Hong Xiaoduo knew the children's personalities very well. There was only one reason why Tian Shu asked this question: he felt that it was a waste of money to have to pay money even though they didn't stay overnight at the inn.
So Hong Xiaoduo, unusually, didn't tease them and told them the truth: the shopkeeper hadn't accepted a single copper coin.
After hearing her words, the children visibly breathed a sigh of relief.
"But if the innkeeper finds out, won't he make things difficult for the manager?" Tian Shu suddenly thought of another serious problem.
The innkeeper was easy to talk to and didn't charge rent, which means he's a good person. After all, it was the innkeeper who found the courtyard for him.
"Don't worry, it won't happen. This inn is run by Manager Yang and his elder brother. He's practically half the owner, so he can make the decisions."
"Besides, the courtyard we rented also belongs to Manager Yang." Hong Xiaoduo simply explained everything clearly in one breath, so as to save the child from worrying about all sorts of things.
When she asked Manager Yang in the afternoon, Tian Shu and the others had already gone upstairs. They had finished their business and returned, and had taken a nap without telling them the details. Judging from their reaction just now, they didn't know the specifics.
Yao Guang, the little girl, went along and listened to her conversation with Manager Yang. However, because she was young, they probably didn't think to ask her. The little girl didn't have the habit of talking.
After the carriage stopped, a woman came out from the house on the right. Seeing this, she smiled and asked, "You've moved over already? Do you need any help?"
"No need, there are many of us, thank you, Auntie," Feiyan and the others replied with smiles.
Hong Xiaoduo took a look and thought, "Not bad, I even met the neighbors when I came to clean this afternoon."
The woman, carrying a bamboo basket, greeted everyone, closed her courtyard gate, and walked towards the main street.
Tian Shu, acting like a head steward, excitedly took the key, opened the courtyard gate, and then opened the side gate to drive the carriage in from there.
Seeing everyone busy carrying their luggage and bags into rooms in different directions, Hong Xiaoduo realized that the rooms had already been assigned.
She was assigned to a room on the east side of the main house. Hong Xiaoduo now had a slight understanding of the layout of ancient houses. The main house had an odd number of rooms, such as three, five, or seven.
The main house of Manager Yang's residence has three rooms: one on the east side, one in the middle, and one on the west side.
The middle room is usually where ancestral tablets are enshrined, the room on the east side is usually where the eldest member of the family lives, and the room on the west side is where the master and mistress live. This is why the principal wife is called the main wife.
For Tian Shu and the others, Hong Xiaoduo was the head of the family, so they didn't ask for her opinion this time and let her come to choose a room. They naturally left the room on the east side for her.
Hong Xiaoduo wondered if Feiyan or Brother Quan had said something, or perhaps it was because of the short-term rental they stayed in last time that the children had some understanding of the layout of the house. Otherwise, how would these children know about the main house?
Feiyan, Yuheng, and Yaoguang lived in the west room, Quan Jinghuai, Tianquan, and Tianji lived in the east wing, and Tianshu, Tianxuan, and Aping lived in the west wing.
When Hong Xiaoduo and Manager Yang arrived around noon, they took a quick look around. One of the three main rooms was now empty. The ancestral tablets of the Yang family had all been taken away by Manager Yang's son.
Manager Yang's sons are all successful. They have worked hard in Xicheng, which is more than a thousand miles away, for many years and have developed well. Some of them own restaurants, some run embroidery workshops, and some run inns. Of the whole family, only Manager Yang couldn't bear to leave the inn in Yaozhen and stayed here.
A month ago, the eldest son came back and took his mother away, leaving the courtyard empty.
"I told you guys to stop dawdling. Let's put our things down and go find somewhere to have dinner," Hong Xiaoduo said as she walked around her room and then went out into the yard to greet them.
"Are we going out for dinner tonight? The kitchen is all ready. The neighbor said the grocery store is in the alley behind, it's very close and convenient." Tianxuan came out of the west wing and said this after hearing Hong Xiaoduo's voice.
When Hong Xiaoduo heard Tianxuan's tone, it sounded like he was discussing something with her, but in reality, the boy was planning to cook dinner himself.
"I don't mind, as long as you don't find it tiring or troublesome," Hong Xiaoduo said.
Upon hearing this, Tianxuan immediately laughed: "What's so tiring about that? The kitchen is big and clean."
Seeing Tianxuan's posture, Hong Xiaoduo didn't want to say anything more. She nodded and thought to herself, "As long as you're happy."
"Mother, is there anything you'd like to eat tonight?" Tianxuan asked, barely containing her excitement.
Hong Xiaoduo thought for a moment: "See if you can still buy pork later. I want to eat sweet and sour pork. I gave you the recipe, can you try to cook it?"
It's this late. If the butchers have closed up shop, you can buy whatever you like. Just don't make me eat wild duck again.
Along the way, although we didn't eat wild duck every day or every meal, it was the main dish when we were camping in the wild, because they hunted so many of them!
Hong Xiaoduo really didn't want to eat anymore! She secretly reminded herself that next time she took the little ones hunting, she couldn't hunt like this again.
"Xiaoduo, you rest, I'll follow along." Quan Jinghuai came out and saw his second disciple carrying a bamboo basket, intending to go buy ingredients. He immediately said to Hong Xiaoduo.
Hong Xiaoduo didn't try to take the job from him, and instead strolled over to the kitchen to check things out.
Even if the town is peaceful, she and Quan Jinghuai would not let the children go out alone; it's better to be cautious.
When I got to the kitchen, I saw Ah Ping carrying firewood from outside, his waist wrapped in an old shirt.
In the kitchen, the pots and pans were spotless, as were the cutting boards and spatulas.
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