Chapter 51

In the past few days, Jian Xinyi has drawn all the small cards and put them in the sketchbooks that have not been sold yet.

Compared with the previous batch, she did not spend too much time on the background, but focused more on the portrayal of individual characters.

Moreover, this batch was only given to Lao Lin to print after the paintings were completed, which is different from the previous batch that was entirely hand-painted.

After packing up, Jian Xinyi and Lao Lin went out together.

Lao Lin put up a sign indicating that the shop was closed a few days ago. He came out today to take Jian Xinyi to see the nearest house.

The streets are getting busier and busier, and you can occasionally hear firecrackers.

While out shopping, Lao Lin was not idle either. He bought a candied melon for Jian Xinyi from a stall nearby.

"I remember that when you were little, you loved eating sugar melons the most. Even before you could speak, you would babble and clamor for sugar melons."

Old Li smiled, seemingly immersed in these beautiful memories.

"You had a lot of hair back then, and I didn't know how to braid it, so I just braided two high braids into your hair. The neighbors all said you looked like Nezha."

When I turned around, I realized that my daughter was already so old and was no longer old enough to eat candied melons.

"Zhuiyu, you will be coming of age in five months."

Old Lin touched Jian Xinyi's head lovingly, and inadvertently saw his own old hands again.

"father?"

Jian Xinyi was a little confused.

Why did Lao Lin suddenly bring up the matter of coming of age?

This made her feel a sense of crisis.

After all, reaching the age of 15 means one is not far from getting married, at least that was the case in ancient times.

But Jian Xinyi was not mentally prepared at all for getting married.

There is no such thing in modern times, and even less so in ancient times.

But he still knew a little bit about it, such as the three matchmakers and six betrothals, and the idea of being well-matched.

If I suddenly told Lao Lin that I would never marry, I'm afraid he would be scared.

This is really a hassle.

Jian Xinyi didn't say anything, but she heard Lao Lin laugh. His laugh was extremely lonely, but he had to cheer himself up and encourage himself, "Let's go and look at the house."

The two of them walked around for a long time and almost went out of the city before finally arriving at their destination.

The door is not small and looks pretty good.

But before he entered the door, he heard Fang Yazi's sharp shout.

"Why hasn't he arrived yet? Master, please wait for a moment. I'll go and take a look."

Fang Yazi had just taken a step forward when he saw Lao Lin and the other two coming. His expression instantly became extremely amiable, and he said to the old man in a fawning manner, "Here they come."

Jian Xinyi frowned inadvertently.

The two walked in and found themselves in the front yard of the house. It had a wide view and two trees, but unfortunately it was winter and the leaves were bare. No one knew what kind of trees they were.

When the official saw the two people coming in, he slowly stood up from the armchair in the main hall and watched them enter.

The main hall is not very big, but it has everything you need, including tables, chairs, and coffee tables. They are all made of ebony, with clear wood grain. The wood is smooth and not scratchy to the touch.

When they were looking at the house, Fang Yazi didn't say a word, but just stood beside the master and flattered him for a long time.

"This place is not easy to find. It was originally a resting place for a Gusu merchant while traveling in the capital. Later, it was passed on to several families. Now it is vacant and no one is there. It is truly a treasured place that the master must have spent a lot of effort to find."

Old Lin smiled and nodded, then bowed, "Thank you, Mr. Cao."

"No, no, Shopkeeper Lin is willing to sell the back room. It's just a small favor for us to help each other."

Mr. Cao narrowed his eyes, but the smile on his face was not obvious.

Jian Xinyi looked at Mr. Cao in front of her. He did not look exactly like Cao Jiaxu. He was a little more rounded and did not reveal any likes or dislikes.

A few people then went in to look at the house. The yard inside was not big, with a room on each side, and a stove connected to the woodshed in the middle. It was a very classic single-courtyard style.

Really can't find anything wrong with it.

But this man has sent his nephew to the bookstore so many times before. Is he really so kind as to recommend such a nice house for them to live in now?

It's just a replacement, no money required.

Jian Xinyi was still thinking about the interests involved when she heard Mr. Cao say, "If you two are satisfied, just sign and seal it. I will go back quickly so as not to waste your time."

