"But I still donât want to get married. You donât know, their family just got an apartment from the work unit, two bedrooms and a living room. He also has a younger brother and a younger sister. According to what his family means, after we get married, weâll use one room, his sister will share a room with the parents, and his brother will sleep in the living room. With a house that small and so many people living in it, I donât want that." Her parents only had her and her brother. Her brother got married and their work unit gave them a house, so the couple lived on their own. Initially, they agreed to live with her family after marriage, since her family had space. They planned to move out once they got their own place.
Everything was agreed upon, and Zhang Hanfu also consented. But who would have thought that his parents wouldnât be happy about it, saying it seemed like their son was becoming a live-in son-in-law.
"Thatâs how it is now. Your husbandâs family isnât so bad. My auntâs family of five crammed into a house of just over twenty square meters, bunk beds, with no space for anything besides beds. They have two sons and a daughter, and the sons are old enough to date, but every time a girlfriend sees their house, they break up. My eldest cousin waited until he was 26 when his work unit finally gave them a house to get married. Now my second cousin still isnât married because thereâs no place to live." Su Ling said.
"My parents say the same, saying that Zhang Hanfu is not bad and has potential. They told me to endure for a while, and after a couple of years when Zhang Hanfu has enough work experience, weâll be allocated a house. Thatâs why I agreed."
"If youâre not willing, why not save money to buy a house yourself?" Lin Wan also understood the housing difficulties. In her past life, after divorcing Han Yi, she had experienced a long period of homelessness. Young and wandering outside, she almost got into trouble once. Later, she lived for quite a while in a tubular building, and she had gotten quite enough of the smell there.
In this life, she hadnât felt uncomfortable about living arrangements.
"Buy a house? Now itâs also difficult at the work units, and even if we go through backdoor channels, it costs a lot, and we might not even get a quota."
"Why buy a unit house? Private houses for ordinary people in the city are an option. Although theyâre hard to find, youâll run into them eventually. We just bought a courtyard house last month."
"Buy a bungalow? We hadnât thought of that."
"Bungalows are nice. My husbandâs family lives in a small courtyard. Their familyâs ancestral house even has a yard." Su Lingâs family lived in a courtyard.
"Xiao Wan, how much did you buy the house for? Where is it?"
"In the area facing the street by Xuefu Road, for 3,500."
"Youâre talking about South Street, arenât you? That used to be a rich area, but who doesnât know that in those years of persecution, every house lost someone. Everyone in the city knows that place is unlucky, and you dared to buy it." Su Ling gave her a look, thinking it wasnât worth it for her.
"You bought a house on South Street?" Yin Peibai disapprovingly said.
Lin Wan raised her eyebrows. "I think itâs pretty good. The alley is wide, and the yard is big."
"We wouldnât dare buy a house there, but... what you said makes sense. Iâll discuss it with Han Fu when I get back."
"I think if you have the money, buying a house is a good idea. Now houses are scarce, and the government will definitely come up with policies in the future. Building houses will require land. Who knows, one day they might take your courtyard for development. There will surely be compensation for demolition, and perhaps even a new house." Lin Wan subtly guided them, but whether they buy it is up to them.
"Xiao Wan isnât wrong. I heard Liu Wei say just recently that some factories are facing housing shortages and are preparing to build dormitories and need land for it." As Su Ling spoke, her eyes lit up. They had some savings, and if thatâs the case, they might as well buy a house.