Chapter 12: Speaking of Family ……

On the freshly cleaned kang, the four members of the family sat in a circle, all looking in unison at the three small yellow fish, 59 silver dollars, and more than 300 copper coins in the center.

“Didn’t they say that those routed soldiers had scavenged everything? There’s actually this much money?” Fang Dajiang murmured, his face full of disbelief. He Yulan was also shocked, almost as if her hands were on her face. Only Xiangcao, while knowing this was money, wasn’t so sensitive to the amount because of her inexperience. She just thought the gold and silver looked quite shiny and sneakily reached out to touch them. But as soon as she extended her hand, her second brother slapped it back, and she sulked, her mouth pouting.

Fang Dahai saw his little sister’s eyes begin to redden and quickly embraced her, patting her one by one to calm her down. The other two adults, Fang Dajiang and He Yulan, listened as Fang Dahai explained:

“The gold and silver coins were found in a box on the beams of the room, probably the master’s personal money. Back when we were at home, I was afraid of attracting trouble, so I hid it and didn’t tell you. As for the copper, I broke a silver dollar in a passing town. For a family like ours, it’s better to use copper, as it’s less conspicuous.”

Since their father was gone, the family’s affairs were under Fang Dahai’s control. Fang Dajiang, He Yulan, and the others had no objections to his handling of things. However, they were so used to living poorly that when this sudden wealth appeared, they couldn’t help but talk about it more.

“Big brother, you and second uncle of the He family mentioned buying a house. How much do we need in total?”

“The house costs two small yellow fish, the deed tax is 16 yang, plus some miscellaneous costs for the doorway favor, about 4 yang. Oh, and the half-open doorway to the east is also ours. We’ll need to build a wall there and open a door into the center of the ear room. That will cost a bit more. The house is empty, so we’ll need to buy furniture and such. Altogether, we estimate that we’ll be left with just a small yellowfish and around 30 yang in foreign currency.”

“That’s quite a lot. Just the 30 yang and these leftover copper coins should let us live comfortably for half a year.”

Half a year? He Yulan must be using some unusual math. The city is nothing like the countryside, where even firewood costs money, and food is even more expensive. According to the price He Daqing mentioned, a 44-pound bag of flour would cost 200 coins, or half an ocean. And there are various stalls that pop up from time to time, so 30 coins would only last us about three months.

However, this wasn’t the time to discourage the children but to focus on something practical.

Placing the herbs on the bed, Fang Dahai turned around and went to the side of the cart. He reached into the barrel, turned it up and down, and found a palm-sized box. He quickly put the silver money from the bed into the box and handed it to He Yulan, his face stern as he instructed:

“Keep this for now. When the house is bought tomorrow and the deed is finalized, we’ll figure out a way to hide it in the house.”

When the house is bought tomorrow, and the deed is finalized, we’ll find a place to hide things. There are only a few children in our family, and who knows if we might attract thieves. This is just a backup plan in case of any crisis.”

He Yulan, listening to this, also became nervous. Her small face grew serious as she nodded quickly, her eyes immediately sweeping over every corner of the house. If the house weren’t so empty, she would probably have checked under the bed, the table legs, and anywhere else that could hide something.

This was the most important task for everyone to handle. Fang Dahai raised his hand and signaled for Fang Dajiang to start bringing things to the bed.

“In these few days, we’ll be using these old, worn-out items from home for our daily bedding. The things I brought from the Fu family will be set aside and used after the house is cleaned up, so we don’t reveal ourselves in front of outsiders while the house is being repaired. The other items will also be stored in the barrels first. Don’t take them out. When the room is ready, I’ll have someone set up a kang inside. The stove will be placed in the center of the house, and the oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar will be brought out when there’s a place for them.”

Fang Dajiang nodded while listening. Then, thinking about the layout of their previous home in the countryside, he asked softly,

“Big brother, shouldn’t we buy two boxes? We also need dining tables and stools for meals. These need to be bought too, right?”

“That’s for sure, but whether we get new ones or buy them from a furniture store, it’s still too much of a waste. Here’s what we’ll do: In the next few days, you can familiarize yourself with the people around us. See if anyone is moving out nearby, and we can check for any old furniture.”

Fang Dahai knew that this was not sixty years later, when treasure hunting at recycling centers was a normal practice. But since He Maozhu hadn’t mentioned it, and the situation with the fruit party wasn’t good, they had lost a large part of their territory. It seemed that many people around were scared, their hearts full of ghosts, looking for an escape from the capital.

And when those people leave… wouldn’t that be an opportunity? Who moves house and carries all their furniture away? Many times, they even sell the house and its contents together, leaving some things behind or selling them off for a bit of real money, enough to cover their travel expenses. So, why not use a small amount of money to buy good goods?

“Movers?” Fang Dajiang asked, a bit confused.

“Yeah, when people move, they can’t take all the pots and pans with them, right? They definitely need to sell some things off. We just need to time it right. If we’re lucky, we might be able to get things like boxes, dining tables, and stools. For our family, the furniture doesn’t have to be brand new. With a few things like this, we should be able to get by just fine.”

Not only could they get by, but their home in the countryside had basically just a few pieces of furniture, and most of what they had was brought back. These children might not even know how to use it.

So hearing what Fang Dahai said made perfect sense. Whether it was Fang Dajiang or He Yulan, they both smiled and nodded.

“Alright, for now, let’s arrange it like this. Dajiang, go and bring back another bucket of water. The kang has been cleaned, but the rest of the place is still covered in dust. If we want to sleep here tonight, we’ll have to clean it up a few more times. Yulan, you can tidy up the bedding again—lay down what needs to be laid out, and put away what needs to be put away. The four of us will make do on the same kang tonight.”

