was fully revealed the next day when Bilizhu visited Jiang Village.