Chapter Sixty: A Simple Request

Cai Juhua screamed in agony, never having imagined that Shen Guodong would actually strike a woman! Yet how could she know that Shen Guodong cared nothing for such distinctions? In his view, men and women were equals; if someone provoked him, he would not hesitate to act, regardless of gender. Besides, Cai Juhua was, in his eyes, nothing short of despicable. Why should he feel any guilt about raising a hand against her? There was simply no reason to.

“You’re in for it now, boy! How dare you hit me? Just wait and see—I’ll have someone deal with you. You just wait!” Like a madwoman, she shrieked and threatened from behind.

But Shen Guodong, pulling Zhou Meiniang along, gave her no heed whatsoever. He quickly left, for he had more important matters to attend to; entangling himself with such a shrew was nothing but a waste of time.

However, there was some truth in what Cai Juhua had said. Renting a standalone house was indeed the safer option. After all, Zhou Meiniang would be living alone, and safety had to come first. In a crowded apartment building, with so many mouths and eyes, who could guarantee she wouldn’t encounter some man unable to restrain himself? Zhou Meiniang was beautiful, after all, and the law was not yet robust; society was chaotic, nothing like it would be in the future.

“That villa must be far too expensive to rent. It’s unnecessary. An apartment costs just over ten yuan a month, while a standalone house is at least seventy or eighty—a whole month’s wages for some. I’ll be careful—I should be fine,” Zhou Meiniang said, a trace of worry in her voice after learning of Shen Guodong’s intentions.

Shen Guodong glared at her. “Is this about money? And don’t you know what your man is capable of? Do you think I’d ever lack money?”

Though she was scolded, Zhou Meiniang’s heart warmed at his words. In them, she heard genuine concern, and so she said nothing more.

The two of them soon arrived at a nearby detached house. Upon inquiring about the price, they found it not as costly as expected.

Eighty yuan a month. The house had two stories and three rooms—ideal for a single occupant. Its architecture was distinctly Western, for people now had a fascination with foreign things, believing whatever came from abroad to be best. Even the furnishings were in Western styles.

But Shen Guodong found such tastes hard to approve of. He was deeply patriotic and believed his own country was in no way inferior to the developed West. Yet, people these days seemed obsessed with all things foreign.

“What do you think of this house?” Shen Guodong asked, deciding that if Zhou Meiniang liked it, there would be no problem.

“It’s all right, just a little too expensive. But it can’t be helped, since my little man doesn’t lack money—what more could I say?” Zhou Meiniang glanced at him and teased with a soft laugh.

Shen Guodong rolled his eyes in exasperation. “Then it’s settled.”

After speaking with the landlord and paying one hundred sixty yuan, they could move in immediately. Things were far less formal in these days. Usually, the landlord would just write you a note. If either party broke the agreement, unless you had connections, there was little you could do—such notes held no legal force.

“The basic furniture is there. Tomorrow, I’ll go with you to buy some appliances,” Shen Guodong continued.

Zhou Meiniang nodded. She looked around but felt no sense of belonging, for the house was not her own. People needed homes of their own. But now, with her engagement to Wang Weihua still in place, she could not buy a place herself. The price of homes was simply too high!

Even with a bank loan, after paying the down payment, a monthly income of a few dozen yuan was not enough to cover the mortgage, let alone living expenses. How many ordinary people could afford such a burden?

Most couples earned about one hundred fifty yuan a month. If the mortgage was over a hundred, they’d have only thirty or forty left for everything else—hardly enough. It was not without reason that owning a home was a lifelong dream for so many city dwellers. Shen Guodong, as if reading Zhou Meiniang’s thoughts, mused, “Once everything is ended between you and Wang Weihua, when we return from our trip to Shen City, I’ll buy you a house. Then you won’t have to live in someone else’s place. In our country, that always feels like relying on the charity of others.”

A home was always the most important thing for the people of this land. Its quality, location—all were linked to a child’s future, such as their schooling. That was why property prices here were among the highest in the world—often exceeding those of many developed countries. In later years, someone even calculated that the total value of all property in the capital, converted to cash, could buy the world’s most developed nations outright.

This alone sufficed to demonstrate just how high property prices had become. But behind those high prices lay countless “mortgage slaves”—families burdened by debt, with nothing left to spend, thus dampening consumption. This was the root cause why, despite its large population, the country’s spending power lagged behind that of nations with fewer people—because of this very issue.

Hearing Shen Guodong’s words, Zhou Meiniang’s beautiful eyes widened slightly. This man did not see her merely as a mistress to satisfy his desires, but truly wanted a home with her—even if he already had a family of his own.

Yet for Zhou Meiniang at this moment, as long as she still had a place in Shen Guodong’s heart, it was enough. The answer was clear without further words.

In this instant, there were no words to describe Zhou Meiniang’s feelings. Women are creatures of emotion. She looked up at him, her lovely eyes shining, then buried her head gently in his chest.

“I know you have your own family, and I won’t interfere. But I still hope for a future with you. If it’s possible, could you give me a child? Don’t worry—I won’t use that to threaten you. It’s just that, when you’re not here, seeing our child would be like seeing you, and I wouldn’t feel so lonely,” Zhou Meiniang whispered dreamily.