Chapter 023: Fantasies of Buying a House

This story is purely a work of fiction.

“Honey, my toner is almost finished, and the serum is running out, too.” Du Juan shook the bottle of toner in the air. “Do you see, darling?” After speaking, she turned and set the bottle back on the vanity table. Gazing at the collection of her beloved cosmetics, she let out a long sigh.

“Why sigh? Just buy more when you’re out. I can’t promise you a life of riches and extravagance, but at the very least, I can make sure you never worry about food or clothing. If you run out of cosmetics, just go and buy some more. I might not have grand abilities, but I’ll always make sure you have what you need most.” Normally, Zhao Ming wasn’t so generous, but today, his quick assent truly took Du Juan by surprise.

“Listen to you! I’ve never seen you so agreeable. In the past, whenever I mentioned buying cosmetics, you’d complain about how expensive everything was, wishing I’d never spend a cent. Did you come into some unexpected windfall?” Du Juan spoke as she walked toward the bed.

Zhao Ming felt a bit wronged as he watched her approach. “That’s not fair, dear. When have I ever said things were too pricey? Anything you wanted to buy, I never interfered or said a word against it. You really should be fair, darling. I’m always frugal, never spending money recklessly—not like you, the queen of comfort. Even going to the International Plaza, though it’s only a few hundred meters away, you insist on taking a taxi. True, it’s only five yuan, but those little expenses add up. Walking would both save money and be good exercise. Why not?” He tapped her forehead with his finger. “Isn’t that so, my Lady of Leisure?”

“Well, sure, but are you really going to take away even this little bit of enjoyment from me? I wear high heels, you know how tiring that is? And you say it’s just a short walk—I’ll have you know my ankle’s been injured for years, I’m still doing therapy with no improvement. You don’t even know why I take cabs, yet you keep making comments.” Du Juan defended her laziness.

“All right, all right, darling, I really wasn’t blaming you. In this house, as long as there’s money, you can spend however you like. You have absolute control over all our finances, isn’t that enough?” Zhao Ming shifted upward, as if the conversation had tired him. Covering his mouth, he yawned. “Let’s get some sleep, sweetheart.” With that, he got up to use the bathroom.

When he returned to bed, Du Juan was looking at him with an odd expression.

Zhao Ming was puzzled. Everything was fine just a moment ago—why the sudden sour face? “What’s wrong now?”

“What’s wrong? Don’t you think there’s something you need to explain to me?” Du Juan stood, hands behind her back, like a judge ready to interrogate a defendant.

“There’s nothing to explain. It’s late, and I’m tired. Whatever it is, can we talk about it tomorrow? If we keep chatting, we’ll disturb Xiyu’s sleep. If he doesn’t rest, his studies will suffer, and he won’t get into a good school. The entrance exams are coming up. If we don’t take care now, we’ll regret it.” Zhao Ming feigned ignorance. “You’re looking at me as if I’ve done something terrible.”

Seeing him dodge the issue, Du Juan thought he really didn’t grasp the seriousness of the situation. “You’re hopeless. You never learn until it’s too late. You need to understand—what you did today was very serious.” She imitated the stern tone of her office supervisor.

“How could that be? I’ve never done anything wrong—always doing good deeds!” Zhao Ming protested.

“Well, since you’re always doing good deeds, why don’t you tell me about today’s good deed?” Du Juan raised her wallet.

“Tell me, if you don’t confess what you did today, you won’t get away with it.” Her tone grew more forceful.

Zhao Ming stayed silent. He knew it was Xiao Jin, that rascal, who had slipped money into his bag when he wasn’t looking.

“This four thousand yuan came from me analyzing the results of a football match. You always complain that I pay too much attention to football, that I watch every broadcast. But see, it finally paid off.” Zhao Ming sounded a bit smug.

As soon as she heard it was from gambling on football, Du Juan became worried. She knew a colleague who had lost their assigned apartment because of football betting. Her face clouded with concern. “Enough. Money gained like this can’t be relied on. There’s no such thing as a free lunch, and pies don’t fall from the sky. Don’t let winning one bet go to your head—it’s a massive trap. Did you hear me, darling?”

Zhao Ming smiled. “Yes, yes, a lot of people say that. But for me, predicting a few matches is as easy as Zhang Fei eating bean sprouts—no trouble at all.”

Seeing Zhao Ming’s indifference, Du Juan warned him again to take her words seriously. Zhao Ming nodded, “Got it, darling. I’ll be careful.”

“In the past, whenever you had any extra income, you’d tell me right away. But today, even when I was holding your wallet, you didn’t say a word. Why? Are you trying to keep a little stash for yourself?”

“How could I? I’ve been busy since I got home—cooking, drinking, washing dishes, cleaning up. When did I have time to talk or explain anything?” Zhao Ming felt wronged. “Oh, right, didn’t you say you’re out of cosmetics? Go to the plaza and buy what you need before you get wrinkles.”

“With just this bit of money, you expect me to go on a shopping spree? So you want me to buy them just because you’re afraid of me getting wrinkles? And what if I do? Are you thinking of something?”

