Extra Story 9
“The house is already nicely decorated, so we can move in right away. The price isn’t too expensive either.”
“This area is great. There’s a subway downstairs that goes straight to the provincial capital in just 30 minutes. The schools and hospitals nearby are also convenient.”
The elevator doors opened. Chen Cheng followed behind An Yuan, feeling a bit nervous. She peeked out cautiously from behind him, looking around curiously.
Outside was an entryway corridor that led straight into the living room. The marble floor was polished to the point where it reflected light. When Chen Cheng turned to look back at the elevator, she noticed that the doors were decorated with anime-style stickers.
“This is the entrance? Doesn’t that mean anyone can come in easily?”
“You need a keycard, silly.” An Yuan waved the card in his hand. “Our parents are helping clean up. Take a look around and see how you want to arrange things.”
It was a second-hand apartment, but it wasn’t old, just a two- or three-year-old building. It was part of a high-end residential complex, though the occupancy rate didn’t seem great. At night, only a few scattered lights could be seen from the windows.
Over the years, the county had been upgraded to a county-level city and then merged into the provincial capital as a district. The subway had also extended here, causing housing prices to skyrocket. At their peak, they had almost reached 20,000 yuan per square meter. Luckily, prices had cooled down now. Otherwise, buying this house would’ve been painful for An Yuan’s wallet.
“Chengcheng, you’re here?” An Yuan’s mother peeked out from the living room, smiling warmly. “We’re cleaning up for you, making sure everything is spotless!”
“Your mom is setting up your bed. Go take a look?”
“Oh!” Chen Cheng was still a little shy in this unfamiliar place, but since she was surrounded by her family, she relaxed a bit. Her big eyes curiously took in the new home.
As she stepped out of the entryway, her eyes immediately landed on a huge floor-to-ceiling window that covered an entire wall. She couldn’t help but exclaim, “Wow! The view at night must be amazing!”
“You’ll see tonight,” An Yuan smiled, feeling satisfied and indulgent at her excitement.
“Won’t it be a hassle to clean the windows?”
“The property management handles the outside cleaning regularly. We only need to clean the inside.”
Chen Cheng suddenly leaned closer and whispered in his ear, “If the curtains are open, can people across the street see us?”
“What are you planning?” An Yuan poked her waist lightly. “Who knows if they have binoculars?”
“But the other building is pretty far away~ If we don’t turn on the lights, they won’t see, right?”
“Go away, you little pervert.”
Chen Cheng immediately complained, “Mom! An Yuan called me a pervert!”
Hearing that, An Yuan’s mother grabbed a broom and swung it at An Yuan’s backside. “Are you asking for trouble?!”
“No! I was just joking!”
An Yuan ran around the living room, dodging her playful attacks, while Chen Cheng stood on the side, gloating over his misfortune. She ignored him and continued excitedly exploring the place, her eyes sparkling.
The living room was incredibly spacious, even with a large sofa and a table, there was still plenty of open space. The decor wasn’t overly luxurious, but to her, this already felt like a legendary mansion.
She never imagined that, after two lifetimes, she’d actually get to live in such a nice home!
She was so thrilled that after looking around the living room, she eagerly moved on to explore the other rooms. When she passed by the bathroom, she saw her father and uncle busy working inside.
“Dad~”
Both of them responded at the same time.
They exchanged a glance before her father explained, “We’re clearing out the drains and replacing all the toilets with smart ones. I heard that pregnant women are prone to hemorrhoids, and these toilets have a bidet function, so it should help.”
“Uh…”
Chen Cheng wasn’t good at discussing such awkward topics with elders. Her face turned a little red, and she quickly moved on to check the other rooms.
The apartment had three bedrooms. She peeked into the master bedroom and saw her mother by the window, changing the curtains to blackout ones.
Chen Cheng has always had trouble sleeping, which her family is well aware of. They might not have cared much before, but now that she's pregnant, her mother has taken extra care to replace the bedroom's original light-filtering curtains.
"Chengcheng, you have to treat us to a big meal later."
Hearing the noise, Chen Cheng’s mother turned around and saw her peeking through the doorway, her little head sticking out as she curiously looked inside. She teased her with a smile, "We’ve been helping you clean this house for days."