When she heard this, she turned around and saw Fang Yazi's expression. He was also calm, nothing else. He just frowned slightly and helped the official to speak, "Yes, after the New Year, it will be difficult to find a good house like this."

With such urging, is there really something I haven't noticed?

Lao Lin glanced at Jian Xinyi and raised his eyes to signal, "What do you think?"

She always has to be wary of bad guys, but there's nothing to design about this house.

It has its own door and yard, and the sound insulation and lighting are acceptable.

I looked at the house deed carefully again and found that there was indeed no problem at all.

Jian Xinyi was also in a dilemma at this time.

Fang Yazi saw the two of them dithering, and his expression became a little impatient. He began to urge them, "Sign as soon as possible so that you can move in before the New Year and celebrate the New Year."

The tone of his voice was not so sarcastic, probably because the official was here.

Lao Lin gritted his teeth and made the decision.

"Sign it, and we'll sort out any problems later."

After saying that, he took the red clay box and signed it.

After signing the signature, Fang Yazi immediately smiled and bowed, "Congratulations, Manager Lin, on moving into a new house."

Cao Yuanwai was also visibly relieved, and then he bowed, "Manager Lin is really nice, I will wait for Manager Lin to hand over."

"Okay, I'll tell you after we move."

The few of them complimented each other harmoniously, and Jian Xinyi was happy not to participate.

After everyone left, she discussed with Lao Lin, "When are we going to move there?"

"We don't have much stuff, and this place doesn't look like it needs much packing, so let's just move it bit by bit."

The two walked all the way home without saying anything.

After returning to the bookstore, Lao Lin first sorted out a lot of bowls and chopsticks, and then packed up a lot of calligraphy works, which made a lot of noise.

The first thing Jian Xinyi tidied up was the desk. After putting all the manuscripts together and properly placing them, she opened a few drawers, took out a bundle from the closet, and began to put everything together.

The first thing that caught my eye was the hand warmer.

That was the first time she said something harsh to him, and also the first time she told him the truth.

The following times were either half true and half false, or completely false.

Sometimes even she herself doesn't know whether she hopes there will be no boundaries between them, or whether she hopes there will be a gap between them that can never be crossed.

As we spent more time together, we had fewer and fewer opportunities to tell the truth.

She was becoming more and more impatient.

In fact, it is a good thing for Qian Yuan to figure it out as soon as possible.

Jian Xinyi sighed and put the hand warmer into her bag.

There were some small odds and ends left, so I put them in too.

I folded the clothes in the closet and kept tidying until it was dark.

A few days later, it was the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth lunar month.

Lao Lin also took a leave today and prepared to start moving.

There were still a lot of things, so he called Old Xu, who used to sell meat, and borrowed the flatbed cart.

Jian Xinyi followed Lao Lin onto the flatbed truck, starting from the alley entrance and heading straight to the new house.

Old Xu, the driver, laughed and said, "Years ago, you were taking your daughter in this car to seek medical advice. Now you have moved into a bigger house."

Lao Lin didn't seem very happy, and said something in a pretentious manner.

"After adversity comes good times."

Perhaps because the road was too noisy, Old Xu didn't hear clearly, so he shouted, "What chicken?"

Old Lin looked at Jian Xinyi helplessly, then smiled with relief.

"I'd like to have some boiled chicken."

"Oh, that's great. I can even have my first chicken in my new home."

Old Xu laughed and followed the instructions to his new home.

Before entering the door, Old Xu looked at the large courtyard at the door and sighed.

"Oh, my dear, your house is so big."

Old Xu stepped inside and gestured with his hands, "This tree is so old and thick, it must be very old."

"Not that big, not that big."

Lao Lin didn't show any emotion on the surface, but he was quite understanding in his heart.

It was the first time that Jian Xinyi saw Lao Lin acting like this, and she turned her head and smiled secretly.

"Zhuiyu, stop dawdling and move the things in."

"Here I come."

The three men had just parked the ox cart when the ox insisted on eating the dry grass behind the house. With such force, the entire flatbed cart rumbled forward.

"Hey hey hey."

Old Xu took the lead in pulling the reins and then fixed a wooden stake. Only then did the cow stop on the grass and start eating with a mooing sound.

"Oh, my book."

Lao Lin quickly picked up the book that fell on the ground and dusted it off.

