Power and Wealth
Chapter 1613 – New Neighbor, Xiao Dong
Two days later.
In the morning, after eight.
When Dong Xuebing woke up in the Houhai Quadrangle, the first thing he did after opening his eyes was to pick up his phone and call Zhang Longjuan.
Beep beep beep.
The signal wasn’t great.
After a burst of noise, the call connected.
“Ha, is it my handsome guy?” Zhang Longjuan’s charming and sexy voice came through.
Dong Xuebing listened comfortably, turned over, and said, “It’s me, what are you doing, Sister Zhang?”
Zhang Longjuan chuckled, “Working, just woke up on your side, huh, thinking about your Sister Zhang as soon as you open your eyes?”
Dong Xuebing said yeah, “Yeah, I miss you badly, Sister Zhang. Everything okay with work? Is it resolved?”
There was the sound of a lighter flickering on the other end, and Zhang Longjuan said, “We’re still in communication, no major issues. I just haven’t seen my handsome guy these past few days, and I’m feeling quite low, huh?”
“Hehe, come on, you arrived yesterday. Why didn’t you give me a call to let me know?” Dong Xuebing said.
“We’re in different time zones, aren’t we? Sister Zhang didn’t want to disturb your rest. I’m so worried about you,” Zhang Longjuan said with a smile.
“Alright, I know you’re busy; I won’t disturb you at work,” Dong Xuebing yawned, “I should get up, too.”
Zhang Longjuan smiled and said, “This time, there’s an urgent matter. I can’t help it; it’s also an uncontrollable factor, huh? When we meet next time, Sister Zhang will make it up to you, you little rascal. Alright, I won’t chat with you anymore. I’ve got a lot of things waiting for me. Hang up.”
“Yeah, call me if you need anything.” Dong Xuebing hung up his phone.
Immediately, he called Xie Huilan, Qu Yunxuan, Yu Meixia, Geng Yuehua, Jiang Fangfang, Xu Yan, and others one by one, barely chatting for a few moments, just asking if anything was going on. Finally, he called his mother and mother-in-law, Dong Xuebing, who almost had to make a round of calls every few days.
It was another new day.
Sigh, what to do?
Putting on his slippers, Dong Xuebing stood in the courtyard, brushing his teeth leisurely. Then he changed his clothes and went out. There were still two days before going to work. After Zhang Longjuan returned to Fuzhou, Dong Xuebing felt restless at home. There was nothing to do. He planned to take a stroll in the alley and do some morning exercise. Dong Xuebing didn’t plan to return to the family courtyard in the future; he planned to settle in the Quadrangle; of course, he needed to get familiar with the environment here.
The air outside was perfect.
Places with lakes were different; the autumn breeze brought a coolness from the lake, blowing the willows rustling, making people feel refreshed at a glance.
Taking a breath of fresh air, Dong Xuebing stretched lazily, feeling that living here was truly enjoyable. He even wanted to sell the villa in Xishan. It was not the same level.
“Hey, look.”
“What’s up, Aunt Zheng?”
“That’s the new guy who moved in.”
“Oh? That’s the one we’ve been talking about these days? Isn’t this a standalone courtyard?”
“Yes, it’s always been standalone, and there’s never been anyone living there. He moved in a couple of days ago.”
“Just him living there? That’s too extravagant. This courtyard is worth at least several hundred million.”
“Who knows, but he looks like he will stay permanently. I haven’t talked to him, and I don’t know where he’s from. I can’t figure it out.”
“Should I go ask?”
“Huh? Ask what?”
“We’re neighbors now, might as well say hello.”
“That’s a Good idea. Let’s go over and ask. Oh, there’s no need; the young man is coming over.”
An auntie in her fifties or sixties and a middle-aged woman looked in the direction of Dong Xuebing and discussed. There were also a few people going to work and some elderly people strolling around. They all looked curiously at Dong Xuebing when they heard the conversation. Although this alley was deep, it wasn’t a residential building. The utilization rate and number of residents were not exceptionally high. Everyone knew each other from the entrance to the end of the alley. They had been neighbors for decades. Even if they hadn’t spoken to each other, they probably knew each other’s surname and occupation. There weren’t many secrets here, so when everyone saw a new guy move in these past few days, they were all very curious, especially curious about how this standalone quadrangle, which hadn’t had residents for many years, suddenly had a resident, and he was an unremarkable young man? Many people thought this quadrangle’s owner was a wealthy businessman or a big shot. After all, this kind of standalone courtyard differed from where they lived with seven or eight households. It wasn’t something ordinary people could afford. There had always been many rumors about this quadrangle, but there was no conclusion. Now, they finally saw the actual owner. Many old residents in the alley were discussing this matter.
After leaving the courtyard, Dong Xuebing locked the door and walked towards the alley. When he saw a big sister and an elder lady staring at him eagerly, Dong Xuebing also kindly smiled and nodded at them. The elderly lady looked and immediately said, “Young man.”
