Chapter 154 Must Keep Updating

Zhang Pa said, "You can't be like this. You want to dock my meager salary over just a few bucks? Let alone treating the students to food and drinks, you even stuck me with the medical bills today. Shouldn't you reimburse me a little?"

"A meager salary over just a few bucks? You sure have a lot of nerve," Principal Qin retorted. "No reimbursements. Figure it out yourself."

As Zhang Pa poured wine for the principal, a sudden thought crossed his mind. He asked, "Tell me, is it possible there are other pregnant girls in the school?"

Principal Qin snapped angrily, "Can you say something nice? With things like this, the bad omens always come true while the good ones never do."

Zhang Pa persisted, "Omens or not, what if someone really is pregnant?"

"What do you think?" the principal asked.

"Blood tests," Zhang Pa suggested. "Take the students to the hospital for blood tests, and then won't everything be crystal clear?"

Principal Qin replied, "Blood tests are easy. The hard part is who pays for it? Are we going to ask parents for money again? Forget it."

"Not even a normal physical exam?" Zhang Pa asked.

The principal answered, "Sure, after the New Year. The third-year students will have their physicals early next year."

Zhang Pa smiled, raised his glass, and continued drinking.

The two of them drank until dinner time before breaking up. When Zhang Pa took a taxi home, he actually spotted a man suspected of being a reporter at the street corner, being stalled and questioned slowly by a sharp-eyed neighborhood worker.

Back inside his home, Old Pi and the other four monkeys were all there, and they were actually reading books. It shocked Zhang Pa so much that he paced back and forth, circling the five monkeys and inspecting them one by one.

Later in the evening, Liu Xiaomei called to say she had arrived and was in a taxi, asking for the exact location.

"Head inward from the north entrance of Xingfuli, and there's a small grocery store. I'll wait for you right there by the roadside," Zhang Pa said.

Liu Xiaomei agreed, adding that he shouldn't buy any food because she had already bought some.

Twenty minutes later, Zhang Pa met Liu Xiaomei. The young woman was carrying a lot of things and shoved them into his hands the moment they met.

"What's all this?" Zhang Pa asked.

"All sorts of things, both food and drinks," Liu Xiaomei said, looking around. "Where do you live?"

Zhang Pa pointed straight ahead and said, "We have to walk over."

So off they walked. Past the alley ahead, Liu Xiaomei suddenly chuckled, "I see it. It's so dark."

The house had been burned, so naturally it was dark.

A short while later, the two entered the house. First, Zhang Pa introduced the five monkeys to her, and then Liu Xiaomei inspected the place inside and out. Coming back to Zhang Pa, she declared, "You have to move."

Zhang Pa said, "I was just about to talk to you about that. A friend of mine has a father who sells houses. He asked if I wanted one in Kowloon Gardens Phase Six."

"Kowloon Gardens has already been built up to Phase Six? Where is it located?" Liu Xiaomei asked.

"I'm not exactly sure of the details, but it's in the city, somewhere north of Phase One," Zhang Pa replied.

"How much?" Liu Xiaomei asked.

"It's cheap for me. If we decide to buy, we can get a 300-square-meter place for a million, and I can choose any floor and location I want," Zhang Pa answered.

"So cheap? Is it reliable? It's not a scam, is it?" Liu Xiaomei said.

"Not a scam. His family built the houses," Zhang Pa said. "I'm just hesitating over whether to buy it."

"Buy it, you have to buy it! A 300-square-meter house for a million—forget about the provincial capital; you wouldn't even find prices like that in a tier-four city. Buy it quickly!" Liu Xiaomei asked, "Which floor do you like?"

"If possible, I'd like the second floor," Zhang Pa replied.

Liu Xiaomei said, "The second floor is fine, but 300 square meters should be a duplex. I actually think we should take the first and second floors together. That way, we'd get a small courtyard and a basement. How perfect is that?"

"If you like it, then we'll take the first and second floors," Zhang Pa said.

