Chapter 155: Chapter 155: Buying a Shop
"Wanwan, you rest for a bit. I’ll go wash the diapers." Aunt Zhao was very diligent. With her help, Su Wan had a much easier time.
She didn’t rest, though. By now, she was able to sit up and read.
Su Wan took advantage of this time to quickly finish her homework, as well as some design drawings and their underlying principles.
However, she didn’t have the conditions for experiments at the moment, so many of her ideas were just conjectures.
Two hours later, Yuanyuan woke up first, and Su Wan hurried over to pick her up.
Su Wan breastfed her directly. Seeing Yuanyuan latch on and nurse by herself, a gratified smile appeared on her face, which was full of motherly love. Stroking her daughter’s sparse hair, her heart melted.
After Yuanyuan finished eating, Tuantuan woke up as well.
Tuantuan had an even bigger appetite. Breast milk wasn’t enough; he needed a bottle of milk afterward.
Time flew by, and half a year passed. Su Wan went from being flustered and overwhelmed at the beginning to being able to easily handle things like waking up at night for the two children.
"Sister-in-law, you can go home now." Early one morning, Zhang Qiu came over and happily gave her the news.
Su Wan asked in pleasant surprise, "Have there been favorable developments in the war?"
There was a reason Su Wan asked this. For the past six months, she had been reading the newspaper every day. The papers would periodically publish updates on the war in the south; sometimes there were crises, and other times there was good news.
And recently, it had been mostly good news.
"That’s right. Although we haven’t achieved a complete victory yet, we’ve destroyed the enemy’s artillery batteries and pushed the front line fifty kilometers south. The battlefield has been off our soil for a while now."
"But the reason you can go back isn’t because the war is over. It’s because Battalion Commander Lu has been reassigned back here."
"What? Reassigned? He doesn’t have to be on the battlefield anymore?" Su Wan was so thrilled she shot to her feet.
Although she never said it out loud, she had been constantly worried about Lu Zhengchuan. They had never been separated for so long before. Now, they hadn’t seen each other in almost seven or eight months. Even a phone call once a month was a luxury. Relying on letters alone was hardly enough to quell her longing for him.
"Exactly. I heard Battalion Commander Lu performed exceptionally well this time and received a first-class merit. He’s being transferred to the Capital. Not only that, but he’s probably getting a promotion too."
That night, the news left Su Wan too excited to sleep. She wished she could just grab Lu Zhengchuan and ask him all about it.
But obviously, that was just a thought. The news had come from Master Ji and was told to her privately to put her mind at ease. Lu Zhengchuan could only return after the award ceremony in the army was over, so it was best for her not to spread the news for now. She would just have to wait for Lu Zhengchuan to come back before celebrating.
The next day, Su Wan and Aunt Zhao set out, each holding one of the babies. Zhang Qiu drove them in a car and dropped them off at the entrance to their alley.
"Wanwan, you’re back?"
Second Sister-in-law Su was at home with Nuannuan, who could now walk while holding someone’s hand. She was chatting with a neighbor at the doorway when she saw the group of four return.
Zhang Qiu helped carry the luggage into the courtyard before he left. Now that it was safe, he had to go back and report for duty, so he would no longer be staying by Su Wan’s side.
"Tuantuan, Yuanyuan, you’re so good. You’ve gotten a little chubbier."
Second Sister-in-law Su came forward, holding Nuannuan, and asked in pleasant surprise, "Wanwan, you brought all your luggage back. Does this mean you’ll be living at home from now on?"
"Yes, Sister-in-law."
It was early summer now. The weather was nice, so it was fine for the children to be out in the breeze for a bit.
But when Second Sister-in-law Su heard this, she clearly knew something was up. After saying goodbye to the neighbor, she quickly followed Su Wan into the courtyard.
Aunt Zhao deftly went to tidy up the room Su Wan had lived in before.
There were only three rooms in the courtyard house, but Mother Su and the others had never occupied Su Wan’s room. It was still neat and tidy, just without bedsheets since no one usually slept there.
As for the two elders, they were staying in Su Jue’s room.
Second Brother Su and his wife were staying in Aunt Zhao’s room.
Now that people were back, they had to figure out the sleeping arrangements.
But right now, Second Sister-in-law Su was clearly more concerned about why Su Wan had returned so suddenly.
"Wanwan, how come you’re back all of a sudden?"
"Lu Zhengchuan’s mission is over. He’s coming back," Su Wan said, happy just talking about it.
"Really? That’s wonderful news!" Second Sister-in-law Su said, delighted.
"I know, right? He’s been on this mission for seven or eight months. If he didn’t come back soon, the two kids would be walking before they even met their father," Su Wan huffed lightly.
"So when is our brother-in-law arriving? I’ll tell Mom and Dad. We have to give him a proper welcome."
Su Wan shook her head. "I don’t know. He still has to go back to the base to write his mission report. He should be able to come back after all the follow-up procedures are done."
Su Wan didn’t mention Lu Zhengchuan’s promotion. After all, it wasn’t confirmed yet. If she said it now and it didn’t happen, she would become a laughingstock.
"That’s still good news. And it’s perfect that you’re back, Wanwan. Mom and Dad have something to talk about tonight."
Dinner was a magnificent feast, prepared together by Mother Su, Second Sister-in-law Su, Second Brother Su, and Aunt Zhao.
Su Wan placed the two babies in a crib nearby and sat at the dining table. The family finished their lavish dinner.
After putting down her chopsticks, Mother Su finally spoke up, just as expected. "Wanwan, Second Brother, Jiaojiao, there’s something I need to tell you."
"What is it, Mom? Just tell us," Second Brother Su chimed in.
Su Wan nodded as well.
"Your father and I are thinking of getting a storefront near the school. Second Brother, you’ve probably heard recently that the entire West District is being rezoned. They’re not allowing stalls outside the school anymore, saying it affects the city’s appearance. If you want to do business, it has to be in a shop. As it happens, the old buildings over there were torn down and rebuilt, and now the whole street is full of new shops. The state is selling them, and your father and I want to buy one."
"Buy a shop? Mom, how much is one?" Second Brother Su was instantly energized.
"If I can afford it, I want to buy one too."
"You can’t afford it," Mother Su stated bluntly.
Second Su was quite hurt to hear that.
"Mom, don’t you think you’re being a little too direct?"
"One shop costs three thousand yuan. It’s so expensive that many people are hesitant to buy one. After all, a shop is only sixty square meters. I heard that for that price, you could even buy a courtyard house right now if you’re lucky and it’s in a more remote area."
"Besides, many people prefer to rent. The monthly rent for a storefront over there is about five to twelve yuan right now, which an ordinary small business owner can still afford."
Su Wan thought for a moment and said, "Mom, aren’t shops rarely for sale right now? Are you sure they were built by the housing authority?"
"Of course. Wasn’t the news published in the newspaper?"
Su Wan nodded. "I did see that news about half a year ago. I didn’t expect them to be finished already."
"In that case, we should definitely buy. If we can afford it, why rent?"
"That’s what I was thinking too. At least we can leave a storefront for the younger generation in the future. If we rent, what if the rent goes up later?"
"But three thousand yuan is too expensive. I’m still far from that amount," Second Brother Su said with some regret. "My business has been pretty good these past six months, and I can make eighty to a hundred yuan a month. But even so, I’ve only managed to save up eight hundred yuan so far."