Jian Xinyi also followed Lao Lin to pick up the trash.

At this time, a strong wind suddenly blew, and the ox cart swayed again. Even the ox could not stand and staggered for a long time.

Several people quickly picked up the things and put them back into the house.

There were too many things to carry at once, and the wind was so strong that a green shadow flashed by, and I don't know what was blown down.

Jian Xinyi sighed and when she looked back, she heard Lao Lin urging her.

"Come in quickly, it's windy outside."

Jian Xinyi knew to go in first and didn't look at the fallen things.

Even after they closed the doors and windows, the sound of the wind was still heard.

"Forget it, let's eat first."

The people who had just moved were starving and were just waiting for Old Lin to say this.

There was still some old firewood in the woodshed, which felt fresh and not damp at all. Jian Xinyi added the firewood in, and the fire in the stove suddenly came out.

The food and oil were hot in the pot, and the few people became hungrier when they smelled the smell of firewood. It was probably too late to stew the chicken, so Lao Lin quickly put the chopped green onion and ginger into the pot, and then fried all the ingredients for stewing the chicken.

The hot oil released the aroma of the old-fashioned chicken, which dripped onto the edge of the pot. Lao Lin then poured some sesame oil on it.

The meal was so delicious that the group could hardly hear the wind around them.

"Lao Lin's skills are almost better than mine."

Uncle Xu ate the fried chicken in big mouthfuls, praising the taste while he ate.

Old Lin naturally refuted him, "You're just talking nonsense."

"hey-hey."

A few people were eating silently when suddenly Lao Lin put down his chopsticks and asked this question.

"By the way, Old Xu, do you know the matchmaker from the east end of the street?"

When she heard the word "matchmaker", Jian Xinyi couldn't help but panic and even ate much slower.

When Old Xu heard him ask, he put down his chopsticks, supported his cheek with one hand, and replied.

"I don't know where Mrs. Hu from the east side of the street is now. She hasn't been here for a long time."

"When his son came to buy a book before, I didn't recognize him. I would have given it to him if I had known."

Lao Lin felt a little lonely and didn't mention the latter sentence.

Old Xu looked around and saw that he didn't say anything, so he felt embarrassed to bring it up.

"But I have to buy some things for the New Year. On the 27th, my second aunt from the village came to give me some gifts. I didn't give her any gifts in return, just a few pork legs."

Jian Xinyi listened and nodded.

Lao Lin also followed suit, "It's time to sell some things and add to the house."

"Speaking of which."

Old Xu took out a few banknotes from his worn trousers and reached out to hand them to Old Lin.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

After another round of persuasion from the adults, Lao Lin finally accepted the money.

Jian Xinyi watched this scene from afar, as if she was back in her childhood.

After eating, they cleaned up and washed and rinsed, and were busy until the afternoon.

She was not familiar with some places in her new home, so she told Lao Lin that she wanted to take a walk around the area, and Lao Lin agreed to let her go.

Jian Xinyi went out and walked to the entrance of the alley. There were not many houses here.

At the entrance of the alley, there is a straight street surrounded by stalls selling fruits and vegetables.

Going further, you will see Hongning Lane, Hongcheng Lane, and then you will reach East Street.

It is indeed a little farther away than before, but the yard is bigger.

Even if there are two more people, there is enough space.

Wait, how could she have such dangerous thoughts.

Jian Xinyi shook her head desperately, trying to clear away the influence of this two-dimensional world.

As soon as she entered East Street, she bought a bowl of rice dumplings made with fermented glutinous rice. She hadn't had time to eat it before and had been thinking about it for a long time. Now she finally had the chance to taste it.

Sweet rice wine, fragrant osmanthus, and tender egg liquid, you will never get tired of eating them no matter how many times you eat them.

After eating and drinking, Jian Xinyi walked around.

But this time she went out on the street with a purpose.

She walked along the street and arrived at Yuanyuan's rouge shop.

The rouge shop was even more crowded, and the air was filled with the fragrance of cosmetics and powder as people came and went.

She sneaked in and looked at the shelf next to it, and sure enough, it was empty.

It seems that this trial was quite successful, but I feel that there are still relatively few people who can really be recommended to it.

After all, everyone follows the cosmetics, and the picture books they buy are just gifts.