Chapter 130: Thought Of Buying A Place

She put on a slightly embarrassed expression. "He said we should start with a cheap one, no big deal if it gets scratched or bumped. Once we’re used to driving, we’ll upgrade."

A nosy busybody pressed further, "Upgrade to what, then?"

"I’m not sure, I don’t know much about cars. But I feel like we shouldn’t get anything too expensive."

That meal firmly placed Lily in the spotlight. Everyone had heard of partners delivering food, but no one expected it to be this extravagant.

"You’re an old married couple already, yet you’re still this loving..."

Rococo’s remark made the other women even greener with envy. Such attentiveness was expected during the pursuit phase or early dating, even acting like a "simp" was forgivable then.

But everyone knew Lily and Luis had been high school sweethearts who’d gone the distance and married. Normally, old couples found even casual touch annoying and bickered at the slightest disagreement.

Even during pregnancy, few couples remained this affectionate. Some time back, the thickness of that Summer Cicada series bracelet on Lily’s wrist had made countless people burn with envy.

After all, in everyone’s eyes, Lily was ordinarily average, even downright plain, some even called her ugly.

But now, Luis stood at 185 cm with a model-like figure. Though he dressed casually, he carried a handsome aura. They were a complete mismatch.

"Lily, have you mentioned your dorm application to your brother-in-law yet?"

Rococo took a sip of her strawberry juice and asked the question almost instinctively.

"No, I haven’t!"

Lily shook her head gently and said, "I’m not that delicate. Taking naps at the office is practically the same anyway. It’s not like the dormitory is free."

"It’s only two hundred dollars a month, and you still want to save that?"

Rococo’s eyes widened in disbelief. She gritted her teeth and said, "It can’t be that my brother-in-law is being stingy, can it? He doesn’t strike me as that kind of person."

The community hospital had a dormitory building—a simple three-story structure, but less than half of it was occupied. Aside from staff who had moved from out of town, most of the medical workers here were locals who saw no need to spend the money.

The dorm rooms were basic: just over 20 square meters with a toilet, and no option for cooking, which made them highly inconvenient. Anyone with a family would never choose to live there.

Moreover, the dormitories were barebones, completely unfurnished, and not open to the public. As a result, less than half of the rooms were ever occupied.

"It’s not that—I have the money myself," Lily explained immediately. "But I can’t tell him. You know how he is—if I even mention it, he’ll go all out and turn it into some huge project."

Rococo caught the faint tone of complaint in Lily’s voice—how her husband spent freely on new furniture and clothes without a second thought. So it wasn’t that her brother-in-law was stingy; it was her sister who was being frugal.

"Listen, Lily—what was before is before. Now is different. You’re pregnant now; you need proper rest during your lunch break. We have two whole hours. You can’t just lie over your desk—what if it hurts the baby?"

Lily looked taken aback by Rococo’s words.

Seizing the moment, Rococo snatched up Lily’s phone, scrolled through her chat history, and copied Luis’s number.

Lily didn’t try to take it back. She was too trusting and didn’t overthink it. She just asked, "What are you doing?"

"If you won’t tell him, I will!"

Rococo said playfully, "If my dear sister is too shy to whisper in his ear, then I’ll be the divine helper! I can’t stand to see you uncomfortable."

Lily hesitated. "But it’s only for a short nap at noon. It feels like such a waste."

"It’s fine, Lily—I’ll pitch in 200 for utilities. Let’s share the room!"

Rococo put on a pitiful look and said, "Renting outside is way too expensive. My landlord is a total creep—always bothering me, and my underwear keeps going missing."

As an intern, Rococo wasn’t eligible to apply for a dorm room unless she used someone else’s name. It was a frustrating situation. If sharing a room meant she could even sleep on the floor, she’d take it.

"Sis, I’ll pay you back that thousand I borrowed as soon as I get my paycheck," Rococo added softly, returning the phone with a hint of shame.

