This might be the inevitable process for children from poor families to work and settle down in the city. I didn't think much of helping Zhi Guo with the loan. To be honest, I just went from the office to the personal department to say hello, and then I received a call saying it was okay. I didn't expect this matter, but Zhi Guo was extremely grateful. When Zhi Guo decided to buy this house and proposed to make a down payment and then take out a loan, the real estate company selling the house had several banks stationed there. Of course, Zhi Guo submitted loan applications to each of these banks, and without exception, the responses were all commercial interest rates of nearly 7%. Zhi Guo was helpless. At first, Zhi Guo's girlfriend asked her unit leader for help through a dinner invitation. This leader found the relevant bank at the station, and according to Zhi Guo, it took a lot of effort. The response from the bank at the station was that Zhi Guo's loan could be divided into two parts, one part as a provident fund loan, and the remaining part as a commercial mortgage loan, a combined loan. Every time I hear about this strange trick and regulation of combined loans, I really sigh. What kind of genius has set up such a brilliant technique? It's really using all their brain cells to squeeze the money out of the common people! After Zhi Guo's housing loan was processed, I quickly forgot about it. It wasn't until one opportunity when I went to Zhi Guo's new house, which he bought with a 70% loan, that I had another wave of endless sighs. Because in the southern suburbs of the city where I live, there are mountains and waters, and the scenery is relatively beautiful. During holiday breaks, many people in the city like to drive to the south to go for an outing and have some local chicken. Once, Xiao Pang invited me to the south to have local chicken. After having local chicken and pig's trotters in the south, Xiao Pang and I were driving back to the city. Just as we entered the urban area and passed by a community, Xiao Pang said to me: It seems that Zhi Guo's home is here. I don't know if he's at home. Because I helped Zhi Guo with the loan, I was also a bit curious, so I asked Xiao Pang to call Zhi Guo to ask if he was at home. The result of the call was that Zhi Guo was at home. Since the call was made, and Zhi Guo strongly requested that we come to his new home for a sit-down, we naturally drove the car into Zhi Guo's community. Zhi Guo and his girlfriend were naturally waiting for us downstairs. When we went upstairs to Zhi Guo's home, we found that Zhi Guo's parents and younger brother were also there, and then they made tea, poured water, and offered cigarettes. While chatting, I looked around Zhi Guo's new house. It wasn't decorated, and the living room had very simple furniture. It seemed that they had already moved in. Xiao Pang said that Zhi Guo should decorate the house. Zhi Guo said: After buying the house, there's not much money left. How can there be money for decoration? Xiao Pang was very smart and immediately changed the topic and started talking to Zhi Guo's father. Looking at this house of about 70 square meters, it might be okay for two people to live in, but with Zhi Guo's parents and younger brother, the house immediately felt very lively and crowded with quite a few people. It turned out that Zhi Guo's younger brother didn't get into college and came to this city to learn how to repair cars at the auto repair shop that cooperates with Zhi Guo's insurance company. So the parents also followed, and the five of them were living in this small house of about 70 square meters. My first impression was that Zhi Guo's girlfriend was quite good to be able to accept this situation. I really don't know how the five people in this small house with only two bedrooms sleep at night. During the conversation, I learned that Zhi Guo had already held a wedding in his hometown and did not have a wedding banquet in the city where he works. The reason was that there weren't many people, and the prices of wedding hotels in this city were really high. Also, because they bought a house, they were really tight on funds. Xiao Pang was still saying: Zhi Guo, didn't you take your sister-in-law on a trip? Zhi Guo lowered his head and didn't speak. At this moment, Zhi Guo's wife got up and went to the kitchen. I pulled Xiao Pang to stop him from talking. I always felt that Zhi Guo's lowering of his head and Zhi Guo's wife's getting up and leaving were a kind of helplessness. Zhi Guo's father was very interested in chatting when he saw our arrival. My first impression of Zhi Guo's father was that he was a stubborn old man. When I politely asked Zhi Guo's father's age, I was a bit surprised because Zhi Guo's father was the same age as my uncle. But my uncle still calls me brother and pats my shoulder, making me feel that my uncle is still in his middle age. However, Zhi Guo's father already had half of his hair turned white, and his face was etched with deep wrinkles. From those thick and dark hands, one could tell that this old man had been doing manual labor all his life. Zhi Guo's father kept emphasizing that they contributed 70,000 yuan for Zhi Guo's new house. This was the money he earned from working, and it was the wealth he had accumulated after raising Zhi Guo and his younger brother for a lifetime. It could be seen that the old man was very proud and also felt that he had made a great contribution by paying the down payment for Zhi Guo. From my chat with Zhi Guo's father, I felt that Zhi Guo's father had a terrifying way of thinking that might become a heavy burden on Zhi Guo's future life path. Zhi Guo's father kept emphasizing that he was getting older, and his eldest son was promising. He graduated from college, found a wife in the provincial capital, and bought a house. His task was completed. Moreover, he gave most of his savings to Zhi Guo for the down payment. As the elder brother, Zhi Guo naturally should take responsibility for his younger brother. Zhi Guo's father was speaking to me and Xiao Pang as if he was proud of having completed his historical mission. Next, after Zhi Guo enjoyed the college education provided by his father, found a job, and received the 70,000 yuan for the house down payment, Zhi Guo should and must take on the responsibility of his younger brother and his family. I looked at the self-satisfied Zhi Guo's father, the complaining Zhi Guo's mother who complained that everything in the city was expensive, and the honest younger brother of Zhi Guo who didn't say a word. I looked at Zhi Guo who was smoking heavily. Maybe what Zhi Guo was inhaling wasn't just smoke; it seemed like he was digesting some kind of pressure, a kind of pressure that was difficult to bear. After sitting for a while, Zhi Guo wanted to keep us for dinner, but I and Xiao Pang, who had already eaten a bellyful of local chicken, quickly got up to say goodbye. When the car drove out of the community, Xiao Pang told me: Just now, I asked Zhi Guo's wife how her new married life was. Zhi Guo's wife replied: Who has seen such a new married life? (I would rather rent a house if I knew it would be like this.) When Xiao Pang finished saying this, I suddenly felt that the sofa in Zhi Guo's house was a powder keg with the fuse already lit. I don't know when it will explode, but I'm sure that this family powder keg will definitely explode.