"Yes, yes! A big meal! I haven’t had one in so long!"
"You're pregnant. Eat something light."
"I’ll pay for it, okay!" Chen Cheng finally stepped inside. "Mom, is there no bathroom in the master bedroom? I also don’t see a closet."
"There is, over there."
Following her mother’s direction, Chen Cheng pushed open a door inside the bedroom. Behind it was a small walk-in closet, and further inside was a bathroom that was almost as big as the master bedroom in their old home. The space was divided into four separate areas: a bathtub, a shower, a toilet, and a sink.
She quickly walked over to the bathtub, estimating its size. It was big enough for An Yuan, with his broad frame, to lie down comfortably.
"I can finally take a bath~"
At last, she wouldn’t have to worry about An Yuan suddenly barging in while she was in the bathroom to brush his teeth!
That guy had no sense of personal space at all! He even liked to steal the toilet paper while she was using the bathroom, forcing her to agree to his ridiculous demands!
How could a grown man still act like a kid? Just like her.
"So, what do you think? Happy with it?"
Her mother pushed the door open and leaned against the frame, smiling as she asked.
"Yes, yes! I love it!"
"You're grinning so much your mouth won’t close~"
Her mother glanced around, making sure no one else could hear, before lowering her voice and asking, "You didn’t give in to An Yuan, did you? No matter how much he begs, you can’t give in. If something happens and you lose the baby, you’ll be the one suffering. Understand?"
Why is she talking about this again~
Chen Cheng absentmindedly nodded. "I know, I know."
"Men are more likely to cheat during times like this. Keep an eye on him."
"An Yuan isn’t that kind of person."
Besides, every now and then, Chen Cheng helped An Yuan out in other ways.
Without thinking, she blurted out, "He’s probably happy about it. He finally gets a break while I’m pregnant."
"???"
Her mother tilted her head in confusion, staring blankly at her daughter.
Why did that sound like her daughter was the one exhausting An Yuan instead?
That didn’t match what she had heard before. Wasn’t her daughter supposed to be a shy girl who got embarrassed about these topics? Even though she was about to be a mom, this was unexpected.
Chen Cheng suddenly realized what she had just said and froze. Her face turned bright red. She wanted to explain, but she had no idea how, so she awkwardly looked around, pretending to change the subject.
"Mom, this bathtub is really nice… I’ve wanted one for a long time."
"Bathtubs get dirty easily. You’ll need to clean it often," her mother replied, continuing her daughter's topic.
"Yeah, that does sound like a hassle..." Chen Cheng mumbled as she walked out. "I’ll go get the cat later and let it stay in the second bedroom to get used to the place. Also, where’s my computer room?"
"The room next door. We’ve already set it up for you, just move in and start using it."
Under her mother’s puzzled gaze, Chen Cheng quickly slipped out of the room, relieved that she wasn’t asked more questions. Then, like a boss inspecting a new office, she walked around and checked every room in the house.
"Chengzi, here’s the key."
Seeing her wandering aimlessly, An Yuan called out and handed her the key.
"You can pay the water and electricity bills online from now on. We also need to stop by the property management office later for facial recognition registration, it’ll make entering and exiting the community easier."
"Oh, okay."
"And here’s the property deed. Find a safe place to keep it."
Chen Cheng took the key. It felt heavy in her hand. She flipped open the property deed and saw both her and An Yuan’s names written on it.
It was only at that moment that she truly realized, she actually had a home of her own.
Even though she had always told herself that renting wasn’t a bad thing, she had never felt this strong of a desire to decorate a place exactly how she wanted. It was like anchoring a ship, an unexplainable sense of security settled in her heart.
"Why are you standing there in a daze?" An Yuan grinned. "This is our home. Happy?"
"Yes! Very happy!" But after a brief hesitation, Chen Cheng asked, "You paid for everything, should my name really need to be on the deed?"
"Over the years, you’ve given me at least a few hundred thousand yuan, right? Without you, I wouldn’t have had the money to invest." An Yuan gently rubbed the girl's head.
"Of course, your name should be on it."