The Eldest Daughter of a Rural Family
Chapter 204: The Hero Seizes Wealth and Beauty (4)_1

Chapter 204: Chapter 204: The Hero Seizes Wealth and Beauty (4)_1

Lady Chen at home also kept an eye on the second household. In her words, it was only after Pei Zongli and his family returned that Lady Fang met her untimely death, causing such a scene that it even affected Pei Wenli’s reputation and his imperial examination. She suggested that Pei Zongli should lend a helping hand.

It was easier to get things done when there was someone in the family with an official title, but the newly appointed County Magistrate was difficult to read, and attempts to find connections were fruitless.

As the family was worrying, Pei Qin unceremoniously used her rice flour workshop to win over Pei Lizheng, and Lady Zhu had berated Pei Lizheng countless times at home.

Pei Qin busied herself until the end of the month, finally turning the invested twenty taels of silver into thirty-five, and after accounting for the losses, she had earned a net profit of five taels. Sun Tiezhu also brought her the money from the sale of skateboards and hand carts, totaling thirteen taels, which meant she had finally gathered enough silver to build the house.

The siblings were moving again. Just across the alley, Old Father Kong rented them two wing rooms.

Sun Tiezhu and Zou Xing helped them move again.

Seeing that there were other tenants in Old Father Kong’s property, Sun Tiezhu couldn’t help frowning, "You should move into my place, it’s more convenient, and you won’t be staying for long anyway!"

"We’ve already moved here, and it will only be for another two or three months at most; it will pass quickly!" Pei Qin instructed Pei Yuan to tidy up the rooms, and after checking the kitchen, she found it quite spacious, certainly much better than the makeshift shed and half-room they had been using. As long as they didn’t disturb Old Father Kong and the other tenant’s meals, they were free to use the kitchen as they pleased.

After paying two months’ rent, the four siblings settled down at Old Father Kong’s place.

On the second day of the second lunar month, Pei Yuan took out the big steamed buns that had been saved from the New Year festivities, soaked them, and made a batter, then fried pancakes and sent two over to Old Father Kong.

Sun Dashun quickly brought craftsmen over, who cleaned up the entire courtyard thoroughly, keeping the usable green bricks and hauling away the unusable ones to pave beneath the roads.

The mourning period of the seventh seven-day for Lady Fang ended, meaning the heavy mourning attire could be removed, with only twenty-seven months of mourning left before the end of the mourning process.

Grandma Fang, Lady Yu, and Lady Ruan all came to visit, with Fang Li driving them over in an ox cart.

Seeing that their courtyard had already been stripped bare, with craftsmen busily at work, Fang Li immediately jumped up, "Didn’t we agree that I would take care of the house building? Why did you quietly find people without telling me?"

Lady Yu pinched him and said, "Look, all these people are skilled craftsmen, good at their work. What could you do if you were here?"

"I would have helped them keep an eye on things! These kids don’t understand anything; what if they get cheated out of their money?" Fang Li said, his face showing displeasure.

"Qinqin is smart! She wouldn’t get cheated!" Lady Yu glared at him and told him not to talk nonsense.

Grandma Fang wasn’t foolish either; she guessed that Pei Qin didn’t want their interference and felt somewhat sore about it, waiting until she found where they were renting.

Pei Qin’s remark that "they were used to solving their own problems and not relying on others" alleviated Grandma Fang’s feelings of hurt, leaving only a bittersweet sense of distress. "The past is over. If you have any troubles in the future, just come to Grandma. My home is here for you to rely on!"

Fang Li, discontented, said, "Qinqin, didn’t your uncle clearly tell you? You kids don’t know much, and it’s easy for others to deceive you. I didn’t even go out to look for work this spring, just so I could help with overseeing the new house construction!"

Pei Qin apologized with a bow, "Uncle, you live far away, and it’s not convenient to go back and forth. It’s also not right to keep you from your work all the time. The people we found are from the town, experienced hands who don’t need their meals provided, making it convenient for them to come and go. Most of the residences in Taiping Town were built by these people, so they aren’t likely to cheat us. You should go out and find work, Uncle. We can’t keep you from earning money!"

Fang Li found himself unable to voice his offer to help oversee the construction site anymore.

Pei Qin and her siblings went up to Back Mountain Village to burn paper offerings for Lady Fang. When they returned, the four siblings removed their mourning cloth from their heads and the hemp ropes from their waists.