"Grandma, where are we going now?"
Xiao Muxing looked curiously at both sides of the bustling street, staring intently at the candied hawthorn on one side, her eyes shining!
Qin Qing lowered his head upon hearing this and saw this scene: the little girl looked on with longing, talking but not blinking at all. Especially when the vendor shouted "Candied hawthorn!", Xiao Muyue also turned her head.
Seeing their identical expressions, Qin Qing smiled and walked towards the small vendor.
Seeing this, the two little ones quickly followed...
A moment later, one person took two skewers and ate them with great relish!
Peony, standing to the side, had a complicated expression. After all, as a maidservant to a young lady from a prominent family, she often went out into the streets and alleys and was quite familiar with the capital. More than half a year had passed since she left last time, and her return felt like a bittersweet experience.
"Mother...should we go find our two...brothers first? Or should we find a place to stay? After all, not just anyone can enter the military camp."
Qin Qing was taken aback. She hadn't really thought about this question. After all, there had been too many hardships along the way, and she hadn't had time to think about what she should do when she arrived in the capital.
However, she still thought about it for a moment and said...
"Does Peony know if there are any houses for sale or rent around here?"
Peony nodded immediately and pointed to the other end of the street.
“I’ve seen this before. There are many people who specialize in reselling houses on Xilin Street. A long time ago… I even thought that if one day I could leave my master’s house, I would definitely buy my own small house! And find a good family to marry into…”
In the end, Peony's eyes were filled with mockery and disappointment. She clearly found her naive thoughts in the past ridiculous and never expected that she would end up like this!
Seeing this, Qin Qing reached out and tugged at her hand, smiling gently.
"That's perfect! Let's go look at houses now, buy a big yard, and then Apo and Ashen will have their own home! Of course, you'll be part of that family too!"
As Peony listened to the scene she described, a warm image immediately flashed through her mind. She was slightly taken aback, and when she looked up at Qin Qing's gentle expression, the disappointment in her heart was instantly filled with joy. An indescribable emotion surged in her chest, making her eyes slightly moist and her vision a little blurred...
After a moment, she finally choked up and cried out!
"mother…"
The girl's trembling voice made Qin Qing feel a pang of heartache, and her smile grew increasingly helpless.
"Silly child...you've already called me 'Mom,' what else is there for us family to be so touched about! Let's go, let's go look at houses!"
After all, the girl in front of her was only sixteen years old. Even in modern times, she would only be in high school. In the prime of her youth, she had experienced a life that ordinary people could not understand. How could she not feel sorry for such a pitiful yet strong woman!
Qin Zifeng, who was used to being silent, was now staring intently at Xiao Muxing, who was eating candied hawthorns, as if afraid that she would be lost in the crowd.
"Children, let's go look at the house first! Grandma will cook something delicious for you this afternoon!"
At Qin Qing's call, the three little ones ran over immediately, and the whole family walked neatly to the other side, where they would find their new home...
They had just entered the alley when they saw a large crowd gathered in front of them, blocking their way into the alley!
"I can't believe it! You actually dared to sell this haunted house for a sky-high price of five hundred taels of silver. No wonder you can't sell it!"
The seemingly refined and scholarly man had a flushed face and was glaring angrily at an old man beside him.
The old man knew he felt guilty, so at first he didn't react much, only saying, "If you don't want to buy it, then forget it."
The scholar, however, was relentless. As more and more people gathered around him, the scholar became even more animated in his speech.
"A haunted house? You make it sound so splendid. If I, a student, hadn't asked the neighbors, I would have been completely fooled. As the saying goes, you can measure the heavens and the earth, but you can't guard against the human heart! That's exactly what people like you are!"
He spoke with such intonation and cadence, as if he had suffered a great injustice, that the listeners began to discuss among themselves, and a dozen pairs of eyes turned to the old man with unspeakable sarcasm!
The old man's face darkened, and he pointed at the scholar, stammering "You..." for a long time, unable to utter a retort. In the end, he could only manage to squeeze out three words!
"I may have made mistakes, but I don't deserve such harsh words from you. If you don't want to buy it, then don't buy it. Get out! Get out right now!"
Upon hearing this, the scholar snorted coldly, a hint of unease flashing in his eyes, and then changed the subject.
"Forget it! Anyway, your haunted house is quite infamous. Although it's ominous, it's big enough. I'll buy it for a hundred taels. Don't be ungrateful!"
Upon hearing this, the old man's face finally turned completely black! He grabbed a winnowing basket from the side and swiftly swung it at the scholar and the crowd with a backhand motion. His movements were clean and efficient, clearly showing that he had some martial arts skills.
The scholar was caught off guard and frantically dodged, shouting that there was no law! The crowd also quickly retreated.
After waving the group of people away, the old man roared angrily at the top of his lungs.
"Get out! I've lived in this house for half my life. I know better than anyone whether it's haunted or not. My wife passed away six months ago. It's not some unlucky thing. If you're not going to buy it, then leave. If you say another word, I won't hold back!"
Seeing this, the scholar immediately lost his arrogance and his face turned rather unpleasant. The onlookers couldn't help but start to advise him, but the old man showed no sign of agreeing.
Seeing that this wouldn't work, the scholar immediately smiled, a stark contrast to his previous aggressive demeanor.
"Sir, please don't be angry. I just misunderstood something someone said. Oh, it was your wife. I was just talking nonsense without knowing the truth. Please don't be angry!"
Seeing the scholar's face change swiftly, the crowd also joined in pleading for him, completely siding with the scholar.
Qin Qing stood outside the crowd and observed the whole thing, and quickly noticed something was amiss.
The scholar appears intelligent and polite, but in reality, he is aggressive and cunning, not only knowing how to advance and retreat, but also possessing a treacherousness that cannot be described in a single word.
Seeing this, the old man hesitated for a moment, then sighed helplessly after being persuaded by others, which was tantamount to acknowledging his apology.
"I was just too anxious. These past few years have been increasingly difficult. Now that my wife has passed away, I only want to go back to my hometown to live out the rest of my days. Five hundred taels is not expensive. With the housing prices in the capital, my courtyard, plus all six rooms, front and back yards, can easily sell for a thousand taels, which is not too much!"
Qin Qing originally didn't want to meddle in other people's business, but she suddenly became interested after hearing this. Anyway, she was also looking at houses, and the house type the old man described was almost exactly the scene she imagined her family would live in!
She then lifted her foot and walked forward...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com