I'm back in 1990

Chapter 880: There's no such thing as a free lunch

When Yu Xiang returned home, Huang Xiaochuan was already in bed, leaning against a pillow and reading a journal. He put down the journal when he saw Yu Xiang return.

"You're back! Everything was settled?"

"Yes, my parents are coming back with me. They'll stay for two or three days and then come back," Yu Xiang said as she walked towards the bathroom.

After Yu Xiang came out of the shower, she was fixing her hair while giving instructions to the man.

"My parents want to move back to their old house, and I'll go with them. No one's lived there for a long time, and it's cold outside without heating. Could you find someone to fix it?"

Huang Xiaochuan did the math: tomorrow is December 23rd, and there are still seven or eight days until New Year's Day, which is enough.

"Okay, I'll have someone take care of it tomorrow."

On Sunday morning, Yue Zhiyuan had just returned from grocery shopping when he saw Yu Min talking on her phone. He went straight to the kitchen and took out the groceries one by one and put them away.

When he came out, Yu Min had already ended the call and had a big smile on her face.

While wiping his hands, Yue Zhiyuan asked Yu Min, "What's wrong? Why are you so happy?"

"It's my eldest sister's call. My parents and my eldest sister are coming back to stay for a few days over New Year's Day."

"Really!" Yue Zhiyuan was also very happy to hear that his parents-in-law were coming to stay in Qingjiang for a few days.

"I'll call and book a hotel right now." As he spoke, Yue Zhiyuan reached into his pocket.

Yu Min stopped him: "No need, my mom said she's going back to the old house. My brother-in-law has already arranged for someone to come and help. They'll contact you when they arrive. Just take the key with you and go to the old house to open the door. There are plenty of blankets and other things at home. Just take them out to air them in the sun and wash them if necessary."

After saying that, Yu Min hurriedly went to the room to check the bedding and quilts stored in the house.

Yue Zhiyuan scratched his head and muttered to himself, "Go back to the old house?"

Subsequently, Yue Zhiyuan witnessed firsthand what the power of money truly meant.

In the afternoon, an eleven-seater van arrived, along with the driver and five other people—three men and two women.

Yue Zhiyuan opened the door to the old house and handed the key to the leader, whose surname was Zhang. Everyone who came with him called him Manager Zhang, so Yue Zhiyuan followed suit.

"Mr. Yue, I'd like to ask if the water, electricity, and gas pipelines are working properly?" Manager Zhang asked Yue Zhiyuan some questions.

"Oh! They all work normally, but no one lives here usually, so the main switches and valves are all turned off. Let me tell you where they are." Yue Zhiyuan said as he led Manager Zhang to see the locations of several main switches and valves.

"Okay, that's fine!" Manager Zhang said confidently after confirming that the water, electricity, and gas were all available.

Yue Zhiyuan didn't quite understand what Manager Zhang was planning to do, and he couldn't say anything, since this was someone his brother-in-law had sent.

"If there's nothing else, I'll be going now. Manager Zhang, just call me anytime if you need anything." Yue Zhiyuan still had to go back to help Yu Min; the couple had been busy since morning.

"Okay, okay, I'll definitely need to trouble Mr. Yue again these next few days." Manager Zhang was very polite.

After leaving the old house, Yue Zhiyuan rushed home to help Yu Min put away and fold the quilts, bedding and other items, waiting to deliver them to her after the house was ready.

The next day was Monday. As soon as Yue Zhiyuan arrived at work, he received an interview assignment and spent two days in the surrounding counties, not returning until Tuesday afternoon.

After speaking with Yu Min on the phone, he went straight to the old house after get off work because Manager Zhang had called him on his way back to the office that afternoon, saying that the house had been cleaned up.

Upon arriving at the old house, Manager Zhang warmly welcomed Yue Zhiyuan inside. Wow, it was quite warm inside. What was going on?

Manager Zhang led Yue Zhiyuan on a tour of the house, inside and out. In reality, it would be impossible to carry out a major demolition and renovation in just a few days. The main task for the next two days was to install a gas boiler and radiators in the old house. They were all surface-mounted, since it wasn't a complete renovation and the pipes couldn't be buried in the walls.

But the effect is still very obvious. The temperature in the room has risen significantly and it is very comfortable. Several faucets in the house have also been replaced, and hot water comes out as soon as you turn them on.

The walls and floors were swept clean, the old furniture was wiped clean, and all the appliances in the house were replaced with new ones.

You can still basically see what the old house originally looked like.

"Not bad, not bad!" Yue Zhiyuan praised repeatedly after looking around.

Manager Zhang then taught Yue Zhiyuan how to use the gas boiler. It's really just a matter of pressing a few buttons. When you're not using it, you can simply turn it off and drain the water. It's very simple. The gas boiler is installed above the sink, so the water can flow directly into the sink.

Manager Zhang then left with his men, even though Yue Zhiyuan repeatedly tried to persuade him to stay for dinner.

"You're back? You went to see the old house? How was it?" Upon seeing Yue Zhiyuan, Yu Min asked about the old house.

"Great idea! I'll drive you there right now." Yue Zhiyuan pulled Yu Min along to leave.

"Let go, let go!" Yu Min broke free from Yue Zhiyuan's hand.

"What's the rush? We can go after dinner. Besides, what about Xiaoyong?" Yu Min pointed to Yue Xiaoyong, who was busy doing his homework.

Seeing this, Yue Zhiyuan stopped insisting: "Okay, then let's wait until Xiaoyong finishes his homework and our whole family has dinner before we go."

"Why are you so excited? Could it be that the old house has been turned into a palace in the next couple of days?" Yu Min asked, puzzled by the man's impatient manner.

Yue Zhiyuan deliberately kept everyone in suspense: "Why don't you go and see for yourself?"

Yu Min rolled her eyes at Yue Zhiyuan: "What a jerk!"

That evening, the family of three drove to the old house and brought over bedding and blankets.

"Wow! Why is it so warm?" As soon as she entered, Yu Min sensed something different.

"These walls haven't been painted yet, have they? Oh, and all the appliances have been replaced with new ones?" Yu Min looked through all the rooms in the old house.

She saw that the furniture in the house was the same as before, but the appliances had all been replaced with new ones. The walls were the same as before, but they had been cleaned. There used to be some cobwebs and such in the corners of the ceiling, but now they were gone.

There was a radiator on the wall of every room, including the living and dining room, and she realized that a new heating system had been installed in the old house.

"This is great! It really didn't cost any money." Yu Min touched the radiator, feeling its slightly hot temperature.

Yue Zhiyuan also thought the product was good, but it was too wasteful: "Actually, we won't be staying here for more than a few days. The money spent on appliances and heating could buy us a hotel room for several months."

Yu Min disagreed and took the opportunity to criticize Yue Zhiyuan: "You! You're really not as good as your brother-in-law in this respect. Look how considerate and attentive your brother-in-law is to your sister. He's already made all the arrangements before she even got back."

Yue Zhiyuan muttered defiantly, "If I had that much money, I'd be willing to give it up too!"