Chapter 13 - 10: The Old Lady’s Education
Chapter 10[Grandma's Education]
In the morning, Chen Yan went downstairs to find a nearby noodle shop and had a bowl of Jinling big bowl pork tripe noodles. Then he scanned a shared bike and set off.
He had made an appointment to see a real estate agent at a nearby real estate agency.
Before he arrived, he had contacted the agent, and when Chen Yan got there, a young salesman in his early twenties, not very tall, and with quite a few pimples on his face and slightly thinning hair, greeted him.
His surname was Hu, full name Hu Shangke.
He actually had another identity: Chen Yan's college classmate.
This guy lived in the dormitory next to Chen Yan's during school. They weren't too close, but his character wasn't bad.
However, in four years, Chen Yan did not get too close to this guy named Hu Shangke.
Their relationship was such that they could put their arms around each other and seem intimate when they met.
But they never really had a heartfelt conversation.
Because although Hu Shangke was decent, there was one thing about him that Chen Yan didn't quite respect.
This guy was a "licking dog" (someone who overly worships their partner).
He was the type who, even while skimping for himself and working part-time during holidays, would save money to treat his girlfriend to big meals.
To put it plainly, Chen Yan utterly despised lickers.
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Actually, it's fair to say that Chen Yan's views on romance had been distorted by his grandma.
Before he got into college and went to the Jinling Prefecture, his grandma had a heartfelt conversation with him.
"Dear grandson, when you go to university, if you have a girlfriend, you need to be careful.
Either you find one who loves money and spend on her.
Or you find one who doesn't care about money, whose heart and money you can both give.
The former, you can casually date, just consider it spending money for happiness.
The latter, if you find her, you can bring her back to meet grandma."
At the time, Chen Yan thought to himself that in this day and age, a girl like the latter is probably hard to come by.
If you think about it, the former isn't too bad either, spending money to buy happiness.
The problem is...
He didn't have money in his pocket!
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Besides, Chen Yan was taught by his grandma from a young age that you can't get anything you want by groveling.
She once took him to the roast duck shop in town.
"Dear grandson, you like this roast duck. If you have no money and you beg the owner, saying all the good words and flattering him, do you think he will give you a duck for free just because you flattered him?"
While speaking, his grandma stared into his eyes very seriously:
"No way! If he doesn't want to give you the duck, to put on a show for the people around, he might just give you two unwanted duck necks and duck butts to shoo you away.
But remember, it's not the owner's fault.
The duck is meant to be sold. If you can't afford it and want to trade something others don't need, why should he give it to you?
That's your own fault."
It's fair to say that grandma's education was quite successful.
And Chen Yan looked down on Hu Shangke for this very reason.
In four years of college, Chen Yan saw very clearly that Hu Shangke did the most foolish thing:
Having no money, yet loving girls who loved money.
Unable to afford it, yet fantasizing about impressing the girl with a licking attitude.
That's just asking for misery.
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When they met, Hu Licking Dog was very enthusiastic towards Chen Yan.
He had no choice, working wasn't easy.
This year's job market was tough, and in the end, Hu Shangke had to become a real estate agent. He was still one deal short of the sales quota for this month! He had already failed last month, and lately the store manager's looks towards him had been increasingly unpleasant.
"Bro, finding a rental with me is the right choice! As your classmate, I'll definitely find the best value for you!"
With that, Hu Shangke pulled out some prepared listings.
They were all single rooms with a monthly rent under fifteen hundred, shared apartments type.
To be honest, Hu Shangke had put some effort into it. Chen Yan glanced over the listings and found some of them were quite good, reasonably priced, and fairly well-equipped.
For a poor student who just graduated and whose home wasn't in the area, he would have been tempted before—
But Chen Yan waved his hand: "Lao Hu, this time I'm looking for a better place."
Hu Shangke was taken aback, then showed some joy: "A better place? How good, you tell me!"
A better place meant a more expensive one. And more expensive meant more commission for an agent.
Chen Yan pondered for a moment, then stated his prepared requirements:
"Location doesn't matter; it can be a bit remote, that's not a problem.
It needs to be spacious, preferably with a big yard!
It's best if the neighbors are far away, with strong privacy.
I don't care about the interior decoration, I'm not picky about that, as long as there's electricity, water, and internet."
Hu Shangke listened carefully and thought for a moment: "A big yard, distant neighbors, strong privacy...bro, you're looking to rent a villa?"
Chen Yan smiled: "A villa is fine."
Actually, he particularly wanted a large yard, not for the sake of enjoying a villa.
He wanted to try practicing the array methods recorded in the Secret Manual.
To set up an array, there must be a spacious enough place to practice, right?
Nobody has ever heard of setting up arrays in an 80-square-meter construction area with 60 square meters of usable space apartment!
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Hu Shangke was a bit puzzled, looking at Chen Yan with a confused expression.
