Chapter 58: Passerby A in Ancient Marriage Exchange Stories (Part 3)
After hearing Jiang Yue's explanation, Jiang's father's doubts were dispelled. Although he didn't know why there was so much money in her purse, as long as it was earned honestly, that was fine. Jiang's father smiled and praised Jiang Yue as a lucky star, and then took her out to eat.
During the meal, Mr. Jiang and Mrs. Liu didn't hide anything from the two children. They discussed how to spend the money. Both Mr. Jiang and Mrs. Liu said to save it for future use. Jiang Yue raised her hand and expressed a different opinion. Considering that she had found the money, Mr. Jiang gestured for her to speak:
“Dad, Mom, money will only decrease if we save it up and leave it there. I remember the neighbors bought a house for 15 taels of silver. We can also buy a small courtyard. That way we can save on rent. We can also plant a fruit tree, grow some vegetables, and raise some chickens and ducks in the courtyard. We can save a lot of money when buying vegetables and meat. What we save is what we earn.”
"Secondly, we can buy a cow. A big black cow costs three taels of silver. During the busy farming season, it can help Grandpa and Grandma plow the fields. When it's not busy, Dad can drive the oxcart to the surrounding villages to sell goods. We can earn more money and save some effort."
"Then the remaining money can be saved to pay for my younger brother's tuition and buy him writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstones."
After Jiang Yue finished speaking, she silently ate her meal. Her father and mother, Liu Shi, exchanged a glance without saying a word. They didn't know when their daughter would come up with such a constructive suggestion, but they couldn't make a decision right away about spending 20 taels of silver at once. They didn't mention it again afterward. After the meal, Jiang Yue's father said that business was good today and sighed, "If only the Third Prince could get married once a day."
As Mother Liu and Father Jiang were preparing for bed that evening, Mother Liu turned over and said to Father Jiang, "Dad, what do you think of what Daya said today?"
Father Jiang hadn't slept either, and this matter was on his mind, but he still hesitated: "This is 20 taels of silver. If we save it up, we can cover Er Gouzi's tuition fees for the next few years."
“But what Daya said makes a lot of sense. How much will the rent be over the years? And if I really buy a yard, I can grow some vegetables, raise some chickens and ducks and sell eggs. During holidays, I can also have some meat to nourish my family.”
“Buying an ox is very useful. Just like Da Ya said, it can be used to plow the fields when you are busy, and you can also use it when you are not busy, so you can save some effort. According to Da Ya, the yard plus the ox will cost eighteen taels. You earned two taels today, so there will still be four taels of silver left at home.”
"In the end, we'll still have four taels of silver left, a home of our own, and an ox. What do you say, sir?"
Jiang's father's heart was pounding. After thinking for a moment, he rolled over and pressed down on Chen, muttering, "Let's do it!"
The next morning, when Jiang Yue got up, she found that both of them were full of energy. Usually, Jiang's father would have gone out to buy goods at this time. During breakfast, Jiang's father announced: "Today, our family is going to buy a yard."
Jiang Yue breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. Yesterday, she was worried that her family wouldn't listen to her. After the family finished eating and packed their things, they went out to find a broker.
After wandering around all day, I finally found a place not far from where I am staying now. It has four rooms with a courtyard, a jujube tree and a well. The asking price was eighteen taels, but I bargained down to sixteen taels and got it.
After accompanying the broker to the government office to complete the formalities, Jiang's father also received the house deed. In the afternoon, the family cleaned the new house, since it had been uninhabited for some time and there was a lot of dust. By the time it got dark, the family had only cleaned the two main rooms.
After returning to their lodgings, Mr. Jiang and Mrs. Liu went to talk to Aunt Li about cancelling the lease. Aunt Li thought they were scared off by the rent increase and hesitated, saying that if it was difficult, she could accept the current rent. Mrs. Liu smiled and said, "Aunt Li, we've saved some money over the years, and today we bought a courtyard house, so..."
Aunt Li said irritably, "You should have said so earlier. Then you should move out as soon as possible and clean the house for me." After saying that, she sent the two away.
Mr. Jiang and Mrs. Liu exchanged a glance. This incident did not affect their good mood at all. After they returned home, the family began to pack up their things, packing up what needed to be thrown away... but there was nothing that needed to be thrown away.
The next morning, Jiang's father went out early. It just so happened that there was a bull market today, so he went there early. Otherwise, if he missed today, he would have to wait a long time. Sometimes there is only one bull market every few months. When Jiang Yue woke up, Liu was packing her things by herself. Jiang Yue got dressed and helped her pack.
When Jiang's father returned, he had not only bought the ox but also the oxcart. The whole family gathered around the ox and admired it for a long time. Jiang's father took out some hay and soybeans to feed the ox. While the ox was eating and resting, the family tidied up the things and cleaned the house.
Then they loaded all their belongings onto the oxcart and headed to their new home. When they arrived, they drove the oxcart into the yard, unloaded everything, freed the ox, tied it against the wall, put some feed on it, and fetched water for it. Only after taking good care of the ox did they begin packing up their belongings.
They unpacked all the bags and packages, and the other three family members followed their mother, Liu's, instructions, placing things here and there, and then slowly tidying up the rest. Then they cleaned the remaining two rooms, and the day was over. The new house wasn't even ready yet, so they had to eat out – a little luxury indeed.
The next day, Father Jiang sent his younger brother to school. After a two-day break, school started again. The other three of them continued to tidy up the house. By noon, everything was ready. Mother Liu clapped her hands and nodded in satisfaction. Father Jiang had the same expression. After a while, he said, "Tomorrow I'll go buy some goods, and then I'll go back to the village and visit my father-in-law to tell them about our move. I'll see if they have time to have a meal at home to warm up the house."
Madam Liu nodded and said, "You can decide that. Find someone to clean the well later; it hasn't been used for who knows how long."
"Then I'll go find someone now. Maybe we can finish cleaning today. I happen to know someone who does this kind of thing." After saying that, Mr. Jiang went out to find someone.
After tidying up the house, Jiang Yue went inside to continue embroidering handkerchiefs and purses. She found a slightly more complex design in her storage space, looked at the specific stitches, and started embroidering.
Liu soaked all the dirty clothes in the water. The water wasn't good for drinking, but it was fine for washing clothes. She also added water for the cow. She was busy and couldn't stop. Before long, Jiang's father returned with four people. The leader looked at them and said, "Your clothes look quite clean. Why did you clean them? Have you been using them for a long time?"
"No, we just moved here, and this well has never been used, so we thought we'd tidy it up." After agreeing on a price, they started cleaning. The four of them worked quickly and finished in no time. Then the leader said, "After you fill it with some water, clean it up, fill it again, and it'll be drinkable."
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