187: Chapter 187 Moving to a New Home

The next morning, Zhao Xiaoshuai arrived at his parents' house early.

His elderly mother was busy packing things up, with bags and bundles everywhere.

"Mom, I've already told you, the new house has everything. You two just need to bring some daily essentials you're used to; we can buy anything else later."

"Besides, we aren't selling this old house. We'll leave it here, so if you're ever wandering around the neighborhood, you can come back and take a rest."

It was as if a switch had been flipped for Mother Zhao; the words she had been holding back came pouring out like a machine gun.

"You just know how to waste money! Your father and I are old bones, why buy us a house?"

"This old house could be rented out even if we don't sell it! Why just leave it sitting there? Is it going to breed?"

"And these pieces of furniture, look, they're still usable! Why replace them with new ones? We could have just moved them over slowly. How do you have so little concept of money..."

Only after his mother finished venting did Zhao Xiaoshuai dare to interject: "Don't worry, Mom. Our family has money now; it's definitely enough. Naturally, we can't keep living the way we used to. You two have worked hard for most of your lives; it's time to enjoy yourselves."

"I don't need to enjoy anything! We were living just fine at home, but you insisted on spending money to buy another one. If it weren't for Xinyi pleading on your behalf, I would have made your father give you a good beating!"

"Besides, money is never 'enough.' If you have a lot of money, you should save it. You'll have plenty of places to spend it when you have kids later!"

"Money doesn't just blow in on the wind! You must not waste it in the future, do you hear me?"

At this point, Father Zhao finally couldn't watch anymore and tugged at his wife. "Your son has good intentions, so say less. I think we should listen to Xiao Shuai. Put down these pots and pans and go see the new house first."

"These pots and bowls are perfectly fine! Why would we need to buy new ones?"

"Alright, alright! Aren't we about to meet our daughter-in-law? If the house is all shabby and broken down, it's our son who will lose face."

At the mention of the daughter-in-law, Mother Zhao had to force herself to calm down. "Alright then. These things are all complete; at least we can get a good price when we rent out this old house later."

He finally managed to get them out, and his Sister-in-law obediently supported Mother Zhao's arm.

"Your car is quite big. It looks pretty nice. How much did it cost?"

Father Zhao and Mother Zhao had only ever ridden bicycles their whole lives. They recognized a Santana or a Hongqi, but naturally, they didn't recognize a Mercedes.

"It didn't cost much. When it comes to hauling things, it can't even compare to a Wuling Hongguang. Let's get in the car first."

Under his persuasion, his parents eventually set off, bringing basically only their personal belongings and a few sets of clothes.

The house he chose for his parents was in a high-quality residential complex with good greenery, complete facilities like elevators, and a very good reputation for property management.

Not far downstairs from the complex was a park, where many old men and women went for walks.

A ten-minute walk away was a large square where they could find a group to dance yangge with, but it was far enough away that they wouldn't be disturbed when they wanted to rest.

Not far across from the complex was a district-level hospital, so if they really suffered from any geriatric illnesses, they could get timely treatment.

The residential building where the apartment was located looked unremarkable from the outside, but Zhao Xiaoshuai had hired someone to evaluate it. The internal structure and quality of the building were excellent, and it would certainly be fine to live in for another few decades.

The ordinary exterior also made it easier for his parents, who had been frugal their whole lives, to accept.

After getting out of the car, the two elderly parents looked at the surrounding scenery and nodded repeatedly. They were clearly very satisfied and, for the first time ever, didn't continue to complain about their son wasting money.

"The place is not bad," Father Zhao said, giving his son a bit of face.

"We just passed that square earlier, and your father's eyes were about to pop out of their sockets. How could he not think it's nice?"

"What are you spouting nonsense for?"

"I'm telling you, you aren't allowed to go to that square in the future."

"Fine, I won't go then."

An ordinary residential building, an ordinary door, but once the door was opened, the inside was completely different.

Zhao Xiaoshuai had essentially crammed every piece of high-tech equipment he could into this small apartment of less than a hundred square meters.

With a smart AI butler as the central coordinator, almost all the facilities could be managed by voice.

Curtains, air conditioning, rice cookers, washing machines, water heaters... life was basically fully automated, making things extremely convenient.

Of course, the nameplates on these devices had been sanded off, so the brands couldn't be identified.

For example, that ordinary-looking robot vacuum cost over 7,000 yuan. If his parents knew that, they would inevitably nag him for another ten minutes.

The overall interior decoration also focused on understated luxury. It looked plain, but the materials used were excellent, and it was designed by a master, giving it an indescribable charm.

"Look at you, wasting money again! Buying a robot vacuum, and a dishwasher too! We have hands and feet; why would we need these things?"

"Mom, technology has advanced now. These things don't cost much."

Mother Zhao was a bit skeptical, but given her own limited knowledge, she didn't dare to refute him. After trying a few of the smart home devices, she couldn't help but marvel at them.

"Technology has advanced to this point? The house even has a robot butler that can talk to me! It knows what I want to do as soon as I speak; this is too magical!"

"Then you two can get familiar with the new home today. We'll have a family dinner here tomorrow, and I'll bring my girlfriend back for you to meet."

At the mention of this, both parents perked up. They didn't even have the heart to fiddle with the novel furniture and appliances anymore, and they pulled him over to sit on the living room sofa.

"You brat, you only said you found a girlfriend. How old is she, what does she do, where is she from? You haven't told us anything! You have to explain it clearly to Mom today, otherwise, when the girl comes tomorrow, your father and I will be completely in the dark."

"Her name is Meng Yawen, she's a local, and she's a senior student at Chuncheng University."

"Ah? She hasn't even graduated from university? That must mean she's seven or eight years younger than you! How could you be so shameless as to date such a young girl!"

Being scolded by his parents, Zhao Xiaoshuai couldn't help but rub his nose, feeling a bit embarrassed. No matter how old a man is, he always wants to find an eighteen-year-old; what's wrong with a university student?

But he clearly didn't dare say that to his parents, so he quickly gave his Sister-in-law a wink.

Chu Xinyi obediently interjected, "Auntie, times are different now. Nowadays, there are young couples with age gaps of over ten years."

"Xinyi is right. Look at that Brother Dong and Milk Tea Sister; they have a nineteen-year age gap!"

"Oh my, are young people today really that open? A gap of more than a cycle—doesn't that mess up the generations?"

"Don't bully your mother by thinking I don't know anything. I know that 'Brother Dong' of yours is a big boss worth tens of billions. Can you compare yourself to him?"

"What's that? Listening to you, Father, does that mean if I also had that much money, you would be able to accept it?"

"Hey, you brat, still arguing with me? Fine, fine, fine, go earn it! If you earn that much money, never mind a girl seven or eight or even ten years younger, even if you find two, I won't care!"

"You said it yourself! I recorded that."