Chapter 19 Chapter 19 House "I asked you about the house...
Lin Qiuran stood up and asked, "Zhao...Brother Zhao?"
Ya Ji's surname was Zhao, and his name was Zhao Guangcai. He had been talking to his landlord for a few days, and his lips were almost worn out. The landlord finally agreed to pay less silver. Originally, he wanted 40 taels, but now it was only 37 taels.
He believed that he had done his best. After negotiating the price, he went to South Street to look for someone as Lin Qiuran had instructed. However, for two consecutive days on the second and third days of the Lunar New Year, Zhao Guangcai didn't even see anyone from the Xiao family.
He thought someone was trying to trick him, so after asking around, he found out that there were two people setting up a stall here. The couple were both quite old, in their forties, and they were selling grilled fish, which was doing pretty well. However, they hadn't been here since they were thirty.
It rained on the 30th, and it has been raining for several days since the 1st, 2nd and 3rd.
Zhao Guangcai came here again today to try his luck, not holding out much hope. But when he saw Lin Qiuran and Sun sitting there from afar, he became anxious and angry, almost speaking incoherently, "Madam Lin, it's you, right? Where have you been these past two days? Didn't you say you came to the south of the city to look for you? You...you!"
The moment Lin Qiuran saw Zhao Guangcai, her mind went blank. She still remembered this matter from earlier, and asked Sun and Xiao Dashi to keep an eye on it for two days at the end of the month. However, after selling fish for two days, Zhao Guangcai didn't show up.
It rained all day on the 30th, so he didn't go to the county town to set up the stall. After that, he came to the post station. Lin Qiuran was busy cooking every day, and gradually forgot about this matter.
She really forgot that Zhao Guangcai came here. Could it be that there was some news?
Lin Qiuran quickly apologized, "Brother Zhao, my parents have been busy these days and haven't come to sell fish. I'm really sorry. But there's news from the house. Brother Zhao, have you eaten yet? Otherwise, why don't you eat here first and we can talk while we eat."
Zhao Guangcai snorted and sat on the stool next to Lin Qiuran. "I've eaten. Hey, I asked the mansion over there and they're willing to give you a discount of three taels of silver, so the total is thirty-seven taels of silver. What do you think?"
Lin Qiuran pursed his lips. He had earned one tael and six cents in the past few days. Adding that to what he had earned from selling fish and preparing banquets last month, plus the savings at home, and exchanging the gold, he had a total of thirty-four taels of silver, which was still three taels short.
It's three taels of silver. Either you delay or negotiate the price.
Lin Qiuran said in embarrassment: "Brother Zhao, can you please negotiate the price a little more? Even if it's only a few taels cheaper, we're willing to pay. We can also go home and collect the money. If it's too much, we won't be able to borrow the money."
Xiaojia Village was inhabited by ordinary people. Sun and Xiao Dashi had only saved seven taels of silver after so long. Loaning even one tael would be a huge loss. Especially since Xiao Xun was gone, if they really lent money, they would worry that Lin Qiuran would run away one day and Sun would not be able to pay them back.
Zhao Guangcai felt sorry for Lin Qiuran, as she lived with her parents-in-law and was a widow. He asked the vendors nearby yesterday and learned that Lin Qiuran was still pregnant and made a living by cooking and preparing banquets.
She is young and beautiful, and fortunately she has some skills, otherwise life would be even more difficult.
Zhao Guangcai sighed, "Forget it. That house hasn't been sold in the past few days. I can ask around for you, but I can't guarantee it will sell. There are quite a lot of people asking around. If you really want that house, it's best to find a way to buy it."
If the owner insisted on thirty-seven taels, there would be nothing Zhao Guangcai could do.
Lin Qiuran's brows relaxed, his eyes filled with gratitude. "Thank you, Brother Zhao. We will definitely find a way to raise the money. Please keep an eye on the house."
Zhao Guangcai felt helpless, "Alright, alright, if there's any news tomorrow..."
I hope it won’t be like the past two days, where he couldn’t find it no matter how hard he looked. He almost searched the entire south part of the city.
Lin Qiuran said, "My parents will be selling fish here tomorrow. Even if they don't, there will be people waiting here at this time. Don't worry."
Zhao Guangcai brushed the dust off his legs, stood up and said, "Then let's wait for the news."
Sun Shi didn't know exactly how much money she had now, but she had a rough idea. After Zhao Guangcai left, she said, "What if it's really not enough?"
Lin Qiuran said, "I have to sell fish tomorrow. If it doesn't work, I'll go back to my parents' house to borrow money. Don't worry, mother. Even if we borrow money, we will pay it back quickly. I think we can borrow it with some interest."
Sun said worriedly, "I'll go borrow it too, but there's no hope for your father and brothers. Let's go ask your Aunt Yu."
Lin Qiuran was not in a good mood, "Yeah."
Time was short; if he could wait a little longer, Lin Qiuran could raise the money by hosting two more banquets. Now that he needed the house urgently, Lin Qiuran was afraid that someone else would buy it, so he could only earn money while borrowing.
