The journey from Donglin City back to the capital takes at least twenty days, so the Luo family naturally couldn't make it back to participate in the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth.
Luo Xin loved beautiful things and scenery, so Xiao Yunying took her, Zheng Yunwan, and the Duan sisters, Duan Yingying and Duan Xiaoxiao, to the Lantern Festival.
As for Duan Yingying's mother, she said she was getting old and didn't like crowded places, so she wanted to stay at home to look after the house.
After she finished speaking, she felt it was inappropriate. No one would feel comfortable leaving an unfamiliar person alone in their home. She then wanted to change her mind and go with them. Unexpectedly, Xiao Yunying agreed immediately.
Xiao Yunying didn't care about this matter.
In any case, all the valuables in the house were in her own supermarket. Besides, she felt that Duan Yingying's mother was not the kind of greedy and evil person, and was very timid. She felt that the other party would not be so bold as to steal things from her house.
As usual, she stayed overnight in the city for this year's Lantern Festival. However, due to the large number of people, including Duan Yingying and her sister, she booked an inn in the city early and did not stay at the Chen family's house.
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A month after the Luo family returned to the capital, the festive atmosphere of the New Year began to fade, and Luo Xin started to miss her brothers, asking them several times a day when they would come back.
Xiao Yunying counted the time on her fingers: "He should be back in the next couple of days."
Ten days ago, she received a letter from Luo Sheng saying that he would be back soon, and if nothing unexpected happened, he should arrive in the next few days.
Luo Xin stroked the cat's head, saying, "I wonder what gifts my brothers will bring back for me."
Xiao Yunying smiled and said, "This little girl, it turns out you were thinking about your brothers' gifts. I thought you missed them."
Luo Xin tilted her head and said, "I miss my brothers too, but these two things don't conflict."
"The little girl is getting better and better at talking, and she's quick-witted. She can respond to anything."
Luo Xin chuckled, "Because Xin'er has grown up. Second brother said that Xin'er has become smarter and smarter as she grows up."
Xiao Yunying rested her chin on her hand and said, "Yes, Xin'er will be five years old after the New Year."
Time flies. Before I knew it, I'd been here for a year and a half.
Duan Yingying arrived at Xiao Yunying's room and knocked on the door, saying, "Sister Yunying, are you in there?"
She went back to work at the shop on the seventh day of the Lunar New Year. Today, she came back to visit her mother, who mentioned that she had stayed here for too long and felt a little embarrassed. That's why she thought of coming over to ask her mother.
As soon as Xiao Yunying heard that Yingying had come to see her privately, she knew what it was about and opened the door: "Yingying, come in."
She said to Luo Xin, "Xin'er, take the oranges and go play with Sister Xiaoxiao."
"Okay." Luo Xin was very obedient, knowing that this meant the adults had something to say, and she struggled to carry and drag the orange cat out of the house.
Xiao Yunying closed the door: "Yingying, are you in a hurry to build the house?"
Duan Yingying was a little nervous: "Sister Yunying, I didn't mean to rush you, it's just... we've been staying at your house for too long, and it's really not good to keep bothering you."
“This can’t be rushed,” Xiao Yunying explained softly. “The weather is still cold, and the ground is frozen too hard to dig. Even the foundation is difficult to excavate. We’ll have to wait a while longer.”
According to Xiao Yunying's idea, since a new house is to be built, it is better to build a good brick house from the start, so that it will be comfortable to live in.
Cheng Yue's shop is doing very well, and Duan Yingying's commission is quite high. I won't pressure her to pay back the money, so the pressure isn't too great.
Duan Yingying probably had her own thoughts, and she bit her lip, unsure whether she should speak.
Xiao Yunying said, "You can tell me your thoughts directly, don't be shy."
Duan Yingying then spoke up, saying softly, "Sister Yunying, I don't want to build a house in the village anymore... I want to buy a small two-courtyard house in the city and bring my mother and sister to live there. I'll feel more at ease if we're closer. Otherwise, if something happens to my family so far away, I won't know in time, and I'll really be worried."
Xiao Yunying completely understood her thoughts. Her mother was too soft-hearted and incompetent, and her younger sister was too young. It could be said that the family was now being supported by her. Living too far away was indeed not as convenient and reassuring as living closer.
"Sure, so you want to borrow money directly, right? How much do you need?"
Duan Yingying stammered, "I've got my eye on a small courtyard in the south of the city. It costs 110 taels. With repairs, furniture, and other daily necessities, it'll probably cost 150 taels..."
One hundred and fifty taels—this is an amount that many peasant families have never seen in their entire lives.
However, after looking at several accommodations, she found that they were either too dilapidated or the rooms were not spacious or bright enough, or too small. Some of them were even more expensive than the courtyard she had her eye on. This was the courtyard she could find that she liked the most and that was the most reasonably priced.
Now that she has the ability to provide a better life for her mother and sister, she doesn't want her family to continue living a miserable life.
She had already calculated that she could earn five or six taels of silver a month when it was less, and eight or nine taels when it was more. After deducting her monthly food expenses, she could easily repay most of it to Sister Yunying.
Although it may take a while... she is definitely capable of repaying.
Xiao Yunying had previously asked the shopkeeper of Shijinfang about the housing prices in Donglin City out of curiosity.
This price range is considered mid-to-low range for a house in the south of the city. It's not very big, but its location is decent and not too remote, making it relatively safe for the mother and daughter.
"Wait here, I'll go get you the silver notes."
Xiao Yunying pretended to take two silver notes from the wardrobe and handed them to Duan Yingying: "Here you go."
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