Ryan Bennett's brother-in-law, George Carter, is an honest man who works at a subsidiary company within the railway system. Although he has excellent car repair skills, in a state-owned enterprise, since he doesn't know how to curry favor or flatter, he can only get by on a fixed salary. Nowadays, those with ability, capital, or connections have all gone into business for themselves. The pains of corporate restructuring have been especially pronounced in the early years of the new century.

"You're talking nonsense again, aren't you afraid your brother will laugh at you?" Emily Bennett interrupted her husband's words. George Carter gave a silly grin and fell silent. Judging by this, Emily Bennett certainly knows how to keep her husband in line.

"By the way, Mom, last time I heard you say that Aunt Xie next door is planning to sell her apartment, right? Why don't we buy it? We could keep it for my sister to live in, or rent it out—either way, it's a good idea..."

Ryan Bennett suddenly remembered a topic he had discussed with his mother a few days ago. He knew well from his time in Zhonghai that after two years of soaring housing prices, what was just over three thousand per square meter last year was now approaching six thousand. He'd heard prices would rise again after the New Year. Although Pengcheng is located in northern Jiangsu, from the overall trend, buying a few apartments now would definitely preserve their value.

Ryan Bennett wanted to buy this apartment for his sister. His brother-in-law's family had many brothers, and their living space was very cramped. His sister had always treated Ryan Bennett extremely well since they were kids, so he wanted to buy the place so her family could move in. Plus, Mother Bennett was getting older, and it would be much more convenient for his sister to live nearby and help take care of her.

"Buying this apartment outright cost over thirty thousand, which used up all my savings. Where would I get the money to buy another place? Let's talk about it after you get married! By then, we can sell this apartment, add some money, and get a bigger one."

Although Mother Bennett was getting on in years, she wasn't conservative. After retiring, she often danced with a group of elderly ladies in the square near their home, so she was well-informed. When this topic came up last time, Ryan Bennett had suggested buying that apartment, and she was a bit tempted. The apartment next door had also been allocated by the work unit. Since the colleague had another property elsewhere, they wanted to sell this one. The layout was the same as their own, and the price was just ten thousand more than what she had paid for hers, so it was a reasonable deal.

"I've got a hundred thousand, Mom. Why don't you ask about it tomorrow? If the price is right, let's buy it. After all, this money came out of nowhere. Once we buy the apartment, we can give it to my big sister as a dowry for her daughter, haha..." Ryan Bennett encouraged from the side.

"Uncle, what's a dowry?" The little one, biting her finger, lay in Ryan Bennett's arms and asked in confusion.

"You're already so big, but you still talk so carelessly. That money can't be touched—it's what you risked your life to earn. Save it for when you get married..." Emily Bennett took her daughter into her arms and flatly refused.

"Even if you don't want the apartment, we should still buy it as an investment. Sis, don't worry about it, I'll discuss it with Mom..."

When Ryan Bennett was in Zhonghai, he had already decided to leave that hundred thousand yuan for his family. He had saved over twenty thousand from last year's salary, which would be enough to rent a better apartment when he returned to Zhonghai after the New Year. After all, now that he had been promoted to manager of the pawnshop, his salary and benefits would be much better than before.

"I also think we should buy it. George treats me almost like his own son, so giving you two an apartment is nothing. Besides, Little Emily, you didn't get much dowry when you got married, so consider this as making it up to you."

After thinking it over for a while, Mother Bennett made the decision. Over the years, with Ryan Bennett studying and working out of town, it was this son-in-law who had taken care of all the family matters, so seeing her son's good intentions, she naturally wouldn't object.

"Alright, that's enough about this. Oh, George, tomorrow you and Little Ryan should go to the old house. It's about to be demolished, so we'll have another apartment soon. There are some things that need to be brought back—I've already packed them up. Just rent a car and bring everything back."

Seeing her son-in-law about to decline, Mother Bennett changed the subject.

"The old house is going to be demolished?"

This was the first time Ryan Bennett had heard his mother mention this, and for a moment, his heart was filled with mixed emotions—sour, sweet, bitter, and spicy, all at once.

Chapter 0008: The Old House

Ryan Bennett had complicated feelings about the old house. In his hazy memories, his father's image was tied to that place. The memories before he turned five were beautiful—nestling in his father's arms, eating dates picked from the jujube tree in the old house's yard, listening to his father tell Andersen's fairy tales. Without a doubt, those were Ryan Bennett's happiest days.

But after his father passed away, everything changed. The once lively old house became lifeless. When his mother was assigned a new apartment at age ten, they moved out and came to their current residence. Over the years, Ryan Bennett rarely visited the old house, mainly because he didn't want to face the memory of his father, who had been gone for so many years. Losing a father in childhood is a pain that many people simply cannot bear.

The old house was located at the foot of Yunlong Mountain, a famous scenic spot in Pengcheng. Just a few hundred meters in front of it stood the Pengcheng Museum, whose exhibition of the jade burial suit sewn with silver thread attracted countless domestic and foreign tourists every day.