House

Chapter 34: The House

Working a regular job was out of the question. Jobs that involved dealing with people weren't suitable for him, and neither were jobs that required him to work in an office.

But it wasn't as if Xiang Kun had no other options. His four years at university hadn't been wasted, nor had the years he'd spent working. Aside from overtime, he'd devoted little time to leisure or romance, instead pouring it all into learning new technologies. He'd originally thought that if the company grew and went public, he might end up shouldering even greater responsibilities.

He couldn't apply for a job and go to work, but there was no problem with taking on freelance projects from home. He actually had the connections to do that.

The income would certainly be unstable, but at least he'd have a relatively flexible schedule and wouldn't have to spend long periods interacting with people. It was the best option for him right now.

After several rounds of mutations, not only had his physical abilities improved considerably, but his thinking speed and memory had also become much better. He could also maintain intense focus more easily and work at high intensity for long periods.

A job that might once have taken him fifty hours to finish could now take less than thirty if he stayed fully absorbed and worked continuously with his mind completely focused. And those thirty hours could be consecutive: he could skip eating, drinking, and resting, and finish in just over a day.

But Xiang Kun didn't immediately start looking for freelance work. After returning from a weekend hike with Tang Baona the previous week, he'd come up with a new idea:

Sell the house and go back to his hometown.

After graduating, Xiang Kun had joined his previous company and stayed there for seven years. He could practically be considered one of its founding employees.

Given his years of experience and his contributions to the company, his salary was relatively low for the industry. But he hadn't minded much before. For seven years, he'd worked far beyond a 996 schedule, and what he was after wasn't the salary—it was the company's stock options.

Once the company went under, those options naturally became worthless. His seven-year goal had been cut short in an instant. But unlike most of the company's employees, he'd rarely spent money on anything unnecessary. Nearly all the wages he'd earned over those seven years had gone toward the house he'd bought on the outskirts.

A house on the outskirts wasn't worth as much as one in the city center, and its value hadn't risen as quickly. But in the years since he'd bought it, its price had still climbed by more than eight thousand yuan per square meter.

If he sold it now, paid off the remaining mortgage, and added his savings, he'd have more than a million yuan left.

In 2019, a little over a million yuan wasn't a small sum in this city, but it wasn't a fortune, either. Even buying a decent house outright was out of reach.

At first, Xiang Kun had thought that if he died from this "illness," the house could be something for his parents to rely on in their old age.

Back then, he'd still hoped to "get treatment," so he'd stayed in this big city. If he couldn't hold out and had to go to the hospital, the medical care and access to information would surely be better here.

But after drinking blood and mutating time and again, his outlook had changed considerably.

Especially after that hike with Tang Baona, he'd begun to feel that getting away from people and the city might be the better choice.

In truth, he didn't have any compelling reason to stay in this city anymore.

He'd already made a plan for returning to his hometown. He'd use the million-plus yuan to buy his parents a substantial commercial insurance policy, then put the rest into savings. He himself would need only a little money to get by for several years.

If you didn't get married, raise children, or pursue a high standard of living, it actually didn't take much to survive.

Xiang Kun hadn't made a final decision about whether to leave or stay.

But whatever he decided, he was definitely going to take back the house first.

The previous tenants had been the only people ever to rent the place. They'd moved in as soon as the house was handed over. Neither side had been too demanding, and whenever an issue came up, they'd both been willing to compromise. They'd gotten along pretty well over the years.

After moving out, the tenants had even given the house a quick cleaning, so Xiang Kun didn't find it in a complete mess when he arrived.

The house had come with basic finishing when it was first handed over, so Xiang Kun hadn't spent extra money on renovations. He'd figured he could renovate it if he ever moved in himself. So he'd only bought a few basic pieces of furniture and some appliances, like an air conditioner and a washing machine. The tenants had bought the television and refrigerator themselves later.

The previous tenants had been nice enough, but they had two children, and after living there for several years, the walls and floor tiles had inevitably suffered a little wear and tear. But the place had only been cheaply finished to begin with, and Xiang Kun didn't mind. He readily returned their entire deposit.

After giving the place another quick clean, Xiang Kun moved in that very evening. There wasn't much to take from his rented place anyway; he'd packed everything up in an hour that morning.

As he carried his things in, a chubby little girl who looked like she was still in kindergarten stood at his doorway, peering inside while sucking on a lollipop.

"Hey, little girl. Do you need something?" Xiang Kun asked, doing his best to sound gentle.

"Did Xiaomin's big brother and Xiaofeng's big brother move away?" The little girl took the lollipop out of her mouth and craned her neck to look past him, asking in a childish voice.

Xiang Kun knew that "Big Brother Xiaomin" and "Big Brother Xiaofeng" were probably the two children of the previous tenants. They were both boys, and if he remembered correctly, they were both in elementary school.

"Yeah, they moved, but not far. They're in the complex next door. Didn't they tell you before they left?"

Little Chubby Girl pouted, seeming a little unhappy. She didn't answer Xiang Kun, just turned and started to walk away. After two steps, she seemed to remember something and ran back. She pulled a lollipop from her pocket and held it out to Xiang Kun. "Uncle, have one."

Xiang Kun froze. He was about to say that he didn't eat candy, but when he saw the hopeful look in her eyes, he hesitated and accepted it. Then he patted her on the head. "Thanks. What's your name?"

"My name's Liu Shiling. Shiling as in 'poem' and 'bell.' I live in 706, over there!" Little Chubby Girl pointed to an open doorway at the other end of the corridor.

"So you're my neighbor. I hope we'll get along," Xiang Kun said with a smile and a nod.

Little Chubby Girl nodded repeatedly. "Mm-hmm! I'll look after you."

On his first night in his own home, Xiang Kun didn't go out right away to get familiar with the neighborhood. Instead, he lay quietly on his balcony, gazing at the moon in the night sky.

After buying the house, he'd imagined countless times what it would feel like when he finally moved in.

Of course, in those imaginings, the house would already have been renovated to suit his taste, the furniture and appliances would all have been replaced, and it would have a woman of the house.

He'd even imagined that the home he lived in might not be this one at all. It might be a high-rise apartment with a sweeping river view, a school-district home in a prime location, or a secluded luxury villa.

That had been one of the daydreams that came to him most often in his limited free time.