Chapter 801 — Tang Zhi's Secret Ire

"The building you bought, Auntie Wang..." Lai the Fatso said to himself: that building was a new development — apart from the one unit sold to your family, nothing else has sold yet. Where would a leftover unit come from? But since Tang's mother had asked, he said, "I believe there is one. Shall we go have a look in a bit?"

"Then let's buy in that building, shall we? It's close to our place too, and Yun'er and Xiaofen get along so well — the two of them together would be able to see each other often!" said Tang's mother.

Lai the Fatso brought Xiaofen's mother, Wei Zhao and the others to the building Tang's mother had bought into earlier. The light was excellent front and back; it was one of the best buildings in the whole compound. How could any unit in it be in a bad spot?

But since Tang's mother had spoken, Lai the Fatso simply picked a somewhat smaller unit — a top-floor one — and led Xiaofen's mother and Wei Zhao up.

A small two-bedroom, one-living-room flat like this, though the living room was a little cramped — just over forty square meters in all — had a fine layout, felt cozy, and got good light. Xiaofen's mother fell in love with it at first sight and asked Lai the Fatso, "Mr. Lai, how much is this one?"

"Well... for this layout, the list price is three hundred and eighty thousand, but this one's on the top floor and it's a cold-wall unit, so the price comes down a bit. Right now it's just three hundred thousand," said Lai the Fatso.

"Ah! Only three hundred thousand?" Xiaofen's mother was stunned on the spot. Their old place had been a run-down thirty-square-meter flat, and they'd been compensated a hundred and eighty thousand for it. Now here was a new flat of over forty square meters, and it cost only three hundred thousand? Wasn't that just too cheap?

As for the top floor and the cold wall, those were no problem at all to Xiaofen's mother. Their old home had been a top-floor corner unit too, with poor heating, and they had lived in it all the same.

A building with central heating was bound to be far better than their old place, and from the look of it the quality was genuinely good. So Xiaofen's mother took an instant liking to this flat.

"That's right — only three hundred thousand." Lai the Fatso nodded. "Top-floor units like this are usually sold at a discount."

"Wonderful, then. We'll take this one." Xiaofen's mother nodded and made the call.

Xiaofen's mother now had six hundred and eighty thousand in hand. This flat cost only three hundred thousand, which would leave her three hundred and eighty thousand after the purchase — plenty to furnish it and buy appliances.

Lai the Fatso phoned the sales manager to come and sign the contract with Xiaofen's mother. The payment was made, and the flat was duly registered under Xiaofen's mother's name.

Xiaofen's mother had never expected buying a flat she liked to go so smoothly. She thanked Tang Zhi's mother and Wei Zhao profusely — without them, where would she have found someone to sell her such a fine flat at such a low price?

Tang Zhi knew very well that Lai the Fatso's willingness to sell Xiaofen's mother a flat so cheaply was entirely out of respect for Wei Zhao. This flat was no unsellable leftover at all — both its layout and its light were excellent. To buy it for only three hundred thousand was as cheap as cheap could be.

Xiaofen, too, cast Wei Zhao a grateful look. Her mother might not understand, but how could she not? Xiaofen knew all about how Lai the Fatso had begged Wei Zhao to treat his father. This was surely Lai the Fatso repaying Wei Zhao's kindness by selling her family a flat so cheaply.

"Boss, thank you!" Kang ** said quietly to Wei Zhao. "Today I really have saved face!"

"Ha..." Wei Zhao smiled faintly. "You and Lai the Fatso both call me boss, so the two of you ought to help each other out."

Wei Zhao's words moved Kang ** deeply in an instant. To be a boss the way Wei Zhao was — that was rare indeed! Kang ** did not feel he had given anything of worth; all he had given was a moment of hot-bloodedness when Wei Zhao first arrived, and then, when Zhong Yongliang came making trouble for Wei Zhao, he had impulsively risen to stand with Wei Zhao. And for that he had won Wei Zhao's recognition and friendship.

With Xiaofen's family's flat settled, Tang's mother could not wait to go and see her own place. Lai the Fatso had said the renovation had begun yesterday.

Xiaofen's mother wanted to tag along with Tang's mother to see how the Tang family's renovation was coming along, for reference.

The Tang family's flat was spacious and bright, fully three times the size of Xiaofen's. But Xiaofen's mother was no longer envious — being able to buy even a flat like this was an unexpected joy. What use was envy now?

Still, about Tang's mother winning the special first prize, Xiaofen's mother could not help harboring some hope. She asked Lai the Fatso, "Mr. Lai, can I still enter the draw? Mine is a discounted unit..."

Fearing that a discount flat might not come with a chance at the draw, Xiaofen's mother asked, a little nervous.

"Of course you can. Once you get to the sales office in a bit, you can draw once — or even twice," Lai the Fatso said with a smile.

Tang's mother looked at Little Fen's mother, whose face was full of expectation, and could not help but give a faint sigh. She knew perfectly well how she herself had won the first prize; how could Little Fen's mother, with her wretched luck, possibly have won anything?

Thinking of her own good fortune, Tang's mother could not help but feel a little sorry for Little Fen's mother. She glanced at Wei Zhao and her daughter, then at Fat Lai, who wore a broad smile, and could not resist saying, "Say, little Lai — the leftover materials from our renovation here, couldn't they go to Little Fen's mother's place?"

Tang's mother was thinking only that Little Fen's family might save a bit of money. If her own household had bought more materials than needed, giving them to Little Fen's family would likewise ease their urgent need.

"Ah? That so..." Fat Lai could not help looking toward Wei Zhao again. How could a renovation have leftover materials? Everything had been prepared according to the floor area of the present house; by and large there would not be any surplus.

Wei Zhao turned her head aside, secretly rather amused. If there's extra, there's extra; if there isn't, there isn't — why do you keep looking at me? How am I supposed to answer?

Only when Fat Lai saw that Wei Zhao raised no objection did he say, "All right. In a bit I'll have a word with the man in charge. If there are leftover materials, we'll do Little Fen's mother's place with them as well, and no labor fee either. I can see there's plenty of material here — more than enough for two apartments. That one's small, so let's just do it together!"

"Oh, how can we accept that..." Little Fen's mother had not expected that a single word from Tang's mother would save her so much money — she would not even have to pay for the renovation! Was Mr. Lai really this easy to deal with?

"Come now, little Lai has said as much, so don't refuse!" Tang Zhi's mother felt she had won considerable face — a single sentence from her, and Little Fen's mother's renovation fee was waived!

Tang Zhi, watching from the side, grew rather angry and stamped her foot in quiet vexation. She was not a petty person, but she knew that Fat Lai's words were entirely out of regard for Wei Zhao. She did not want to be so deeply in Wei Zhao's debt; every time, it was Wei Zhao who was put to trouble, and now even Little Fen's family's affairs were trouble for Wei Zhao. How was she to face Wei Zhao in the future?