Chapter 26 Silver Pearl's Troubles

The backpack was heavy, and Yin Huaixi's heart was heavy too. She even had the urge to take out all the iron tools in the backpack.

"Don't worry, mom, we're home now~"

Although Jiang Wan wanted her own house, she was not in a hurry, and she didn't want to put too much pressure on her mother.

When the three of them returned home, the basket full of things simply dazzled the Yin couple's eyes.

Yin Huaishan held the axe with his eyes wide open, his face full of disbelief.

"Little sister, when you left, you only took a dime and forty-one cents. Even if you put them together, you can't buy this knife. Where did you get the money?"

He didn't believe that the herbs could be sold for a few taels of silver.

"It's the money from selling fish!"

Yin Huaixi had no intention of hiding it from her elder brother and his wife. When she told them that the grouper was sold for fifteen taels, the couple were immediately overjoyed.

This is not the case in Kyoto, where a dozen taels of silver are not even enough to buy tea. In this small fishing village, a dozen taels of silver can build a few houses and buy a lot of food.

"That's great, little sister, go find the village chief and ask for a piece of land to build a house."

"Yes, yes, we have to build the house first."

Song Wenhui also agreed. After all, if you don’t have your own house, you are not a real villager. Besides, you have to pay dozens of cents a month to rent a house. It’s not as good as having your own house.

The money came from the sale of fish caught by their niece. The couple didn't think much about it and were only thinking about their younger sister.

Yin Huaixi blushed when she heard this and whispered, "I've already spent a lot of money. Now I only have six taels of silver and a few hundred copper coins left. Let's talk about building a house later."

The couple: “!!!”

Both the couple covered their chests.

"That's how you spent eight or nine taels of silver? What did you buy?!"

Yin Huaishan pulled the backpack and saw a pile of iron tools under it. Iron is not cheap, no wonder my little sister spent so much money.

"You bought too much. You don't need to buy a shovel. I can use a wooden or bamboo shovel to dig clams. And this cloth. We all live in the village. Why are you still buying muslin? It's too eye-catching."

When she heard the word "fine cotton", Song Wenhui suddenly remembered what her sister-in-law had said when she was washing the menstrual belt. She said she would find a way to buy a new one for Aning. If there was extra money, she would buy more cloth to make underwear for the two girls.

These muslins...

Her nose suddenly felt sore and she pushed her husband away to interrupt his nagging.

"My little sister has bought all the things, what else do you have to say? When you have time, go and make the hut in the back higher and denser."

Leaving the capital where her husband was her life, Song Wenhui was also stunned by the influence of her surroundings in this village. Yin Huaishan was a little surprised and felt fresh, but he was not angry.

He looked at the tangle of things on the floor and then obediently took the machete and went to the back room.

"Sister-in-law, put all the food in the cupboard. I forgot to buy a lock today. I'll ask Xiaoman to bring one back for me tomorrow."

Yin Huaixi handed the food to her sister-in-law and asked Yin Ning to bring the cloth to her room. At present, the two families still eat together, and she and her daughter spend most of their time at her parents' home, so it is better to put the things she bought here. If she puts them in the small stone house, no one will be at home, and no one will be caught if they are lost.

The backpack was almost completely emptied, and the remaining pile of iron was dumped on the ground. Yin Huaixi thought about it and decided to buy some eggs from the villagers since she didn't have any at home. She also needed to ask the villagers to make two boxes, otherwise the clothes would get damp and moldy if they were piled on the bed. She also wanted a box to store herbal medicines. In addition to the herbs she sold, she also needed to keep some commonly used medicines at home.

All sorts of things have to be spent.

There is no other way, the money has to be spent.

Yin Huaixi said hello to her sister-in-law and went out. When Jiang Wan was sorting out her things, she saw a small shovel in the corner and suddenly remembered that she had promised Lian Yinzhu to return it within three days.

"Cousin, I'm going to return these to Yinzhu, do you want to go?"

Yin Ning shook her head. She was reluctant to walk around in the village and didn't want to be stared at by the villagers.

"Then I'll go by myself~"

Jiang Wan thought about it and took out two sea urchins wrapped in dry grass as a thank-you gift. She didn't know whether Yinzhu and her brother could get used to eating this.

Last time Yinzhu said there was a big banana tree outside her house, Jiang Wan found her house without much effort. But before she entered, she heard a voice of earnest persuasion coming from the yard.

"Yinzhu, you are getting old enough to be married, how many years can you take care of your brother? Your second uncle is willing to raise you both out of kindness, there is nothing to consider."

"With your parents gone, the family has lost its pillar. What's the point of having a house? If you are raised by your second uncle, you won't have to worry about anything. Even if you get married in the future, you will have someone to rely on, right?"

