Chapter 24: Preparing to Build a House

Reaching the front door, Xia Ning’an took out a wild chicken and a rabbit, placing them in her backpack along with some chestnuts.

When she arrived home, Xia Ninghao and Lu Zecheng were already there. Xia Ninghao was showing off his new clothes, not wanting to change out of them yet. He was preening in the courtyard. He didn’t even have time to look at the things in Xia Ning’an’s backpack. Seeing her return, he said a word and ran out to show off his new clothes. After all, it was almost time for work to end, and there were many people at the village entrance. He had to hurry over.

Xia Ning’an watched his back, speechless, and shook her head before entering the courtyard.

“Zecheng Ge, did things go smoothly?”

“Yeah, don’t worry.”

“How’s your leg? Did you bump into anything on the way?”

“It’s fine. The journey was smooth. We also went to the county hospital. The doctor changed my medicine. He said I’m recovering well. It’s all thanks to you.”

“That’s good. Second Brother isn’t stupid after all. He knew to take you to change medicine. I forgot to remind him.”

“You’ve already done a great job.”

“Zecheng Ge, I caught a rabbit and a wild chicken in the mountains today.”

Xia Ning’an proudly held the rabbit’s head close to Lu Zecheng’s hand.

Lu Zecheng reached out and touched it.

“Amazing!”

After saying that, Lu Zecheng coughed unnaturally.

That night, Xia Ning’an decided to use the food from the farm. The farm kitchen had over a dozen finished dishes. Bond had been putting new dishes in the warehouse every day, and now there were many hot dishes in the warehouse.

A plate of black pepper garlic beef, a plate of braised pork with dried vegetables, a plate of boiling grouper, a plate of eggplant stir-fried with green beans, and a plate of old duck stewed with salted bamboo shoots.

The main dishes were the same as lunch: a large bowl of snowflake beef fried rice, a bag of seaweed rice buns, 50 mixed grain buns, a basket of osmanthus cake, the sauce duck glutinous rice that wasn’t eaten at lunch, and 50 wormwood buns.

She could say that she packed these dishes back from the provincial capital. Except for Lu Zecheng, who she couldn’t fool, everyone else could be fooled because they hadn’t been to the provincial capital. As for Lu Zecheng, he wouldn’t expose her. Even if he suspected something, he wouldn’t think she had a space. At most, he would think she got it from the black market.

After getting the food, she cut off the wings of the wild chicken and put the rabbit in a cage. She took them to the chicken coop in the backyard. As she passed by the chicken coop, she saw two eggs in the nest. She curiously picked them up. In the original owner’s memory, the chickens hadn’t laid eggs after the weather turned cold. They hadn’t laid eggs for over half a month. Why were they suddenly laying eggs again?

Could it be because of the Farm Spring Water?

That night, she poured Farm Spring Water on all the vegetables in the box to see what effect it had.

After she finished, Xia Changhai and Li Fang arrived home. As soon as they entered the courtyard, they saw the tricycle and circled it several times.

“Goodness, this vehicle has three wheels. It seems much more convenient than a bicycle. You can carry people and pull things in the back.”

“Yes, this vehicle is very convenient for pulling things, and it’s easy to ride. Mother, you try it.”

“Oh, I can’t. Let your father try.” Li Fang was afraid of breaking it and waved her hand.

Xia Changhai was also very curious. Without saying a word, he got on and tried pedaling a few circles. He rode around the courtyard, and Xia Mu kept praising the old man for being amazing.

After they had their fill of fun, Xia Ning’an called everyone to eat. When the food was brought to the table, the old couple was stunned. These dishes were the kind that officials ate. Why did they smell so good? They were drooling.

“Father and Mother, eat quickly. I was lucky this time. The state-owned restaurant just bought a batch of fresh goods from the south. I’ve never seen many of these dishes. I saw a lot of people buying them, so I squeezed in and bought some. I bought a few dishes that the master chef recommended. Let’s all try some new things and taste what people in the city eat. Father, I also bought the most famous Lao Longkou wine in the provincial capital. Open a bottle and have some.”

“Okay, okay. We’re benefiting from our daughter. We’re finally eating what people in the city eat.”

After Xia Ning’an filled Lu Zecheng’s plate, Xia Changhai urged everyone to start eating.

