Chapter 29: The Bestowal

Lin Shaowen bought Qin Huairu four sets of clothes, two pairs of leather shoes, and several small trinkets like hairpins and a mirror in one go, leaving her feeling completely dazed. In these times, who lived a life that wasn't tight-fisted? Even those with a bit of extra money would save it desperately.

Take Yi Zhonghai, for example—his salary was high, wasn't it? Yet he was still reluctant to eat or dress well. Liu Haizhong’s salary wasn't bad either, yet you wouldn't smell meat in his house for three months at a time. Only Lin Shaowen spent money like water. When they left the supply and marketing cooperative, Qin Huairu was carrying seven bags.

"Shaowen, you didn't have to buy me so much," Qin Huairu said with her head bowed.

Lin Shaowen glanced at her and noticed water droplets falling onto the ground. He couldn't help but laugh, "Why are you crying over a few gifts?"

"I... I'm just too happy," Qin Huairu wiped her face, embarrassed. "You are too good to me. I'm afraid... I'm afraid that when you get married, I won't be able to let you go."

"What will you do when I get married?" Lin Shaowen asked with interest.

"If... if you get married, I'll just wait for you at home," Qin Huairu whispered, covering her face. "Whenever you want to see your sister, just come. If you don't come, I'll just keep waiting for you."

"Wouldn't that make you a concubine?" Lin Shaowen teased.

"I'm willing," Qin Huairu said, tilting her head up.

"Shameless." Lin Shaowen pinched her smooth cheek and then ran off quickly.

"Hey, Lin Shaowen..." Qin Huairu chased after him with her bags, the two of them looking just like a couple in the heat of a new romance.

Lin Shaowen took her to eat roast duck at Quanjude, and Qin Huairu nearly swallowed her own tongue from delight. She had never eaten anything so delicious. She couldn't even bear to throw away the remaining duck carcass, packing it into a bag to take home for soup, for which Lin Shaowen teased her relentlessly.

By the time they left Quanjude, it was already dark. Yet, Lin Shaowen had no intention of going back; instead, he took her to a movie. It was late into the night when they returned to the courtyard one after the other.

"Sister Qin," Shazhu called out, having heard the commotion next door, and immediately ran out.

"Up late, Zhuzi?" Qin Huairu was in a fantastic mood and gave Shazhu a rare, brilliant smile.

"Whoa, did you rob the supply and marketing cooperative?" Shazhu stared at the bags in her hands in astonishment.

"Hardly." Qin Huairu restrained her smile and sighed, "Since I'm working at the rolling mill now, I have to get a few sets of clothes, don't I? I borrowed some money from Lin Shaowen to buy them."

"Lin Shaowen is no good person," Shazhu said urgently. "Sister Qin, next time you need to borrow money, just come to me. I have money."

"Alright," Qin Huairu yawned, "I'm tired, I'm going to sleep."

"Okay." Shazhu nodded, but he remained standing at the doorway.

After a long while, Qin Huairu felt something was off. She peeked through the window and saw Shazhu still standing there, which gave her goosebumps. She couldn't stay here anymore. She made up her mind to find a new place tomorrow; otherwise, Shazhu would surely discover her dealings with Lin Shaowen sooner or later.

The next day, Lin Shaowen left early. He needed to go to the neighborhood office to settle the final payment with Lei Dali. In this era, there was no such thing as private transactions; everything was handled between public entities. Lei Dali belonged to a small construction team under the neighborhood office, and all project payments were settled through them.

But rules were rigid while people were flexible. The official quote for Lei Dali to repair Lin Shaowen's house was twenty-five yuan. The neighborhood office took five, leaving twenty for Lei Dali. Of course, the office had heard rumors about the actual cost of Lin Shaowen's house, but such things were better left unexamined. If they dug too deep, Lei Dali might just walk off the job, and the next team would do exactly the same thing anyway.

In front of Director Wang, Lin Shaowen paid the twenty-five yuan. The neighborhood office issued formal documentation, signifying the completion of the repairs and guaranteeing that Lei Dali would be responsible for the house for the next five years. If any leaks or damage occurred, they would be obligated to perform the maintenance.

Lei Dali left in a flurry of gratitude, while Lin Shaowen was kept behind by Director Wang for tea—truly just for tea. Lin Shaowen glanced at the documents on her desk and his eyes lit up. "Director Wang, property cannot be traded right now, can it?"

"No," Director Wang said sternly. "Take your house, for example. Even though you are the registered occupant, the house belongs to the state and cannot be bought or sold."

"What about gifting?" Lin Shaowen changed his approach.

"That is possible," Director Wang said with a hint of a smile, whispering, "but if it is a gift, it must be filed with the neighborhood office. Take Xu Damao in your courtyard—his house was gifted to him by his father."

"Oh, is that so?" Lin Shaowen became interested.

"Xu Damao's father was assigned housing by his unit, but since he already had a house, he couldn't take the assignment. So, he split the household with Xu Damao and gifted him the house," Director Wang explained.

"Is this house on the list from our courtyard?" Lin Shaowen pointed to a house mentioned in the files and smiled. "It says 'gift' in the notes... but no name is written. What's the situation with this?"

"Why? Are you interested?" Director Wang didn't answer directly. "That house is the one by the moon gate. The original occupant left Beijing to head south, so they came early to note it as a gift..."

Lin Shaowen understood immediately. That "note of gift" basically meant it was for sale. He had been in the courtyard for a month and had never seen anyone at the moon gate house. Even Jia Zhang and the others, who were trying to snatch his house, had completely ignored that vacant property, which meant it definitely had an owner.

"Director Wang, tell me about this house."

"Are you truly interested?" Director Wang warned, "Xiao Lin, I know you have money, but now is not the time to be greedy."

"I know that, just tell me about the house," Lin Shaowen smiled.

"It's two side rooms. We measured them; it's about seventy square meters. As for the condition of the gift... five hundred yuan."

Director Wang's voice was very soft, but Lin Shaowen heard it clearly. He pondered for a moment before laughing, "Director Wang, what do you think about gifting this house to Qin Huairu?"

"Xiao Lin, you and her..." Director Wang's expression changed instantly. Even though Qin Huairu was divorced, for a fine young man like Lin Shaowen to associate with a woman who already had children wasn't a good thing.

"What are you thinking?" Lin Shaowen laughed, unable to decide whether to cry or laugh. "I mean, Qin Huairu is divorced, right? The rolling mill won't assign her a house. I want to gift this to her, and then have her write a private, unfiled deed of gift back to me."

Director Wang understood instantly, but still didn't get it. "Why are you hoarding so many houses?"

"You know the people in my courtyard and I don't get along," Lin Shaowen said with a bitter smile. "Once I secure this house, I can install a gate at the moon gate, which will allow me to isolate myself from them."

This was a perfectly valid reason. If he wanted to install a gate at the moon gate, he didn't need to ask anyone else, but he did need the consent of the household by the entrance. After all, if he installed a gate and kept it locked, it would block their light.