Chapter 11: Trial Housing ……

He Maozhu was still very action-oriented, and Fang Dahai finalized the plan in less than an hour. After Fang Dahai had just eaten lunch, He Maozhu had already gone to the old lady in the backyard to discuss the price. By the morning, they had decided to go to the Yamen to pass the matter.

“You’ve really negotiated for just two small yellow fish?”

Fang Dahai was still a little disbelieving. Didn’t they agree on 50 silver dollars per room? The foyer, east of the three central rooms and two ear rooms, was definitely larger than two rooms. How could this be true?

“If you were offering gold coupons or something, she might not have agreed. But you’re offering small yellow fish.”

He Maozhu felt quite proud of himself for handling the situation, sitting back in the chair in the hall. His actions, especially as he lit a cigarette, revealed a certain superiority, and his face carried a pleased flush.

“You see how chaotic it is outside. When you entered the city, you must have seen it, right? Why is it so chaotic? Oh, wasn’t it because of the French currency and the exchange of gold dollar bills a while ago? With examples like that in place, paper money is more convenient than real money, isn’t it? Now, someone can deliver it to her door without her having to exchange it herself. What’s wrong with offering her a few dollars less? Think of it as letting the money changer have a go.”

Fang Dahai couldn’t help but think this reason didn’t hold water. Who would care about a little money?

He spat in his heart, but his face showed gratitude. He complimented He Maozhu, saying:

“Second uncle, you’re right. The old lady was on your side, or who would’ve listened to us? Then it wouldn’t have gone as smoothly.”

Though He Maozhu had thick skin, he still felt a little embarrassed. The pressure was higher than when he tried to force a smile. The old lady cupped her hands in the air.

“Honestly, the old lady is really good—especially generous. If it weren’t for the fact that my family boy had to pay a big fee to go to high school, meeting you, children like this… she wouldn’t care about money. As long as you said a word, she’d let you stay for a few days. When I first bought a house, the money wasn’t ready, and the old lady even sent me a bag of rice to help me out.”

“Oh, yes, you’re all good people, I see!”

Wait—what did he hear? High school? He had missed that detail. The family had children, who were e-books, apparently.

But this wasn’t urgent. From what he knew, once the People’s Liberation Army entered the city, a literacy campaign would be launched soon. He could use this opportunity to help everyone learn to read, which would be more fitting for their image as poor children from the countryside.

In the future, the poor would be more popular, and he couldn’t afford to lose that lifeline.

But for now, the most urgent thing was:

“Then today… can you let us stay here first? Second Uncle, I… I’m really sorry to say this, but if it’s not possible, we’re afraid we’ll have to disturb your family, Second Uncle.”

Tomorrow, they would exchange the deed, but what about today? This was the most pressing issue that Fang Dahai needed to resolve.

Ah, the benefit of having an elder is clear at this moment.

“Snap.”

With a crunch, He Maozhu slapped a key onto the table.

“This is something I had already thought of, even before you mentioned it. Look, I brought the key to the two ear rooms for you. In a moment, you can take your younger siblings over to clean up and tidy up, and you can stay the night. The old lady said, tonight is a trial period, no rent.”

Ha, a trial period for buying a house? That’s a first.

But this key came just in time, and Fang Dahai felt even more appreciative of He Maozhu, the not-so-good-looking but surprisingly thoughtful second uncle.

“Thanks a lot, Second Uncle. If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t even know what to do. The weather’s getting colder, and while we could make do, with such a big family, it would be difficult. If anyone were to fall ill, that would be bad.”

“Why are you so polite? We’re all relatives. Even without the key, my family could still host you—it’s just a matter of squeezing in. How hard can that be? I say, meeting like this… it’s destiny for our families. My two will have more companions in the future.”

Speaking of his two children, He Daqing looked around the room and asked Wang Guixiang:

“Where’s Dasong? Why isn’t he back yet?”

“I was also trying to find him. He…”

“Mom, it’s not good! Dad has disappeared!”

In the house, the conversation shifted to He Yusong. He Yusong appeared, darting from the front yard and shouting as he rushed toward the house. The people inside couldn’t help but walk to the door, and neighbors from the other houses in the yard poked their heads out as well.

“What’s all this shouting about? Why am I missing?”

He Maozhu looked at his son, who was sweating and panicking, his tone filled with helplessness. Obviously, He Yusong was at home—how could this kid claim that he had disappeared? Was his sight that bad? And that expression… was he seeing a ghost?

“Ah? Father, you’re at home? No, no, I went to the place where you sell buns to look for you. I didn’t see you, so I thought…”

“Why did you think that?”

He Yusong, who was the same age as He Yulan, though only a few months younger, was still a 12-year-old teenager. Even though he looked about 14 or 15, He Yulan was more simple-minded due to the hardships they had faced. At this moment, seeing her father’s serious expression, she foolishly blurted out her thoughts as if they were a real joke.

“Thought they were telling the truth when they said you ran off with the woman and took a bunch of kids?”

“Ha ha ha.”

“Old He, you’re a lucky man. You’ve got an extra woman out of nowhere.”

“The key is, you’ve got a bunch of children. Is this some gang you’re assembling? Ha ha ha!”

Everyone assumed that it must be those boring, bad-taste people on the street teasing He Yusong, deliberately saying this to scare the stunned kid. They didn’t see He Maozhu at home, so everyone was just laughing. Only Fang Dahai, who followed him out, looked a little strange.

Although it was just a joke at this moment, talking about assembling a gang this year… Wang Guixiang might not be dead yet, but who said this? Their mouth was so poisonous!

“Huh, Father, did the family come?”

He Yusong wasn’t completely brainless. Seeing the neighbors in an uproar, and his father’s face starting to darken, he quickly changed the subject to the house, trying to divert the attention away from himself.

