Shen Yan knew that a few thousand made a huge difference. After all, his motherâs salary was only a few hundred a month.
However, to him, although a few thousand was a lot, Luo Shuyanâs feelings were more important.
He didnât want Luo Shuyan to be unhappy over this issue. He wasnât sure if she would throw a tantrum at Uncle Luo. Theyâd be walking on eggshells thereafter.
The best solution was for his mother to not buy the apartment!
Luo Shuyan was shocked when she heard Shen Yanâs âsolutionâ.
If she were an actual six year old, she wouldnât have understood where Shen Yan was coming from and she wouldnât have been able to see the light that encompassed him when he announced his suggestion.
She knew that Aunty Shen had always wanted a house of their own, same went for Shen Yan. Since he could remember, he had moved from place to place. Out of all the places theyâve stayed at, he really liked this place and also loved his neighbors.
One time, a child from the floor above came over to play and drew a line on the apartmentâs wall. Shen Yan had been quite angry and he thought of different ways to remove the stain.
Aunty Shen and Shen Yan both really wanted a house of their own.
Yet, to be considerate over her feelings, he made such a decision. She was in tears, this boy cared so much about her!!
How could she be worthy of such genuine friendship!
She thought they were merely fake friends!
Shen Yan noticed the dazzled look on Luo Shuyanâs face.
She paced forward and backward along the dining room. She bit her lips and said, âIâm not lying, Iâm really not angry. Yesterday night, Papa had explained his plans to me. Heâs not buying a car just to save face. He plans to buy a bigger house later on after heâs earned enough money. Shen Yan, itâs a very good idea for your family to buy the apartment. Wouldnât it be a huge waste if Aunty Shen were to not buy it? Itâs near to the school, and the piano studio Aunty Shenâs working at is also nearby. Itâs perfectâ¦â
Subsequently, Luo Shuyan proceeded to list down the benefits of the apartment the Shens were staying in. She could pass as a capable real estate agent.
In the end, as Shen Yan was heading home, these phrases continued to ring in his ears ââ
âThe apartment is in a good direction. Thereâs enough natural sunlight with no obstructions in the wayâ¦â
âThe buildings are spread apart, thereâs enough space between them. Plus, itâs also located near our elementary school, so itâs very safeâ¦â
âYouâll never get an opportunity like this elsewhere!â
Shen Qingruo was about to head out when Shen Yan reached home. She realized that he was out of it and hurriedly grabbed his arm. She worriedly asked, âSon, are you not feeling well? Have you gotten a sunstroke?â
Shen Yan soon came back to his senses and shook his head. He pointed at his ear and said, âIt was noisy.â
Shen Qingruo gently touched his forehead, and when she realized that he was alright, she allowed him to get back into the house.
Her neighborâs door was open, and when she made her way down, she heard the sound of the TV. She smiled and realized that the noise her son was talking about was from the TV next door.
***
Thanks to the circulation of information around the neighborhood, everyone who thought Luo Tianyuan had made it big found out about the âtruthâ.
The conservative older generation took Luo Tianyuan as an example for what their children and grandchildren should NOT do. They told them to never be like him; to sell a house just for a car. Itâs a good thing that Grandma and Grandpa Luo werenât around anymore, if not, they might die from anger.
To put it simply, in front of Luo Tianyuan, everyone praised him for his hard working spirit and intelligence to find different opportunities. However, most people in this era believed that working a stable job and saving money was the best way of life.
After Luo Tianyuan came back with some bao and Chinese crullers, the father and daughter ate breakfast together. Generally, if Luo Tianyuan were home, theyâd go out for food or would cook at home. They would not go to Shen Qingruoâs to eat. As mentioned by Luo Tianyuan, he believed that they shouldnât develop a habit of eating together because they didnât have the intention to become a family. They both had young children of their own, so it would be best to not eat together.
Luo Tianyuan and Shen Qingruo were on the same page; Luo Tianyuan was worried that Luo Shuyan would overthink and Shen Qingruo was also worried that Shen Yan would overthink about the situation.
âShuyan, would you like to go to a restaurant for lunch? Or how about the usual dumpling shop?â
Luo Shuyan was reading, so she raised her head and sighed internally. She softly said, âLetâs not eat out today. We can cook some noodles at home. Didnât Aunty Shen give us some stewed beef yesterday?â
No wonder the aunties and grandmothers* around the area said that her father wasnât someone to marry to. Papa was supposed to live a simple life and try to save money after buying a car, but he was suggesting to eat outâ¦
*Aunties and grandmothers are the way Chinese address middle-aged and elderly women.
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It didnât occur to Luo Tianyuan that his daughter was trying to be frugal. After all, despite playing the role of a poor man, he was actually rich. Thus, the mindset of the rich and the poor were entirely different. Luo Tianyuan wouldâve never expected that despite his perfect reasoning of buying a car, this would cause his daughter to worry about money.
Ning City wasnât a big city, so the restaurants around the area usually served simple dishes found at home. Sometimes, young children would like to try something different. Luo Tianyuan thought that he understood where his daughter was coming from and said, âRather than going to a restaurant, what do you think about McDonalds?â
A McDonalds and a KFC outlet was opened in the city center three years ago. Whenever Luo Tianyuan was free, heâd bring Luo Shuyan to those places for food.
McDonalds and KFC were not cheap options for a middle-class family. Before this, Luo Shuyan hadnât felt bad for eating there because her family wasnât in debt and they owned two properties. Her father was also a high income earner in Ning City. However, now that her father was in debt and had sold one of their apartments away, there was no way sheâd be able to swallow a hamburger!
Luo Shuyan looked at her fatherâs smiling face, who lacked any self-consciousness of their current predicament. She couldnât help but think, âHow should I gently remind Papa that we are very poor now?â