Chapter 20: The Lizheng’s Little Schemes

At first, Song Chunsheng had been worried.

Ever since that day when his younger sister helped out Physician Li for the first time, the man had been coming every single day. He claimed it was to check on his leg, but he always ended up chatting endlessly with his sister.

Song Chunsheng had even thought this young Physician Li harbored ulterior motives and had taken a liking to his sister.

An apprentice?

Hah—so it turned out he wanted to take his sister as a medical apprentice.

Well, that made sense. Ever since they had cut ties with the old Song family, his sister had changed, as if a switch had flipped inside her. Her mind had become exceptionally sharp.

And it wasn’t just his eldest younger sister. His second younger sister had become more lively and cheerful too. Even their little brother had started speaking fluently and was nearly able to recite the Three Character Classic by heart.

His leg was healing steadily as well.

Ever since they severed ties with the old Song family, it felt as though fortune had finally begun to favor the siblings.

It seemed that his bold and widely condemned decision to break away had, in fact, been the right one.

In an effort to make him stay, Physician Li listed a whole string of reasons—discharging too early could be harmful, there were no adults at home, and it would be inconvenient for the girls to take care of everything. He emphasized how the injured area was still fragile and that any mishap could lead to serious consequences…

With so many reasons stacked up, Song Chunsheng started to feel that if he didn’t stay a few more days, his leg might not heal properly after all.

“Um, Jinxiu, maybe we should just do as Physician Li says. Stay for five more days. After all, most patients here stay for half a month before they’re discharged.”

Song Jinxiu thought: Sure, most people are discharged after two weeks—but are you the same as everyone else? You’ve been drinking water infused with Bodhi Jianmu leaves. Your bones have mended perfectly, haven’t they?

But she also understood—her Big Brother wasn’t trying to take advantage of anything. He was genuinely worried that his leg wouldn’t heal well.

A patient’s mood played a crucial role in recovery too.

To ease her Big Brother’s mind, Song Jinxiu had no choice but to compromise.

Fine—let him stay then. So what if that annoying Physician Li kept trying to pry words out of her? She’d let her Big Brother remain here for now, and in the meantime, she could return home and rebuild the house.

Although the old house didn’t let in the wind, it was crawling with scorpions and poisonous bugs. Just thinking about it made Song Jinxiu uneasy. She had already decided to tear it down and build a new one from scratch.

“Brother, I want to go home for a bit.”

“What for?”

As the siblings were speaking, the Lizheng arrived.

During this time, the grandfather Lizheng’s  had come by once. When he learned that the clinic was treating them free of charge, even covering their meals and lodging, the old man was so moved he nearly kowtowed to Physician Li.

Then, upon hearing that Song Jinxiu had accidentally saved an important person and received a generous silver reward in return, the old man clasped his hands toward the sky and offered a deep bow of gratitude.

“Aiya, truly heaven is watching over them. These children have finally seen the light after so much hardship.”

But as for today’s visit—Lizheng had come with a purpose.

He blinked his small eyes, looking every bit the sly old fox. “Sanya, what are you planning to do with the money that nobleperson rewarded you?”

Song Jinxiu replied, “Grandfather Lizheng, I’d like to buy two mu of land first. Do you think that would be possible?”

Grandfather Lizheng slapped his thigh. “Possible? It’s more than possible! Good girl, you’re a sensible one. A girl needs a strong natal family. If her natal home is solid, only then can she hold her head high in her husband’s house in the future.”

Song Jinxiu smiled and said, “Grandfather, I’m still young. Once we’ve built a proper house, once Big Brother has married a Sister-in-law, once Little Brother is enrolled in the academy, and my sisters are settled—only then will I consider marriage.”

Lizheng let out a hearty laugh, his eyes glinting as he asked with a grin, “Oh? You’ve got quite the ambition, don’t you? You’re really willing to spend that money on building a big house? Not even saving a bit for your dowry?”

If this girl truly rebuilt the house and bought two mu of land, and Chunsheng’s leg recovered, then there’d be no trouble finding him a good wife.

As for the two younger girls, marriage would never be a problem for them.

Sending Qiusheng to the academy, though—that was another matter entirely. That scrawny little boy, barely more than a bean sprout, it would already be a blessing if he simply grew up healthy.

Still, he had to admit, the last couple of times he’d seen the little fellow, there was a bit more flesh on his cheeks.

Lizheng’s eyes darted about—Sanya wasn’t that young anymore. There were certainly girls her age who were already married.

