Xu Yun had no idea that Huang Mengyao had just been shopping in the same mall as him and had even seen him.
After buying the clothes and leaving the mall, he went straight home.
His mom had already made dinner at home and was waiting for him; she'd even called to hurry him along several times.
When Xu Yun got home, his mom looked at her completely transformed son and asked doubtfully, "Did you just buy this outfit?"
"Yeah."
Xu Yun nodded with a smile. "I went and bought it after work. What do you think? Does it look good?"
"It looks great. It must not have been cheap, right?"
"Nah, it was just a few hundred."
Xu Yun lied, "The stuff at that place is pretty good. When I have time, I'll go back and buy a few outfits for you, too."
"Oh, I don't need any."
Zhang Sujuan smiled. "You should save your money. You'll need it to get married someday."
"I'm not thinking about that for a while. I just want to focus on my work."
'I should tell a white lie now to make it easier to explain my spending habits later.'
"Mom, I also got a promotion recently, and my salary went up a lot. You don't have to worry about me not having money anymore. Our lives are only going to get better from here."
"Really? That's wonderful!"
Hearing this, Zhang Sujuan said happily, "Seeing you do well makes me so happy for you. Quick, let's eat."
During dinner, to celebrate her son's promotion and raise, Zhang Sujuan, who rarely drank, actually had a little red wine with Xu Yun.
Perhaps it was because she was a little tipsy, but somehow, as they chatted, his mom started reminiscing about the past.
She talked about his dad, about his childhood, and about their old family home.
From his mom's tone, Xu Yun could feel how reluctant she had been to sell the old house back then.
It held all her memories with his dad, and of his own childhood.
'And she did it all for me.'
Xu Yun listened intently, taking it all to heart.
He mentally calculated the money in his account. He had about 700,000.
Since it was an old house, his mom had only sold it for 350,000 back then.
If he were to buy it back now, even if the current owner asked for an exorbitant price, 700,000 should be more than enough.
'If money can buy back my mom's regret, then I can't let that regret remain.'
So, he sent a message to Su Mu and requested a day off.
The next day, he woke up bright and early.
Without telling his mom, Xu Yun went straight back to his hometown by himself.
In the neighborhood, he would warmly greet any familiar neighbors he ran into.
These aunts and uncles had all watched him grow up.
When they saw him, they all asked with concern, "Xiaoxu, when are you getting married?"
"We're so envious of your mom, getting to go live with you in the big city."
"Sigh, ever since your mom left the neighborhood, our square dancing group has been missing a key member."
"Yeah, it just doesn't feel the same."
Xu Yun smiled and politely answered each of them before making his way to his old family home and knocking on the door.
The door opened to reveal a middle-aged man.
When Xu Yun first explained his reason for being there, the man refused him outright.
But when he said he was willing to pay a high price, the man started to hesitate.
He asked, "How much can you offer?"
"How much do you want?"
"450,000! If you want it, I'll sell it to you!"
"Alright, deal!"
Xu Yun didn't waste words or time haggling; he agreed immediately.
'Besides, making money is easy for me now.'
When you don't have money, your concept of spending is all about cost-effectiveness, discounts, and whether something is a good deal.
But when you do have money, your concept of spending becomes: I'll pay for what makes me happy.
As long as he could buy the house back and make his mom happy, he felt it was worth it. A little extra money didn't matter.
Take antique collecting, for example.
Someone who loves a piece of calligraphy might be willing to spend millions to buy it.
But to someone who doesn't care for it, they wouldn't even want it for a few dozen yuan.
"Are you serious?"
The middle-aged man could hardly believe what he was hearing.
His initial bottom line was 400,000; he would have agreed if Xu Yun had offered that much.
But he never expected the young man to not even negotiate and just accept a price far above the market rate.
"Of course I'm serious."
Xu Yun said with a smile, "From what I understand, the price for new apartments in the county is about 5,000 yuan per square meter.
I'm offering you 450,000, which is enough for you to buy a new 100-square-meter apartment. It's a great deal for you."
"..."
The man stared at Xu Yun's nonchalant expression and swallowed hard.
'I don't get it.'
'The mother sells it for 350,000, and the son buys it back for 450,000.'
'I didn't do anything, got to live here for a year for free, and still made a 100,000 profit!'
'How is this any different from winning the lottery?!'
"Sold!"
'Only a fool wouldn't sell.'
After both parties came to an agreement, the full payment was made that same day, and they went to the administrative services hall in the afternoon to handle the transfer of ownership into his mother Zhang Sujuan's name.
Although she wasn't there in person, with the guidance of a helpful person, Xu Yun went to a copy shop, drew up a power of attorney, signed it on his mother's behalf, and authorized himself to handle the matter.
The moment Xu Yun completed the transaction, a system notification sound rang out.
[The Host has acted on Do as You Please to fulfill his mother's regret, rushing a great distance to buy back the old home. This filial piety is commendable. Reward: 1,000,000 yuan in cash.]
"..."
'A million yuan, just like that!'
Staring at the 1,200,000 yuan balance in his account felt surreal.
'Am I a millionaire now?'
'The money comes in fast, like a tornado.'
After taking care of business, he got home a little late that evening.
But his mom, having finished cooking, was still waiting for him so they could eat together. She hadn't started without him.
'This is what home feels like.'
The moment Xu Yun walked in the door, he placed the property deed right in front of his mom, Zhang Sujuan.
"Mom, this is for you. Open it and take a look."
"A property deed?"
Zhang Sujuan picked it up, opened it curiously, and then froze.
"This is... our old house?"
"Yep."
"And the owner's name is... mine?"
"Yep."
Zhang Sujuan looked at Xu Yun in utter shock and asked, "What is going on?"
"I know you couldn't bear to part with the old house."
Xu Yun grinned. "So I secretly ran back today and bought it back for you!"
"What? Where did you get the money?"
"Well, since I'm not getting married anymore..."
Xu Yun had already prepared his excuse. "I used the betrothal money I had given to Huang Mengyao, borrowed a little more from friends, and went back and bought it for a little over 300,000."
"But for you to do that..." Zhang Sujuan began.
Xu Yun interrupted her, "Mom, if money's gone, I can always earn more. But the house you and Dad had, and all those memories, once they're gone, they're gone for good. I don't want you to have any regrets."
Moved, Zhang Sujuan opened her mouth, but no words came out.
Finally, for the first time, she spoke ill of Huang Mengyao.
In an aggrieved tone, she said, "She must have been blind to let a wonderful son like you go. She'll regret it someday."
"Hahaha."
Xu Yun couldn't help but laugh. "Mom, you're so cute right now!"
"All you do is make fun of your mom."
Zhang Sujuan shot Xu Yun a look, but then she smiled happily as well.
...