Chapter 63

"Interior design training course? You at least studied medicine..." Fang Lingying's question echoed Liu Changyuan's confusion.

But this was all talk for the evening; during the day, Bak was busy enough.

Bak planned to buy a house without consulting his mother first, as Liu Shufen was now very concerned about whether her son had the money to marry a wife. The older generation still preferred seeing a string of numbers in the bank.

So the next morning, Bak still rode his motorcycle to work, but he had his ID card and bank card in his pocket, and he secretly took the household registration book. His work uniform, with its large pockets, was very convenient. The weather was hot, and every night when he came home, Xiao Yi would quickly wash and hang up his clothes, so he could wear clean clothes to work every day, which made him feel much better.

His mother told him that his little sisters were very popular at school. It was a school for children of employees, and they were still in elementary school, so there weren't many complicated issues. Plus, with their mother, who was a teacher, protecting them like chicks, Bak could be at ease.

But Xiao Zhao pouted at Bak in secret, saying that she and her sister didn't want to go to school and preferred to work with their brother to earn money. Even just washing cars or cleaning windows would be fine. Bak could understand this; after more than a year of struggling in society, how could they still sit in a bright classroom and study like nothing had happened?

Their mindsets had changed, and wasn't it the same for him? He needed a lot of time and energy to adjust.

Promising to think of a way for his little sisters, Bak arrived at the car wash, busied himself through the busiest part of the morning, and then took a break to go to the real estate agency next door. As soon as he pushed open the door, all eyes were on him.

He was still in his work uniform, with the top half tied around his waist, looking like a typical worker. But when he walked in, his presence was imposing, his tall and large figure seemingly blocking the light from outside the glass door. No one dared to speak, not even Manager Chen in the cubicle, who could only turn his face away. It was a typical case of a scholar meeting a soldier, wasn't it?

Zhou Xiaoli also looked up at Bak, a smile on her face, but it wasn't the professional smile she usually wore. She propped her chin on her left hand and smiled, eager to see how Bak would handle the situation. Last night, she had really thought about it repeatedly. Was it possible? If Bak had saved some money and she had saved some, they could combine it to pay a down payment... Yes, she was thinking too far ahead. Mainly, this big, dark guy looked even darker than her, so she couldn't help but smile. She pointed to the chair in front of her, indicating that Bak should sit down. She didn't realize that she had subconsciously brushed her hair to tidy her appearance.

Bak didn't sit. He stood at the counter, touching his ID card and bank card. "Here, help me sign the contract and handle the procedures. There's 800,000 in this card, and the password is 123456. Leave it with you to handle. Deduct any fees from it. I need to get back to work, so try to get me a discount." He said it as if he were handing over two movie tickets and then turned to leave.

Almost all the salespeople, who had been listening with their ears perked up, couldn't help but exclaim!

Zhou Xiaoli stood up with a start, swallowing hard. "You... You're not going to see the house?"

Bak was confused. "Aren't your photos good enough... Oh, right, I gave you 10 yuan as a deposit yesterday, so you should deduct that!"

Zhou Xiaoli couldn't help but laugh. "Still, you should take a look. I have several other houses here. Think about it!" She picked up the documents and bank card from the table, grabbed a sales contract, and jumped up. "Wait for me, really, let's take a look..." She turned to a colleague to get the keys to the managed properties, didn't even change into high heels, and ran out, with Bak already standing at the agency's door.

Zhou Xiaoli looked like an overly enthusiastic salesperson, respectfully helping Bak push open the glass door and escorting him out. But as soon as the door closed, the entire real estate agency erupted in noise. "No way? The car washer came over with a bank card and said there's 800,000 in it, and you just handled it for him?"

"Old Su, that big tycoon who bought a villa last time, did he ever give you his bank card and password to handle it?"

"Him? He was trembling and wanted to pay in installments. I said the richer people are, the more meticulous they are, afraid that everyone in the world is trying to cheat them. Would he give us his bank card? Afraid we'd run off with the money?"

"Putting on an act! Clearly putting on an act, acting all casual and cool! Either he's in cahoots with Xiao Li or trying to trick Xiao Li..."

"What nonsense, oh! We should have made the car washer swipe the POS machine to check if there was 800,000!" This was Gu Qian, whose seat was next to Zhou Xiaoli's.

"Xiao Li should still have the sense to check... But he did say he left the card here, so it could be checked at any time..."

Anyway, all sorts of unbelievable murmurs filled the air. But as soon as Manager Chen came out of his office with a sullen face, the noise suddenly stopped. He was just a branch manager, but he was everyone's direct superior, so after hearing Zhou Xiaoli's scolding yesterday, everyone had their own thoughts, especially since she had really submitted a complaint to the headquarters early in the morning. Now everyone was watching.

