After he finished speaking, the room fell silent. The village secretary and his wife exchanged a glance, and both of them looked embarrassed.

There's nothing they can do about it; the price was set by the whole village, and they can't change it on their own, since all the money they collect will be confiscated.

"No problem, two hundred and eighty-eight is fine."

"I know it's expensive, you can't afford it... What!" The village secretary's eyes widened as he finished speaking, "You want to buy it!?"

The moment she said it, Grandma Wu felt a sense of relief and smiled, "Yes, I want to buy it."

The village secretary's wife stared in shock, her mouth agape for a long time. "City people are really rich! Three hundred yuan! They just hand it over like that..."

The two brothers, Huang Xiaofu and Huang Xiaoqiang, had slightly stiff lips, as if they had been lost in thought for a while.

“No one has lived in that courtyard for more than ten years. The house is in terrible condition, but it doesn’t matter. The roof is still there. It’s just that the things inside are in terrible condition. You’ll have to find your own replacements.”

"Of course. I see it's getting late, why don't you take us to see it?"

The village secretary glanced outside and saw that it was getting late and everyone was already out of sight. "What's the rush? I'll take you there tomorrow. If we go now, we won't even have a place to stay tonight. How can we get proper rest?"

“That’s right, that’s right. This rural area may not have much else, but it has a lot of space and several houses. We’ll sleep here tonight. Tomorrow it will be bright and we can see clearly. It’s pitch black here, and we can’t see anything. Going there would be pointless.”

The village secretary's wife grabbed Wu's hand with a beaming smile, "I liked you at first sight. What's your surname? Mine is Gou. You look younger than me, so you can call me Sister Gou."

The words came in a rapid-fire stream, vying to get into Old Lady Wu's ears. As soon as she finished speaking, Old Lady Wu immediately chimed in, "My surname is Wu, Wu Mingxia."

"Sister Gou..."

"Sister Dog, that sounds like an insult," Old Mrs. Wu's lips twitched as she pondered, "I just heard the village secretary call you Cuifen, so I'll call you Sister Cuifen instead."

Gou Cuifen laughed even harder, "Good, good, Mingxia, this person is good-looking and has a nice name."

Grandma Wu was speechless. If Gou Cuifen hadn't been a woman with clear eyesight, she would have thought someone was harassing her. She was practically half-buried, and yet someone was saying she was a good person with a good name. It was a bit strange.

"Alright, stop rambling. Is there any food at home? Let them have something to eat before they go to sleep."

The village secretary was very thoughtful; the group hadn't eaten a single grain of rice all day and were starving.

Huang Xiaofu and Huang Xiaoqiang finally came back from their reverie. They wanted to stare at the village secretary's wife, but were afraid of being impolite, so they focused their attention on Old Lady Wu.

Upon hearing this, Gou Cuifen clapped her hands and said, "Yes, but not much." Then she looked at Old Lady Wu and said, "In our village, we eat together now, so every household eats together. As for me, we don't cook at home often, but we still have food to fill our stomachs."

communal cooking?

However, we can also glean two points from Gou Cuifen's words.

First, there's the communal dining system. Even the village secretary's family goes there, meaning there are no exceptions. If she wants to stay in this village, she has to go too.

Secondly, it means that you don't cook often, but you can occasionally turn on the stove and cook at home.

"Okay, okay, I still have some noodles today, so I made a pot of noodles for you. Don't mind, it's just country food, it might not look as nice as city food."

When Grandma Wu picked up her chopsticks, she saw a bowl full of gray dough dumplings, topped with a layer of bright green scallions. It looked quite appetizing.

Huang Xiaofu and Huang Xiaoqiang had already picked up their chopsticks and started eating. Seeing that Old Lady Wu was still watching, Gou Cuihua asked, "What's wrong? Is it not to your liking?"

"No, I think your sister-in-law's cooking skills are quite good. If she went to the city, she would definitely be able to become the head chef of a state-run restaurant."

Grandma Wu smiled and said, "It's always good to say nice things."

Gou Cuifen burst into laughter after hearing this. "Mingxia, you really know how to talk. My skills are only good for doing odd jobs and cooking in the cafeteria. If I were in the city, I would be laughed at to death."

After finishing their meal, Huang Xiaofu and Huang Xiaoqiang took the initiative to get up and clear away the dishes. Gou Cuifen praised them again, saying, "Is this your son? He's handsome and capable, he won't have trouble finding a wife."

The village secretary glanced at the cigarettes and alcohol on the table, told Old Lady Wu to put them away, and then looked at his incessantly talking old woman, "Alright, it's so late, let her rest. What can't be discussed tomorrow?"

"Oh, that's right, that's right, once I start talking about it I never stop."

He acted on his words immediately, getting up and leading the group to an empty room.

"There are three empty rooms in total, which should be enough for you."

Grandma Wu glanced around the backyard; it was indeed large, with many rooms.

“It’s okay, let the brothers sleep in one room, and Gu Qing and I will sleep in the other.”

Gou Cuifen didn't care about these things. People have their own ideas about where they live. If she tried to be helpful, it would only make things worse.

Exhausted from the day, and being in someone else's home, Old Mrs. Wu felt awkward asking for water to wash up, so she reluctantly went to sleep fully clothed.

I closed my eyes and opened them again, and it was dawn.

The rooster outside the door kept crowing.

Gu Qing, who was beside her, was no longer there. Old Mrs. Wu was unusually late for getting up.

When they went outside, they saw Huang Xiaoqiang standing with his back turned, looking troubled, with Gu Qing beside him.

What happened?

Upon seeing Old Lady Wu, Huang Xiaoqiang felt as if he had seen a savior. "Mom, Gu Zhiqing said he'll pay the rent."

He couldn't figure out what Old Lady Wu meant, so how could he accept money from a young girl?

“Aunt Wu, that room is yours, I can’t just stay there for free. Here’s the rent, just take it, I’m not short of money anyway.”

The beginning of what she said was normal enough, but when she heard the end, Old Mrs. Wu's lips twitched. Was this something that could be said outright?

Even if you have money, you can't flaunt it. She now understood how those two girls had their eyes on her.

The village secretary's wife had just finished tidying up the house when she saw Old Lady Wu and waved to her, "Hey, Mingxia, get up! Go wash up quickly, I'll take you to see the house."

Upon hearing about the house, Grandma Wu's eyes lit up. After a quick wash, she had Huang Xiaofu and his brother carry their luggage and left with her.

There were quite a few people along the way. They looked at Grandma Wu and the others with curiosity, glancing at this one and that one, before finally greeting Gou Cuifen.

Judging from the villagers' reactions, the village party secretary's family has a good reputation and is well-liked in the village.

Once they reached a secluded spot, Gou Cuihua rubbed her face, complaining with a hint of boasting, "It's really no good when someone's too popular; I can't even say hello to everyone."

Grandma Wu was a little unsure how to respond, "Sister Cuifen is warm and welcoming, so naturally the villagers are warm and welcoming to you too."

Gou Cuihua talked for a long time, and Old Lady Wu chimed in for a long time, not missing a single word.

Huang Xiaofu followed behind and winked at Huang Xiaoqiang, baring his teeth. Gu Qing watched for a long time but still couldn't figure out what the brothers were trying to say.