What wonderful news.

For Zhou Cheng’s career prospects, this was excellent news. The academy was in Ji Bei Province, not too far from Beijing, allowing Xia Xiaolan to visit Zhou Cheng at school on weekends.

Xia Xiaolan smiled while holding the letter, drawing curious looks from her roommates in Dormitory 307.

“What is it? Another letter from your Mister Z?”

“What does it say that’s making you so happy…”

Su Jing’s only obsession now was that she had never seen a photo of the mysterious Mister Z. What kind of couple didn’t exchange photos? When she asked Xia Xiaolan for one, she was told there weren’t any. If it weren’t for their frequent correspondence, Dormitory 307 would have suspected that “Mister Z” was someone Xia Xiaolan had made up.

“He’s going to study in Ji Bei Province. It’s a rare opportunity, so I’m happy for him!”

Yang Yonghong exclaimed, “Ji Bei Province? Which school?”

Ji Bei was Yang Yonghong’s hometown, so naturally, she was the most excited among the roommates.

There were quite a few universities in Ji Bei Province. Which school was Xia Xiaolan’s boyfriend attending? Of course, none of Ji Bei’s schools were as prestigious as Hua Qing, but female students were still innocent then, not judging couples’ compatibility by their schools but rather by the person’s character.

In Dormitory 307, speculations about “Mister Z” were a main topic during their late-night talks. Xia Xiaolan let them guess, smiling without contradicting anything. Zhou Cheng’s admission to Lu Academy was urgent, and his work unit would approve his leave to visit home.

Zhou Cheng wrote in his letter that he would take Xia Xiaolan with him.

During her last visit to the Zhou family, they had run into Wang Jianhua’s mother. Xia Xiaolan hoped this visit would be more peaceful.

A week passed quickly. On Saturday morning, Xia Xiaolan prepared to meet Zhou Cheng at their agreed spot. Manager Wu mentioned that the owner of the courtyard house near Shichahai had become willing to negotiate.

“80,000 is too low, but they might negotiate at 100,000. Would you like to go see it today?”

It was only eight in the morning, and Xia Xiaolan had arranged to meet Zhou Cheng at eight-thirty.

Zhou Cheng arrived just after eight, and Xia Xiaolan asked if he wanted to go look at the house together.

Manager Wu glanced at the Jeep with its special license plate but remained silent. Only a fool would make a fuss over every little detail. Manager Wu understood but kept his thoughts to himself, harboring his speculations.

Zhou Cheng desperately wanted to hug and kiss his wife, but upon parking, he noticed others present, and Xia Xiaolan was talking about viewing a house.

Zhou Cheng was also interested in seeing the courtyard that Xia Xiaolan liked. “Let’s go together then. We’ll return home before lunch. Today I’m taking you to visit Grandfather and Grandmother.”

Zhou Cheng turned to greet Manager Wu, who didn’t know Zhou Cheng’s background but recognized that the young man spoke very shrewdly. Manager Wu rode his bicycle while Zhou Cheng drove slowly behind with Xia Xiaolan. Shichahai wasn’t far, and they arrived shortly.

The courtyard was bustling today, with not just the person Xia Xiaolan had met during her previous visit, but seven or eight others waiting in the yard—the owner’s entire family had gathered.

As soon as the three entered, people surrounded them:

“80,000 is too low, how could we possibly sell at that price!”

“Yes, where else could you find such a complete courtyard mansion…”

“It can’t be less than 100,000, we’ve all agreed on this!”

Xia Xiaolan just looked at Manager Wu.

She had come to view the house, not to argue.

Zhou Cheng also smiled: “Why did you say we should come? We might as well head back early. It’s not like we’re desperate for this courtyard.”

Zhou Cheng truly didn’t lack a siheyuan courtyard house—he had asked Kang Wei to buy several. He couldn’t live in all those houses alone; he only bought them because his wife wanted them. The money was all Xiaolan’s, and the houses weren’t particularly important to him.

If Xiaolan wanted one, Zhou Cheng would put all the houses together and let her choose one.

If she wanted to pay, Zhou Cheng would accept it, since the money would end up under his wife’s management anyway.

If she didn’t pay, Zhou Cheng would be even happier!

Either way was better than coming here early in the morning.

For those seriously interested in selling, they hadn’t even agreed on a price. They said it was negotiable, but after calling Xia Xiaolan here, they still insisted on 100,000!

Manager Wu was also angry and called out the owner they had previously dealt with.

“What’s going on here? You said the price was negotiable. Do you think our time isn’t valuable, that you can just play games with us?”

Among everyone present, when it came to valuable time, who could compare with Manager Wu? He dealt with money all day. Even units borrowing millions had to negotiate with him. In terms of amount, the siheyuan transaction in Shichahai was truly “small business” for Manager Wu.

Xia Xiaolan and Zhou Cheng were young and good-looking, but not easy to bully.

The dozen or so people quieted down and became well-behaved.

Manager Wu had a sudden inspiration and improvised, persuading the young couple repeatedly until they calmed down and didn’t immediately leave.

“Everyone, I apologize, but please step outside for a moment.”

After the people in the courtyard were cleared out, Xia Xiaolan could finally show Zhou Cheng around quietly.

Xia Xiaolan applied her knowledge, explaining the courtyard to Zhou Cheng:

“This is a perfect three-courtyard mansion. The front yard is shallow, and upon entering there’s the ‘reversed seat’ which historically served as a gatehouse, guest room, and reception area. Visitors wouldn’t enter the inner courtyard since that’s where the women lived… Past the hanging flower gate is the inner courtyard, with the main hall on the central axis, and east and west wing rooms on either side. The slightly lower rooms flanking the main hall are called ‘ear rooms,’ like little ears hanging on both sides of the main hall. At the back is the ‘rear shield house,’ which could house servants, storage, or serve as a kitchen… Am I talking too much?”

They hadn’t even studied Eastern ancient architecture yet—Xia Xiaolan had researched this in the library out of personal interest.

Zhou Cheng’s eyes smiled: “You really like this courtyard, so let’s buy it.”

It wasn’t just the siheyuan she liked, but architecture in general. Zhou Cheng appreciated how knowledgeable his wife was and how she spoke with such depth.

Zhou Cheng also found no faults with the house. With Manager Wu’s help in negotiating, both parties compromised, settling on a price of 88,000 yuan.

With the deposit paid, the courtyard essentially belonged to Xia Xiaolan.

She had now become a property owner in the capital, naturally feeling elated. Zhou Cheng took her directly to his grandparents’ home, and Xia Xiaolan was all smiles. The Zhou family patriarch could see no trace of reluctance in her face—he’d heard she had even visited Zhou Cheng’s parents on her own, showing she wasn’t petty at all and hadn’t taken offense at how the Zhou family’s attitude toward her relationship with Zhou Cheng had changed.

Grandmother Zhou couldn’t help but ask: “Xiaolan, what’s making you so happy?”