Although they weren’t big in number, they were used to working, so they moved quickly. In no time, the house started to take shape. It looked livable. As for Xiangcao, she had woken up early that morning to help, and now, she was starting to doze off little by little, her head nodding with sleep.

He Yulan, who had raised Xiangcao from a young age, couldn’t help but feel heartbroken seeing her like this. She quickly held her, soothing her, and once Xiangcao was completely asleep, she placed her in the most comfortable spot, surrounded by bedding. Then, she began to clean up the barrels that had been placed in the northeast corner as a makeshift storage cabinet.

She hadn’t realized how many miscellaneous items Fang Dahai had hidden inside until she started organizing.

“Why are there jars of pickles? Did the Fu family bring these too?”

He Yulan spoke softly, not wanting to wake Xiangcao, but the surprise in her voice was clear, and her eyes lit up as she looked over.

“Well, it saves money on salt, and it can be used as a vegetable. This jar looks sturdy too, so I took it.”

“Indeed, quite practical,” He Yulan chuckled. “And here’s a jar of lard? How come those routed soldiers didn’t want it? There’s more than half a catty here.”

“I guess they were more focused on the grain and meat. Anyway, there wasn’t a single chicken left in the Fu family, and the pig and cow had disappeared too.”

Speaking of grain, He Yulan, who had been smiling just moments before, suddenly frowned. She bit her lip as she thought about it, then walked over to Fang Dahai, who was cleaning the windows with a rag. She asked softly:

“Tonight, we can still go to Second Uncle’s house to put together a meal, but tomorrow… what about our dinner? It seems like we need to buy a stove first. We also need to buy food and firewood.”

Fang Dahai had thought about this just now, and already had an idea in mind. Although he had saved up some points since the previous afternoon and wanted to buy more food in one go, the lottery system made it uncertain exactly what he would get. So, unless it was a desperate situation, the lottery could only be used as a supplement. They would still need to buy food and other essentials in the meantime.

“Tomorrow morning, we’ll first go outside to buy some food. The stove and food will be purchased on our way back from signing the deed for the house. For the firewood, you can give Dajiang some money and have him ask the neighbors where to buy it. We’ll go with him to get it.”

Although she knew these were essentials, He Yulan couldn’t help but frown when she heard about the costs.

“I don’t know how much will be left in our family after buying all this. Living in the city is so expensive. Why don’t we start tomorrow by digging for wild vegetables outside the city? On the way here, I noticed that the grasses and trees in the wild are still green, so we can always find something to fill our stomachs.”

Seeing He Yulan so young yet already worrying about digging wild vegetables in late fall, Fang Dahai couldn’t help but feel a little pained. With all the stragglers around, he didn’t want them to end up in a bad situation. After weighing the pros and cons, and seeing that Fang Dajiang was still at the well fetching water, he finally gave in and whispered to He Yulan:

“You don’t need to worry so much. Dajiang and Herb are still young, and there are some things they can’t keep quiet about, so I haven’t mentioned it. What I got over there isn’t just 60 silver dollars, but 3 seals, which is 150 in total. With that much money, at least by the start of spring next year, our family won’t have to worry about running out of funds.”

“What? How can there be so much? Where did you hide this money? Even I didn’t know about it!”

He Yulan immediately scanned Fang Dahai up and down, looking at his somewhat scruffy appearance. He was only a few years older, so how had he learned the ways of those crafty villagers? She sighed, wondering if her life was going to be hard from now on.

“Don’t look at me like that. I’m not in a position to use it right now. I’ll put it away for you tonight when they’re asleep.”

Knowing it would be saved for her, He Yulan immediately stopped worrying. But that frown returned as she asked, still uneasy:

“You mentioned earlier that we shouldn’t show our wealth, but if we just spend and don’t earn… we can’t hide that. If we want to find work, but Second Uncle can only sell buns, what will we do? You mentioned there was a scholar’s house not far from here, right? If not, I could go look for work.”

Fang Dahai thought for a moment. He didn’t know much about the capital in this era and wasn’t sure where to start. He knew these things himself, so there was no need to worry He Yulan too. He gave her a reassuring look and confidently said:

“Don’t worry about it. You’re still young—people may not even want to hire you. On the other hand, I do have a skill. I could go to a carpenter’s shop and work as an apprentice; that would be better than nothing. Also, I heard that in this city, you can pull a cart or carry water to earn money. I’m 14 this year, but I can claim to be 15 or 16. I should be able to get work, and even if I earn less than others, at least I’ll have a way to make money. That way, I can help with the family’s expenses and keep it under the radar, so others won’t get suspicious.”

In that case, it was a good idea. With this as a supplement, the family could try to find some work they could do at home. Together, they could manage to support themselves. By next year, when Fang Dahai turned 15, and with more familiarity with the area, he might be able to find a more profitable job. Then, life should improve.

He Yulan mentally calculated, feeling that things were generally coming together. Her worries about the future immediately eased, and she felt much happier.

“It’s good that you have a plan in mind. But wait, you’ve hidden so many silver dollars—what about the small yellow fish? Brother Dahai, you didn’t hide that too, did you?”

Hey, for heaven’s sake, could it be that the skill of raiding a man’s small treasury is inherited from a woman’s bloodline? How did she bring that up so quickly and pinpoint it so accurately? What is Fang Dahai supposed to do in the future to fool her?

“Hide what hide? You really think so? Do you think this is cabbage?”

Fang Dahai intended to fool around a bit more, but just as he opened his mouth, Fang Dajiang returned, carrying water.

“What cabbage?”

Well, what more was there to say? Whether it was Fang Dahai’s attempts to fool her or He Yulan’s inquiries, it had all fallen apart.