"Although we were separated before, your situation is special. It was your grandma's idea to reunite the family. You have to listen to the old man and don't be unfilial."

Jiang Wan felt suffocated listening to this outside.

It was clear that Yinzhu's parents were gone and her second uncle wanted to swallow up her eldest brother's family property.

It sounds nice to say that they will take them to raise. Yinzhu is so old now, so they will take her to be a maid. When she is old enough, she can receive a betrothal gift. After she is married, Xiao Jinbao can do whatever they want, and the house will become her second uncle's.

This is my family.

When Jiang Wan heard Yinzhu crying, she immediately went forward, knocked on the door and called her.

"Yinzhu, open the door. I'm Jiang Wan."

The noise inside suddenly became quieter, and Yinzhu quickly came to open the door. Her eyes were red, and when she saw Jiang Wan, she subconsciously wanted to smile, but she couldn't.

"Xiao Wan, come in and sit down."

Lian Yinzhu pulled the person into the yard. With a stranger present, the relatives in the yard could not say anything. They asked her to think carefully and then left her house.

After closing and locking the door, the little girl couldn't help but burst into tears in front of Jiang Wan.

Jiang Wan felt sad when she heard this but didn't know how to comfort her, so she could only pat her back gently.

"Where's your brother? Why don't I see him?"

"My grandma took it and told me to come back after dinner."

Yinzhu raised her head and sobbed, feeling very depressed.

"Xiao Wan, my father was swept away at sea a month ago, and my mother is gone too. My grandma said that my brother and I should live with them, and my second uncle would come to support me and my brother, and the house would have to be given to him. I don't want to go, but what they said seems to make sense. But grandma has never liked our family, they only like my second uncle's son, and if we live together, I'm afraid Jinbao will be bullied."

Jiang Wan sighed.

Silly girl, I'm afraid it's not just your brother who is being bullied, but both of you siblings are being bullied.

"Xiao Wan, do you think I should agree?"

Yinzhu was already confused. She and Jiang Wan had only met for a few years, yet she wanted to hear her opinion.

Jiang Wan didn't answer directly, but just asked her.

"Think about it yourself. If you don't live with them, can you cook? Can you take care of your brother? Can you survive without income at home?"

Yinzhu thought for a moment, stopped sobbing, and answered seriously, "I can wash clothes and cook. I have been taking care of my younger brother since he was a child. Although we no longer have a boat, my parents have saved a lot of money, which can last for seven or eight years if we save on food. Besides, I can go to the sea every day to catch some clams, fish and shrimps to eat, so I can definitely make a living."

Jiang Wan: “…”

This girl is a little silly. She actually told me that there is money saved at home.

"If that's the case, then why do you want to be raised by your second uncle? Do you want to live with him?"

Yinzhu's face turned pale. Of course she had thought about it.

Only half a month after my parents passed away, my clothes and my brother's clothes were taken away by my grandmother and given to my cousins.

If they lived together, grandma would definitely make her wash the clothes and cook for the whole family. She might even scold her for paying money and not letting her eat enough, and her younger brother would be bullied by Little Stone.

"I know I'll be bullied if we live together, but I'm already fourteen and will get married next year or the year after. If I leave, what will Jinbao do alone..."

Jiang Wan understood. In fact, Yinzhu had already compromised in her heart, but she was now torn in her heart because she was afraid of the days to come.

"Who said you have to get married at the age of fourteen? Or do you already have a fiancé?"

"No, no... I haven't thought about marriage yet. My mother said she would wait until I'm older before deciding on a date."

Yinzhu thought of her mother and tears started falling again.

"I, I don't actually want to get married."

She just wanted to take care of her younger brother and raise him well so that her parents could rest in peace in their grave.

"Then don't get married. The law does not stipulate that a woman must get married at the age of fourteen. Or you can tell others that you will consider marriage after you turn eighteen. By then, Jinbao will be ten years old, a big child who can take care of himself."

Jiang Wan's words were heretical in this era. At the age of eighteen, she was already an old maid, and advising someone to get married at this age was considered harmful to others by outsiders.

But an eighteen-year-old girl has just grown up. According to her idea, getting married at the age of twenty is considered early.

Fourteen is still a child, how can we be related to each other?

But a small person like her cannot change such bad customs and can only have a slight influence on the people around her.

"If you're worried about people gossiping, just say your parents came to you in a dream and asked you to get married later and take good care of your brother."

"Don't believe in the idea of ​​your maternal family supporting you. Now everyone wants to grab the house, so there is no family affection. Even if you have such maternal family in the future, they are unreliable and not as reliable as Jinbao."

Jiang Wan said a lot, and Yinzhu's eyes sparkled and her look became more and more determined.