Disaster Apocalypse: Farming, Family, and My Hidden Secret Space
Chapter 144. Gratitude

Chapter 144: 144. Gratitude

Walking along, they asked at several places, but either there were no rooms left, or only one was available.

If it were just their family, squeezing into one room might be manageable, after all, Hua Jin was still quite young.

But Qin Shu needed at least two rooms; he couldn’t just bring someone along and then ignore them. That wasn’t something he, as a parent, could do.

So they had to keep asking. Fortunately, the North Street was quite large, likely because it was close to the examination institute, there were indeed many inns, big and small.

After asking at several inns and returning disappointed, they once again walked into a fairly large looking inn.

The inn’s grand facade alone would intimidate most people from entering, as going in meant spending money.

However, Hua Chengtian let out a sigh of relief. With an inn this big, there might be some hope.

Standing at the inn’s entrance, Qin Shu hesitated. Though his parents gave him some silver when he left, such a nice inn surely required a lot of silver coin for just one night, and touching the money pouch in his bosom, he thought of how hard-earned every penny was at home, rendering him unable to move his foot.

"Qin Shu," realizing his friend hadn’t followed him in, Hua Yunao turned back out.

"Yun Ao, this inn..." Qin Shu revealed a trace of embarrassment in his expression.

Just from seeing Qin Shu’s expression, Hua Yunao understood and sighed inwardly.

Had their family’s situation not improved, he and Qin Shu would have reacted similarly.

Stepping forward a few paces, Hua Yunao grabbed Qin Shu’s arm, gave it a pat, saying, "Don’t overthink it. This inn may be bigger, but it might not be as expensive as we expect. Plus, don’t forget we can share a room and split the costs, which can save quite a bit. Let’s go in and take a look first."

With that, he pulled Qin Shu into the inn.

Having inquired at so many inns, Hua Yunao sincerely hoped this time wouldn’t be in vain; otherwise, as more students arrived, accommodations would become increasingly hard to find.

Of course, they could also rent a house from local residents, but being strangers in a strange place, who dared to take such a risk?

As Qin Shu was being pulled in, he happened to lock eyes with Hua Jin, who was surveying the room. The young girl smiled at him brightly, and the clear, calm gaze left Qin Shu momentarily stunned.

Meanwhile, Hua Chengtian was already talking with the shopkeeper, inquiring if there were any vacant rooms.

This time, fate finally smiled upon them, as there were indeed rooms available, more than just one.

The price was evidently higher than other inns, but it wasn’t outrageous, only slightly increased, less than two-fold the usual rent.

Clearly, the authorities had already intervened, or else the money-minded businessmen would never pass up this chance to make money.

Even so, the spacious and well-conditioned inn was still a place unaffordable for many humble students.

This was not just for one day but for several consecutive days, which added up to a considerable amount, not even counting the daytime expenses.

The best rooms had the most availability with four vacant, medium rooms two, and only one of the lowest grade rooms remained.

With so many people, though the lower-grade rooms were significantly cheaper, they were too small, and the shopkeeper didn’t recommend them.

Even so, a medium room cost more than three hundred wen per day, which would provide many days’ lodging back in their town.

The lower-grade rooms, though cheaper, still represented a significant expense for the poor, costing over a hundred wen, and their conditions were significantly worse.

Not only were the rooms much smaller than the medium ones, but the proximity of the rooms suggested they might be quite noisy. But it was already quite good compared to some inns where several people shared a single room, offering no personal space and little chance of peace.

And it wasn’t the worst. The worst were those large bunkrooms housing twenty to thirty people per room, obviously much cheaper.

In short, it was one word... expensive!

Even Hua Jin couldn’t help but gasp, let alone Qin Shu, who was always trying to save money. Turning his head, he saw Qin Shu’s distressed expression, and quietly tugged at his father, giving a meaningful glance towards Qin Shu.

Receiving the hint, Hua Chengtian smiled at the shopkeeper, "Please allow us to discuss."

The shopkeeper nodded, gesturing with a courteous ’please’.

Anyone managing such a big inn wasn’t naive, especially since most guests at this time were students here for exams, deserving some respect, given who knew if they’d become someone they’d want to curry favor with in the future, all seen as sowing good karma.

Hua Chengtian, pulling his son and daughter aside, stood before Qin Shu.

"Young Master Qin..."

"Uncle Hua, just call me Qin Shu," Qin Shu bowed.

"Alright, Qin Shu, since you call me uncle, I’ll speak frankly. You know we’ve checked so many inns already, and either there are no rooms, only one left, or the rooms that are available have too poor conditions which make me uneasy letting you stay there. While this inn is indeed expensive, its environment is undeniably the best we’ve seen. Mainly, there’s no guarantee we’ll find better if we keep looking. I think, given the tight lodging situation, we should settle here. What do you think about that?"

Qin Shu surveyed the inn’s environment; it was indeed very good. But the price, just thinking about it made him reluctant.

Considering his wallet, Qin Shu was still inclined to look further.

"Uncle Hua, the environment here is indeed excellent. You all should settle here, but I still want to look around, maybe there’s something cheaper and more suitable." As he spoke of something cheaper and more suitable, Qin Shu was poised, without feeling inferior due to financial constraint, giving Hua Chengtian a candid smile.

This indeed left Hua Jin with a favorable impression of him, someone who didn’t follow blindly, had his own judgment, and knew to act within his means, without undervaluing himself for being poor. Such resolve at their age was rarely seen. Someone like him, if given a chance, surely wouldn’t go astray in the future.

She rather admired her brother’s insight for making friends, he really had a good eye.

What’s more, both her brother’s friends were quite handsome, which made Hua Jin wonder if her brother had a penchant for good looks, choosing good-looking brothers as friends.

With both Qin Shu and Luo Song, Hua Jin glanced at her brother, giving Hua Yunao a sweet smile, though it left big brother Hua a bit puzzled.

"Alright, we’ll go with what you say," Hua Chengtian said no more, nor did he try to persuade Qin Shu, but was delighted by the boy’s self-awareness and his avoidance of squandering his family’s hard-earned money. His son’s friends were very upright.

With Qin Shu’s thoughts confirmed, Hua Chengtian wasted no time getting back to the shopkeeper to book two medium rooms and hesitated before also reserving the lower-grade room, leaving a deposit of five taels of silver.

Just the five tael silver deposit alone was beyond what ordinary people could bear. The shopkeeper accepted it cheerfully, duly taking down the details and politely having a staff member lead them to see the rooms.

Hua Chengtian was very satisfied. True to its price, the environment was indeed much better than the inn they were used to, with noticeably more space, and the bed in the outer room looked more luxurious.

Hua Jin was satisfied too. When traveling, if financially feasible, it’s naturally preferable to stay somewhere more comfortable. Importantly, the owner of such a large inn was surely no ordinary person, offering some assurance of safety, as evidenced by the numerous staff and patrolling, seemingly guard-like individuals.

As for Hua Yunao and his brother, they weren’t particular about accommodations. As long as there was a place to rest, it’d suffice, and besides, with their father and sister around, it wasn’t their place to be picky.