I wonder if Xiao Dashi caught any fish today.
The two hurried home. If Xiao Dashi hadn't caught any fish in the past few days, returning before noon would allow him to go quickly. After walking for a while and resting for a while, Lin Qiuran stopped to drink some water halfway. Seeing the sweat on her forehead, Sun said, "How about I carry you back on my back?"
Lin Qiuran said, "It's okay. I'm not tired. It's good to walk more."
Walk more, and you will have an easier time giving birth in the future. If she really feels unwell, she will tell Mrs. Sun.
At 2:00 PM, the two of them rushed back to Xiaojia Village. On the way, Lin Qiuran ate some steamed buns and tea eggs, so he wasn't too tired.
After arriving home, Sun saw that Xiao Dashi was not at home, so she walked around the house. The chicks had grown a lot, and their down had faded. They were a little ugly, but they were stronger.
There were fish in the bucket, including carp and crucian carp, raised separately. Sun counted them and said to Lin Qiuran in surprise, "Qiuran, your father caught some fish. There are seventeen carp and more than forty crucian carp!"
Lin Qiuran went over to take a look and saw that none of the fish had turned belly up. The fish must be well-fed.
Another sum of money. Lin Qiuran said, "Mom, you and Dad should go to the county town again tomorrow to sell the fish."
I haven't been there for a few days, so I guess business will be good tomorrow.
Sun nodded and said, "Okay, your father is either going to the fields or fishing. He will be back soon. I will go cook first."
Lin Qiuran said, "We've had good food at the post station these past few days, so just something simple will do."
At the post station, they always made extra food, leaving some for them to eat. After eating all the stir-fries and stews, Lin Qiuran didn't want to eat meat today.
Sun said happily, "Then I'll do as you see fit."
There were many vegetables in the vegetable garden, and Sun stewed a pot of them. When the rice was cooked, Xiao Dashi also came back. He picked up a bucket of fish and caught seven carp today.
Xiao Dashi was pleasantly surprised to see Sun and Lin Qiuran return, "Are you done with your work over there?"
Sun nodded. "Yes, Qiuran also sold two jars of spices. And Boss Zhao came over today and said that the house was three taels cheaper. Let's find a way to pool the money together."
Now, Sun Shi prefers to live in the county town. Ultimately, there's more work there. In recent years, the village has only invited Qiu Ran to a banquet once, at Yujiazhuang, but the county town has already hosted one twice. This is just the beginning, and it will definitely get better and better in the future.
Besides, if they lived in the village and went to sell fish, Sun was worried about leaving Lin Qiuran alone at home.
Xiao Dashi asked, "How much difference?"
Lin Qiuran: "Dad, the money I've earned these days, plus the money I saved before, is thirty-four taels, so I'm still three taels short. If we sell these fish tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, I think we can still get another tael of silver. Who knows, maybe Boss Zhao can even negotiate some more money, so we can borrow some more. Anyway, it's better to be prepared."
But Lin Qiuran couldn't guarantee that she could borrow it from her mother's family.
Liu didn't seem to have much money, and Lin Qiuran found it difficult to borrow from her sister-in-law, Yu, who was the housekeeper. If all else failed, Lin Qiuran planned to ask Madam Yu, figuring she would have more opportunities than going to her parents' home.
Xiao Dashi didn't know how to calculate the amount, but he knew that the money was not enough. He glanced at Sun, then at Lin Qiuran, and asked, "How about selling the land?"
The Xiao family has three acres of land. The land in the village is not valuable, but one acre can be sold for two or three taels of silver.
Lin Qiuran was stunned. Sun and Xiao Dashi made a living by farming. They relied on a few acres of land and hunting to save seven taels of silver over the years.
They didn't know how to cook, so they sold the land so they wouldn't have to worry about her remarrying in the future and the two of them being left with no way to make a living.
Lin Qiuran shook his head. "It's not that different. Besides, the harvest is coming soon. Selling the land now would be a huge loss. Dad, don't consider selling the land until it's absolutely necessary."
Xiao Dashi nodded.
After dinner, Sun took some money to exchange for garlic. Lin Qiuran took a nap in the afternoon, and when he woke up, Sun had already peeled the garlic.
Dinner was still simple. The next day, Lin Qiuran got up early and fried and roasted fish. Although she was in a hurry to use the money, she was afraid that she would not be able to sell all the fish in one day. If she could not sell all the fish, she would lose money, so she cooked all carp today.
There were twenty-four in total. After they were made, they were packed into wooden barrels and then carried to a cart and tied up by Sun's Xiao Dashi.
Lin Qiuran stayed at home. Before leaving, Sun Shi reminded him, "Qiuran, don't go back to your mother's house alone. Wait for your mother to come back and go with you."
Lin Qiuran: "Well, if you can't sell all, go home and remember to eat. It doesn't matter if you can just make up the money."
Lin Qiuran happened to have no idea where the Lin family was, so it would be nice to have Sun along. She planned to stay home, maybe someone would ask her to host a banquet.
