C19 Faking It!

When she found Mr. Wang, he was sipping water from a mug. Seeing his wife’s anxious face, he was startled and choked on his drink. After a fit of coughing, he complained, “Why are you rushing around like that? You scared me!”

“It’s not that, Mr. Wang. I’m telling you, we’re trying to sell that rundown plot too quickly, and we won’t get a good price,” Mrs. Wang said, her face full of worry, unsure of what to do.

“What do you mean?” Mr. Wang kept a straight face, though he was skeptical. He only asked for a $50 deposit to sign the contract, not the full amount upfront.

After listening to his wife, he chuckled, “I thought you were panicking because no one wanted to buy it.”

“Let me ask you, did Qi Qianshan ever give you a definite answer, even though he talks a good game?”

“No,” Mrs. Wang admitted honestly.

“Well, there you go. Before, we weren’t in a hurry to sell, and it was fine to have him stringing us along. But now that we’re in a rush, he’s not serious about buying. He’s just playing games.”

Mr. Wang took another sip of water, unhurriedly. “Listen, that rundown plot is worth at most $150 on the market.”

“But Zong Qingshan offered $200,” Mrs. Wang said, confused. Weren’t they hoping for a buyer willing to pay more than $200?

Mr. Wang smiled mysteriously. “Zong Qingshan is eager to buy, no doubt about it. I was just thinking if someone wanted to outbid him, we’d benefit. But it turns out Qi Qianshan, who usually competes fiercely with Zong Qingshan, backed down when it came to real competition. He didn’t even dare to make an offer, wasting my efforts.”

“Well, before things get worse, let’s fix this. You don’t need to ask around anymore. I’ll go talk to the village chief and sell the land to his family.”

"I haven't even asked everything yet. Maybe we should wait until tonight," Mrs. Wang said, a bit unwilling to let it go.

"You know which families in the village have money. Asking around more won't change anything. Come on, don't drag it out. If we go now, we might still get a good deal and earn some goodwill."

"If you want to go, you go. I'm not going," Mrs. Wang said stubbornly. After all this effort, it felt like a waste of time, and it was really frustrating.

Mr. Wang wasn't upset. "Fine, if you don't want to go, then don't. Just focus on getting some work done. Selling the house is a big deal, and it's my job to handle it."

Mrs. Wang was taken aback, watching her husband walk away. It took her a moment to process what just happened. She had hoped Mr. Wang would find a way to delay the sale, but he went ahead and decided to sell it to the village chief's family. If anyone else had suggested it, she wouldn't have agreed, but Mr. Wang was her husband, and she had to listen to him. She was frustrated, and it made her work even harder than usual.

Zong Qingshan felt a sense of relief as he directed the villagers in their work. After confronting his parents and older brother, he felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders, and his spirits were noticeably higher.

Seeing Mr. Wang approaching from a distance, Zong was surprised, especially when Mr. Wang waved and called out, "Chief!"

Zong quickened his pace, a bit concerned. Could it be that Mr. Wang had already sold his rundown property? "Mr. Wang, is there something you need?"

"Oh, Chief, I had no idea my wife was up to such nonsense. If I had known you were so sincere about buying our rundown property, I would have agreed right away. But it's not too late now. Let's sign the contract."

In case the Zong family caused any trouble, it wouldn't affect his ability to sell the house and get the money.

Zong Qingshan hadn't expected Mr. Wang to come over wanting to sell the house, but it was a good thing. "Alright, let's head to the village office. They have the ink pad there."

Both being heads of their households, once the contract was written, it would be binding. Mr. Wang happily agreed, and they walked together to the village office.

"Wow, the chief is really buying a house for his daughter. He's even willing to pay two hundred dollars for that rundown property. That's some serious pampering," someone remarked, giving a thumbs-up.

He was completely shocked. The village chief had just finished arguing with his second brother and parents, making it impossible for them to ignore the truth.

The village chief's daughter must have had some incredible luck in her past life to be born into such a fortunate situation. She never had to work as a child, focused solely on her studies as she grew up, and now, as she gets married, she even receives a house. Of course, these are other people's affairs, and they just gossip for the sake of it.

The ones truly worried and upset are Zong Qinghui's family. "What? The youngest is really going to buy that rundown plot from the Wangs?"

"He's being ridiculous!" Mr. Zong was so angry his mustache trembled. "That ungrateful son!"

Mrs. Zong felt uneasy too. Her obedient and well-behaved youngest son was suddenly showing a rebellious streak, and she found it hard to accept.

"Mom, Dad, you have to find a way to stop him!" Zong Qinghui was fuming, breathing heavily. His younger brother was determined to buy the house against their wishes, which felt like a slap in the face.

The two elders exchanged a bitter smile. They knew their second son was a lost cause, but they hadn't expected him to be so oblivious to reality.

"Son, he didn't even back down during the argument with us earlier. How can we possibly stop him now?" Mrs. Zong said, her heart heavy with disappointment.

Zong Qinghui wasn't having any of it. "I don't care. You need to find a way to stop him. If he won't listen, make a scene. Are you really afraid of him?"