Chapter 135: Sudden Wealth After Prolonged Poverty

The fifty-thousand-dollar deposit was already held in the real estate agency’s account. Su Mu had signed the purchase contract and an additional agreement. The clauses were primarily designed to clarify liability; since he was still a minor, the agency required a written contract to confirm that Su Mu understood exactly what he was doing.

At sixteen, one was already expected to bear partial responsibility, especially when one had an income. In fact, one could even petition the court for "emancipation" to avoid further guardianship by relatives, as the social atmosphere encouraged children to achieve independence early. With the deposit sufficiently large and confirmation from Su Mu’s parents that they were aware their child was purchasing a house, Mrs. Harper had nothing more to worry about. After handing the keys to Su Mu, she drove away.

Once they were back in the car, Su Mu directed the way. Soon, the vehicle pulled up to the entrance of a villa situated on a gentle slope. When Su Dincai caught sight of the luxurious estate illuminated by the streetlights, his legs trembled with excitement. It was hard to believe this house was about to become their home—a place he had previously only been able to envy.

His grandfather fared no better. Usually quite bold in Chinatown, he didn't dare to step into the courtyard at that moment. In just over an hour, his worldview had been dealt such a massive shock that he still hadn't fully recovered. He asked his grandson, "Are you sure this is the house? Don't go running into someone else's yard; you might get shot for a burglar. The guard at the gate gave me several looks—he probably took us for thieves."

There was no confidence in his tone. Upon reflection, it made sense; the old man had been poor for the better part of his life, and it was difficult to shift his mindset. Su Mu couldn't help but laugh, retorting, "Who would take us for thieves while driving a car like this? Besides, who brings their whole family along to go stealing? Other people were wealthy before, but now our family is doing just fine. The 'For Sale' sign on the lawn was just removed; how could we possibly have the wrong place?"

A wooden-planked path led straight to the front door, with a swimming pool on the left and a lawn on the right. The lights were off, or the blue-tinted pool water would have surely looked beautiful. Upon hearing this, the old man took a few steps forward, his hands clasped behind his back, standing at the edge of the lawn but not daring to step on it. The house was too expensive; he couldn't help but feel that even this flat green grass was worth a fortune. He looked at the house and chuckled, "Not bad, the yard is big enough to raise quite a few chickens!"

Su Mu and his parents stood there with dark lines across their foreheads, completely speechless. They could only marvel at his incredible line of reasoning—he actually wanted to raise chickens in the yard of a Beverly Hills mansion!

Mentioning chickens seemed to energize the old man. He sighed regretfully, "This house is too expensive. With that much money, you could go to the suburbs and buy a huge ranch to raise cows and sheep. You’d have a massive stretch of land all to yourself and could even make money. Spending over a million dollars on such a small place—I’ll have to go inside and see. Is the gold embedded in the walls?"

The generation gap was insurmountable. Su Mu had no way to explain to his grandfather what a wealthy neighborhood truly was. He walked ten meters to the door, took out the keys, and unlocked it, saying, "What’s so hard about buying a ranch? Once I’ve earned enough money, I’ll buy a large one. On the road from Los Angeles to our school, there are plenty of farms and ranches with vineyards, vegetable gardens, cattle, and sheep."

After pushing the door open and turning on the lights, they were met with over a dozen light switches at the entrance, and the central air conditioning could even regulate the temperature. He selected a bright, white light and turned on the pool lights, making the empty house feel much less desolate now that they were inside.

There were lights in the yard as well. After checking the front yard, they looked at the back. Su Mu’s mother took off her shoes before stepping onto the carpet, testing the soft, genuine leather sofa, and once she sat down, she didn't want to get up. There were several bedrooms to choose from. Grandfather touched the refrigerator, looked at the TV, and didn't even miss the space behind the doors, fearing there might be something wrong with the house. Suddenly, the pristine, high-end environment made him feel at a loss, as if he simply couldn't believe the house belonged to them.

Su Mu’s father was even more amusing. He pulled out a tape measure and started measuring everything, muttering about how merchants were always deceitful, convinced that the house area had been exaggerated and worrying that they had been taken advantage of given the high price per square foot.

Su Mu shook his head in silence. While viewing the property, he had already picked out a master suite that included a study, bedroom, and bathroom. He let his family explore the house, telling them, "We’ll live here from now on. Don’t bring anything from the old place that isn't necessary. This is a million-dollar house; stuffing it with old junk will devalue it by at least two hundred thousand dollars and instantly cheapen the aesthetic. I’ll be making money soon, so we need to adapt to this new life. Later, we’ll go out and drive around Rodeo Drive and the nearby neighborhoods to buy some water and food. We need to buy toothpaste and toothbrushes, too; we don’t have anything yet."

It truly was a new life. From a famous California slum to one of the world's most exclusive wealthy enclaves—accepting it all at once was not easy. His parents were doing alright, but the old man remained fixated on why the house was so expensive. It was sold primarily on its reputation, which was hardly something one could see with the naked eye.

After inspecting every inch inside and out and selecting their rooms, the family set out in the car once again. It was Christmas Day, and most shops were closed. It took ten minutes of searching to find a convenience store; in this era, chain stores were rare, and most were family-run mom-and-pop shops. Who would use such valuable real estate to sell inexpensive goods?

They drove the Jaguar around, familiarizing themselves with the surroundings, and didn't return until after nine o'clock. The family chatted for a while in the living room sofa before heading off to their respective rooms to sleep.

Su Mu turned on the water heater. Once the temperature rose, he lay in the bathtub for a soak. Standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, he noticed that all the lights in the yard had been turned off, likely because his family was concerned about the electricity bill. He sighed deeply, feeling that buying the house might have been a poor investment. Helping his family adapt to an upper-class lifestyle would likely be difficult; the phrase "frugality" was already deeply etched into their minds.

He went to the study, where the shelves were filled with books, mostly related to management. He guessed the previous owner might have been a big boss. He picked out two books at random and returned to bed.

That night, the old man tossed and turned, unable to sleep. When he got up to use the restroom, the sight of the high-end toilet left him feeling flustered and bewildered. Su Dincai and his wife were also wide awake, whispering to each other; the large bed was too soft and comfortable, and they were unaccustomed to it, having lived hard lives for so long.

His original intention of letting his family live a better life was well-meaning, but this life was perhaps too good—it had successfully intimidated them. Su Mu, unaware of their insomnia, felt sleepiness wash over him after finishing half a book and slept soundly through the night...

They only stayed for one night, returning the keys the next day. During the long holiday, shops were closed and tourists stayed away, leaving Beverly Hills feeling quite quiet.

The people who had gone out to work returned, and the Chinatown area was bustling once again. Su Grandfather stood at his front door, sighing for a long time before finally going inside. Without comparison, there was no pain; the difference between the two houses was simply too great.

The following days continued as usual. Su Mu began learning to drive and occasionally took time to help out at the supermarket. Miss Blake took care of things at Penguin, so he didn't need to worry; via phone conversations, he learned that the computer retail business was booming.

As if in the blink of an eye, 1985 arrived...