Chapter Nine: Consultation

When it came to the tallest building, An Songyu and the others had never been there, so naturally, they had no impression of it.

But An Songlin suddenly realized something.

After all, in the entire new district, the only area completely cordoned off was that very spot.

Although the buildings there were clearly still under construction,

their height was already quite evident.

“Moreover, our main focus for development in Shuncheng over the past two years has been on the new district,” An Jianping explained.

“While there are scattered factory areas elsewhere, garment factories are few and far between.”

“Excluding factors like location…”

“Ah Yu’s guess is indeed quite accurate.”

“So…” Bi Lizhu swallowed nervously, whispering in disbelief, “That means, that means…”

“That the demolition news is very likely true,” An Jianping added cautiously.

“So now, what I want to discuss with you all is… what we should do next.”

“I’ve been in contact with Jianmin these past few days.”

“At present, our village still has several fish ponds, mulberry groves, and flower fields that haven’t been leased out.”

“Besides that, our family still has two vacant homestead plots.”

“Based on the information we’ve gathered so far, the demolition is confirmed but the exact timing remains uncertain.”

“But that’s okay. Having this time allows us to prepare more thoroughly.”

“Now, I want to ask, what are your suggestions and plans regarding this matter?”

As he spoke, An Jianping’s gaze focused mainly on his eldest son and wife.

It wasn’t that he didn’t value his two daughters’ opinions,

but he already had some thoughts about them in mind.

He just wanted to settle matters concerning his eldest son first before bringing those up.

An Songlin suppressed his excitement, took a deep breath, and said,

“Dad, Mom, last Sunday, I went to the village with A Ying.”

“This past week, I’ve been hinting at it indirectly.”

He felt a little embarrassed mentioning this.

But whether the demolition news was true or not,

it was difficult to tell his fiancée directly.

So he said, “I was thinking, if there’s no demolition, maybe our family could do like other families in the village—start an orchard, vegetable garden, or fish pond.”

“To attract city people to come pick fruits?”

“Yes, but since everyone in our family works in the city, it’s not really suitable to run it like the other villagers.”

“So, how about we turn our two homestead plots into a guesthouse?”

“Instead of hosting meals and drinks like other villagers, just provide lodging.”

“As for the orchard, vegetable garden, or fish pond, we could hire someone to manage them.”

“The problem now is that it might be hard to find workers in our village.”

“But hiring outsiders isn’t difficult either.”

“After all, many migrant workers originally come from rural areas.”

“What about Xiao Xuan’s thoughts on this?” An Jianping asked sternly.

They all understood the implication behind An Songlin’s words.

Currently, all the savings the An family could mobilize were basically the money originally set aside to buy a new house for the young couple.

At present, housing prices in Shuncheng ranged from 1,200 to 2,500 per square meter.

The An family, having a long-term vision, intended to buy in a newly built elevator apartment complex.

Naturally, the price was not cheap.

For a 90-square-meter apartment, they needed at least over 200,000 yuan.

With the couple’s combined monthly income barely reaching 500 yuan, they simply couldn’t gather that sum even after exhausting their savings.

Hence, the couple had set their sights on the two homestead plots in the village.

An Songlin shook his head before continuing,

“As for buying a house, I haven’t brought it up directly yet.”

“But regarding starting a business back home, I feel that A Ying is already considering it.”

“She said she wants to visit the village again during tomorrow’s holiday.”

“She brought it up herself?” Bi Lizhu frowned doubtfully.

An Songlin nodded affirmatively.

“This isn’t an easy matter,” An Jianping sighed deeply.

Though he had countless thoughts, implementing anything always came down to money.

And the money they had now couldn’t be spent recklessly.

An Songlin pressed his lips together and said,

“Dad, I think… I want to talk to A Ying first and see if we can delay buying a house for now.”

He nervously licked his lips.

If the demolition was true,

his decision could affect the fate of the entire family.

But the families had already agreed on the wedding date.

Less than two months remained until the wedding.

When they set the date, it was their family who had proactively promised to prepare a house for the young couple.

Now, with the wedding date approaching, they wanted to backtrack.

If communication failed,

it wouldn’t just affect the wedding date but could also strain the couple’s relationship for years.

An Songlin knew only he could raise this issue.

Otherwise, no one in the family would have mentioned holding off on buying a house until now.

His words fell heavy, plunging the family into silence.

Only Bi Lizhu instinctively wanted to object.

But as soon as she opened her mouth, she swallowed her words.

In truth, with the demolition news circulating,

there was no way the two homestead plots could be sold anymore.

Without those two plots to supplement their funds,

even if the couple emptied their savings, they’d still fall short of the price for the house they wanted.

Yet after days of joint consideration by both families,

the house, aside from the deposit not yet paid, was basically confirmed.

For a moment, Bi Lizhu couldn’t help but glance at her second daughter.

An Songyu sensed her mother’s gaze and looked up.

Seeing the complexity in Bi Lizhu’s eyes, she sighed inwardly.

She knew her mother was somewhat blaming her.

Not because she didn’t fully trust the news she brought,

but because this situation would bring considerable difficulties to her brother.

Besides, the demolition news might not be entirely unfounded.

With twenty years’ experience behind it,

An Songyu wasn’t hurt by her mother’s gaze,

but facing it again still made her uneasy.

Indeed, in her mother’s heart,

sons and daughters were never equally considered.

An Jianping didn’t notice the silent exchange between mother and daughter.

He looked seriously at his son:

“Songlin, whether to buy a house now is no longer just a matter for you two young people alone.”