Chapter 2703 - 2677: Hometown

If it’s something that can be solved with money, then of course it’s not really a problem, because Gao Yang has money now. What he’s dreamed of is becoming a nouveau riche, and now that’s exactly what he is.

The only problem was that Gao Yang couldn’t carry too much cash on him, and if he wired the money, the bank where he’d opened his account and the banks in Russia made things a bit troublesome. Gao Yang needed everything done as quickly as possible. If Little Donnie were here to help, none of this would be an issue, but now that Little Donnie had bolted, Gao Yang had no ID and no account in Russia, which really did make things a bit tricky.

But there was no way Gao Yang was going to let something like this stump him. He took out his phone, thought for a moment, and casually dialed Uriyangko.

Once Uriyangko picked up, Gao Yang said calmly, "Buddy, do me a favor. Convert three hundred thousand dollars into rubles and transfer it into a bank account inside Russia. Can you swing that?"

"Of course. What kind of transaction?"

"Real estate purchase."

"Got it, then we’ll do it through a normal account. We have a corporate account in Russia that can handle it. Give me the account."

Gao Yang moved the phone away and said to the still rather confused male owner, "Give me your account. Oh, I mean your bank card. You must have a bank card, right? Please give me the account number."

The male owner looked completely dumbfounded. "Now? You’re starting it now?"

"Yeah. I’m on a tight schedule."

The male owner took out his wallet, pulled out a bank card with a blank look, and handed it to Gao Yang. Joseph stepped up, took the card, and passed it to Gao Yang.

After reading off the bank card number once, Gao Yang said to the male owner, "The account holder’s name. Full name."

"Nicola Shevid."

Gao Yang hung up, handed the bank card back to the male owner, then smiled and said, "Mr. Shevid, how much do you have in this account? In about ten minutes you can check your statement and see if the balance has changed."

Nicola took the bank card, looking astonished. "That’s it? The transfer’s done just like that? Aren’t you afraid I’ll deny it? That I won’t give you the house?"

Gao Yang just smiled without saying anything. Joseph couldn’t help but laugh. They really couldn’t be bothered answering such an idiotic question. A guy who casually tosses out Tens of Thousands of Dollars to buy a house without even blinking—would he really be afraid of getting stiffed?

Nicola must have realized that was a possibility too. He gave an awkward little laugh, put away his bank card, and then said to Gao Yang, "As soon as the money hits the account, we’ll go do the paperwork. We’ll get it done today."

Gao Yang exhaled and said, "You can take your personal belongings with you. Electronics too. I can draw a line: anything that was here before you moved in is absolutely not to be touched. Anything you brought in after moving in, you can take. Please pack your things."

Safonova blurted, "So soon? Where are we supposed to sleep tonight?"

Nicola glared at his wife and said loudly, "What do you mean where? We’ll go to relatives’. No, we’ll stay at one of the big hotels here for a night—you’ve never even been."

Safonova muttered, "But there’s still meat simmering in the kitchen..."

Gao Yang suddenly realized that just kicking the owners out like this wasn’t such a great idea either. Yarebin needed someone to cook for him and look after his daily needs and cleaning, and the female owner seemed like a good candidate. But then he thought it over again and felt that Yarebin might prefer not to have outsiders in the home he used to live in.

He stood up and said to Joseph, "In a bit you go with them and handle the paperwork. Put the new owner’s name down as Yarebin."

"What about a last name? You need a last name. Just make one up?"

Gao Yang hesitated for a moment. "Then write Ram Yalibin. It’s not important."

"Okay."

"You handle the rest. I’m going back upstairs."

Gao Yang patted Joseph on the shoulder and went back up to the second floor. He knocked lightly, then pushed the door open and walked in, only to find that Yarebin was in exactly the same position as when he’d left.

"Teacher."

Yarebin turned and gave Gao Yang a glance. Gao Yang felt a small breath of relief, then said softly, "Teacher, I’ve bought the house back."

Yarebin nodded slightly and kept looking out the window. In a low voice he said, "It really wasn’t necessary."

"No, I think it was very necessary."

Yarebin continued to gaze out the window. Gao Yang stood at his side.

Blue sky, blue sea.

Sochi is a city strung out along the coast, very narrow and long, so even on the most central streets you’re very close to the shoreline. You can see the sea just by standing at the window.

"Want to go out on the water and have a look?"

Yarebin asked lightly. Gao Yang smiled and said, "I do, but there’s no rush. Let’s rest a bit first. After you rest, we’ll go out on the sea and have some fun."

Talking about resting made Gao Yang realize the bed was still just bare boards. He supported Yarebin and said quietly, "Teacher, please sit and rest for a while. I’ll go buy some things. You can take a nap first."

Yarebin shook his head. "When you get old, you sleep less."

Gao Yang thought for a moment. "Then I’ll find some people to fix up the place a bit, arrange it the way you remember it."

Yarebin smiled. "No need. There’s no point. Just throw something together. I’ll stay in this room. Make up the bed and that’s enough; the rest doesn’t need to be touched."

"All right. Sit for a bit, I’ll be quick."

Gao Yang hurried downstairs again, then said to the people still in the living room, "Set up the rooms upstairs. Take down the old guesthouse décor and turn this back into a home. Mr. Shevid, I need to use your sailboat. Oh, I’ll pay you."

Joseph said to Gao Yang, "The money’s already in. He just checked."

Gao Yang waved a hand impatiently. "You handle that kind of small stuff. Mr. Shevid, please find some people and arrange things the way I just said. Try to have everything done before dark."

Nicola frowned. "I don’t mind doing it, but what exactly are we restoring it to?"

Gao Yang thought for a moment, then said, "Do you remember what it looked like before you moved in?"

"Sure, of course. After we moved in we actually kept things pretty much as they were. Replacing all the furniture would’ve cost a lot, so it’s only in the last seven or eight years that it’s become what you see now."

"Restore it to how it was before. Get people to do it. Work fast but keep it quiet. Don’t disturb the old man upstairs."

As Gao Yang was speaking, he heard footsteps. He turned and saw Yarebin coming down the stairs.

Yarebin beckoned to Gao Yang and said with a smile, "Come take a walk with me."

Gao Yang turned back and whispered in the male owner’s ear, "Do exactly what I said right away. If it’s done before dark, I’ll give you Ten thousand US dollars. If it’s not done or not done right, I’ll only give you One thousand. Remember that."