Zhou Xiaoli didn't watch. She pretended to escort Bak out. As soon as they turned the corner, near the wall by the car wash, she looked back to make sure the office was out of sight, then immediately pushed Bak against the wall and started kicking and hitting him, not too hard but not too light. "What are you doing! Helping isn't done this way. Where did you get the money? Is it real or fake..."

To be honest, in just a few short words, she went from a seemingly familiar and unconcerned scolding to a tone that sounded like a wife scolding her husband. If it wasn't genuine, it would be hard to act like that!

But as soon as she started, she realized it felt like hitting a heavy sandbag filled with iron sand, which hurt her hand!

She immediately frowned. "Ouch!" This was a bit of a coquettish cry.

Bak didn't do anything, standing innocently without speaking. A chorus of voices came from around. "Sister-in-law is so strong!"

Zhou Xiaoli was startled and turned to see more than a dozen car washers stretching their necks to watch her "punish" Bak, even the old boss was grinning and smoking a cigarette, cheering them on!

Even though her face was a bit dark, Zhou Xiaoli blushed. She turned to shoo them away. "What are you all looking at? I'm talking to him!" Then she took the initiative to ask for leave for the boss. "I'm taking him to see the house. It's not far, I'll be back soon, okay?"

The boss pointed to the temporarily quiet business area. "One hour. If you exceed it, you work for free today."

Zhou Xiaoli was decisive, dragging Bak along. "Hurry up! Get your motorcycle out..."

Bak thought about it and agreed. Seeing the real thing was better than just looking at photos. He waved to the boss and pushed his motorcycle out. Zhou Xiaoli skillfully hopped on behind him, grabbing his work uniform. Seeing the crowd of car washers watching, she boldly wrapped her arms around Bak's waist, earning a chorus of whistles. She even put on a smug face for the car washers, which was naturally seen by her colleagues at the real estate agency and Manager Chen.

Another round of glasses fell to the ground!

Bak, controlling the motorcycle throttle, laughed. "What's up? Seeing I have 800,000, you immediately want to be my little wife?"

Zhou Xiaoli didn't hesitate and slapped his back. "Pah! I see people buying houses with millions all the time. Do you think I can stick to each one? I'd be too busy!" She paused and pointed. "That way... Do you really have 800,000?"

Bak pointed to the bank on the side of the road. "Go check the card, and you'll know. Lies can't stand up to scrutiny."

Zhou Xiaoli looked at the card and ID in her hand. "Ba Zhiming... I always hear them call you Lao Ba or Ba Ge, thinking you were the eighth in your family. What a strange surname."

Bak didn't explain the origin of his name. "My father's surname, I can't help it."

Zhou Xiaoli chuckled, not sure what she found amusing, then her expression turned serious. "I called you out because if you have 800,000, you can buy two affordable housing units. The location isn't as good, and the environment is a bit worse, but the potential for appreciation is high. And you should consider... this area is mainly for white-collar workers from foreign companies or large corporations."

Bak understood. "As a car washer, I should stick with my kind and live in a corresponding community?"

Zhou Xiaoli's expression was serious. "It might sound harsh, but it's true. The monthly property management fees are much higher here. At your stage, you're still working like this, and this money is important to you. Spend half the money on an affordable housing unit and use the rest for investment or business. It would be better, and maybe you wouldn't have to be a car washer anymore." She was a good girl who knew how to manage money and plan for the long term.

Bak laughed, loosening the throttle. "What kind of investment or business do you think is best?"

Zhou Xiaoli was well-versed. "The simplest is to buy another affordable housing unit. The housing prices in this area are still not too high, and urban redevelopment will only push them up. Buy it, and it will appreciate. Sell it in a few years and make a profit. Of course, if you have a special skill, you can start a business. You're not thinking of opening a car wash, are you?" She was truly insightful.

Bak had indeed thought about opening a car wash. "Do you think a car wash can work?"

Zhou Xiaoli had the potential to be a boss. "As long as it's managed well, of course it can. There are so many private cars now, and the threshold is low. I see you are very familiar with the work. With a bit of effort, you can make it. But you need to know how to promote it. I'm good at that. Visit each household, put ads in the garages of each building, and hand out car wash discount coupons. I tell you, the key is to use discount coupons, not free cards. People are attracted by free things, but once they get them for free, they won't come back. You need to keep them hooked with discounts..."

Bak really said it. "How about we partner up and open a car wash?"

The talkative dark girl was taken aback. "Hmm?"