At three quarters after noon, Sun and Xiao Dashi returned, not much later than usual. The fish sold out quickly today. The Xiao family hadn't been there for several days, and their former customers really missed the taste.
However, there was no news from Zhao Guangcai yet, and Sun hadn't seen him either, so she probably had to wait a little longer.
After resting for a while at home, Sun took four eggs from home and picked some fresh vegetables from the vegetable garden, and put them all in a basket. She couldn't go to borrow money empty-handed.
Lin Qiuran had similar thoughts. The housekeeper of the Lin family, Yu, was unwilling to lend. "Now you know the money is good. I asked you to remarry a long time ago, but you refused to listen. The Feng family offered five taels of silver, but now you're asking for only one. Since you won't listen to your parents, then don't come here to ask for money!"
Yu glanced at Sun and Lin Qiuran and rolled her eyes. "It's not too late to remarry now. Don't end up with nothing and come back to your parents' house crying poor again."
Liu's face showed some reluctance, but she was soft-hearted and had married a powerful daughter-in-law, so she had no say at all.
Sun couldn't say anything. This was Lin Qiuran's parents' home, so how could she make a fuss?
Lin Qiuran took a deep breath and said, "Sister-in-law, it's okay if you don't lend me the money, but you can't say such harsh words. Just think of it as me coming back to see mother today. Just pretend you didn't hear about the money."
After leaving the Lin family, Liu caught up with them, "Qiu Ran!"
Lin Qiuran stopped and smiled at Liu, "Mom, please go back soon."
Liu chased after her and stuffed a purse into Lin Qiuran's pocket. "Your sister-in-law has a sharp tongue but a soft heart. Don't take it to heart. This is what I saved. You can use it first."
Liu lowered her head and said, "I saved 130 coins and brought it all here. Your sister-in-law has had a hard time too. It's not easy to make money these days. Don't blame your sister-in-law. And you didn't even mention why you borrowed the money..."
If Lin Qiuran told her, she would not be able to borrow the money. If she knew that she had money to buy a house, she would definitely deduct the money from her.
She accepted the purse, just in case she was short of money. "Mom, I'll return the money in a few days."
Liu walked Lin Qiuran a few steps, all the way to the village entrance. "How's your stomach? Are you feeling well?"
It's three months now, and generally speaking, the fetus is stable. The first three months and the last three months are the most important. With Sun around, Liu couldn't persuade Lin Qiuran to abort the baby anymore. Her daughter was determined to give birth to the child. However, she looked fine. Although she hadn't gained weight, she looked more energetic than before.
Lin Qiuran said, "I'm fine. There's no reaction. Don't worry about me."
When they reached the village entrance, she asked Liu to go back, "Mom, don't send me off. Go back quickly."
How could she not worry about her own daughter? But after she got married, her relationship with her parents became less close. Yu was also very strong-willed, so Liu couldn't intervene if she wanted to.
Lin Qiuran understood all this and decided to just be filial to Mrs. Liu in the future. She would not help Mrs. Yu in any way.
On her return from Linjia Village, Sun said she was going to ask Aunt Yu about something. She was gone for a quarter of an hour and came back with a tael of silver. Together with the money she borrowed from selling fish yesterday, she had a total of thirty-six taels.
Lin Qiuran breathed a sigh of relief, but she was still a little relieved. She said, "I'll ask if anyone in the village is planning a banquet these two days."
She had always felt that this child was blessed. Picking Ganoderma lucidum, digging for gold, cooking fish, and going to the county town, he might not earn dozens or hundreds of taels of silver every time, but he was never short of money.
Sun: "OK."
Lin Qiuran had just walked out of the house and walked a short distance when he saw Li Cuihua, who lived behind, sitting under a willow tree, chatting with three aunts who were about her age.
Li Cuihua was delighted. "My nephew is getting married in two days. Oh, it's not easy to raise so many children."
"But what should we do now? Should we go over and help with the preparation, or should we hire a chef?"
Generally speaking, people do it themselves, and those who hire a master are rich people.
Aunt Li coughed and said, "My family is not short of money, so they definitely won't do it themselves. They said they want to find a good banquet chef. But I gave birth to three sons, so I'm very lucky, so I will definitely help."
Lin Qiuran wanted to leave because Li Cuihua had been sour on him the last time they were in the car together, and Sun had also told him to stay away from her house. But just as she was leaving, her aunt's eyes lit up and she said, "Hey, isn't Qiuran from the Xiao family a good cook? I heard Sister Yu say a few days ago that she went to Yujiazhuang to perform a funeral for the richest carpenter's grandfather. The food she cooked was so delicious that everyone praised her! Why don't you invite her over?"
Li Cuihua rolled her eyes and raised her voice. "I'm not happy to ask her to help for nothing. It's not taboo in funerals, but my nephew is getting married! Her husband just died and she has no luck. What if she brings bad luck with her? It's so unlucky! If you ask me, you should have less contact with her family. You can't wash away the stains if you get involved."
Lin Qiuran took his foot back after taking it forward.
The author has something to say:
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Don't worry, there's definitely money, and there are also cubs! [Panda Head]
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