It's often said that widows attract a lot of trouble. After Feng Jinshan's father passed away from illness, his mother raised him alone, and life was very difficult for the widow and her son.
Feng's mother made a living by washing clothes for wealthy families. Although life was hard, it was also quite warm.
When Feng's mother was young, she was quite attractive.
After all, a young woman who has been widowed since her early twenties, no matter how old she looks, will still appear youthful and radiant.
The men in the surrounding neighborhood started having inappropriate thoughts.
They jump over the wall every night to knock on the door and windows.
This terrified Feng's mother.
To prevent those disgusting creatures from taking advantage of the situation, Feng's mother used wooden boards to nail all the windows of the house shut from the inside.
The exterior has also been reinforced.
Entering the house in broad daylight, all you could smell was a musty odor and it was pitch black.
You can't see what's inside until you open the door.
To protect her son, Feng's mother always carried a large kitchen knife on her waist and a pair of scissors in Feng Jinshan's arms when she went out every day.
Even so, Mrs. Feng was often stopped by the men from the surrounding families.
On one occasion, in a moment of desperation, Feng's mother slashed the man's arm to scare him away.
After the men quieted down, rumors began to spread.
They said that Feng's mother was unchaste, always flirting with other men, either cheating on someone with someone else today or sleeping with someone else the day after tomorrow.
It's as awful as it gets.
Feng Jinshan grew up in such a malicious environment.
Whether it's due to genetics or not, Feng Jinshan has been taller and stronger than other children his age since childhood.
When he was fourteen or fifteen years old, if any woman dared to gossip, or if any man tried to take advantage of his mother, he would beat up that family's child.
Other families had several brothers, but he was all alone. He wasn't stupid; he planned ambushes, always striking when the son of another family was alone.
Over time, the women became a little more discreet. His reputation, however, suffered.
However, these people's malice did not diminish with age; on the contrary, they continued to spread rumors.
It is said that Feng's mother was a prostitute; otherwise, how could a young widow have raised her son to adulthood?
This infuriated Feng Jinshan. He knew better than anyone how hard his mother had worked, so he began to protect her in a different way.
Since the neighbors are ruining his and his mother's reputation, he might as well make it a reality and send those bastards far away.
He then began wandering around every day carrying a machete.
Old Lin from the east side was spying on his own mother taking a bath, so I'll spy on your wife and your daughter taking a bath too. Not only will I watch, but I'll also tell everyone.
Gou Fugui from the west always knocks on our window, so let him knock on their window in the middle of the night too.
There are probably a dozen or twenty such businesses around here, and he goes there in shifts every day to deal with them.
In particular, he has developed a keen ear over the years, and can hear the sound of strangers coming around and get up quickly.
He would scare away anyone who came to buy a house.
Eventually, the house prices in this area reached the point where they would sell for any price.
It can be said that the neighbors brought this upon themselves; the more outrageous the rumors they spread about Feng Jinshan and his mother, the lower the price of their house became.
Who doesn't want to buy a house in a good place? To be neighbors with a scoundrel? Are you kidding me? Don't you want to preserve your reputation?
After Feng Jinshan finished recounting the grievances he and his mother had suffered over the years, tears streaming down his face, a low sob could be heard from inside the room.
Mrs. Huang sighed.
"You've really had a tough time, kid. Although this method is a bit of a hassle, it's quite effective."
"You've ruined your reputation; how will you ever get married?"
Feng Jinshan suddenly knelt down in front of Huang.
"Grandma, may I ask you for a favor? I know you're a kind person. If you can agree, then agree; if you can't, then don't force yourself."
Huang became interested.
"Go ahead and say what it is. As long as it's within my power, I'm all happy to help."
"Didn't you just say you were going to build an orphanage? I imagine there must be a lot of work to be done, like washing clothes, cooking, and cleaning the house."
"Could you take my mother in to work at your orphanage? That way, I can go out and earn money without worry."
Madam Huang looked at Feng Jinshan with interest and smiled, "Why don't you invite your mother out so I can meet her?"
About fifteen minutes after Feng Jinshan entered the house, a woman who looked to be in her forties came out.
She wore a linen dress so faded from washing that its original color was no longer recognizable, with patches neatly mended to match the texture.
After exchanging greetings, they learned that the woman was 37 years old and suffered from rheumatism due to living in a dark and damp house for many years.
When walking, it's obvious that his legs aren't very nimble.
“Madam Feng, you are blessed. Your son is so filial. You must have heard what I said to your son before.”
I genuinely want to buy your house. You're the head of the household, so how much are you willing to pay to sell it?
Huang asked very gently, her voice perhaps a little louder and it might startle the person on the other end.
Zhao Qinglin instinctively shuddered, then touched her arm to see if she had goosebumps.
When has Grandma ever been this gentle? Even when she's with her favorite little girl, I don't think she's ever been this gentle.
Zhao Qinglin shook her head as she pondered the situation.
Noticing her granddaughter acting up again, Mrs. Huang raised her eyelids, rolled her eyes at her granddaughter, and continued chatting with Mrs. Feng.
Madam Feng was in a bit of a predicament. Although this was the prefectural city, the place was too remote, and she had never heard of anyone selling a house there. How would she know the price?
Seeing her predicament, he turned his gaze to Feng Jinshan.
"Young man, since your mother is undecided, how much do you think is appropriate?"
Feng Jinshan thought for a moment,
"I'm not really sure how much it costs."
The old lady is kind-hearted; she probably wouldn't rip me off. Name your price.
Mrs. Huang smiled.
"You're really good at flattering people. Fine, I'll pay. My wife may have a good heart, but she's also a businesswoman."
Since it's a transaction, we have to follow the market rules.
After speaking, he glanced at the constable standing to the side, who understood and said,
"According to the prices in our city, a house in a good location, with a courtyard as big as yours, with bricks and tiles, would cost around 200 taels of silver."
However, the prices in the north of the city are already low. After the price is halved, it is generally around one hundred taels. However, those are newly built brick and tile houses.
And for a mud-brick house like yours, so dilapidated, even a 50% discount wouldn't be unreasonable. Giving fifty taels is already considered a kind offer from the buyer.
If you ask me, even twenty or thirty taels would be too expensive.
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