Liu Xiaomei replied, "It's not a matter of whether I like it or not. Even if we take the first and second floors, the housing conditions still have to be top-notch."

"No problem with that, I'll go negotiate," Zhang Pa said. "Living on the first floor means worrying about the drainage, so I'll bring that up too."

Liu Xiaomei looked at him. "Are you really sure you want to buy?"

"I was quite hesitant at first, but since you said buy, then we'll buy," Zhang Pa said.

Liu Xiaomei said, "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about this too. I'd selected a few properties—new builds, off-plan homes, and second-hand houses—hoping you could take a look and choose. You're lucky to have locked down a good place so quickly. The build quality and property management of Kowloon Gardens are exceptionally good. If you can buy it, buy it."

"Thanks for your hard work," Zhang Pa said. Just as he finished speaking, Old Pi shouted from outside, "Bro, come out and eat."

Liu Xiaomei knew Zhang Pa was looking after several students, but she didn't know they lived together, so she had only bought food for two. Old Pi had hurriedly run back to the grocery store to buy some ready-made dishes, barely managing to piece together a table of food.

Seven people squeezed together. Old Pi and the other five consciously sat toward the outside, leaving a comfortable space for Liu Xiaomei. And then, they just kept staring at her.

Zhang Pa said, "Eat if you can eat, scram if you can't."

"We can eat," the five monkeys replied.

So they ate. Because of Liu Xiaomei's presence, the five monkeys were exceptionally restrained and cautious. For a long time, no one spoke, and during the meal, they only ate the food directly in front of them. After hastily stuffing their bellies, they stood up and announced they were full. In less than ten minutes, all five monkeys had vanished.

Zhang Pa remarked, "You're still the formidable one. I never in my wildest dreams imagined they could be this well-behaved."

Liu Xiaomei said, "They seem quite sensible. Are they usually unruly?"

Zhang Pa smiled. "There isn't a single well-behaved one in my class."

"Is it really that exaggerated?" Liu Xiaomei asked.

Zhang Pa smiled slightly. "Let's not talk about them. I'll pick you up tomorrow, and the two of us can go check out the new house's location."

Liu Xiaomei agreed, then asked, "If it's an off-plan property, it'll take a long time before we can move in. Until the house is ready, you should still stay at my place."

"No rush for that, I can still live here for a while longer," Zhang Pa said.

Liu Xiaomei chuckled. "You're still living here even after it burned down like this? You're something else." She glanced around and asked, "Were all your things burned to ashes?"

Zhang Pa said yes.

Liu Xiaomei laughed. "No wonder I saw you in this exact outfit last time, and you're wearing it again today."

"I'll make do for a few days and buy some when I have time," Zhang Pa replied.

"I'll buy them for you," Liu Xiaomei said. "I have great taste."

"It's not that I don't trust your taste, it's just that I'm only good at wearing cheap clothes. Anything over a hundred bucks is too expensive for me."

Liu Xiaomei chuckled. "I have two sets of designer lingerie worth thousands, and several pairs of socks costing hundreds. Haha, does that make your heart ache?"

"Not at all. You're so gorgeous, wearing nice clothes will only make you even more stunning. You're perfectly and fully embodying the value of the items."

The two of them got along very happily, though whenever Liu Xiaomei looked at the dilapidated house, she couldn't help feeling a pang of sympathy. She wanted to persuade Zhang Pa to move, but knowing he wouldn't, she felt a slight heaviness in her heart, wondering how she could ever convince him.

After pondering for a moment, Zhang Pa softly explained, "Among those five kids, two are basically homeless; their parents don't care about them at all and only beat them. The other three have poor family conditions. Staying with me gives their families a bit of breathing room."

He was explaining why he couldn't move away. Liu Xiaomei shook her head at him and said, "Fine, I suppose you have a point."

When night had completely fallen and Liu Xiaomei needed to go home, Zhang Pa walked her out of Xingfuli.

