"Honor..."
"Shut up." Wu Shengnan's father chided in a low voice, instantly silencing his already disadvantaged son.
"Dad, what are you doing?"
"Don't impose your thoughts on Nannan and Xiao Heng. I also support Xiao Heng's ideas, and I agree that Nannan isn't suited for her current job."
Wu Shengnan's elder brother grew agitated. He was about to speak but was stared down by his father. For so reason, Sir Wu Zhong just kept smiling at Du Heng without saying a word.
Wu Shengnan's father looked towards Du Heng and said cheerfully, "Our family agrees to your relationship with Nannan. Tell us your thoughts on the wedding."
Du Heng, having cald his sowhat agitated mood, replied, "Regarding the wedding, it's best if you, Uncle, discuss it with my Big brother. These are matters for the elders to communicate. My Big brother is a farr and hasn't had much schooling. I hope you won't mind, Uncle."
A smile finally appeared on Wu Shengnan's father's face. "Okay, then I'll talk to your Big brother. But as you know, my work schedule isn't very flexible."
"That's alright, Uncle. Just let know when you're free, and I'll inform my Big brother."
"Alright then, I'll have to trouble your Big brother to accommodate my schedule."
These words instantly dispelled Du Heng's agitation; he no longer needed to consciously suppress it. Given Wu Shengnan's father's status, saying such a thing showed the utmost respect to Du Heng and his Big brother.
Wu Shengnan's father smiled slightly and continued, "Since you're preparing to get married, start getting things ready. Nannan's place has rather simple decorations, so you should use this ti to redecorate it thoroughly. We don't want your Big brother and I to finish our discussion and set the date, only to find your house isn't ready."
This truly is a case of giving a house when marrying off a daughter, fulfilling Sir Wu Zhong's earlier promise.
However, Du Heng said, "Uncle, I've looked at a few new houses recently. I'm thinking of buying a new one, renovating it, and using that as our marital ho."
Hearing Du Heng's reluctance to take advantage of the offer, Wu Shengnan's father didn't look pleased. Instead, his brows furrowed, and he slowly asked, "Are you aware of the latest trends in the real estate market?"
Du Heng was taken aback; he genuinely didn't know.
Seeing Du Heng's bewildered expression, Wu Shengnan's father couldn't help but sigh internally. This future son-in-law really isn't interested in current affairs, to be unaware of such a significant developnt.
He sighed silently to himself again before saying, "The down paynt percentage for a first-ti hobuyer has been lowered."
Wu Shengnan's elder brother muttered from the side, "Isn't that a good thing? It allows people with less money to afford a house."
But his father countered, "Is it? Think carefully before you speak."
Hearing the exchange, Du Heng was montarily stunned. Isn't this a good thing?
After careful consideration, he realized it wasn't. He slowly elaborated, "For people who can already afford a house, whether the down paynt is lowered or not doesn't make much difference. So, reducing the down paynt targets those who previously couldn't afford it but have so savings. It's a way to stimulate dostic demand."
Du Heng frowned slightly. "But if the down paynt is lowered while the total price of the house remains unchanged, the total loan amount will increase. This ans that, compared to when the down paynt was higher, people will end up spending more money overall, and their monthly mortgage paynts will also be higher.
"Why couldn't these individuals afford the down paynt before? It must be because their household inco was relatively low. Now, even if they can scrape together the down paynt, their savings will be depleted, and the financial pressure on the family will increase significantly. Many such families might lose their ability to withstand financial shocks. For instance, in the event of unforeseen circumstances or a family crisis, these households could completely fall apart."
Then Du Heng paused abruptly. "No, that's not right. If people can't repay their mortgages, doesn't that increase the risk for Bank loans?"
Wu Shengnan's elder brother looked at Du Heng disdainfully. "What does defaulting on a loan have to do with the Bank? If you miss paynts, the house gets repossessed and auctioned off. The Bank won't lose a penny. You're ddling in things that don't concern you; others have more essence than you."
Wu Shengnan's father frowned. "How can you speak like that?"
Du Heng glanced helplessly at his mocking brother-in-law. He's either very protective of his sister, or he's upset that I've ruined his plans to achieve his own ambitions through his sister. After so thought, it's highly likely the latter.
This thought circled in his mind before he dismissed it. Why did his father-in-law bring this up? Why does he seem to want to stop from buying a house?
Why lower the down paynt? Because houses aren't selling and are becoming a burden for developers. Can developers afford to sit on unsold properties? Of course not; they weren't the ones who financed the construction. But houses are hard assets, so why aren't they selling? Because those who can afford to buy are no longer optimistic about the real estate market.
Du Heng sighed with understanding. "I see, Uncle. But it wouldn't look right if I don't have a house when Nannan and I get married."
"What's not right about it?" Wu Shengnan's father was pleased with Du Heng's comprehension, though he was slightly concerned about his son-in-law's singular focus on being a Doctor. "As long as you have food, drink, work, and everyone is busy with their own things, a place to shelter you from the elents at night is enough. Besides, once you two are married, if you start differentiating between 'yours' and 'mine,' how can you build a life together? If you really feel you have too much money, then go sponsor a few underprivileged Students or help so vulnerable groups in Society."
Du Heng was speechless and could only nod in agreent.
「On their way back ho that evening」
Wu Shengnan asked, a mix of curiosity and shyness in her voice, "Du, what did you and My Dad talk about?"
"Whenever your Dad has ti, he'll et with my Big brother, and then they can set the date."
Wu Shengnan's face lit up with happiness.
While concentrating on driving, Du Heng suddenly asked Wu Shengnan, "By the way, you ntioned before that your elder brother transferred to administrative units because of an injury, right?"
Wu Shengnan's cheerful expression faltered slightly, and she seed to sink a little deeper into her seat. "Yes. He was very seriously injured and it left him with lasting effects. He can't do strenuous work or engage in intense movent."
"Where was he injured?"
"His lungs and liver. He was trying to arrest a suspect. The suspect spotted him and tried to flee. My brother chased him down and was stabbed twice in the chest and four tis in the abdon."
Wu Shengnan looked at Du Heng, puzzled. "Why are you asking this?"
Du Heng smiled but didn't answer, asking instead, "Your brother and Sister-in-law—do they not want a Child, or can they not conceive?"
Wu Shengnan's confusion deepened. "Of course, they want a Child! It's just that my Sister-in-law hasn't been able to get pregnant. My brother is afraid of upsetting her, so he tells everyone she's busy with work and they don't want a Child right now."
She then gave Du Heng a warning look. "You better not tell my parents. They don't know it's my Sister-in-law's issue."
"Your Sister-in-law can't get pregnant? Did your brother ever get himself checked? Perhaps the problem lies with him."
"Impossible," Wu Shengnan stated confidently. "When my brother was at University, he got his girlfriend at the ti pregnant. They didn't keep the Child because they were still studying. So how could it possibly be my brother's fault? Don't be ridiculous."
Du Heng shot a quick glance at Wu Shengnan before quickly turning his attention back to the road. "Your brother was seriously injured. Why is it impossible?"
Wu Shengnan was dismissive. "Don't treat like an idiot. Even if I don't know much about dicine, I know that injuries to the lungs and liver have nothing to do with the reproductive system."
With that, Wu Shengnan turned sharply to face him, her expression very serious. "Du, what exactly are you implying? You're not actually suggesting that the reason my brother and Sister-in-law don't have a Child is because of my brother, are you?"
Du Heng raised an eyebrow. "And why couldn't it be your brother's problem?"
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