Volume 1: Hanyang Chapter 20: Buying a New House

  Lu Yun lowered his head and seriously opened the two wooden boxes. In the somewhat disappointed eyes of the crowd, he closed the wooden box again and opened the four small boxes sent by Chang Fu. Suddenly, the silver jewelry and the golden hairpin in the four boxes were presented to the crowd.

  Yang Shu was slightly disappointed, but also couldn't help feeling a little excited. She raised her head and smiled at Lu Yue, who was already sitting on the donkey cart: "Ah Yue, you've really made it big this time! These things are worth at least several taels of gold!"

  Lu Xuan looked very happy, and with a smile all over her face, she said: "Yes, I told Ah Yun last night that as soon as we get the money, we'll go sell a house. It's also more convenient than always taking advantage of our maternal grandparents' home."

  "Ah Yuan is really good at planning." "This arrangement is not bad." "After all, Ah Yuan will think things through. With a house, it'll be easier for your brother to get married in the future."

  After seeing these things, Yang Shu and others have greatly reduced their interest. When the donkey cart left, Lu Xuan heard their discussion from a distance, "I thought there would be many things." "Yes, at that time, looking at the momentum, I thought some treasure had been sent." "Those rich people are really stingy."

  Regardless of whether it was satin or silver ornaments, they were all hard objects, so within half an hour, Lu Xuan's hands had gained twenty taels of gold.

  The sister and brother had lived in Hanyang for many years, so they were familiar with the houses everywhere. They went directly to a small alley next to Lu Yun's school, about 200 meters away, and bought a small courtyard with only six rooms, including a kitchen and a storage room.

  The house has few rooms and is a bit far from the street, so the price is relatively low. Moreover, there are many trees in the yard, including a giant banyan tree that has been growing for hundreds of years, covering the entire house, making it exceptionally quiet. Lu Xuan had fantasized about owning this house when she saw it was for sale a few months ago, and now her wish has finally come true.

  Although the courtyard was not expensive, it still cost Luoyin twenty-six taels of gold. Now, Luoyin only had a little more than one tael of gold and fifty-two five-cash coins left.

  At least they have a home now.

  The sister and brother walked around the house in a circle, overjoyed for a while. After a long time, Lu Yue finally spoke up: "A Yun, I'll go move all the books from home here, and also add some bedding, wooden barrels and whatnot. You go to Pingfu's place and tell them about our moving, remember to ask them to come collect the wooden house."

  "Alright."

  "The people of the Ping government, no matter what they say, are your elders and mine. Remember to be polite. No matter what they say, never argue or talk back. You will be taking the imperial examination in the future, you can't ruin your reputation over such trivial matters."

  "Alright."

  "When someone asks you, tell them the truth about the gold we got and this house."

  "Alright."

  Watching her brother hurry away, Lu Yue's mouth curled up. She touched the gold and five copper coins in her pocket, thinking to herself: There are many things that need to be purchased, these coins might not even be enough. I'll have to start buying the most essential items first.

  As she thought about it, she turned around and looked at her home with her brother, and couldn't help but smile again.

  Zeng Lang returned home when it was already late at night, and his mother had fallen asleep.

  The next day, after practicing horseback riding and archery for a while, he saw his mother sitting under the peach blossom tree sunbathing from afar, so he hurried over.

  He walked over and stood behind his mother, two maidservants with powdered faces and smiling eyes, their charming eyes sparkling.

  These two maidservants were bought back by Zeng Lang himself, and they were the ones he carefully selected for their good looks. They had already been tainted by him, and all that was left was to wait for his new wife to enter the house before he could take them in.

  Because these two maidservants were both of humble origin, whenever Third Master saw them, he couldn't help but think of Lu Xueyan. He thought that if Lu Xueyan didn't have the support of her maternal relatives, the Ping family, she might have ended up just like them, as someone's servant girl, to be toyed with at will.

  His family had also been poor in the past, but after their lives improved, Zeng Lang always had a condescending attitude towards his former companions. This was no exception when he was with Lu Yue. Therefore, sometimes when he thought about marrying a girl who was almost a slave or servant as his wife, he felt an inexplicable sense of depression and shame.

  Zeng Lang walked up to his mother with big strides, and facing his doting mother, he respectfully called out, "Mother, I have something to discuss with you."