These four children had had such a hard time; he had to find a way to coax all that money out of Sanya, make sure she spent it all for the benefit of the two boys.

That was the real reason he’d come today.

That day, when he found out the children had come into some money, he’d been too delighted to think things through.

But once he got home, the thought struck him: this money was earned by Sanya, and Chunsheng, that foolish boy, actually let her hold onto it. What if the girl got selfish and kept it all as a dowry? What then?

Seeing the blatant scheming on Grandfather Lizheng ’s face, Song Jinxiu was speechless.

Was the old man trying to goad her into giving up the silver? So afraid she might keep it as her dowry—what a textbook example of a patriarchal elder who favored sons over daughters.

“Grandfather Lizheng , I’m only thirteen. I won’t even think about getting married before I’m twenty.”

“Oh? Then won’t you end up an old maid no one wants to marry?” Lizheng teased.

“So what?” Song Jinxiu replied with a completely unconcerned look. “As long as I have money, if no one wants to marry me, I’ll just find myself a husband who marries into my family instead.”

This Grandfather Lizheng  was a good old man. He genuinely cared for the four of them. Just look at how anxious he’d been the moment her Big Brother injured his leg—he’d practically worried himself sick.

It was precisely because this old man loved to meddle that Song Jinxiu felt the need to give him a little warning ahead of time—just in case he got it into his head to start matchmaking and muddle up her marriage prospects.

Lizheng was momentarily stumped. This girl—bringing in a husband through marriage? Wouldn’t that mean sharing the family property?

But then again, the family’s property had been earned by her, so he couldn’t exactly argue against it. That left him feeling a little frustrated.

Fine, whatever. The girl was still young. Marriage could be dealt with later.

What mattered now was getting the silver out of her hands.

“Sanya,” he said, “now’s the perfect time to build a house. The thawed soil is soft and easy to work with—a few cartloads and you’re set. Folks in the village can lend a hand too. But wait another month or so, and it’ll be the busy farming season.”

Lizheng looked at her with such earnest anticipation, it almost seemed like the house was being built for his own family.

Song Jinxiu smiled and nodded. “Alright. Since we don’t know much about buying land or building a house, Grandfather Lizheng , could you advise us on what we should watch out for?”

“Aiya, of course you don’t know! You’re still young, and your brother still needs time to recover his leg. How about this—why don’t you give Grandfather an idea of how much money you have on hand? I’ll take care of everything for you.”

With that, Lizheng took on the expression of a wolf in grandmother’s clothing. Song Jinxiu could hardly stop herself from facepalming.

If it weren’t for the fact that he truly meant well and sincerely wanted to help them, she might have suspected he had some ulterior motive.

It was just too obvious—those three characters, “I’m Scheming,” practically glowed like a signboard above his head.

Song Jinxiu leaned in mysteriously and held up one finger.

“Ten taels?” Lizheng guessed.

Lizheng looked a little disappointed—hadn’t Physician Li said the person saved was a high-ranking official?

He’d heard that officials of that stature rewarded their servants with gold leaf, not silver.

But thinking it over, Sanya was just a child. Saving someone purely by chance and being rewarded with ten taels was already quite a stroke of luck.

Ten taels would be enough to buy two mu of dry land. If Sanya kept five taels aside, it would be just enough to build a three-room dado house. That way, the four siblings would at least have a proper home and some land to their name.

The so-called dado house was a local term—it referred to houses where the exterior walls were made of brick, while the interior walls were mud or earthen blocks. The roof was structured with heavy beams, followed by rafters, then covered with a layer of woven branches and mud, topped with tiles.

From the outside, it looked like a solid and respectable brick-tile house, but in reality, it saved a considerable amount on bricks.

Usually, families who couldn’t afford a full brick house but still wanted something respectable built their homes this way.

It was both sturdy against wind and snow, and economical yet impressive. In fact, half the households in Songjia Village were built like this.

When it came time for a son to marry, the bride’s family would come to inspect the home. They’d be led around the house, and upon seeing it, would immediately agree to let their daughter marry in.

So Lizheng decided to build this kind of house for Chunsheng’s family. Once completed, it would serve perfectly as Chunsheng’s marital home.

In his mind, Lizheng was already quietly calculating where to buy bricks and tiles cheaply, and how many villagers he could recruit to work for free.

But then Song Jinxiu stretched out a long, teasing “Nng—guess again.”

She kept waving one finger playfully.

Lizheng’s heart suddenly stirred with excitement.