Chapter 42: Zhuangzi

After breakfast the next day, Old Man Xu took the banknotes and set off for the county town with his two sons.

This time, the person who was restless was Wang. She was worried that the money was stolen, and then she was worried that the father and his two sons were cheated.

In order to divert Wang's attention, Xu Nian talked about another thing.

"Grandma, you see, our family has been busy lately, and it's likely that we'll continue to be busy for some time.

Although Uncle Wang can help deliver longevity dishes to the restaurant, this is not a long-term solution.

So I thought, let's give up the business of selling longevity vegetables to the five families in the Wang clan, so that they can live a little easier this year."

As for whether Wang was reluctant or not, she certainly was reluctant. But what her granddaughter said was right. Except for the hunting family of Wang, who lived a relatively good life, the other families were all struggling financially.

After all, they and my family have been fleeing together together, so let's just give them up.

"Okay, I'll listen to you. I'll go talk to your grandma Wang now."

"Grandma, there's no need to be so anxious."

Wang, however, had already taken one step forward.

"I'd better go now, otherwise I'll feel even more uneasy staying at home."

Xu Nian shook his head with laughter.

"Oh, you spendthrift girl, you feed such good things to animals."

When Xu Nian heard the shouting, she went out and saw that it was her aunt scolding Xu Ling.

"What's wrong? Auntie."

"Look at this poor girl feeding this to the rabbits."

Xu Nian looked at the carrot strips in Zheng's hand and explained with a smile: "Second Aunt, I gave these to Ling'er, so please don't scold her. Besides, if you want these carrots, I'll plant more tomorrow."

Zheng pointed here and there with his hands.

"Just get used to it. I don't care."

Xu Ling stuck out her tongue as she looked at Zheng who came into the main room angrily.

"Sister, cut the carrots into dices next time so my mother won't notice when you feed them to the rabbits."

Xu Nian tapped her little nose and said, "You clever little girl, wash your hands quickly and go and comfort your mother."

Xu Ling laughed and ran to the kitchen.

…

After noon, not only did Old Man Xu and his two companions not return, but even Mrs. Wang had disappeared without a trace.

Xu Nian greeted his family and planned to call Wang back for dinner.

Before he reached the door of Old Man Wang's house, he saw four people on a donkey cart. When the donkey cart came closer, Xu Nian also got on.

"Grandma, why are you also on the donkey cart?"

"After I finished talking to your grandmother Wang, I went to the village entrance to meet your grandfather."

Xu Nian held Wang's hands and rubbed them hard. Her hands were so frozen. How long had she been waiting?

Xu Nian was a little angry, and his tone was no longer as gentle as usual.

"Grandpa, grandma, no matter who you are, you can't do this again. Nothing is more important than your health, you know?"

It was the first time that Wang saw her granddaughter angry. She said with some fear, "Grandma knows, just this once."

Old Man Xu felt somewhat resentful in his heart. It was all the fault of the old woman. Even his granddaughter was angry with him. At this moment, Old Man Xu had completely forgotten how he almost fell flat on his face yesterday.

When the group arrived home, Zheng and Xiao Wang also came to greet them. Although Xu Nian understood everyone's anxious mood, everything had to be discussed after dinner.

"Xiao Liuzi isn't coming back to eat today?"

When Old Man Xu saw that his grandson was not there, he asked a question.

Little Wang said helplessly, "He ate at the Master's house."

Thinking of what her son said last night, she felt a little amused.

"I'm moving away soon. I won't be able to see Xiao Taohua much longer. Starting tomorrow, I won't be back at noon. Mom, please prepare some dry food for me..."

Oh, by the way, Xiao Taohua is the young lady of the Master's family.

After dinner, Old Man Xu took out the land deed of the manor.

"We bought a small farm with 100 mu of dry land, 30 mu of paddy fields, and 50 mu of mountain land, a total of 180 mu. There are 10 tenant households in the farm."

"Oh, this is not a small house. It cost a lot of money."

Old Man Xu knew that this was what the old woman cared about most.

"It cost 680 taels, and they sold it at a low price because they were in a hurry to get rid of it."

Xu Nian didn't care about the money, because even if you told her, she wouldn't understand the market situation.

"Grandpa, have you and uncle seen the tenants? What do you think?"

"I've seen them, and they seem to be honest people. We'll have to wait and see how they perform in the future."

Xu Nian nodded, thinking that he could only wait until spring to see it.

Xu Weian doesn't care about these, he only cares about whether he has a place to live.

"Dad, is there any place to live in that manor?"

Xu Fugui patted his shoulder and said with a smile: "I knew you were most concerned about this. I took a special look. The original owner was a person who knew how to enjoy life. Not only did the main courtyard have many rooms, but one of the rooms even had an underfloor heating system."

Xu Weian didn't care whether there was a floor heating or not, as long as it was a normal warm house he would be satisfied.

"Dad, Mom, when are we going to move?"

"You're just so impatient. Moving is a big deal. I need to find someone to calculate a good date."

Xu Weian felt miserable. Who wouldn't be anxious if he was freezing every day? What would he do if this happened after the New Year? Xu Weian looked at Xu Nian pitifully.

Xu Nian blinked in understanding.

"Grandpa, grandma, I want to go see the farm tomorrow and see if there's anything I can add to the yard."

Wang thought it was feasible. If it weren't for calculating the date, she would have wanted to go and take a look first.

"Then let your uncle go with you."

"No need for milk, just let my uncle accompany me. I was thinking of letting my uncle watch the yard for a few days and clean it up at the same time."

Wang also understood what the eldest maid meant, and then looked at her younger son who was making eyes at her.

"Then let your uncle go first. He can't sit still at home either."

Xu Weian's wish was fulfilled. He grinned happily and didn't take his mother's complaints seriously at all.

…

The next day, Xu Weian packed the bag he was going to take early in the morning. Xu Nian looked at her uncle who was excitedly loading things onto the donkey cart and couldn't help but twitching her lips. It seemed that her uncle had really suffered these days.

Soon, the two set off for the manor. Following the address given by Old Man Xu, they walked for more than half an hour before finally finding the place.

Xu Nian stood on the donkey cart and looked around. This village was not far from the county school. She could vaguely see the shadow of the county school from a distance.

If she went further, she would reach the same road she had taken to go up the mountain behind Lingshan Temple.

Only when he saw that road did Xu Nian think of Luo Jinan in the temple. His second uncle and third uncle had gone to see him before and said that he was not seriously ill, just caught a cold. He didn't know how he was doing now.

"Nian'er, let's go in first."

Only then did Xu Nian come to his senses, jumped off the donkey cart, and opened the gate with the key in his hand.

"This yard is really big. I don't have to sleep in the same room with those three brats anymore..."

Xu Weian has not stopped talking since he entered the yard.