Chapter 21 The yard behind the shop was occupied
The next day, Xia Yanjing visited Shitou and promised to bring him some delicious food. Then he left with the land deed and keys given to him by his father. He had already decided what kind of business he was going to start in the past two days.
Xia Yanjing thought the location of the shop Xiaohong bought was very good, as it was located in the West Market and adjacent to the pier.
The wharf is an important hub for cargo transportation and trade, with a large number of merchants and goods passing through every day. It would be a perfect place to do some food business.
Xia Yanjing stood at the door of the shop, but did not rush to go in. Instead, he cast his gaze to the back of the shop. The West Market was full of shops in front and yards in the back.
The wall of this courtyard is not high. Through the mottled wall, you can see a lush branch and leaves in the yard, extending from a corner of the wall, as if it is a touch of green left by nature in this small courtyard.
After getting closer, Xia Yanjing found that it was a peach tree. Green peaches could be vaguely seen among the branches and leaves. He just didn't know whether the peaches in the yard would taste good in the summer.
Xia Yanjing walked to the gate of the yard and saw that the lock on the yard was ajar. Xia Yanjing didn't think too much about it, thinking that the lock of the yard had broken because it had been too long.
Xia Yanjing gently pushed open the slightly old courtyard door. He had expected the courtyard to be desolate and messy, but when he actually stepped into the courtyard, he was shocked by the scene before him.
The yard was not overgrown with weeds as he had imagined. Instead, it was full of life, with lush green vegetables neatly arranged in rows.
In a corner of the yard, there is a small area surrounded by a fence. A few chickens are eating in it, adding a bit of liveliness and vitality to this quiet yard.
Xia Yanjing knew at a glance that someone lived in this yard, but he had never heard that the yard was rented out.
"Is anyone home?" Xia Yanjing didn't care about much else. He had to find out the reason as soon as possible.
No one responded, and Xia Yanjing was not in a hurry. He sat steadily in the middle of the yard waiting for the person who had usurped the throne to come back.
"Son, all the noodles we made today are sold out. That's great." A slightly weathered voice came from the door.
"Yes, Dad, I earned a total of 50 cents today. I will go to the pharmacy to get medicine for you later." A simple and honest voice responded.
From the conversation between the two, Xia Yanjing knew that the people living in his yard were a father and son.
"Dad, someone has opened our lock. Don't move. I'll go in and take a look first." The son noticed something was wrong with his vigilance.
The courtyard door was pushed open, and Xia Yanjing crossed his arms and looked at the person who pushed the door open. Xia Yanjing observed the person in front of him. He was about 173 cm tall, neither fat nor thin, and looked like a simple and honest person.
"Who are you and how dare you break into someone else's house?" The man looked at Xia Yanjing warily and said.
"I should be the one saying this to you. This is clearly my yard." Xia Yanjing expressed his helplessness.
The person in front of him was struck by lightning. He was stunned for a moment, then his face turned red and he looked panicked.
Xia Yanjing was about to say something when the man's father's voice came from outside the door, "Hao'er, what's wrong? Is that your friend in there?"
Xia Yanjing was interrupted. Just as he was about to speak, he saw the man in front of him clasped his hands together and looked at him pleadingly. Xia Yanjing swallowed the words that were about to come out of his mouth and nodded imperceptibly.
"Dad, it's my friend who came to see me." Chang Hao answered loudly.
"You didn't even tell Daddy that your friend was coming so he could prepare some food in advance." Chang A'mo complained a little. It would be too rude if this got out.
"It's my fault, Dad. This is the friend who borrowed my yard. He recently came back from another place." When Chang Hao saw Xia Yanjing, he knew it was time for him to move out.
"Young man, I'm sorry. My son Hao is not sensible. I'll go to the street to buy some vegetables." It was the first time that Chang A'mo saw Chang Hao's friend coming to her house and she was very excited.
Xia Yanjing was just about to stop Chang A'mo who was going to buy vegetables, but she disappeared the next second. However, since Chang A'mo was not there, he just happened to deal with the matter with the man in front of him.
"Can you tell me what's going on?" Xia Yanjing asked the man in front of him who was a little restrained.
"My name is Chang Hao, and I'm from Yuanxi Town. My hometown was hit by a disaster, so I fled to the capital. My father and I were on the run, homeless all day, and my father was getting thinner and thinner. I accidentally discovered this courtyard that had been empty, so I moved in with the mentality of giving it a try."
"I lied to my father and told him I was running into a good friend from the past. He happened to be away for a while and asked me to look after his yard. Only then did my father agree to let me move in."
"This place is close to the dock. I saved some money by carrying goods every day. Later, I used the money to open a noodle stall. Although I have considered moving away, my father's health was seriously damaged during the escape. He needs to take medicine all the time to recuperate, so I can't save any money at all."
"Please forgive us for occupying your yard. I've saved a few coins over the years, and I can give them to you. I just hope you won't tell my father the truth and allow us to find a new place to live before moving."
After Chang Hao finished speaking, he lowered his head somewhat embarrassedly. After all, they were the ones who had taken over the old man's position, yet they still had so many demands.
"Are you telling the truth?"
"Yes, if I tell a lie, God will strike me with lightning." Chang Hao immediately swore to the sky.
"Okay, I'll take that one string of money as rent for all these years." Xia Yanjing could tell from the conversation that Chang Hao was an honest man who was filial to his elders, and such a person was worth making friends with.
"I'll get it right away." When Chang Hao heard what Xia Yanjing said, his excitement was beyond words. He quickly walked back to the room and took out the silver he had saved over the years.
After Xia Yanjing accepted the money, Chang Amo came back. However, by this time, the vegetable vendors had already gone home one after another. Although she wanted to go to the restaurant to buy some vegetables, she was really short of money.
"Hello, Aunt Chang. My name is Xia Yanjing and I'm Chang Hao's friend." Xia Yanjing was afraid that Chang Hao didn't know his name, so he took the initiative to introduce himself.
"Xiao Jing, I really can't buy any food at this time. The food in the restaurant is too expensive. If you don't mind, Aunt Chang can cook for you with the vegetables at home."
"Aunt Chang, the vegetables grown at home are the most fragrant. How could I dislike them?"
"I'll go cook now, you guys chat." Chang Amo smiled again and greeted them warmly.
"So what are your plans for the future?"
"I'll find a place to move out in a couple of days. I'll go to the docks during the day to move goods and earn some extra money to support Dad."
"Brother Chang, I came here today to do some business in the shop, but I don't have time to stay in the shop all the time, so I would like to ask you and Aunt Chang to stay and help me. Are you willing?"
After the whole thing, Xia Yanjing knew that Chang Hao was a kind, upright and responsible man. Besides, they took such good care of the courtyard, so why would he go far away?
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