When I landed in China on July 9th, I had a pretty simple plan: reunite with my wife, enjoy some good food, and gradually ease into life here.

Four days later… we’re buying a home.

Yes, seriously. Somewhere between unpacking my suitcase and figuring out the laundry situation, Xue and I made an offer, negotiated, and signed a deal for a cozy apartment near Golden Pebble Beach. The whole process felt like a whirlwind, a blur of property agents, phone calls, screenshots, contracts, hand gestures, and a whole lot of trust.

Technically, we bought an apartment. But emotionally, we bought a home. And while China’s recent housing downturn has made the property market uncertain, it also made something else possible: opportunity. The original owner, who paid much more, took an almost 40% haircut from his original purchase price. In U.S. terms, this felt more like buying a well-optioned car than a piece of real estate. But it is a home. A first home together here in China.

The signing was all done via video call and digital documents, efficient, smooth, and a little surreal. Xue handled it all with calm confidence. I mostly sat beside her, listening, watching, proud.

After we wrapped up, the agents packed us into a little van to take us back, six people crammed in, all the windows down because the summer heat was relentless. Laurel, our driver, did his best to fly down the main thoroughfare at top speed, the van rattling slightly with effort.

Wind whipped through the cabin from the open windows, my short hair was whipping as best it could, humidity on my neck, and the sound of a racing van around us.

That’s when a motorcycle zipped past us like we were standing still. And in that moment, I felt everything in slow motion. And I thought to myself:

“What just happened?”

Not about the motorcycle. About everything. Four days in this country, and somehow, we already own a home.

When we pulled up to Xue’s car, we passed a row of street BBQ shops — the same ones we’d seen earlier in the oppressive heat of the day, empty but clearly getting ready. Now, they were in full swing. Smoke curling from the grills. People packed around red plastic tables. The scent of cumin and lamb in the air. Life in motion.

As we sat and enjoyed some BBQ and eggplant, we smiled at each other with the staff racing around us serving customers. We didn’t say much, we didn’t need to. Afterwards we headed to the nearby beach.

The same beach where we walked the first time we met. We found a quiet spot, sat together, and listened to the waves. Music drifted over from a summer festival nearby. People were lighting fireworks sold by beach vendors wandering the shore.

And just like that, the day ended the way all the best ones do: Not with a bang. But with peace.