SAG -Chapter 28 Preparing to Buy a House

After making the phone call, Zhang Ran headed downstairs.

With nothing to do while waiting, he noticed an elderly man sitting alone at a chessboard, playing both sides by himself.

Smiling, Zhang Ran walked over.

“Old brother, how about a game?”

One of the best things about an old residential neighborhood was its sense of community.

The elderly residents all knew one another.

It was common to see groups of retirees chatting, playing chess, or dancing together in the square.

The old man glanced at Zhang Ran and snorted.

“Who are you calling ‘old brother’? I’m old enough to be your grandfather! Young people these days have no manners.”

Apparently, the old man wasn’t in the best mood.

Most likely, someone had stood him up for a chess match.

Zhang Ran wasn’t offended.

He simply smiled.

“Well… that’s not necessarily true. Here’s my ID. Take a look.”

The old man absentmindedly accepted the ID card.

A moment later, he froze.

“Born in 1967? You’re fifty-one?”

“It’s an official government ID,” Zhang Ran replied as he sat down and arranged the chess pieces.

“It shouldn’t be wrong. How old are you this year, old brother?”

The old man’s curiosity was immediately piqued.

“With a face like yours… tell me, brother, how do you stay so young?”

“It’s natural.”

Zhang Ran shrugged.

“So, are we playing or not? If not, I’ll leave.”

“We’re playing! We’re playing!”

The old man eagerly agreed.

It wasn’t often someone was willing to play with him.

Besides, despite Zhang Ran’s youthful appearance, they were roughly the same age.

As they chatted during the game, the old man’s remaining doubts completely disappeared.

Whenever they talked about events from their generation, Zhang Ran spoke fluently and in remarkable detail.

It simply wasn’t possible to know those things unless one had truly lived through that era.

However…

Zhang Ran also discovered why no one wanted to play chess with the old man.

His chess skills were terrible.

Even worse…

He had absolutely no shame.

He constantly took back his moves.

“Wait, wait—I misread that position. Doesn’t count.”

A few moves later…

“Oh dear, my hand slipped. Let’s do that move over.”

…

Half an hour passed.

They hadn’t even finished a single game.

Toward the end, the old man was taking back the same move three different times.

Fortunately, Zhang Ran had excellent self-control.

Otherwise, he would have flipped the chessboard and walked away long ago.

Just then, a supercar pulled up nearby.

When Zhang Ran saw who stepped out of it, he immediately abandoned the game.

“Old brother, let’s play another day. My nephew’s here to pick me up.”

The moment he finished speaking, Zhang Ran practically ran away.

Playing chess with this shameless old man was simply too frustrating.

“Hey! Finish the game first!”

The old man called after him reluctantly.

It was the first time anyone had been willing to tolerate him for so long.

How could he bear to let Zhang Ran leave?

But Zhang Ran pretended not to hear him and hurried over to Meng Mingxuan.

“Let’s go. Hurry.”

Zhang Ran urged as soon as he got into the car.

Seeing him look as though he were fleeing for his life, Meng Mingxuan became curious.

After starting the engine, he asked, “Uncle Zhang, what happened?”

“What else?”

Zhang Ran sighed.

“I ran into an old rascal.”

Seeing Zhang Ran’s expression, Meng Mingxuan wisely decided not to ask further.

Instead he asked, “So where are we going? What are we doing today?”

“Buying a house.”

Zhang Ran replied.

“See if there are any suitable places nearby. The apartment at home is too small.”

“What kind of house are you looking for? How big?”

Meng Mingxuan thought for a moment.

“I know a luxury residential complex here in Shanghai. Should we go take a look?”

From Zhang Ran’s wording, he guessed they were buying a resale property.

A brand-new development would take far too long before moving in.

Zhang Ran waved his hand.

“No need for anything luxurious. Just find a normal apartment in a nearby neighborhood.”

Meng Mingxuan was about to say something.

But Zhang Ran interrupted him.

“Don’t worry about anything else for now. Just do as I say.”

Since Zhang Ran had spoken so firmly, Meng Mingxuan said nothing more.

Before leaving, Meng He had given him only one instruction:

Listen to Zhang Ran.

Don’t ask unnecessary questions.

Don’t make decisions on your own.

As for Zhang Ran claiming he wasn’t short of money…

Meng Mingxuan assumed Meng He had left him a considerable sum before returning to Guangzhou.

“Then I’ll take you to a real estate agency,” Meng Mingxuan suggested.

“Nowadays almost all second-hand home transactions go through agencies.”

He had never actually bought a second-hand house himself.

To be honest…

He had never bought any house at all.

Whenever he traveled, he simply stayed in luxury hotels.

Owning a home was troublesome.

Someone had to clean it.

Zhang Ran nodded.

“Drive.”

They didn’t have to go far.

Soon they stopped in front of a real estate agency.

Because Meng Mingxuan had arrived in a supercar, an agent hurried outside before they had even entered.

She greeted them with a bright smile.

“Hello, gentlemen. Are you here to look at houses?”

Her name was Meng Xin.

She had just poured herself a glass of water when she spotted the supercar pulling up outside.

Immediately she put the glass down and rushed outside to greet them.

Fortunately, today happened to be her turn to receive walk-in customers, so there was no concern about competing with coworkers for clients.

Meng Xin’s attention naturally focused on Meng Mingxuan.

After all…

He was dressed head to toe in designer brands.

Even his watch and bracelet were obviously worth a fortune.

As for Zhang Ran…

Everything he was wearing together probably didn’t exceed one thousand yuan.

In Meng Xin’s mind, she sincerely hoped Meng Mingxuan would be the one buying the house.

To her disappointment…

It was Zhang Ran who spoke.

“I’m looking for a second-hand apartment.”

“Around 140 square meters.”

“Preferably already renovated.”

“And it shouldn’t have been occupied for very long.”

Although somewhat disappointed, Meng Xin’s smile never faltered.

“Certainly, gentlemen. Please have a seat while I look up some suitable listings.”

She led them inside, served them tea, then sat down at her computer to search.

As she typed, she asked, “Do you have any requirements regarding the neighborhood?”

Zhang Ran thought for a moment.

“A relatively new community would be best.”

“No more than ten years old.”

“Good property management.”

“A pleasant environment.”

“And it should be within the school district of Fuyuan Elementary School.”

Zhang Ran had actually given considerable thought to the school issue.

He had wondered whether he should transfer Taotao to a private elite school.

Taotao’s current school, Fuyuan Elementary, was merely an ordinary public school.

Its teaching resources weren’t particularly outstanding.

Even so, Zhang Sicheng had needed to call in favors and spend quite a bit of money just to get Taotao admitted.

Originally, Zhang Ran had wanted to move him.

After all, more expensive schools generally did offer better educational resources.

However…

He had asked Taotao for his opinion.

The little boy didn’t want to change schools.

His best friends were there.

In the end, Zhang Ran respected his decision.

There would still be plenty of time to switch schools when Taotao entered middle school.

Meng Xin continued filtering listings according to Zhang Ran’s requirements.

At the same time, she quietly asked several coworkers whether they knew of any suitable properties.

One colleague walked over and whispered something into her ear.

Then he handed her a set of keys.

After hearing what he had to say, Meng Xin’s eyes immediately lit up.