“I am thinking something.” Zhao Ming grinned.

“Oh, you’re bold now, aren’t you? If you ever dare have those thoughts, you’ll be in for it.”

“As if I’d dare. I don’t have the means, and all my meager salary is in your hands. I’m not charming or dashing—no one would even spare me a glance. Women these days are practical. If you don’t have what it takes, don’t take on more than you can handle. I know my limits.” Zhao Ming replied earnestly.

Du Juan looked at the stack of hundred-yuan notes, then at her nearly empty cosmetics bottles, and sighed, “Oh dear. These notes have barely entered the house and they’re about to get renamed.”

“What do you mean, renamed? Money is meant to circulate. Today it’s in your hands, tomorrow it’s in someone else’s pocket. You make money to spend it. Spending a bit to keep up your appearance is essential for a woman. You use it for beauty services, and in exchange, preserve your youth.”

“Preserve my youth? Hardly—it just delays aging a little. I don’t expect miracles, but there’s a difference between taking care and neglecting yourself. Anyway, I have some special news to tell you.”

“Special news? Wait, let me guess what good thing has happened.” Du Juan was unusually excited, nearly raising her voice.

“Keep it down—Xiyu is sleeping, and Wu Zhengzhe is sound asleep in the living room.” Zhao Ming made a shushing gesture.

“Let me think, what special good news could it be?” She tapped her temple with a finger, eyes shifting as she mused. “You brought back some money today—if there’s more good news, could it be a promotion?” Suddenly, she raised her finger from her temple and waved it in the air. “It must be a promotion, I’m sure!”

She gazed into Zhao Ming’s eyes. “From the look in your eyes, I must be right, am I?”

“Sharp as ever. I thought even if I gave you three chances, you wouldn’t guess I was promoted. But you got it in one. Impressive!” Zhao Ming tapped her forehead with his finger.

“It’s not me who’s impressive, it’s my husband. Of all your comrades who transferred at the same time, if I’m not mistaken, you’re the first to be promoted to division-level.” Du Juan didn’t hold back her praise. She wrapped her arms around Zhao Ming’s waist, resting her cheek on his chest, her face full of happiness.

“I didn’t tell you earlier because there was a seven-day public notice period. Now that it’s over, I officially start tomorrow. Shouldn’t there be a reward or something?” Zhao Ming looked at Du Juan with expectation.

Du Juan rose on tiptoe, wrapped her arms around Zhao Ming’s neck, and gave him a loving kiss.

“Besides this reward, shouldn’t we celebrate a little?” Zhao Ming threw her a flirtatious glance. “You know what I mean.”

Du Juan understood. “I just heard Xiyu turning over—he’s a light sleeper. Besides, it’s late. No need to wear yourself out—save your energy for your first day on the job, so you’ll be in top form. Understand?”

“All right, since you said so, I’ll hold back for now.” Zhao Ming reached to turn off the light.

When they were both seated on the bed, Du Juan stopped him. “Wait, don’t turn off the light yet. I have something to tell you. Today, my colleague and I went to look at an apartment at Yongli Real Estate. Look, our son is growing up and studies until late every night, but he doesn’t even have a proper place to work. Our apartment is so small, and it’s really inconvenient for him to live in a partitioned room with us. Shouldn’t we consider buying a new home?”

“Buying a home? Do you think we can afford it?” Zhao Ming felt completely uncertain.

Honestly, after all these years of handing his salary over to Du Juan, Zhao Ming had no idea how much she had saved. He only knew that she was extremely frugal, never spending extra unless necessary. Even so, buying a home seemed far out of reach.

“I don’t know how much money you have, but I don’t think we have enough—unless we sell our current apartment.” Zhao Ming said, feeling helpless.

“That’s what I was thinking, too. We sell our place, make a down payment, then get a bank loan. In a year or so, we could be living in a big new home.”

“That makes sense. Without a bank loan, buying a house is just a fantasy. But if we sell our place, where do we live?”

“We’ll move in with my parents!” Du Juan answered without hesitation.

Seeing her so decisive, Zhao Ming had nothing more to say. There were benefits to moving in with the in-laws—no need to cook after coming home.

That night, Zhao Ming had a wonderful dream, talking in his sleep, smiling, drooling, and sleeping soundly until dawn...

Long before daylight, Wu Zhengzhe, who’d been sleeping on the folding sofa in the living room, had already gotten up and left. The sofa was neatly folded, the floor gleamed from his mopping, and even the bathroom sink was scrubbed spotless—though the air still carried a faint trace of last night’s wine.

Zhao Ming turned on his phone and saw an unread message. It was from Wu Zhengzhe, sent before he left that morning. The message read, “There’s business at the police station—I have to report on the progress of a case, so I’ve gone. Wishing you smooth promotions and further success. – Zhezhe, today.”

Zhao Ming stared at his phone for a long while. He thought, last night he’d been so busy drinking, he really hadn’t found time to tell Zhezhe about his promotion. He figured he’d tell him once he officially started. Yet somehow, Zhezhe had already found out—his friend’s information network was impressive. Zhao Ming shook his head, holding the note in the living room.

(To be continued)