He had wanted to walk her all the way home before coming back, but Liu Xiaomei wouldn't allow it, saying she would just take a taxi back and there was no need for him to run back and forth. Zhang Pa tried insisting a couple of times, but seeing her resolute refusal, he had no choice but to accompany her as they slowly walked out.

They stood at the street corner for a little while longer, exchanging sweet, affectionate words, before Liu Xiaomei got into a taxi and left.

The moment the car vanished from his sight, Zhang Pa immediately dialed her number, chatting with Liu Xiaomei all the way as he walked home, only ending the call when she safely reached her house.

As soon as he put down the phone, Old Pi and the other four rushed over to bombard him with questions: Who was Liu Xiaomei? Was she his girlfriend? How could someone so pretty ever like him?

Old Pi's question was the sharpest: "Bro, have you two already done *that*?"

The next day, after leaving meal money for the monkeys, Zhang Pa went to find Liu Xiaomei. On the way, he called Long Xiaole, saying he was going to look at the property.

Long Xiaole said, "Are you out of your mind? There's nothing at the construction site. Are you going to look at sand and cement?"

"Just to see where it is," Zhang Pa said.

Long Xiaole surrendered, saying, "I'll call you back in a bit," and hung up.

When the two of them connected again later, Zhang Pa said, "You're too unreliable. The crown prince of Kowloon Real Estate doesn't even know where his own properties are being built?"

Long Xiaole retorted, "I manage the big picture; all those things you mentioned are just details." He then asked where Zhang Pa was and offered to pick him up.

Curious, Zhang Pa asked, "What are you picking me up for?"

"Can I treat you to lunch or not?" Long Xiaole asked for Zhang Pa's location again.

Without telling him, Zhang Pa just asked for the address and hung up. After picking up Liu Xiaomei, the two of them headed to the construction site.

Looking at the flattened construction site, Liu Xiaomei said, "I know this place. It used to be a paper mill. After the factory moved away, this plot of land was left vacant."

She was very satisfied with the location, pointing at the site and saying, "Pick a place facing south. It's close to the station and close to my home."

Smiling, Zhang Pa agreed and called Long Xiaole: "I want that house, facing south. Does the 300 square meters include both the first and second floors? Can you give me a duplex combining the first and second floors? Can we have a small courtyard at the entrance to build a grape trellis and plant some flowers? Can we dig out a basement? A basement would be best."

Long Xiaole said, "You really are ruthless. You said no yesterday, and today you come up with so many conditions."

"Since I've decided to take advantage of your family, of course I have to take as much as I can. Ideally, enough to scare you off," Zhang Pa said.

"Pfft, a 300-square-meter house is supposed to scare me?" Long Xiaole asked. "Any other demands?"

Zhang Pa said yes, specifically bringing up the drainage issue—the sewage system had to flow smoothly and must never clog, and all the preliminary engineering work needed to be done properly from the start.

"All right then, I'll talk to my dad. Wait for my call," Long Xiaole said.

Facts proved that Long Jianjun was exceptionally decisive. Upon hearing such complex, and even somewhat greedy conditions, he agreed to every single one without hesitation, and even asked if Zhang Pa wanted a parking space.

Zhang Pa hurriedly asked Liu Xiaomei. As it happened, Liu Xiaomei didn't know how to drive either and said a parking space was useless; however, for the sake of long-term consideration, she suggested buying one anyway.

After thinking about it, Zhang Pa told Long Xiaole, "The parking space isn't urgent for now; the house is the priority."

Long Xiaole said, "Don't worry about the house. I'll live right across the hall from you, so it'll definitely be built well."

Zhang Pa asked, "Can't you move somewhere else?"

Long Xiaole replied, "Nope, I refuse. I'm living right across from you."

Sighing, Zhang Pa said, "I really shouldn't have saved you."

"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth," Long Xiaole said. "If you hadn't saved me, could you have bought such a good and cheap house?" He added, "Anyway, those are the conditions. Once the contract is ready, come sign it." (To be continued.)