  "What's up, tell me."

  "I arrived at Lu Yue's house last night." As soon as he mentioned Lu Yue, his mother's face turned cold. Zeng Lang put on a serious expression and sat down opposite his mother, saying: "Mother, guess what I saw? I actually saw that Wang Da Shanyan, and people from the Chang Mansion came one after another carrying gifts to thank Lu Yue."

  He slightly leaned forward, told his mother about the whole thing, and then said excitedly with his head held high: "I think this is a rare opportunity. If we do it well, it will be very beneficial for Father and our family. What do you think, Mother?"

  Her mother nodded thoughtfully, and after a moment's consideration, she looked up and said: "You're right. Well, you go to the Lu family immediately and have that servant girl return all the gifts at once." She paused for a moment before emphasizing: "During the process of returning the gifts, you will accompany her the whole way. Oh, and bring your father's name card along too. Hmph, how can a small gift like this repay the debt of gratitude? Remember, when you visit their home this time, you must make them understand that the kindness shown by Lu Yue is actually my family's kindness. And your father, as a dignified school officer, deserves better than such shabby gifts from them, and it's not worth the life of their son."

  Although Zeng's house was not very large, everything inside and outside was handled by Mrs. Zeng, who had a high status in her son's mind.

  After listening to his mother's reminder, Zeng Lang's eyes lit up and he patted his thigh, saying: "Mother is right. I'll go now." As soon as he stood up, he turned back and said: "Mother, it seems that Father's name cards have been used up."

  His mother said sternly, "Go and make the name card right away. It must be done today. Hum, if it's delayed for too long, who knows what foolish thing that servant girl will do, ruining our family's big affair."

  "Good."

  Zeng Lang was indeed a man of his word, and by noon that day, he had already had his father's name card made. With the beautifully crafted name card in hand, he mounted his donkey cart and hurried to the Lu residence.

  Two quarters of an hour later, his donkey cart stopped outside the Lu mansion. Seeing that the small, low houses had all their doors wide open and were empty inside, Zeng Lang was shocked in his heart and rushed over with a burst of speed.

  The room was empty, and it turned out that someone had moved everything away. Looking at the broken door and shattered windows that were swaying in the spring breeze, Zeng Lang turned around and walked quickly to Yang Shu's house.

  Yang Shu was sitting in the sun weaving grass shoes, saw Zeng Lang coming over, and hurriedly stood up with a smile: "Is it Mr. Zeng? Are you here to help Ah Yue move? You're too late, she just called a few donkey carts and moved all her belongings away."

  "Move?" Zeng Lang's face sank, and he frowned, asking: "What's going on? Why does she want to move?"

  As soon as these words came out, Yang Shu was stunned. She had not expected that such a big thing as moving house would be decided without even consulting her husband.

  Yang Shu was stunned for a moment, then smiled and replied: "So Zeng's young master didn't know? It turns out that Ah Yuan had someone sell those gifts early in the morning, and then she used the money from the sale to buy a new house. Having gotten a new house, isn't she busy moving?"

  What? Lu Xuan secretly sold the gift and used that money to buy a new house?

  All the way, Zeng Lang had thought everything through and was extremely confident about his future, but he felt like something had heavily struck him in the chest, leaving him with severe pain for a long time.

  With a scowl on his face, he said angrily: "Where did she move to? Does Aunt Yang know?"

  Yang Shu shook her head and complained: "I asked several times, Ah Yue is really like this, can't even say a place clearly."

  These words were like adding fuel to the fire, and Zeng Lang almost jumped up.

  Gritting his teeth, he asked several more neighbors, but none of them knew where Lu Yue had moved to.

  He quickly turned around, and Zeng Lang thought of rushing to the school where Lu Yun was to catch him. But just a few steps out, he stopped again: What's the use of rushing there now? Those gifts have all been sold, and the money earned has all been spent!

  Enduring his hatred, Zeng Lang thought angrily: Ah Yu is really a fool, and she was satisfied with just a few pieces of silver and some brocade! Hmph, if it were up to me, the benefits would be at least ten or twenty times what she got. At that time, I was happy, and even the money that slipped through my fingers was enough for her to buy a house! Fool! She's really a fool!