"I'm just saying, bro, renting a villa isn't cheap!"
Chen Yan shook his head: "My family gave me some money to settle down in Jinling. I want to live comfortably."
"No, really, bro, let me give you some heartfelt advice." Hu Shangke was still fairly decent: "If your family indeed gave you money, don't squander it. I think the house prices are going to drop a bit more.
Rent something cheap temporarily, and next year, when the prices stabilize at a low point, you can think about buying. With an initial payment, and since now the loans are more lenient.
If you want to settle down in Jinling Prefecture, buying a house is a long-term plan.
For future marriage, or whatever..."
Chen Yan interrupted him: "I don't plan to marry."
Hu Shangke laughed: "You don't plan now, but in the future..."
"No, never," Chen Yan shook his head.
Thinking to himself, he had the Secret Manual in hand, step by step practicing, mastering various Miracle Arts, and becoming great in the mundane world.
By then, he wouldn't lack money, so why not enjoy life to the fullest!
Marriage? Finding a woman to tie himself down?
Am I crazy?
Hu Shangke waved his hand: "But you'll have to date, right... With a house, girls will be more likely to look at you."
Chen Yan shook his head again: "No dating either."
"Huh?" Hu Shangke laughed: "Bro, are you planning to become a monk?"
Chen Yan gave his classmate a strange look: "Lao Hu, I remember back in college...
When you were single, you could have meat daily in the cafeteria, and occasionally even have a fried dish at the small canteen.
After you got a girlfriend, you barely ate meat five days a week, didn't buy new clothes for a year.
What's the point?
Isn't gaming fun, isn't wine good, aren't novels worth reading?"
Hu Shangke was momentarily speechless, being classmates, he awkwardly said: "But, as a man, some things are still..."
Chen Yan looked at him calmly, then at a tissue box on the table, then at Hu Shangke's hand.
Hu Shangke: "......"
Chen Yan sighed, patted Hu Licking Dog on the shoulder: "Let's drop this, just help me find something that fits my requirements."
"...Price?"
Chen Yan said confidently: "Of course, the cheaper the better."
Hu Shangke rolled his eyes: "Bro! Even cheap has to have a price range for me to find something."
Chen Yan thought about it, estimating his current one hundred thousand in the account.
It looked like a lot, but it wouldn't last forever, so he couldn't be too extravagant.
Setting up simple entry-level arrays, albeit not requiring special materials, still needed some secular items that could be bought.
But...it would still cost quite a bit of money.
Estimating a rough acceptable range for himself, Chen Yan tentatively said: "Under twenty thousand a month."
"Twenty thousand?!"
Hu Shangke's eyes widened: "Are you crazy! So much money just for rent?! Listen to me, you..."
Chen Yan didn't speak, just smiled and looked at his classmate.
Under Chen Yan's smiling gaze, Hu Shangke eventually quieted down: "Fine, it's your money. If you want to find it, I'll help you!
But..."
After some thought, Hu Shangke said: "You want a big yard, privacy...usually those kinds of properties are stand-alone villas!
High privacy villas are considered luxury homes, and the monthly rent is tens of thousands."
Chen Yan genuinely didn't understand, hesitantly said: "Online, I saw villa prices, some in our city are a few thousand a month, some are over ten thousand."
"The ones for a few thousand are townhouses, very small, with yards barely big enough for a few flower pots.
The ones over ten thousand can be villas, but very compact with neighbors only three to five meters apart, thus lacking privacy.
Big yards and high privacy must be those real luxury mansions, with monthly rent no less than forty to fifty thousand."
Chen Yan frowned, contemplating.
With a hundred thousand in hand, he could afford to rent.
But renting would leave him with less ready cash.
Practicing the Secret Manual's arrays from basic levels still required many materials, which wasn't cheap.
Spending too much on rent would constrict his budget for these materials.
Chen Yan thought for a moment, feeling a bit helpless.
Money really didn't go far.
(Or should I find a rural house?
Perhaps an outlying warehouse?)
Honestly, he wasn't picky about material living conditions, as long as there was a bed to sleep on.
Hu Shangke kept persuading: "With your budget, why focus on villas?
In a decent downtown complex, I can find you a well-furnished big apartment, starting at three rooms and two halls, centrally located. All this under ten thousand!"
Chen Yan shook his head: "I don't want an apartment, I need strong privacy."
Privacy...
Hu Shangke really wanted to spit on him.
We lived next door in college dorms.
Eight people in a room, sweating in summer, playing cards shirtless, who hasn't seen whom?
You talk about privacy.
But...
For commission's sake...
Thinking, he flipped through internal data...
Hu Shangke's face suddenly turned strange, he glanced around and lowered his voice: "Bro, actually there is a type of house matching your requirement. Cheap, big, very private!"
"Oh?"
"Well..." Hu Shangke looked around, leaned closer: "Bro, do you mind a haunted house?"
"???"
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