That evening, Gu Zhengchi brought home an elderly woman who was over fifty years old and had given birth to seven children.

He hadn't completely lost his humanity; he explained the possible situation for Ruan Baozhu clearly, and the high salary made the old woman very proud.

Thirty yuan a month, four months of work, enough to get married to my remaining three sons.

Forget about syphilis sores; even if she had a tumor, she wouldn't mind using a reed to suck it out.

When Tian Tian went to Qin Wuye again to ask for help with the bayberry sores... Ruan Xian was in Qin Wuye's backyard, her head buried in a woodpile.

A few of her underlings surrounded her, teasingly saying, "That guy who bought bayberries with big sores is here again. Comrade Ahua, aren't you going out to acknowledge your relatives?"

Ruan Ahua Xianxian kept her head buried in the woodpile, neither moving nor speaking.

Then another underling said, "You know what, you really do know, if you look at that big syphilis sore for a moment, it really does look a bit like our Comrade Ahua."

Ruan Xianxian suddenly pulled her head out, exclaiming, "Nonsense! You're talking nonsense! She's not my cousin!"

After she finished speaking, the surroundings fell silent. Her underlings stared at her without saying a word. She stuck out her neck, looking as if she was definitely not her cousin.

The standoff continued until Fifth Master Qin returned. With a troubled expression, he said, "Next time, don't bring any more cousins ​​like this to me."

Not content with just the large sores from bayberries, she actually asked me what other deadly infectious diseases I could find, and asked me to give her a little of everything.

I have connections, so I can smuggle things around without anyone interfering. Look at the shoddy work you're doing, spreading infectious diseases. You really wish your old brother was dead, don't you?

If we get caught by the higher-ups, my son and I, along with our entire family, will rot in jail.

Ruan Xianxian ignored Qin Wuye and instead looked at the pairs of burning eyes behind him, weakly saying, "She's really not my cousin."

This thing... if someone digs it out of the ground five hundred years later, its mouth will definitely still be there!

With the food and wine prepared, Fifth Master Qin took a sip of the sorghum wine she had specially brought back from her hometown, and squinted his eyes in enjoyment.

He put down his wine glass, smacked his lips in lingering satisfaction, and asked, "So, what kind of trouble do you want to give me after coming all this way?"

Ruan Xianxian chuckled, "Then I won't stand on ceremony. If you'd like, I'll ask Fifth Master to find out who in Beijing is selling courtyard houses, one to five courtyards, it doesn't matter."

"I'll take as many as you have."

Qin Wuye's expression was deep. Fortunately, although he was off-key, at least it wasn't too outrageous. He put one hand on his thigh and leaned forward.

"Hey girl, you're pretty cocky. Just tell me, how much money are you planning to spend on a house?"

Ruan Xianxian: "How many courtyards do you own? How much money do I have?"

Fifth Master Qin: "Now I know what's going on. I happen to have two under my control, one that's been bought once and the other twice. They're expensive, so there aren't many people looking at them."

Ruan Xianxian: "Take away the young master?"

Master Qin: "Thirty-eight thousand for the first batch, ninety-six thousand for the second batch."

Ruan Xianxian thought for a moment and realized that the price was 10,000 yuan higher than the current market price, no wonder she couldn't sell it. She made a decision:

"Ten thousand less per room, I'll take it!"

Master Qin said, "The price should be as you said, there shouldn't be any problem."

Before he could show any joy, he changed the subject, saying, "However, there are some problems with this house. I won't cheat you, it's my own sister. Let's make things clear from the beginning."

"Upon entering the courtyard, I noticed that in previous years, due to strict street regulations, the owner had rented the property to several families. However, one of them was dishonest, saying that if they didn't want to rent it out after buying it, they could simply take the house back."

But when I went there myself, the monsters and demons in that courtyard didn't seem like they would move away. In fact, one family hadn't paid rent for two years and was just sitting there refusing to pay.

Buying it would be a hassle; think about it again.

He added, "Although the other two-section apartment wasn't rented to a caregiver, it was entirely occupied by the Gewei Association for office use."

That family almost risked their lives years ago to save their courtyard from being completely transferred to other owners during the Cultural Revolution.

The homeowner was fairly honest, proactively explaining that since the second half of the year, those people had become increasingly deranged, and she couldn't protect the yard anymore; she wanted to sell it to someone who could.

Ruan Xianxian crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair. "What kind of ghost houses do you have? Can't you have any houses for the living?"

"Pshaw, who would sell their house for money if they could live in a courtyard house? There are some, but you have to wait. If you're lucky, you're lucky."

Fifth Master Qin sneered.

Ruan Xianxian thought about it for a moment, and realized it was a bit troublesome, but only a bit troublesome. "Let's lower the price a bit and take them all."

Fifth Master Qin put down his wine glass. "Alright, it's still sunny this morning. Shall we go take a look at the house?"

Ruan Xianxian also stood up, glanced at her watch, and said, "No, I have a story session with my mom later."

Could you help me negotiate with the homeowner? If the price is right, we'll transfer the property. I'll come back to talk to you again when I'm done with this in the next couple of days.

"Alright, that's fine." Fifth Master Qin stood up to see her off. "You've given me so many good goods, I'm not heartless, I'll definitely get you the lowest price."

"I'll also help you get rid of the tenants who entered the courtyard; then there'll be no way to deal with the Gewei Association."

Ruan Xianxian indicated that she understood.

Having worked together for so long, she naturally trusted Master Qin. However, as a middleman, he had limited resources, and if she wanted a high-quality courtyard house, she would have to use her connections.

No rush. There are still a few years before the housing prices skyrocket after the reform and opening up. In these few years, let's collect everything we can get our hands on first, and then we can collect another batch after the opening up.

Not only housing, but also shops. Most of the shops are currently vacant and held by large factories. These factories have plenty of money and are not considering selling them. Let's take it slow.

When I got home and opened the door, the house was unusually quiet today. My grandmother, who usually greets me warmly at the slightest sound, was not there.

Inside the room, two groups of people were locked in a standoff.

Grandma sat alone on a single sofa, and Xie Zheng stood behind her. The old couple's expressions were both very serious, and they both looked unhappy.

Dan Jing and Ruan Tai sat on small stools opposite their grandparents. The door opened, and Ruan Tai's passionate voice came out as he spoke to his grandmother.

"Mom, can't you be a little more magnanimous?"

So many years have passed, and it's one thing for you to argue with Dad, but to teach your granddaughter to go against her grandfather—is that even right?

Yan Fenghua's chest heaved with anger as she sneered, "Outrageous! At least my granddaughter lives like a human being, but you've become a joke."

You must have been born into the wrong family; you were born of the first wife and raised by the second wife.

Ruan Xianxian: ...

If you dig out her breasts five hundred years later, her mouth will definitely still be there!

The sound of the door opening attracted the attention of the four people in the room. Ruan Xianxian threw the keys on the shoe cabinet with a clatter, bent down to change her shoes, and a half-smile came out.

“Speak up! A prime minister's belly can hold a boat, but you, Ruan Tai, just talk nonsense. Speak up, you were talking so well, why are you silent now?”

The room fell into a deathly silence after he finished speaking; you could hear a pin drop.

Ruan Xianxian pinned the ebony hairpin she had gotten from Master Qin into her grandmother's hair bun, examined it from all sides, and smiled:

“It looks beautiful. When we go out together, people think we are sisters, but you are the younger sister.”

The old woman stopped crying and smiled, hugging her precious grandson tightly. When she met the two of them, her smile faded.

"Speak up. You've begged and pleaded with everyone to see your daughter, and now that you've brought her back, just say what you have to say..."