Move-in Ready

She wished she could bury her head in her collar, but Lao Hu's grip was too strong, and she couldn't break free. She could only follow him as he charged forward like he was cutting through waves.

They struggled like this for about seven or eight minutes, pushing and shoving.

Xu Xiaoyan felt a sudden brightness before her eyes, and the noisy voices behind her abruptly faded away. She found herself standing in front of the front desk of the trading center lobby.

Directly in front of her was a row of gray-white counters, behind which sat three staff members, all wearing matching dark blue uniforms, each with a thick stack of forms and documents in front of them.

The leftmost window was empty, and a person was sitting on a plastic chair in front of it, filling out a form. That person was first in line.

Old Hu pushed her behind that empty chair, then stood beside her with his hands on his hips, like a guardian deity protecting the space behind her.

He didn't forget to turn back and shout to the still-crowded crowd:

"See that? That's efficiency! What's the use of just yelling all that? If you're so capable, why don't you find someone to guide you?"

Xu Xiaoyan wished the ground would crack open and she could disappear into it. Her gaze was fixed on her canvas bag, and she didn't dare to look up at the expressions of anyone around her.

Fortunately, the guy filling out the form was quick and efficient; he finished the procedures in less than three minutes, stood up, and left.

Old Hu immediately pushed Xu Xiaoyan forward and shouted to the staff behind the counter, "It's her turn! It's her turn! Process your business!"

When Xu Xiaoyan was pushed to sit down in front of the counter, her mind was still blank.

The staff member was a young woman in her early twenties with a ponytail. Her face showed the weariness and indifference that comes from continuous high-intensity work, but her tone was still polite: "Did you bring your property ownership certificate?"

Xu Xiaoyan hurriedly handed over the property ownership certificate. The staff member flipped through it, typed a few words on the computer, and then looked up at her.

"You have 400 square meters of land within the city. On a 2:1 exchange rate, you can exchange it for 200 square meters of land in the southern part of the Second Ring Road. Which area would you like to choose?"

A small screen was placed on the counter in front, displaying an electronic map of the South District. Each small square represented a plot of land available for construction.

Green indicates that the item has not yet been selected, while red indicates that someone has already registered.

She quickly glanced at the screen and immediately spotted the first seat in the third row on the east side.

The plot of land is located right next to the bend of the circular waterway. It is not only regularly shaped, but also has no obstructions in front or behind it.

She barely hesitated before reaching out and tapping that spot on the screen.

The staff confirmed the plot of land she clicked and then typed a few more times on the keyboard.

Then she printed out a confirmation form with the plot number and replacement area she had selected.

Xu Xiaoyan immediately signed her name, and the staff member tore off the duplicate of the confirmation form and handed it to her, saying:

"Okay, the payment notice for the subsequent construction costs will be sent out within two days. Please pay attention to the text message."

As she stood up and turned to leave, she noticed that Lao Hu was still standing behind her, hands on his hips, looking proud.

Seeing that she had finished, Old Hu leaned over and whispered, "How about it, girl? I kept my word, didn't I? I got it done for you in less than fifteen minutes. Was it worth fifty yuan?"

Xu Xiaoyan nodded expressionlessly, said curtly, "Worth it," and then wanted to leave this place that made her feel ashamed as soon as possible.

As soon as she stepped out of the real estate transaction center, several onlookers gathered around her. One of them, an elderly man wearing a straw hat, stopped her and asked:

"Young lady, did this guy really help you cut in line? And you actually succeeded?"

Another middle-aged woman craned her neck and asked, "How much did he charge you? Was it quick?"

Xu Xiaoyan could only nod: "It's done, pretty fast."

After saying that, she pushed past those people and hurriedly ran home with her head down.

Old Hu's booming voice came from behind: "Did you hear that! Did you see that! When have I ever lied to anyone! Anyone else want to do business? Fifty-one yuan, fair and square!"

Xu Xiaoyan ran all the way out of that street, turned the corner, and only slowed down and stopped when she was sure no one was behind her.

She looked down at the confirmation slip in her hand, feeling relieved that the matter had been resolved, but at the same time, she couldn't help but recall the scene of being scolded and glared at in the crowd, which left her standing on the roadside for a long time, unable to recover.

Three days later, Sky City opened for check-in. She quickly washed up, changed into clean clothes, slung her crossbody bag over her shoulder, and went out.

The main road leading to Sky City was already teeming with people. Xu Xiaoyan squeezed into the crowd and walked towards the South Second Ring Road.

The green belts on both sides of the road were newly planted, the branches of the saplings were wrapped with straw ropes to prevent frost damage, and the soil was a dark brown that had just been turned over.

The closer she got to the entrance of the Second Ring Road, the taller and denser the buildings appeared. After passing through two security checkpoints, she officially entered the Sky City Second Ring Road South District.

Following the road signs, we found the South Block 1, where a two-meter-high wrought iron fence separated the villa area from the outside.

After registering her personal information, she quickly found the house she had chosen, the one at the east end, with the guidance of a volunteer.

The gate to the courtyard was a dark gray iron gate with simple geometric patterns. The door handle was made of frosted stainless steel and felt cool and smooth to the touch.

Pushing open the courtyard gate, a path paved with bluestone slabs leads to the main gate.

The courtyard was about 60 or 70 square meters. Although it was empty and had nothing in it, its square shape and south-facing orientation made her fall in love with it at first sight.

She stepped across the bluestone slabs to the front door, inserted the brass key, and the door opened instantly.

Xu Xiaoyan stood on the threshold and looked inside, then froze.

The living room floor was covered with light gray tiles, the walls were painted with white latex paint, and the cornice and baseboards were neatly finished.

To the left is the kitchen area, with cabinets made of natural wood panels, countertops made of dark artificial stone, and complete with a sink, stove, range hood, and even faucets installed.

She walked down the corridor, pushed open a door, and found herself in a south-facing room.

The floor was covered with light gray tiles, the same as the living room, and the walls were snow-white. The windowsill was nearly thirty centimeters wide, just enough to hold her row of cement flower pots.

Xu Xiaoyan hurried upstairs and found that the two bedrooms on the second floor were also nicely decorated. What surprised her the most was the south-facing room that she had originally planned to use as a planting room.

Two rows of metal support tracks were pre-embedded in the wall. By simply buying a few shelves and inserting them, a three-tiered planting rack can be built immediately.

She ran up to the rooftop terrace and looked around. The railing was a 1.2-meter-high iron railing, offering a wide view. The circular water system meandered past just a few dozen meters to the east.

She originally thought that what was delivered was just a bare frame, and even prepared to spend two months slowly decorating it.

They had set aside a sum of money for renovations, but they never expected that the house would be ready to move in right away.