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After eating noodles, the couple rested at the noodle shop for a while before heading to Hua Yu Lou.
Passing by Wang Cheng Bookstore, Chu Yue didn’t forget to ask Lu Xinghe to wait. She took some loose silver from her backpack and went into the bookstore to buy the * Records of the Various States * book he had inquired about last time, which cost three taels of silver. She also bought some rice paper and ink, totaling five taels of silver.
Now that she had earned money, she didn’t mind spending it on these things.
When Chu Yue excitedly handed these things to Lu Xinghe, his heart wasn’t filled with much excitement or joy, but more with emotion.
This girl, the first thing she did after earning money wasn’t to buy things for herself; she still remembered that he had inquired about this * Records of the Various States * book at the bookstore last time.
Tightening his grip on the book, paper, and ink, Lu Xinghe looked at her and said, “Thank you.”
Chu Yue looked at Lu Xinghe, surprised and touched. “We are a family, husband. You don’t need to thank me.”
After speaking, she walked towards the cart, preparing to push it.
Lu Xinghe put the things in the backpack, turned around, and lifted the handles on both sides of the cart. “I’ll do it. The roads in town are flat, and I can push it by myself. You just follow along.”
As before, the two went directly to the back yard of Hua Yu Lou.
Since it was past mealtime, Hua Yu Lou wasn’t busy, and the manager came out quickly.
“Oh! You’ve hunted again?”
Lu Xinghe put down the bucket of water he was carrying. “I found two soft-shell turtles in the field. I wonder if Hua Yu Lou buys them?”
The manager looked down. The turtles were plump. He quickly nodded. “Yes, of course we do. Soft-shell turtles are rare and nutritious.”
After a moment’s thought, he spoke again.
“You two are regulars, so I won’t beat around the bush. Eight hundred Wen for the two turtles. How does that sound?”
Chu Yue didn’t quite understand and looked towards Lu Xinghe.
Lu Xinghe nodded. “Okay.”
Eight hundred wen for two turtles was a fair price; other restaurants would probably only pay six hundred.
After the manager settled the accounts, since it was getting late, Chu Yue didn’t rush to sell the recipes.
Lu Xinghe, worried about Chu Yue’s feet, helped her onto the cart and pushed her home.
“It’s late today. Let’s go home first. Next time we have time, we can go to the real estate agency, okay?”
Chu Yue nodded in agreement.
Moreover, they weren’t in a rush to buy animal for transportation, and her family was still watching her.
If they found a reason to come and demand this and that, it wouldn’t be good.
“Husband, let’s fix up the house first. After the rice harvest, it will get cold. If it rains or snows, our house won’t be easy to live in.”
Lu Xinghe jogged along, pushing the cart, and nodded.
“Okay, I’ve been thinking about this too. Tomorrow, I’ll go find Big Brother and Second Brother. They’re more skilled at this sort of thing.”
Chu Yue propped her chin up and asked, “Husband, are brick houses expensive?”
Lu Xinghe nodded. “Not cheap. To build a courtyard suitable for our family, it will cost about fifty taels.”
“What about a courtyard in town?” she asked again.
Lu Xinghe pondered for a moment before replying, “In town, we’d need at least a one-courtyard house to accommodate our family. The ones in more remote locations cost at least eighty taels or more. If it’s in a better location, it would cost between one hundred and fifty to three hundred taels.”
Chu Yue said “Oh.” “It seems we can only repair our house for now.”
A one-courtyard house only has three rooms. It’s fine for our family now, but in a few years, when Xingping and Xing’an grow up, it won’t be convenient. Most importantly, we don’t have a way to make money in town yet.
It’s different in the mountains; I can still earn some money by collecting herbs.
After all, I don’t have any other skills.
Lu Xinghe nodded. “Let’s repair it first. Tomorrow, I’ll have Big Brother and Second Brother come to our house to take a look. Let’s try to make it as sturdy as possible and get through this winter. We don’t know what next year will bring.”
“That’s true. If there’s a real famine at the end of the year, it might not be as safe in town as at home.”
The two talked as they walked, arriving at the village entrance just as the sun was setting.
Jiang Xiuqin had been busy at home today, frequently glancing towards the village entrance. Seeing Lu Xinghe pushing the cart into the village, she immediately opened the courtyard gate and ran towards them.
“Xinghe, Yueyue, you’re back.”
“Fourth Aunt,” Chu Yue jumped off the cart and stuffed the four hundred wen she had earned from selling herbs into Jiang Xiuqin’s hand. “This is the four hundred wen from the herbs. Fourth Aunt, count it.”
Seeing the large sum of money, Jiang Xiuqin couldn’t stop smiling. She never imagined that a basket of herbs could sell for so much.
Jiang Xiuqin immediately hid the money in her sleeve and whispered, “No need to count. Fourth Aunt trusts you.”
Chu Yue smiled.
“Fourth Aunt’s basket is still at our house. Remember to pick it up later. We’ll go home now. Mother must be waiting for us to eat.”
“Okay, you’ve been gone all day. Third Sister-in-law must be waiting anxiously.” Jiang Xiuqin said, turning her head towards the old house. “Yufang, go inside and get two eggs. Go with your brother and sister-in-law to Third Uncle’s house to get our basket back.”
A girl inside responded, and soon caught up with Lu Xinghe and Chu Yue.
“Brother Xinghe, Sister-in-law.”
Chu Yue looked back. Behind her was a girl slightly taller than her.
She was wearing simple clothes and holding two eggs, quickly walking towards them.
Lu Xinghe glanced at her and simply nodded, turning back to continue pushing the cart.
Rarely encountering someone her age, Chu Yue stepped forward and linked arms with her.
“How old are you, Yufang?”
“Almost fifteen. And you, sister-in-law?” she looked at Chu Yue with some curiosity.
Chu Yue smiled, revealing two dimples.
“I’m almost fourteen.”
Lu Yufang was surprised.
“You’re so young, and your parents married you off!”
She was almost fifteen, and her parents hadn’t even talked about marriage for her yet. They said they would wait until she turned fifteen, and even then, she would have to wait two more years after the engagement before getting married.
Chu Yue had an indifferent expression, showing no intention of hiding anything.
“Well, I don’t think there’s anything bad about it.”
“That’s true.” Lu Yufang covered her mouth and smiled, leaning close to Chu Yue’s ear and whispering, “Brother Xinghe is handsome, and he’s so considerate to you. The sisters-in-law from Big Uncle and Second Uncle’s families are all envious.”
Chu Yue glared at her good-naturedly.
“You’re talking nonsense.”
Lu Yufang stuck out her tongue.
“I’m not talking nonsense! It’s true! These past few days, those sisters-in-law use Brother Xinghe as an example whenever they argue with their husbands. I heard it myself.” She suddenly sighed. “In two or three months, my parents will start looking for a husband for me. I don’t know which family I’ll end up with. If that person is half as good as Brother Xinghe, I’ll be satisfied.”
Chu Yue smiled.
“They will be.”
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