If we don't look at Zhi Guo's family situation, Zhou Zhou's wedding house might give me the feeling of just being a big house. One afternoon after work, I ran into my colleague Zhou Zhou, the first girl among the interns to be confirmed to stay. After work, I was just about to start the car when I saw Zhou Zhou's boyfriend who came to pick her up and Zhou Zhou. Zhou Zhou said to me: My new house has been decorated and is in the new community across the street from the community where I live. From now on, we are not only colleagues but also neighbors across the street. Since we are colleagues and now neighbors, for whatever reason, I should, out of politeness, go and see Zhou Zhou's new house. Zhou Zhou's community is a new one, and the houses there are mainly large-sized units. The price is almost double the price when I bought my house. This is my initial understanding of Zhou Zhou's new house. That evening, when I got home, I received a call from Zhou Zhou's boyfriend again, inviting me to come and have a look. I had to take my wife and hold my son and go to the new community across the street to Zhou Zhou's new home. After stepping into the small home of this new couple, I'm not exaggerating when I say that my first feeling was that it was really big. Looking at the European-style decoration, the hospitable Zhou Zhou picked up my son and pulled my wife to sit on the sofa. Zhou Zhou's boyfriend accompanied me to look at the house, and I was a bit dazed. This is the truth. The style and size of this house are the big house that I often dream of being able to live in. Zhou Zhou's enthusiasm and thoughtfulness quickly got along well with my wife. Then, from Zhou Zhou's boyfriend, I learned that this house is more than 210 square meters, with a split-level design, four bedrooms and two living rooms. Looking at the large, clean and tidy house, and this set of European-style decoration and furniture, my mind was constantly jumping with numbers. The price of the house, the decoration cost at least three to four hundred thousand yuan, and the furniture... When I saw the Dolby surround sound installed on the ceiling, I didn't quite understand it, but my wife was surprised and exclaimed that this set must cost more than two hundred thousand yuan. Zhou Zhou said: Two hundred and seventy thousand yuan. With Zhou Zhou's statement of the price, my feeling was that this little girl who once interned under me, now my colleague, this neighbor across the street from me, this little girl who I once thought was a child and her boyfriend of the same age, actually own such a big house! My feeling is that I, who was once seen as an older colleague by this little girl, have been left behind by at least ten blocks. My feeling in Zhou Zhou's house now is that my own home is really too shabby. It's a strong feeling. After visiting the huge balcony, the large bathroom with a luxurious bath, and the entire set of European-style bedrooms, I was already a bit uncomfortable and wanted to leave. But Zhou Zhou, who was holding my son, and pulling my wife, insisted on inviting us for dinner. Zhou Zhou's boyfriend said appropriately: "My girlfriend's former leader came with his sister-in-law and nephew. If I don't treat them, I can't explain to the organization." After saying that, he picked up his satchel, pulled me, Zhou Zhou held the child, and pulled my wife to the restaurant. During the meal, I felt that Zhou Zhou's boyfriend, who is an organizational staff member paid by the Provincial *Censored*, was really good at speaking, persuading people to drink, taking care of the child, and starting topics at the dinner table. I admit that I am not as good as him. It was also on that day that I discovered Zhou Zhou's social skills. My wife, who was still a bit restrained when we first met, seemed to be extremely familiar with Zhou Zhou by the end of the dinner. My feeling is that these two kids are very good, really good, very lively, really! Their way of speaking, their way of dealing with people, and their way of receiving guests are better than my wife and I. When my wife and I finished dinner and went home, my wife began to complain about our beloved small home. When my wife and I had a night talk, we both came to the conclusion: Background and conditions are too important. Comparing people can make one feel desperate, and comparing goods can make one throw them away.
Zhou Zhou's Wedding
Zhou Zhou's wedding was a grand wedding with two large halls. The dining tables were labeled with the names of Zhou Zhou's mother's unit, her father's unit, and then the table for the Provincial *Censored* where Zhou Zhou works, and then the table for our bank. For the first time, I felt that there were levels in the wedding dining tables. It was the first time I saw several bank presidents attending a person's wedding banquet at the same time. Zhou Zhou, who was dazzling as the bride, and Zhou Zhou's handsome husband, as well as the blessings for the new couple from each dining table. Listening to Zhou Zhou's husband telling the story of their past love, and listening to this couple's plan to travel to 11 European countries for their honeymoon, I suddenly thought of Zhi Guo at this moment. Looking at Zhou Zhou's brilliance as the bride and Zhou Zhou's husband's drunken face, my mind kept flashing images of Zhi Guo smoking heavily and Zhi Guo's wife getting up and leaving helplessly because of the travel topic.