25th June 2005, a weekend.

  Ning Garden’s open enquiry day.

  Outside the sales building hung a large banner which demonstrated the layout of the entire real estate project. It was visually intricate and stunning.

  On the other side was the advertisement which read:

  “Find a person, find a place. Release your tender love.”


  Literature-ness was a kind of illness as Zhicheng’s shareholders felt goosebumps to the point of wanting to vomit blood, being unable to stand it no matter what. Yet, Godly Swindler Xu was just such a person……also, he was especially adamant on this……

  The large glass doors that had been peered at by numerous people countless times were finally opened as that massive model there was unveiled as well.

  Despite the fact that it was bustling with people inside the sales building, Lin Yixian paid careful attention to things outside through the glass doors.

  Finally, in a flat-viewing group composed of adults and children that numbered up to twenty people in total, Lin Yixian found those two faces that she had memorised in Xu Tingsheng’s office that day. Upon confirming this, she sent a text to Xu Tingsheng who was watching the surveillance footage in his office upstairs: They’re here.

  Then, she went over and greeted the group as soon as they entered the building, serving as their guide.

  “Hello, welcome to Zhicheng’s Ning Garden. If you don’t mind, I can take you inside for a look around. If you have any questions during this time, just feel free to ask me about it whenever.”
……

  Mr Xiang went around outside for a few days, sometimes returning gloomily, sometimes with a smile on his face.

  Things like borrowing money were not all that easily done at the end of the day.

  Little Xiang Ning did not partake in her parents’ discussion. Still, her heart ached as she found fault with the ones selling the flats. When conversing with Uncle on the phone and via text, she was filled with righteous indignation as she scolded those ‘heartless corporations’ several times.

  On the open enquiry day, Xiang Ning went out with her parents early in the morning and waited a long time for the rest of her relatives to arrive.

  Upon seeing that three storey showroom building, hearing the admiring sighs beside her, Little Xiang Ning’s eyes lit up as well. The flats here were very beautiful indeed……

  Next, they walked past the showroom building and arrived before the sales building.

  Apart from the visual shock that she received from that big banner that displayed the layout of the area, Xiang Ning also involuntarily muttered aloud, “Ning Garden? Oh, it really is the same Ning as mine……”


  Xiang Ning did not immediately relate this to Xu Tingsheng. Despite being slightly low in spirits, she felt this to be rather interesting too.

  Standing there with Li Meng, that auntie turned and said to their Xiang family of three, “Look, this Ning Garden has the same character as your girl……if you don’t manage to buy one, that would be a real pity indeed.”


  She was definitely trying to make things difficult for them somewhat.

  Having tolerated her time and time again, Mr Xiang was really unable to stand her any longer. Mrs Xiang could only grab his hand tightly, saying softly, “Forget it. Don’t quibble with the likes of her……”


  The two walked slightly off to the side.

  Mrs Xiang smiled consolingly, “She knows a bit about real estate. Let’s just take it as if she’s introducing it to us. Still, isn’t it a little too coincidental? This place is really called Ning Garden. If you hadn’t checked before and found out that the boss is surnamed Fang, even I might think that this might actually have something to do with Tingsheng.”


  “Yanzhou’s Fang family is very famous in the bureaucracy. This is called cronyism,” Mr Xiang said.

  Mrs Xiang said, “That’s good then. If the flats are really related to Xu Tingsheng, I’m afraid that my relatives, especially my cousin and her daughter, will probably be gossiping a whole bunch again after they’ve gone home.”


  “The hell,” Mr Xiang cursed, “If these flats were really built for Little Ning by Tingsheng, if you would only admit it, how would she even still be talking behind your back? They’ll be trying to get in your good books, treating you like a grand madame back at home, do you believe that?”


  “Huh, I’d just ignore her,” Mrs Xiang joked.

  “Of course! If that happened and you were willing to be his mother-in-law, you would be on a completely different level from her. Even if you acknowledged her, you’d still be gazing down from high above at those grovelling souls……”


  Having been angered earlier, Mr Xiang was being rather merciless in his words here. Also, they were just ordinary folks in the first place. Facing malicious relatives who were making life difficult for them at every turn, it was really natural to think this way.

  Seeing how Mr Xiang was continually hinting at her willingness to acknowledge Xu Tingsheng or lack thereof……after smiling, Mrs Xiang felt rather unhappy as she was just about to chastise him.

  “What mother-in-law?” Little Xiang Ning who was already a little taller than her mother leaned over, asking curiously.

  Husband and wife exchanged looks before forcing a smile, the latter saying, “It’s nothing. Your Dad was talking about your Grandma. Right, Little Ning, how do you find the houses here? They’re beautiful, right? The old school district for the first-tier senior high is just across the bridge, and the new one’s even nearer. It’s right there; just look and you can already see it.”


  Mrs Xiang pointed towards a construction site over in the distance where work was currently in full swing before asking, “Do you like it?”


  Little Ning shook her head, “It is beautiful, but it’s too expensive. I don’t like it. How about we go home?”


  “Expensive?” Mrs Xiang asked.

  “I heard some of those people who’re leaving discussing it when you were talking. They were all saying that it’s really expensive, nearly 8000 yuan per square metre on average……8000 yuan per square metre, that’s very expensive, right?”


  Little Xiang Ning did not understand what this amount entailed. Still, having heard others deem it as expensive, she felt that that should be the case.

  As for Mr and Mrs Xiang who had somewhat done a preliminary analysis, however, their hearts both fell as they heard the reported figure of 8000……it really was too expensive.

  In this era when the average value of newly built houses in Yanzhou was still around 5000 yuan per square feet, however high they had estimated it, they had still underestimated the rumours about the real estate prices here which might be very high indeed……they surpassed even that.

  This was just like how they were unable to accurately foresee that in a mere six years, the property prices here would shoot straight up to a whopping twenty thousand.

  The only one who knew how it would be like in the future, Xu Tingsheng, had actually also clenched his teeth and decided that they would not build so many homes for the project’s first phase of flats as it would be relatively standalone. This was completely because of Little Xiang Ning, for whom he had sacrificed immense potential for profit……in terms of establishing the price, much effort had also been required on the Fang family’s behalf.

  As for the second and third phases of flats that were to come in the future, he would do it slowly then.

  Whatever the case, with this, the Xiang family of three all came to begrudge the ‘heartless developers’ of Ning Garden……Xu Tingsheng truly baselessly suffered many grudges here.

  “Youmei……come on, let’s go in and take a look,” Called Mrs Xiang’s eldest sister who was walking in front.

  Mr and Mrs Xiang gazed over, “Well, since we’re already here, we might as well take a look……” Mrs Xiang said.

  The Xiang family of three caught up with the group and squeezed their way into the crowded sales building.

  An employee of Zhicheng’s appeared very enthusiastically before the group of people. To be exact, she was standing in front of Mr and Mrs Xiang.

  Still, the others did not see it that way. Li Meng’s mother had been boasting of her connections earlier……as Xiang Ning’s eldest uncle Shi Youshu and the rest saw it, there were really too many people here as the employees were all busy with the rest of the bustling hall to specifically come greet them. Yet, someone had come for their group……was this really not evident enough?

  “Your connections really are wide, cuz……” Eldest uncle Shi Youshu said rather ingratiatingly to Li Meng’s mother.

  While this auntie actually had no idea why this was happening too, having already received the praise, she simply feigned her composure and smiled, acknowledging this merit.