Madam Su knelt down. “Mother, Aunt, I don’t want to go back. Peach Blossom Village is great. I like staying here. Besides, the Su family, whether in the past or now, is just an empty shell. It has long been deceived by the stepmother.”
"Even if my second uncle's family got anything, it was just a rented shop and some things that weren't worth much money. A month before my father got sick, he took me out to buy things. He told me that he had bought me a house in Qingyan City, which contained my dowry, and he even took me to see it."
“At that time, my mother was pregnant, and she tricked my father out of money every day. My second uncle’s family also borrowed money under various pretexts. My father, out of consideration for his brothers, lent it out every time, causing the shop to lose money. However, only my father and I knew about this. No one else knew.”
“It would be better if I died. Those relatives are better off not existing. I can embroider, I can work, I have a dowry, I can support myself. Please, Mother and Aunt, don’t send me back.”
An Shu told her to get up, "Don't kneel, get up quickly. We don't mean to make you leave. As long as you don't do anything to harm Taoyuan Village, you can stay here from now on."
"You can go work at any workshop tomorrow, any workshop will do, it's up to you. But are your dowry items safe? Do you need to bring them back? Of course, we're not after them, but whose name is on the house? The deed and the key are still there. We don't want them to be discovered and end up belonging to someone else."
Her second uncle and maternal grandparents weren't stupid; they must have realized that she owned houses and estates. Once they found out she was dead, the property would naturally become theirs.
Madam Su stood up. “Mother, don’t worry. The house is in my name, only the surname has been changed. I’ve hidden the deed and the key. When I went there a few days ago, I had already retrieved them. But just in case, I would like to ask you to help me find a few people to bring them back.”
"I also don't want that house anymore. I want to sell it directly. Although I've changed the surname, I'm afraid my second uncle can find out. He knows people in the government."
An Shuyi nodded, "I'll have my second brother and the others make a trip tonight to bring it back for you. As for the house, I'll give you the money to sell it to me for whatever price you're willing to pay. We'll change the name on it, so your second uncle won't be able to find out anything."
She had difficulty finding a suitable house, so since the Su family wanted to buy one, she might as well buy it and register it under Hua Hua's name.
"Thank you, Mother. There's no need to give me any money. You can just change it to Mother's name." With everything settled, a smile appeared on Madam Su's face.
"How many courtyards does your house have?" Xia Hua suddenly asked.
"Yes, Auntie, it's a three-courtyard house." When Dad bought it, he thought it would be big enough so that more people could live there.
Xia Hua said, “We don’t lack money, so you don’t need to give it to us directly. We will only buy it if you sell it. If you are reluctant to sell it, we can choose not to buy it. We will give you the same amount of money as a three-courtyard house. Of course, if you want a house, we can buy one for you in Jinnan City.”
Looking at her domineering aunt, Madam Su said, "Aunt, then let's give her the money for a three-courtyard house. Here's the land deed and the key. The things are under the bed in the right wing of the main courtyard. There's a secret room there, and the things are inside."
Peach Blossom Village is wonderful; she loves it here and doesn't want to buy a house, plus that would be too much trouble for her mother and aunt.
Xia Hua took the things and nodded, "Okay, I'll give the things to the second brother later, and when he comes back, I'll give you the money for the house." She needed to have the second brother ask how much the three-courtyard house in Qingyan City was selling for. If it was too much different from the price in Jinnan City, it would be unfair to people.
"Auntie, you can handle this!" she said with a big smile. She was happy to be able to settle down and live a good life.
Looking at that smiling face, Xia Hua couldn't help but sigh. These ancient people are so naive. They even told others about their dowry, and they gave away the house deed directly without paying any money. Aren't they afraid of being cheated?
"Go ahead and do your work!"
"Yes, thank you for your help, Mother and Aunt. I'll go down now. Please let me know if you need anything." After saying this, Madam Su bowed and left the room.
"The young ladies from wealthy families are truly different. They are well-educated, polite, and have elegant manners. Even their simple acts of bowing are graceful," An Shuyi said as she watched her leave.
Xia Hua turned around and smiled, "If you like, have her come a few more times, and you'll see her bow to you."
"Then forget it. I'm not a wicked mother-in-law. I'd rather see her bow to me than invite someone over. But when looking for a daughter-in-law, it's best to find someone who is well-educated, reasonable, and understanding." Otherwise, someone like Zhao or Wu would be such a headache.
Although they have changed a lot now, their true nature will be revealed if you stay a little longer. Although the women of the Lin family are illiterate, they have very good personalities. When the original owner was still alive, those women would come to help and never gossip about others.
As for those women who married into Linjia Village, it was said that the clan chief and several elders had approved their marriages before they were brought in. Whenever someone was looking for a spouse, they would consult several elders. However, the original owner of the body did not consult anyone else when it came to Zhao and Wu; it was all her own decision.
It must have been the original owner's poor judgment that led her to choose them. Fortunately, she is now living with the women in the village and can influence them, which is why she hasn't made any mistakes. Of course, most importantly, both of them are afraid of being driven away by her, so they dare not make any mistakes.
“Do you think it’s so easy to find a well-educated and reasonable girl? As long as she’s not too bad-tempered, there’s no problem. The girls from wealthy families, their every word and action seems to be measured. I don’t really like them,” Xia Hua said.
She likes girls with good personalities who are also cool and straightforward, who can cry when they want to cry and laugh when they want to laugh, and who are not bound by any rules or regulations.
An Shuyi also felt it was too difficult. "Yes, Hua Hua is right. But let the sons find their own daughters-in-law. I'll just help look for one. As for her personality, she's not going to live with me anyway, so who cares?"
Xia Hua smiled but didn't say anything.
When it was lunchtime, the two of them went to the cafeteria together. When they arrived, the dishes were already laid out on the table. Wu originally wanted to add more dishes, but seeing them arrive, she didn't.
After finishing their meal, An Shuyi and Xia Hua called Lao Er and Li Dong aside, gave them the land deed and keys, and asked them to move their belongings. They also asked them to write the land deed in Xia Hua's name and inquire about the current selling price of a three-courtyard house in Qingyan City.
The second son, carrying the things, said, "Mom, Aunt, let's go this afternoon. We'll ride horses, and when we come back, we'll buy two carriages to haul them back." Traveling by carriage is too slow; riding horses is much faster.
He and Li Dong went, and even if they had a lot of stuff, two horse-drawn carriages would be enough to carry it all, so they could return in just a few days.
Xia Hua nodded, "You can arrange it as you see fit. If you're going on horseback, have Wu prepare some dry rations for you. Be careful on the way."
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