Chapter 153: Settling Down
Everyone went into the city, picked up Aunt Zhu'er, and found a restaurant. Zeng Xiaoyan hosted a meal and ordered eight dishes and a soup, including chicken, duck, fish and meat. Several people sat around and celebrated well.
Zeng Xiaojuan, who was originally a little depressed, was infected by the atmosphere, and because Qiao'er was really happy, she couldn't help but smile.
After lunch, Liang Mingliang guarded the ox cart, while several women accompanied Zeng Xiaojuan to buy things.
Xu Zhichun said, "Sister Xiaojuan and Qiao'er should stay at my house for the next few days. Just buy some clothes first. It's not too late to buy the rest after we decide on a place to live."
Zeng Xiaojuan and her sister nodded and thanked him, saying that there was no need to rush to buy various daily necessities as they would not need them anyway.
After her divorce, Zeng Xiaojuan went to live with her sister and wanted to stay temporarily in Liangjia Village. The clan elders and villagers naturally had no objection for the sake of Liang Lizheng and with their family as guarantors.
Only Zhao felt like she was facing a formidable enemy, thinking that Zeng Xiaojuan was going to take her daughter to live with her for a long time. Unable to restrain herself, she secretly found her elder sister-in-law Liu to sow discord, wanting Liu to join her in opposing the plan.
Although Liu didn't know the inside story, she knew without a doubt that her parents-in-law would never do such a foolish thing: to bring her daughter-in-law's divorced sister and her daughter to live with them permanently. It was impossible. They could help with the settlement, but they would never stay in the house for long. What would it look like with so many people in the family?
Liu comforted Zhao and asked her to be patient and wait for a while before waiting.
Zhao was very dissatisfied.
But Zhao didn't expect that Zeng Xiaojuan and her daughter just came to her house to say hello and have dinner. They didn't stay at home at all, but stayed at Xu Zhichun's house.
Zhao was secretly mortified, convinced that everyone in the family knew about this and had kept it a secret from her, only to see her make a fool of herself. So, for the past two days, she'd been irritated and displeased with everyone, especially Liu and Zeng Xiaoyan. Seeing them joking around, she grew even more jealous and resentful, thinking they were a clique, deliberately targeting her.
Zhao would sulk and go crazy for no reason, and Liu, who had seen this so many times, simply ignored her. It was already very kind and generous of her not to bother with her, and it was impossible for her to take the initiative to care about her, comfort her, and soothe her suspicious heart.
As for Zeng Xiaoyan, she used to love arguing with her, but since she made a lot of money, she has become more open-minded and ignores her. Plus, now she is busy making money and taking care of her second sister, so she has no time to pay attention to her.
Zhao was almost driven crazy by that evil fire.
Zeng Xiaojuan didn't want to bother Xu Zhichun all the time, so she quickly decided on a place to live. Liang Mingliang and Zeng Xiaoyan helped to hire someone to renovate it.
There is a dilapidated house in the village that has been in ruins for five or six years. It was originally inhabited by an old widow with no children. After the old lady passed away five or six years ago, the house has been empty.
There are two earthen houses with rammed earth. After the doors and windows were reinstalled and the roof was re-covered, and they were cleaned up, they can still be lived in.
Zeng Xiaojuan had five taels of silver from Zeng Xiaoyan, which she could use to temporarily cover the cost of repairs. She insisted on paying for the repairs from this money. She naturally kept this account in mind and would slowly find a way to save up money to pay her sister back.
Uncle Qi Tian helped make doors and windows, a bed, and a pair of boxes and cages. He only charged the original price of the wood and did not charge for the labor.
Uncle Qi Tian did not waste the scraps of wood and made a square dining table, a long table for the bedroom, a one-meter-high cabinet for storing things, and several small four-legged stools.
When Xu Zhichun built a new house, there were a lot of tiles and bricks left over piled up in the backyard, which were just right for her to use.
There were enough tiles to cover the roofs of the two rooms. A wooden plank enclosure was built next to the house to serve as a kitchen. The remaining tiles were insufficient for the kitchen roof, so they covered the gap with large bamboo mats woven from strips of bamboo, covered with fir bark and thatch, which also provided protection from wind and rain. The kitchen floor had a little excess bricks.
The Liang family also helped to build a small courtyard with a bamboo fence. Three or four small vegetable gardens could be cultivated in the backyard to grow vegetables, enough for Zeng Xiaojuan and her mother to eat.
As for other sources of income, Xu Zhichun and others will continue to harvest the lantern fruit when it is harvest season. Zeng Xiaojuan is good at needlework and also plans to make some shoes and insoles to sell to garment shops. They will take it one step at a time and see what happens next.
For example, they are so familiar with the Lotus Restaurant that if they have any mountain products like various wild mushrooms, winter bamboo shoots, fresh bamboo shoots, chestnuts, yams, etc., Shopkeeper Tang will definitely be happy to buy them.
Previously, several families in the village had a bumper harvest of beans, eggplants, white radishes, and cucumbers that they couldn't finish eating, so Xu Zhichun even sold some for them.
The villagers can save more money, the restaurant can save trouble, and I can get a favor, so there's nothing wrong with that.
In short, if you live off the land, you will never go bankrupt.
The old house was completed in four days with great effort.
Zeng Xiaojuan planned to go to the city to buy pots, pans, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, food, etc., so that she could choose a day to move.
This is her own home. Zeng Xiaojuan watched it transform from being dilapidated and battered by wind and rain to being brand new bit by bit, and her heart was also gradually rebuilt with hope and confidence.
She likes the present very much.
Zhichun and her sister have helped her so much. She is very grateful and cherishes them. She can't wait to become independent. The first step is to move out and live on her own.
Xu Zhichun gave Zeng Xiaojuan five pairs of chopsticks, six plates and bowls of different sizes, two baskets for storing things, two jars, a rice jar, plus ten pounds of millet, a bag of dried red dates, and about half a pound of salt.
Millet was considered a common grain in those days, cheap but not very popular. However, Xu Zhichun knew that millet was a good thing and told Zeng Xiaojuan to make millet and red dates porridge for Qiao'er every morning to nourish her stomach and body.
Aunt Zhuer gave a pair of wooden barrels, two wooden basins, one large and one small, and twenty eggs.
Zeng Xiaoyan gave a complete set of bedding and a mosquito net, a sewing basket and a large bag of needles and thread, a water jar, a backpack, 20 kilograms of rice, and 2 kilograms of brown sugar.
Many other families gave us fruits, vegetables, rapeseed, etc. produced from their own fields, showing their enthusiasm.
Zeng Xiaojuan was very grateful, so the things she needed to buy were very limited.
No family had any extra ironware, so Zeng Xiaojuan bought a medium-sized iron pot, a rice cooker, a kitchen knife, a hatchet, and a hoe. These items were the most expensive, and she spent more than one or two taels of silver.
Zeng Xiaojuan spent a total of more than two taels of silver and finally settled down her family.
She insisted on buying meat and chicken to cook a meal, and invited Xu Zhichun, Zeng Xiaoyan and others to have a meal as a housewarming party.
Everyone enjoyed the meal very much. Now that the dust has settled, things will be fine.
Zeng Xiaojuan was still a little sad. After dinner, everyone said goodbye one after another. Zeng Xiaoyan left last. Zeng Xiaojuan talked to her and cried.
From now on, she has nothing to do with the Zeng family.
Lou Er had already gone to Zeng's house to cause trouble, but the Zeng family acted as if Zeng Xiaojuan didn't exist and didn't even ask a question. It was quite disheartening.
(End of this chapter)
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