The four who didn’t recognize him started to ask.

“It’s really a group of children. Father, are these relatives of ours? Why haven’t I seen them before?”

He Maozhu glanced at the curious neighbors in the yard, knowing it wasn’t the time to lecture the children. After thinking about it, he decided to take the opportunity while talking to his son to introduce Fang Dahai to the people in the yard.

“Relatives. No, this is your cousin, this is your cousin’s brother-in-law, and your brother-in-law’s siblings. From now on, they’ll be staying in our courtyard, in the house to the east of the front foyer.”

“Cousin? Brother-in-law? Father, they don’t look older than me, and they’re getting married? Who are you kidding?”

Fang Dahai finally understood why He Maozhu had brought these children over so confidently. With He Yusong, who always focused on poking fun at people, he had to be careful. If left alone, he’d probably get himself into trouble! He needed help, not to mention saving face in front of others.

If it were a normal person, they wouldn’t be asking about the cousin’s age. They should be concerned about why there were no adults around and then let their father introduce them to the relatives properly. Who else would be fooled by this? Could his father fool him? This was really a headache.

Though He Maozhu already knew his son was a bit offbeat, hearing these responses still left him a little frustrated. This was the first time they were meeting relatives, and he couldn’t even say something normal? Why was his son’s thought process so unusual?

Forget it. In the end, he was his biological son. He couldn’t change him now. He Maozhu didn’t have the patience to answer back.

“Stop fooling around. Haven’t you heard of child marriages? Alright, hurry up and get inside. You’ve been out all this time, aren’t you hungry?”

What could he do with such a son? Hurry up and go inside, don’t make a scene! As for recognizing relatives, he’d deal with it later when there were no outsiders around. The neighbors just needed to know they were relatives for now.

Speaking of food, He Yusong finally turned his attention to the matter at hand with his father. As he walked toward the house at a leisurely pace, he looked up and down at the four members of the Fang family while still rambling:

“Why aren’t you hungry? I went to the place where you set up your stall just to ask you for buns to eat.”

Oooh, how resourceful of you! Knowing that the family can’t eat well for dinner, you’re looking for something to sell, huh?

This time, not to mention Fang Dahai, even He Yulan couldn’t help but laugh. This child is so straightforward that they are embarrassed to be angry with him!

Seeing He Yusong enter the house, Fang Dahai thought for a moment and turned to He Daqing:

“Second uncle, we’re going to clean up the house. By the way, with this weather, a sweaty head can easily catch a cold, so you should hurry and wipe it off for your brother.”

No matter the year, environment, or type of troublesome child, parents always care about their children. This always scores points in interpersonal communication, and even He Maozhu isn’t exempt from this.

Look, when He Maozhu heard this, he became even more amiable toward Fang Dahai. Even though his large, bulging eyes and that deadpan face made him look anything but amiable, his demeanor softened.

“Go on, you first. There’s no stove over there, but remember to come over for dinner tonight.”

“Then we won’t be polite, second uncle. We’ll settle in and then properly thank you later,” Fang Dahai said in a very old-fashioned manner, causing He Maozhu to glance at him a little longer. With a polite tone, he replied:

“It’s not about being polite, we’re all relatives.”

If he hadn’t said that, it wouldn’t have felt like a genuine exchange.

Fang Dahai smiled gratefully, greeted Fang Dajiang, and began to lift the cart, waiting for He Maozhu to help take it down from the porch. He waved his hand and pulled the cart forward. Along the way, he smiled and nodded at the neighbors, creating a friendly, good-neighbor atmosphere with skill.

Wang Guixiang came out to carry hot water and saw her husband standing in the doorway, watching the backs of Fang Dahai and his children. She couldn’t help but follow their gaze, then approached him in puzzlement, asking in a low voice:

“What are you looking at?”

“Looking at a child who doesn’t seem like a child. Okay, don’t ask. Is Big Song eating?”

“He’s eating. Let him wipe his body later; that cotton jacket collar is soaked through. This reckless kid, I don’t know where he gets so much energy from, running around all day.”

“Half-breeds, not all.”

As they spoke, the two families entered the house.

On the other end, Fang Dajiang followed Fang Dahai all the way to the foyer. He saw his older brother surveying the foyer for a few moments before pulling them to the middle of the east side, where an ear room was located. He opened the door, and finally, unable to hold back any longer, he asked in a low voice:

“Big brother, do we really want to buy a house?”

“There’s something to discuss later. First, carry the things into the house.”

He Yulan also had a lot of questions, but her cautious nature, combined with her excitement about finding her second uncle, had kept her from asking anything until now. At this moment, Fang Dajiang spoke, and Fang Dahai’s words stopped her. Finally, her mind returned to its original state, and she raised her eyes to look at the door that had been opened, holding the Xiangcao as she entered.

The two rooms on the east side, in the middle of the ear room, were not partitioned. The overall layout was open, and facing the south, there was a decent-sized kang. Other than that, the house was almost empty, covered in dust. Despite that, the two rooms were enough to make the children of the Fang family happy.

“Big brother, this… this will be our home from now on?”

“Well, there’s also a room to the east of the foyer that we just passed by. So, when the deed is done tomorrow, we’ll build the wall and open a door to this side. Then we’ll have three rooms.”

Fang Dahai circled around the house and roughly estimated the area.

Well, okay, this house may be an ear room, but it’s quite spacious. Since it’s connected to the main house, the height is good enough, and if it’s not enough in the future, we can add a second floor. The area isn’t bad. With around 15 or 16 square feet of actual space, it’s not huge, but for the few of them living here, it’s spacious enough.

“But big brother, where do we get the money?”

Hey, is this kid stupid? Where else?