With tens of thousands more yuan in her hands, Song Xia felt increasingly at ease. She had promised to give her parents and Tingting a better life.
"Sister Song, the property management said someone caused you trouble at the entrance of the community this morning? Are you alright?" Xia Ru asked with concern.
“It’s nothing, it’s my ex-mother-in-law,” Song Xia explained simply. “She wants to give me 100,000 yuan so I can go back and continue to take care of her and her grandson.”
"You think you can buy your entire life for 100,000 yuan?" After spending so many days together, Xia Ru had already learned a lot more about you. "Sister Song, you mustn't be foolish. With your abilities, you can support yourself anywhere. Why go back and suffer again?"
"I will never be as foolish as before. As for the lawsuit with her, the lawyer said the trial will start in a few days."
"That's good. You mustn't be soft-hearted."
Song Xia felt a warmth in her heart. People she had just met knew how to care about her, but after taking care of Sun Xiurong and the others for so many years, she could be said to have no selfish motives, yet she didn't receive a single bit of gratitude. This showed just how big the gap was between people.
"Sister Song, I'll need your help to go to the company with me to deliver groceries to my husband later."
"Why are you being so polite? You've already given me so much money; I'm the one who's getting a good deal."
Xia Ru sighed, "I'm being pampered by you with good food and drinks every day. I don't know if I'll be able to get used to it when my mom comes over."
"The taste of your own mother is definitely the one you miss the most. If you want to eat it, Miss Xia, I will make some extra pickled vegetables, preserved vegetables, dumplings, and steamed buns and freeze them in the refrigerator a few days before I leave."
"That's great! With these transitions, everything should be fine."
Song Xia smiled gently the whole time. She was determined to spoil Tingting so that she could grow up to be as carefree and innocent as Miss Xia. Her daughter didn't need to carry too much burden.
As for Tingting's biological father who is still inside? In this lifetime, she will separate from Tingting as soon as he gets out, and never let him disturb Tingting's life again.
It was Sunday again, and Song Xia personally took Tingting to the couple's class: "How was the first class yesterday?"
“It was excellent.” Tingting spoke with great excitement. “After the two teachers tested my skills, they decided that Teacher Qu would teach me calligraphy first, and once I got the hang of calligraphy, Teacher Wen would teach me painting.”
"So, they've decided not to have a five-lesson trial class?"
"That's right, both teachers like me very much." Ye Tingting said shyly, "They said I'm very talented."
"Mom knew it!" Song Xia said proudly. "Luckily, I didn't think it was too much trouble to go that far that day, or I would have missed it."
Ye Tingting firmly promised, "Mom, I will study hard."
Hearing the word "Mom," Song Xia's heart softened: "As long as you're happy, that's all that matters. Mom doesn't ask you to achieve anything, as long as you don't feel tired."
"I'm not tired at all, Mom. There are buses here, so you don't have to take me."
"Mom rarely has time, and I want to spend more time with you. Besides, have you forgotten what I said last time? I'm thinking of renting a courtyard here to open a private restaurant. This is a good opportunity for me to come and check it out."
When the two arrived at their destination, Song Xia handed the box to her daughter: "Since the two teachers value you so much, let them try the pastries that Mom made."
"Yes, I think they'll like it. Mom, your cooking is the best."
After the ice was broken between the two, Ye Tingting became visibly more cheerful day by day and even started saying witty things, which shows how important a mother's presence is in a child's growth process.
After agreeing with her daughter that they would go back together after the course, Song Xia wandered around the area, asking the locals if anyone had a yard they were willing to rent out.
"You want to rent a room? This place is so remote, what would you do here?" an old woman stopped and asked her.
Song Xia said frankly, "I really like the environment here, so I want to rent a courtyard to live here and open a tea room."
"Will there be any business in opening a teahouse in such a remote place? Young lady, don't let the money go to waste."
“It’s okay. The most important thing is that I live alone. My daughter is taking classes here, so I can keep her company.”
"Classes?" The old woman thought for a moment, then suddenly realized, "Your daughter is learning to paint with Miss Wen and Young Master Qu, right?"
Song Xia nodded in agreement.
The old woman's smile deepened: "Then your daughter must be outstanding. Xiao Wen and Xiao Qu are no ordinary people. Last time I even saw a luxury car come to visit them. My wife has also dealt with them. They said they don't accept ordinary students."
"It just so happens that it caught the eye of the two teachers."
"Why are you being so modest, young lady? Since you want to rent a courtyard house around here, I have a recommendation for you. It's a large place, but it's been uninhabited for several years and is a bit dilapidated."
Song Xia was surprised to find that there was a real surprise: "It doesn't matter if there are some minor flaws, since I'm going to renovate anyway. As long as the homeowner is an honest person and willing to sign a long-term contract, that's fine."
"Then the other party should sign. That family only has one daughter. She married and moved to another province a few years ago, and the couple went there to take care of their grandson. They have a good relationship with their son-in-law, so it's unlikely they'll come back to live there. They're waiting for this area to be developed so they can use the money to buy another house there to live with their daughter in their old age. They can rent it out and earn more money, so they'll definitely be happy to do so."
"Grandma, could you take me to see it and then help me make some contact information?"
"No problem, come on, I can take you to see it right now."
The old woman put away her hoe, and Song Xia followed behind. If her daughter were here, she would definitely give her a lecture for not following strangers so easily. But she wasn't afraid at all on her own. Even if there was real danger, it was hard to say whose methods were more powerful!
Of course, she could also tell that the old woman in front of her was a kind and honest person.
Walking back along the main road, they soon arrived at their destination. Song Xia had originally planned to have the courtyard at the very back, where she might set up a sign to guide people to the restaurant. However, she never expected it to be right by the roadside.
"This is it." The old woman pushed open the courtyard door.
Song Xia suddenly realized why she hadn't looked closely earlier; a row of fruit trees had blocked most of the yard. Once she entered through the side path, the yard appeared much larger than it had been from the outside.
The house was indeed somewhat dilapidated, as the old woman had said, and overgrown with weeds. However, the vegetable garden in front of it was not abandoned and was full of seasonal vegetables.
“I grew these vegetables. My house is right behind here. But if you rent it, I’ll give the vegetable plot back to you. But these vegetables…” The old woman hesitated for a moment. She grew them to sell in the city, but it was clearly not harvest season yet.
Song Xia quickly said, "Grandma, can you sell me all of these vegetables? I might need them when my teahouse opens."
“Okay.” The old woman readily agreed. “I’ll cover the cost to you. Anyway, if you let me dig it up, it will just be a waste in the end.”
Song Xia looked around again. The courtyard was big enough and there were many rooms, but the structure wasn't very good. However, it didn't matter. She already had a plan in mind. Now she just had to wait for her mother-in-law to contact them to discuss the contract.
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