Even though Xia Ninghao had eaten delicious food at lunch, he was still conquered by the food at dinner. He left the table with a full stomach.

After dinner, Xia Ning’an started to distribute gifts to everyone. These were her spoils of war, and she felt a sense of accomplishment distributing them.

Xia Changhai and Li Fang were stunned when they saw the piles of packages on the ground.

“Child, how much money did you spend? Why don’t you keep some for yourself? You’re not going to live anymore?”

Mother, don’t feel sorry. Money is earned to be spent, isn’t it? I went to the provincial capital to sell lingzhi this time, and I sold it for over 3,000 yuan. I estimate that our family’s first batch of lingzhi can sell for at least 4,000 yuan.

“Can it be that much?” Li Fang asked incredulously.

“Of course. So, since we’ve made money, we should buy things to improve our family’s living conditions!”

She distributed their clothes, pants, and shoes. The food was placed in the hall. They could take whatever they wanted to eat and drink. Lu Zecheng wasn’t convenient, so she took some of each and brought them to his room.

“Mother, these fabrics, cotton, and wool are up to you. You’ll be busy after the autumn harvest.”

Xia Ning’an teased Li Fang deliberately.

Li Fang looked at so many good things, she couldn’t put them down. She kept saying it was too expensive, but her eyes were glued to the things, and she liked them very much.

Especially the coat Xia Ning’an took out for her from the space. It was a maroon windbreaker. She had never seen such a beautiful coat. The color was also her favorite. This was the first time in her life that she had owned such a beautiful coat.

“Isn’t this color too bright? Will it look good on me at my age?”

“Mother, you’re only forty-something. This color is perfect for you. Where is it bright?”

She smiled so much that her teeth were all visible.

Xia Changhai got a simple navy blue zippered jacket. It was the kind of simple jacket that middle-aged men wore now. It was very suitable for Xia Changhai’s accountant temperament. Wearing this jacket made him look clean, cultured, and serious.

Xia Changhai also put on his leather shoes. This was the first time in his life that he wore leather shoes. He felt like a factory director in the city. He was so happy.

“Oh, there’s so much strong flour, noodles, eggs, and meat.” Li Fang exclaimed when she saw so many good things.

Xia Ning’an took her family to her room to see the sewing machine. No one in the village had such a thing. It was only owned by wealthy families in the city, who would buy it when they got married. Now, Xia Ning’an had bought one back. Li Fang was the happiest.

“Mother, after the autumn harvest, we’ll use this to sew a set of clothes for everyone in the family.”

“Okay, okay. I’ll learn to use this too. I heard it’s much faster for sewing.”

Xia Ning’an waited for her parents to admire these things before she went to fetch water for Lu Zecheng to wash up.

After Xia Fu and Xia Mu calmed down, Lu Zecheng had also washed up.

Xia Ning’an took out 1,000 yuan from the space and placed it on the table.

“I sold lingzhi in the provincial capital this time. I want to use this 1,000 yuan to build a house for our family after the autumn harvest. We’ll build it before it freezes, and we’ll move into the new house for the New Year.”

Xia Mu saw the stack of money on the table. It was 100 large unity notes. My goodness, she had never seen so much money before. She was so excited that she couldn’t speak.

“Daughter, keep this money. We’ll build the house ourselves. You keep this money for your dowry. We can build the house after we sell the lingzhi.”

“Then I’ll consider this a loan from the family. The autumn harvest will be over in a few days. Let’s build the house first. Otherwise, it will freeze before our lingzhi grows.”

Xia Mu wiped the corner of her eye. Her beloved daughter seemed to have grown up overnight. She was both relieved and heartbroken.

“Alright, put the money away. Our child is successful. We should be happy. Don’t cry.”

Xia Fu comforted Xia Mu.

“I’m happy. I’ve seen a big change in our daughter these past few days. Is it because of Xiaolu’s injury that put too much pressure on our daughter? She suddenly seems like a different person.”

Xia Changhai also felt that his daughter’s personality had changed a lot, but she was still the same person. Overall, she was changing for the better.

“People mature after going through things. It’s good.”

“Our daughter has grown up. Even the vegetables in our family’s private plot are growing better than before. You say Xiaolu’s injury can also get better, right?”

“Everything will be fine. Our daughter is a lucky girl.”