She might have seemed outgoing and cheerful, into cosplay and all, but Lily—ever the caring big sister—knew she had it rough. What looked like an expensive hobby was actually Rococo using her looks to pick up side gigs as a promotional model.

As for her family situation, Rococo never talked about it. Lily was thoughtful enough not to pry. Clearly, things weren’t easy for her.

"Please, Sis—you only need the room at noon. That means I’ll have a place to stay at night. I’m begging you."

Lily thought it over. "Alright, I’ll put in an application. But when you talk to your brother-in-law, be careful how you phrase it, okay? I don’t want him to worry too much."

"Got it! Long live Sister Lily!"

Naturally, boosting favorability had to be a full-court effort. By 11 a.m., Luis was back at the teahouse his mother-in-law frequented.

Yana hadn’t returned yet, but Ruth had already gathered her full set of card partners. All four were sipping tea, waiting to start playing right after lunch.

Among all the bitches there, Aunt Kiara was the most disliked—sharp-tongued and critical, everyone wanted to curse her out during games. But she paid up promptly, so somehow she remained everyone’s favorite card partner. The world of gamblers was truly a strange one.

Aunt Kiara looked impatient. Seeing others already eating, she snapped, "Ruth, is your son-in-law messing with us? He said he’d bring us lunch—so where is he?"

"If he’s bringing it just for you, that’s one thing, but for all of us? What’s going on? You’re not pulling our leg, are you?"

Ruth, looking especially glamorous today, snorted. "My son-in-law said it’s all about relationship spending—the money has to be used while it’s timely. You wouldn’t get it."

"You’re always going on about how your son-in-law is financially free, but I’ve never seen him in luxury cars or name brands," Aunt Kiara went on. "Ruth, don’t tell me he won some lottery and is now just pretending to be rich."

"Get lost! My son-in-law is incredibly frugal with himself, but you have no idea how generous he is to our family."

"Oho, sounds almost convincing," Aunt Kiara said with a sneer. "Well, in that case—since you’re remodeling into a duplex, old man’s place upstairs is going up for sale. Perfect timing, since your daughter is pregnant—you’ll need more space, right?"

The resettlement housing at Central Garden had three units per floor. The one she mentioned was right next to the upstairs duplex.

Aunt Kiara ran a real estate agency. Old man Chen’s apartment had been listed for a long time without any buyers. Over 50 square meters, beautifully renovated originally for his son’s wedding, but his son refused to come back, staying in a first-tier city instead.

Asking 50,000 dollars—everyone thought it was ridiculous. A one-bedroom place, no matter how nicely decorated, wasn’t worth that much in resettlement housing.

So no one even looked at it anymore. Old man Bard grew anxious, searching for buyers everywhere. He’d even reached out to Arthur and privately discussed it with Ruth more than once.

Because the units were adjacent, all it would take was breaking through the corridor wall, and almost overnight, the living space would expand dramatically.

"Old man Bard is trying to rip me off. 50,000 dollars? He might as well rob me," Ruth said irritably. "At that rate, why don’t you try selling both floors of my unit instead?"

Aunt Kiara laughed scornfully. "Don’t talk nonsense. What kind of condition are your two units in? And what about old Bard’s? Besides, he’s now saying 45,000 dollars, taxes included."

In terms of livability, it was actually a pretty good deal. Bard’s apartment was just average to anyone else, but to Ruth, it was truly worth every penny.

Because once that upstairs corridor was opened up, what was once a awkward pseudo-duplex would instantly become a luxurious home.

Ruth didn’t have that kind of money, though. She brushed it off immediately: "45,000 is still too expensive. 40,000 would be more reasonable. Bard’s taste in decor isn’t that great anyway. He says it’s brand new and he spent a fortune, but that doesn’t mean everyone will like it."

"Then let me ask!"

Aunt Kiara’s eyes lit up, and she instantly grabbed her phone. Ruth didn’t even have time to stop her.