Dong Xuebing stopped, “Auntie, did you call me?”
The older lady nodded and pointed to the courtyard behind him, “Is this your home?”
Dong Xuebing smiled, “It is now. I’ll be living here from now on.”
The elder lady curiously asked, “Where are your elders? Why haven’t we seen them?”
Dong Xuebing smiled faintly, “My mom isn’t in Beijing. I’m living alone. Auntie, Sister, do you two also live here? I just moved in and haven’t had a chance to visit. We’ll be neighbors in the future. Please let me know if there’s anything I’m not considerate about.”
The older lady smiled, “You’re too polite; there’s no need for so much courtesy.”
Hearing his accent, the big sister kindly said, “You can tell he’s from our alley.”
“Yeah.” The elderly lady smiled, “Are you going out? Are you working or schooling?”
Dong Xuebing said, “I’m working, but I’ve been resting these past few days. I’m just preparing to take a stroll around. It’s been many years since I’ve been to Houhai, and I almost don’t recognize the roads anymore.”
Seeing that he wasn’t in a hurry, the big sister asked, “What should we call you?”
“Dong Xuebing.” Dong Xuebing smiled, “Just call me Xiao Dong.”
The big sister said, “My surname is Ci, hehe, and this is Aunt Zheng.”
Dong Xuebing greeted, “Sister Ci, Aunt Zheng.”
Aunt Zheng said, “Now that we’ve met, let’s interact more in the future.”
“Sure.” Dong Xuebing pointed outside, “I’ll be on my way then. Take a walk around and grab some breakfast. You guys can come over to my place if you’re free.”
Aunt Zheng patted his hand, “I’ve wanted to see your quadrangle for a long time. The door has always been locked, and there hasn’t been a chance to visit.”
Sister Ci also said, “Yes, I’ve been living here for over thirty years, and I’ve never had a chance to come in. Even when I was born, the courtyard was empty.”
Dong Xuebing cheered, “Then I’ll tidy up my house later. Will you two come over?”
Aunt Zheng was a little tempted. She retired early and had nothing to do. “Would it be bothersome?”
“How could it be bothersome? I’d be honored.” Dong Xuebing was polite to everyone.
Sister Ci smiled, “You’re eloquent. Alright, we’ll come to bother you later. You go ahead and have your meal, Xiao Dong.”
“Okay, see you later.” Dong Xuebing bid farewell and walked out of the alley.
At this time, neighbors walked over and asked Sister Ci and Aunt Zheng about Dong Xuebing’s situation.
“Sister, how is he?”
“His name is Dong Xuebing, living alone.”
“Living alone in such a big courtyard?”
“Yeah, he said it’s his family’s. He probably bought it.”
“Oh, that must be very wealthy.”
“This is no ordinary courtyard.”
Many people thought that natives of Beijing who lived in the alley’s quadrangles were very wealthy, but that wasn’t the case. These old residents knew it best. It was quite the opposite. Their lives were even more frugal. Each family had a house; some were as large as twenty to thirty square meters, and some were only a few square meters. There were three generations of people living together. Although the housing prices here were high, when divided among individuals, they were insignificant. And this place definitely couldn’t be demolished. The housing prices could only be observed, which had no practical significance. Where was the wealth? Most of them were relatively poor ordinary people. But the guy who lived in this courtyard was different. It was a standalone quadrangle. Both inside and outside the courtyard were owned by their family alone. This was too extravagant. Without several billion, it was impossible to afford it. Even if one had money, even such a precious courtyard might not be able to buy it.
A middle-aged man pursed his lips, “I saw a Mercedes parked outside. Is it his?”
“And a Cayenne parked there yesterday, both million-dollar cars.”
“Aren’t sure which one is his?”
Dong Xuebing nearby had already taken out the car keys.
Everyone saw it, so they started chatting and guessing.
Then… Dong Xuebing unlocked a dilapidated second-hand Lingyue car, opened the door, got in, lit a cigarette, and creaked out of the alley. The clumsy Lingyue car felt like it would fall apart at any moment.
Huh?
Why did he get in that car?
Sister Ci almost fell!
That middle-aged man almost spat out blood!
The people in the alley were dumbfounded and shocked, all gaping!
A Lingyue? And it’s a Lingyue whose paint has faded? This broken car was worth only a few thousand RMB in the second-hand market! It was equivalent to the price of an excellent electric bicycle! Maybe no one would buy it for thousands of yuan! Listening to the creaking noise from the car body, it wasn’t even enough to repair the car! They couldn’t understand why a guy who could afford a quadrangle worth millions would drive a second-hand Lingyue. And seeing the guy’s calm and composed demeanor, he didn’t feel embarrassed? Still acting so calm
The world of the wealthy was indeed beyond their comprehension! Everyone looked at each other silently, having seen low-key behavior before, but never this low-key level! Could it be that their family didn’t buy this courtyard? Instead, they were staying with a relative or friend? It was genuinely incomprehensible!