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Grandma Wang listened to Wang Jinhe’s words and shook her head, amused and perplexed. “What are you saying, child? What do you mean by ‘the hope of a thriving family’?”
“Little Flower not only lays eggs for us to eat, but she also has to hatch chicks. It’s quite a task for her,” Wang Jinhe said, bursting into laughter.
On the other hand, Wang Jinhe glanced at the pregnant belly of Little Baa Baa, contemplating whether, in the future, if they wanted to have a roasted whole lamb, Big Baa Baa would chase after her.
“Grandma, if we decide to eat lamb in the future, will Big Baa Baa be willing to give it?” Wang Jinhe propped up her chin and asked.
“Probably the same as Big Flower. They’ll give what can be eaten and withhold what can’t,” the old lady pondered and replied.
She was completely convinced now. The animals in their household had become quite clever, whether it was one or two of them.
“That makes sense,” Wang Jinhe agreed with a nod. After all, they couldn’t just raise them without providing food, could they?
“You’re just worrying unnecessarily,” Wang’s old lady shook her head and said, “By the way, your older brother hasn’t come back recently. Aren’t you going to the town tomorrow? Go and check on your brother, see if something happened.”
She was slightly concerned about her eldest grandson.
“Okay, I’ll go and see him later. After that, I’ll go check on the new house and then the melon field,” Wang Jinhe informed Grandma Wang before leaving.
As she watched everyone bustling around, with the Gu family members busy with their tasks on the side, Wang Jinhe had a faint smile on her face.
Ever since they started working on the construction with bricks and tiles, Wang Jinhe could tell that her parents and grandfather were in high spirits.
In about another month, their house would probably be completed.
Tomorrow, when going to the town, she would also visit the wood store and ask the owner to make some beds, wardrobes, and such.
They also needed to buy some fabric. They had been too busy lately and hadn’t purchased any yet.
After observing for a while, Wang Jinhe went to the melon field and noticed that the watermelon seedlings had grown significantly.
Squatting down and looking at the watermelons, Wang Jinhe muttered, “You better perform well. I need to earn more money this year, or else I’ll be disappointed.”
Fortunately, no one passed by at that moment, or they would have thought Wang Jinhe was crazy.
Before leaving, Wang Jinhe picked some dandelions from the edge of the field and planned to wash and dry them to make herbal tea.
The next day, Wang Jinhe went to the town early in the morning and first inquired about the prices at the wood store.
Surprisingly, it would cost nearly sixty taels for five sets of beds. This price was a bit high for Wang Jinhe.
“Can’t you lower the price a bit, boss?” Wang Jinhe asked the shop owner.
“The lowest I can go is fifty-five taels. We can’t go any lower than that,” the shop owner said helplessly.
Wang Jinhe smiled and replied, “That works.”
“By the way, could you help me make a children’s desk while you’re at it? I have the design here, take a look.” It was a desk with an integrated bookshelf, which was very convenient for children to use.
The shop owner sensed a business opportunity as he looked at the design. “I can make this for you without charging any money. In fact, would you be willing to sell me the design for ten taels of silver?”
Wang Jinhe was taken aback. “But shouldn’t this kind of desk be unpopular? Aren’t you worried about losing money by buying the design from me?”
After all, this was a modern-style desk that didn’t match the antique style of the house. It might be acceptable in an average household, but it was unlikely to be favored by wealthy families.
The shop owner’s thoughts remained a mystery to Wang Jinhe. Could he really not be concerned about potential losses?
“Rest assured, I have my own plans, and I won’t lose money,” the shop owner replied, without revealing his true intentions. He might even make a significant profit from this deal.
With the shop owner’s assurance, Wang Jinhe decided to go along with his proposal. “Since that’s the case, let’s proceed as you suggested,” she said.
In the end, Wang Jinhe purchased five sets of furniture for forty taels of silver. This included beds, wardrobes, cabinets, and a set of bookshelf-desks for Wang Jingyu’s room.
“Once our house is completed, I’ll come by to collect the furniture. It will probably take around one and a half months,” Wang Jinhe informed the shop owner of the estimated timeline.
“Alright, I’ll make the necessary preparations in advance,” the shop owner assured.
“Here is your receipt as proof of your purchase. Make sure to bring it when you come to collect the furniture,” he added.
“Okay,” Wang Jinhe acknowledged, carefully keeping the receipt.
After leaving the timber shop, Wang Jinhe headed to the academy to visit Wang Jingyu.
“You mentioned Jingyu? He has been assisting the master in transcribing books recently, so he hasn’t had time to return. It will probably take another half a month before he can finish and come back,” Wang Jinhe explained with a smile to a fellow student whom she intercepted.
“These books are urgently needed by the master, which is why he hasn’t had a chance to inform you all,” she added.
“Thank you for letting me know.”
“No problem at all.”
Wang Jinhe felt relieved. It seemed that her brother had a good reputation at the academy; otherwise, people wouldn’t have been so understanding and accommodating in their explanations.
Knowing that her older brother was busy helping their teacher with transcribing books, Wang Jinhe felt relieved. After leaving the academy, Wang Jinhe went to buy the necessary items. Looking at the pile of things, her lips twitched.
She was now somewhat grateful that their house was located at the outskirts of the village, with some distance from the main village. Otherwise, carrying all these things back home would surely invite some snide comments from certain people.
As she carried the items back, Grandma saw her and sternly said, “You, do you think the money in your hands just fell from the sky?”
“It didn’t fall from the sky, it dropped from heaven,” Wang Jinhe chuckled and replied.
Grandma’s mouth twitched as she looked at Wang Jinhe. She couldn’t argue with her words because Wang Jinhe was right. After all, wasn’t the money like a gift from heaven?
“Well, then don’t get angry. This money is meant to be spent. In the future, we’ll have even more money. Besides, we don’t even have a few decent clothes or blankets in our house. We definitely need to make them. Otherwise, it would look odd to have a new house with old blankets, right?” Wang Jinhe said playfully.
Although it wasn’t too cold in the winter in the southern region, thinner and damp blankets wouldn’t do.
“You’ve already thought of everything. What else can I say?” Grandma replied.
“Grandma, today when I went to find my brother, I noticed that he gets along well with his classmates. What if someday he brings them home and sees the state of our house? It would be embarrassing for him,” Wang Jinhe said. Even though her brother didn’t care about such things, she didn’t want him to feel inferior.
Grandma pondered for a moment and agreed, “You’re right. In that case, go ahead and make the necessary preparations. By the way, why hasn’t your brother come back recently? Have you asked him?”
“I asked his classmates, and they told me that he has been busy helping his teacher transcribe books. That’s why he hasn’t had time to come home. He will be busy for another half month before returning. I thought since he’s busy, I didn’t go to find him,” Wang Jinhe shared the information she had gathered with Grandma.
Upon hearing this, Grandma felt relieved and said, “As long as nothing serious is happening, then it’s fine. I’m relieved now.”
“Grandma, don’t worry. When I talked to my brother’s classmates, they seemed quite happy when mentioning him. They should be getting along well. So, please don’t be concerned,” Wang Jinhe reassured Grandma.