Chapter 36: Preparing to Buy a House

Chapter 36: Preparing to Buy an Apartment

“Don’t you already have three pairs of shoes? Buying more?” Mother Li said, “Even if you have money, you can’t be reckless!”

“It’s fine. I said it’s a gift, and shoes are practical, so it’s not really reckless,” Li Jingkun replied.

Li Xiaoxia said, “I... I want an MP4 player.”

Li Xiaojie already had an MP3 player, which the two sisters usually shared, but Li Xiaoxia had always wanted one of her own. Now that their older brother said he would buy them gifts, she felt she could ask for something a bit better—an MP4 player.

“Alright, we’ll go pick one you like together,” Li Jingkun said. “What about you, Xiaojie? What do you want?”

“I don’t really need anything,” Li Xiaojie said. “I usually have some spare change, and I’ve already bought what I need.”

Li Jingkun knew she was frugal and probably saved most of her spare change, likely giving it to their mother for safekeeping. So he thought for a moment and quickly decided on something.

“I’ll buy you a phone,” Li Jingkun said.

Li Xiaojie was a bit surprised. Phones cost at least a thousand or two, and she hadn’t expected to receive one.

“No, I don’t want it. I wouldn’t really use it,” Li Xiaoxia said.

“It’s useful. It’s easier to get in touch in emergencies. Besides, you’re sixteen this year. If it weren’t for failing a grade, you’d be starting high school now. So having a phone now isn’t too early,” Li Jingkun explained.

Hearing this, Li Jingming cried unfairness—his pair of shoes didn’t cost as much as a phone, and he wanted one too.

“You’re still too young. Wait a few years.”

Mother Li and Father Li said they didn’t need anything, but Li Jingkun planned to take them shopping for clothes over the weekend. He also intended to buy a new motorcycle for his father since his old one was too worn out.

So that week, they went shopping together. Besides the items they had already planned to buy, everyone picked out one or two sets of clothes and one or two pairs of shoes.

They also stocked up on daily necessities and groceries, so everyone enjoyed the shopping experience thoroughly.

But in truth, nothing was bought recklessly. Adding everything up, it wouldn’t exceed seven or eight thousand yuan, even including the phone and the motorcycle.

However, none of that was the main point. The real focus was that Li Jingkun now had enough money to prepare to buy an apartment in Liuchuan City.

After all, the whole family would be living here for many years to come. The younger siblings were still studying here, so constantly renting wasn’t practical.

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This time, Li Jingkun went house hunting alone because he didn’t want to drag his family along for a long tour. He planned to act swiftly—visit several neighborhoods himself, pick one or two apartments he liked, then bring his family for confirmation.

He first visited several neighborhoods near Tianhua Plaza because they were quite popular.

At each sales office, no one paid much attention to him. After all, anyone could tell he was a high school student and assumed he was just a kid brought along by someone else.

Still, Li Jingkun was determined to see the layouts and inquire about prices, so he randomly approached someone to ask.

“How much is this one?”

“This unit is 150 square meters, priced at 1,800 yuan per square meter. It has four bedrooms and two living rooms, quite spacious.”

“1,800? Is that without renovation?”

“No, it’s not included.”

The service attitude wasn’t very warm, and they didn’t give a straightforward price, tending to inflate it a bit.

Currently, the average housing price in Yangzhou is around six to seven thousand yuan per square meter. In this fourth or fifth-tier city, 1,800 yuan per square meter was actually quite expensive.

Still, this area was decent. Though slightly pricier than surrounding neighborhoods, it was the city’s commercial center, with many shopping malls and entertainment venues nearby, convenient transportation, and easy access to hospitals and schools.

When Li Jingkun was about to leave, the sales staff handed him a brochure to take home to his parents.

“Our properties here are excellent. If your parents are interested, feel free to contact me. I can offer you a discount.”

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After viewing the apartments near Tianhua Plaza, Li Jingkun headed to neighborhoods around Liuchuan City Square.

This area, called Liuchuan Square, was actually the true geographic center of the city.

However, Tianhua Plaza had better connections to surrounding towns and superior natural conditions, so it had developed into the commercial hub first.

Li Jingkun still came to this area to look because it was set to become a new business district, with plans for a commercial city and other developments. Liuchuan Square was undergoing a major renovation, designed to be luxurious and grand, aiming to surpass Tianhua Plaza as the new commercial center.

The neighborhood he visited was called Imperial View New City. Currently, it was the only developed complex in the area, so he had no choice but to go inside.

It was much quieter here compared to the other neighborhoods he had visited. The sales office had only two people, seemingly a married couple, attending to potential buyers.

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When they saw someone enter, one of them stood up excitedly, but their steps slowed upon realizing Li Jingkun was just a young lad.

“Hello, are you with them?” a male sales agent asked, assuming Li Jingkun was the child of the couple.

“No, I’m here on my own to look at the apartments,” Li Jingkun replied.

The sales agent was a bit surprised but said nothing further. He led Li Jingkun inside to look at the model.

This area was more remote, so fewer people came to view the apartments, and sales volume was low. Helping a high school student successfully buy a home here would be very exhausting with little reward.

Thus, the sales agent was less enthusiastic and basically went through the motions. When Li Jingkun asked questions, he gave brief answers.

“My family is quite big, so I want a larger layout—between 150 and 200 square meters,” Li Jingkun said.

The sales agent thought, “This kid is pretty ambitious, asking for 200 square meters!” He had been here a long time without ever selling such a large unit. Firstly, apartments around 200 square meters were rare; secondly, most buyers were fine with about 100 square meters.

Still, he didn’t say anything and went to get brochures for apartments between 150 and 200 square meters.

Li Jingkun studied them for a while and got a general idea, then said he wanted to see a model room.

The sales agent was a bit reluctant, finding it troublesome. His first impression and Li Jingkun’s demeanor didn’t suggest he was a serious buyer.

Li Jingkun had glanced at the building model, flipped through the renovation renderings casually, asked once about the price, then didn’t inquire about discounts or special offers—he looked like someone just browsing clothes at a mall.

“You want to see a model room after just casually looking around? That’s a hassle,” the agent thought.

Fortunately, the sales agent soon noticed that the couple from earlier wanted to see a model room too. He asked his colleague, “Xiaoling, this client also wants to see the model room. Can you help with the reception?”

His female colleague was surprised. Since clients were few here, sometimes they had to fight to meet their monthly sales targets.

(p.s. Thanks for the double monthly and recommendation tickets from ‘tel Different Fireworks’! Thanks for the support!)

(End of chapter)