“We’re all brothers, no need for further explanation, but I still have to remind you that it’s not safe to stay at home. People from our village often come to check on us, and quite a few people have conjunctivitis.”
Xu Minghan nodded. He knew for sure that this was only a temporary refuge and couldn't last long.
Xuemei is due in about two months. Once this period is over, everything will be fine. Besides, he already has a plan in mind.
The two parted ways with Xu Dongxiang at the village entrance. Their house was the first one at the village entrance, while Xu Dongxiang had to walk further in.
Xu Minghan told Zhang Xuemei to wait at the door while he opened the door and went in first. He then helped her in after turning on the light.
"Go lie down on the bed for a while. I'll pour you a glass of hot water. Are you hungry? Would you like some noodles?"
Zhang Xuemei shook her head. "I had just eaten when you came, so I'm not hungry. Don't keep busy. Where's Panpan? Is she with Mom?"
"Okay, let her sleep! We'll talk about it tomorrow. I'll boil some water for you to soak your feet!"
Xu Minghan scooped a few ladles of water from the water vat into the pot, skillfully lit the firewood, and quickly got the fire going.
Zhang Xuemei carefully examined her old house. Oh, no, this isn't even her own house. It originally belonged to her second uncle, but now it's just being lent to them.
The front door of their house is just up the steps outside, and the toilet is to the right of the door. Calling it a toilet is an understatement; it only has two toilets, and the stench is so strong in hot weather that it can make you faint.
Their room was on the left as you entered through the door. It contained only a large bed and a small wardrobe, with an old table in front of the window. The wedding items they had prepared were all kept in someone else's old house, as there was simply no room here.
To the right is the earthen stove, and further in is an empty space except for a few jars of pickled vegetables and a few jars of white wine and yellow wine.
There is a staircase in the middle that leads to the second-floor attic, which is now used as a barn.
The hot water was ready quickly, and Zhang Xuemei comfortably wiped herself down. If it weren't so late, she would have liked to take a bath!
Lying on the large bed she hadn't slept on in over thirty years, Zhang Xuemei felt a little out of place. However, looking at the old-fashioned mosquito net above her head, she felt at ease.
Xu Minghan quickly washed up and climbed into bed. Seeing that his wife was still awake, he urged her, "Go to sleep, you've had a long day."
"Don't go to sleep yet. Tell me, what made you decide to pick me up today?"
Zhang Xuemei still felt strange. Although she hadn't said anything along the way, she had overheard her husband and Xu Dongxiang's conversation quite a bit, and she had a vague idea in her mind, but she needed to confirm it.
"I just thought of it! I've been feeling uneasy all day, especially in the afternoon, so I asked Dongxiang to pick you up late at night."
"How old was Panpan when she got married?"
"Twenty-six!" Xu Minghan blurted out, then realized what he'd said and quickly got up, staring at Zhang Xuemei.
"Wife, you too..."
"So you are too..."
The two nodded in unison, tears welling in their eyes, their hearts overflowing with joy.
"Now it's all good, we've both gone back to the past, it's wonderful!" Xu Minghan hugged Zhang Xuemei tightly. He had so many regrets, and now he finally had the chance.
Zhang Xuemei was also excited. Although she had accepted her rebirth, having someone like her, and who was also her husband, was the best thing ever.
However, Zhang Xuemei touched her belly and looked earnestly at her husband, "I want to keep this child, and I don't want to have any more children. If it were you..."
Xu Minghan covered her mouth and said, "Wife, don't say anything. I understand. That's what I mean too. Daughters are great. Daughters will still be more popular in thirty years. Let's raise them well this time and leave no regrets."
"Really? You really think so?" Zhang Xuemei wasn't disbelieving her husband, it's just...
"What's the point of saying it's true or false? Besides, isn't it the man who decides whether a child is a boy or a girl? I just can't have a son, as long as you don't mind, that's enough." She even made a pitiful expression as she said this.
"How old are you? Still acting strangely." Zhang Xuemei scolded her husband with a laugh.
"I'm only twenty-six years old, I'm still young!"
"Okay, let's get serious. Since we're both... well, do you have any ideas about how we're going to live together from now on?"
Xu Minghan nodded and said excitedly, "I'm thinking of buying a house, what do you think?"
"Where would we get the money?" Zhang Xuemei had barely finished speaking when she realized what she meant. "You mean that money?"
“Yes, didn’t we plan to do business in another province? We borrowed money from various places, and we also borrowed 30,000 yuan from Granny Liu, so we have about 50,000 yuan in total. We’ll use this money to buy a house in the city, so that Panpan and the others will have a place to go to school.”
Xu Minghan recalled the apartment his daughter rented when she worked; it was about 80 square meters, and with the landlord's later expansion, it was at least a little over 100 square meters.
The landlord said that he only spent a little over 30,000 yuan when he bought it, but it turned out to be worth over 2 million yuan. That's better than anything else.
“But how are we going to pay back Granny Liu’s money? And the house will only be worth 20 years from now, so we won’t be able to liquidate it. I don’t want to be cornered by her demanding money.”
Zhang Xuemei felt a chill run down her spine just thinking about the days she was chased by debt collectors.
“I’ve thought it through. We’ll start a small business near the house. There are a lot of people living around, including many primary schools and kindergartens! We can make money no matter what. Besides, it should be safer to have the baby there.”
“Small businesses can’t earn this much, you see…” Zhang Xuemei was truly terrified; she was afraid whenever the topic of doing business came up.
In their past life, the two of them went to another province to do business and lost money. Undeterred, they went around again and lost everything. Only then did they return to their hometown, find a job in a factory, and slowly save money to pay off their debts.
"Xuemei, the timid starve and the bold thrive. Heaven has given us this opportunity, we must seize it. Otherwise, with our own abilities, when will we be able to save enough money to buy a house? Just like in the previous life, the speed at which we save money can never keep up with the speed at which housing prices rise."
Xu Minghan stared into his wife's eyes, letting her know that sometimes, to get rich, you have to take risks.
"And think about it, if we really can't pay back the money, we can sell the house. It'll appreciate in value, whether it's a year or two, so we won't lose money."
Zhang Xuemei understood this principle, but seeing that her husband insisted, she had no choice but to compromise.
"So when are you planning to buy it? I can't stand hiding from you like this anymore."
"I'll go tomorrow. You stay home for the next few days and don't go anywhere until I get back."
Xu Minghan wanted to go and see it as soon as possible. There would definitely be differences between Tianshui City now and in the future. He would have to ask around to find the place.
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