Chapter 174

Grandpa Wang was deeply hesitant. On one side was the work of several generations. As Wang Yuan’er mentioned, the carpenter’s shop was their means of livelihood. If it were sold, he truly couldn’t bear it. On the other side were the hopes and ambitions of the Second Son and his wife.

Over the past year, he had watched as Wang Yuan’er, despite being an orphan, gritted her teeth and managed to build a stable and prosperous life for herself. In town, everyone praised her as a capable and hardworking girl, and he couldn’t help but feel proud. Not to acknowledge her accomplishments would seem unjust.

As an elder, his perspective was different from that of the younger generation. In his heart, he wanted everyone to thrive equally. If the First Branch of the family was doing well, the Second Branch couldn’t be left behind. His ideal vision of happiness was for the entire Wang family to flourish with a promising future ahead.

However, while Yuan’er was resourceful and had a good head for business, the Second Son and his wife lacked capability. Even the small foreman position that the Second Son managed to secure required a significant amount of money to arrange. Despite working for a long time, he hadn’t achieved any concrete results. In fact, Grandpa Wang hadn’t heard of the Second Son ever contributing any wages to the household; instead, he frequently took money from his wife under the pretext of handling business and entertaining.

Seeing how the First Branch, despite being orphaned, had managed to lead their lives so well while the Second Branch had shown no improvement made him anxious.

When he saw his eldest granddaughter invest in the merchant ship business and the Second Branch failed to benefit once again, he thought a light had finally appeared at the end of the tunnel. Yet this newfound opportunity came at the cost of selling the family shop!

Grandpa Wang hesitated, taking out his tobacco pipe from his waist and lighting it up.

Madam Zhang nudged Wang Er.

“Father, now that I’ve got a position at the riverway, you’re the one mostly managing the shop. You’re getting older, and it would be good for you to rest. Selling the shop and investing in the merchant ship shares would also provide us with a livelihood,” Wang Er said cautiously and then looked at Wang Yuan’er. “If the shop is sold, I won’t take a single coin from the share that belongs to your family branch.”

“Second Uncle, this isn’t about whether you give us our share or not. This shop is the foundation of our Wang family’s livelihood!” Wang Yuan’er said urgently, her eyes turning red with frustration. “Second Uncle, you only see the potential profits from investing in the merchant ship. Have you calculated the risks of failure? What if the Tang family mismanages it? What if Master Tang isn’t suited for this business? Wouldn’t it all be a waste? And then, if the shop is gone, what will we live on?”

“Oh my, so it seems only that Song San from the Northern Dynasty is skilled in business, while everyone else is doomed to fail!” Madam Zhang couldn’t hold back and made a sarcastic remark.

Wang Yuan’er ignored her and only looked at Wang Er and Grandpa Wang. Seeing that neither of them spoke, her heart sank steadily. After a long pause, she finally stood up and said, “Second Aunt is right. Grandpa and Grandma are still around, and this shop is naturally for them to decide. Since you are determined to sell it, then sell it. Just consider my words as if they were never spoken!”

Madam Zhang was delighted but restrained her excitement to avoid appearing overly eager. Instead, she pretended to be magnanimous and said, “Don’t worry. The share that belongs to your family branch will still be given to you!”

Wang Yuan’er looked at her indifferently and said, “I only hope Second Aunt won’t regret today’s decision in the future.”

This remark pierced Madam Zhang, and she nearly jumped up in anger, but Wang Yuan’er had already walked out.

Soon, Wang Chun’er and her sisters learned about the plan to sell the shop. Wang Lan’er didn’t seem to have much of an opinion, but Wang Chun’er and Qing’er, who were more aware, felt that this had gone too far.

“Everyone knows you shouldn’t put all your eggs in one basket. Could Grandpa and the others have gotten confused in their old age?” Wang Qing’er blurted out recklessly.

Wang Chun’er gave her a sharp look, then turned to Wang Yuan’er and asked, “Elder Sister, is there really no room to turn this around?”

Her personality was deeply traditional, and she firmly believed that the carpenter’s shop, passed down through generations, should not be sold so easily. Now that it was being sold, what would her children have in the future?

“I’ve said all I could and explained the pros and cons clearly. If they insist on selling, let them sell!” Wang Yuan’er was full of frustration and had already resigned herself to the fact that the shop would most likely be sold.

As expected, later that evening, Grandpa Wang informed Wang Yuan’er of the decision to sell the shop. The shop, along with its inventory, was to be sold. However, based on the estimated price, it still fell short of the several hundred taels of silver needed. This meant that Wang Yuan’er’s branch of the family wouldn’t be able to receive their share immediately and would have to wait until profits were made in the future.

“Don’t worry. As long as your grandma and I are alive, you won’t lose your share,” Grandpa Wang reassured her.

Wang Yuan’er forced a faint smile.

The next day, Grandpa Wang announced the decision to sell the shop. Within two days, buyers had already come forward. After some negotiation, a deal was quickly struck. Within just five days, the signboard of the Wang Family Carpenter Shop was taken down. Grandpa Wang personally brought it home and wiped it over and over again.

Wang Yuan’er watched coldly. The shop was already sold—what was the point of clinging to sentiment now?

After the sale, Grandma Wang brought out a key, unlocked her savings that she had scrimped and saved for her entire life, and handed it all over to Wang Er and his wife.

With the money from the shop, the savings, a contribution from Wang Min’er, and Madam Zhang’s private stash, they managed to scrape together 500 taels of silver to give to the Tang family. Finally, they obtained a contract. Madam Zhang was so elated that even her walk seemed lighter and more energetic.

Wang Yuan’er, however, sighed. They had emptied their entire family’s savings, all for the sake of a single piece of paper.

With the decision made, she could only hope that the Tang family would manage the business well and that Second Uncle’s family would quickly recover their costs—otherwise, they’d truly face hardship.

On October 23rd, the north wind blew, and Changle Town welcomed its first snowfall. Crystal-clear snowflakes fell and thinly covered the ground—winter had arrived!

After the shop was sold, Grandpa Wang found it hard to adjust. He would visit the shop every day, only to return home sighing. Over time, he stopped going entirely. Instead, he either spent his days watching people play chess under the banyan tree in the eastern part of town or sat idly at home, feeling somewhat aimless.

The Wang family had completely emptied their savings. Grandma Wang had less than ten taels of silver left in hand and often glared at Madam Zhang with annoyance. With no money available, she naturally had to cut back on expenses. Little Fuduo complained daily about not having enough meat to eat and being hungry.

Fuquan, noticing that his sister had married into a good family and his parents had just invested money into a major business venture, became ambitious. He refused to continue doing the laborious work at the riverway office. Without even informing Wang Er, he simply stopped showing up. When Wang Er found out and wanted to discipline him, Madam Zhang fiercely protected him. Meanwhile, Fuquan argued that his brother-in-law was an important figure and doing menial work was beneath him.

Wang Er, unable to discipline Fuquan and seeing his wife defend him, simply let him go.

Without any control, Fuquan became like a runaway horse, running wild and causing mischief everywhere with his cousin from the Zhang family and his uncle’s nephews.

Wang Yuan’er observed closely and thought to herself that if things continued like this, Fuquan would inevitably get into trouble sooner or later!

But what could she say? These days, Madam Zhang regarded her as if she were an enemy, still holding a grudge for her earlier attempts to stop their investment in the Tang family’s merchant ship.

Everyone had their own path in life, and Wang Yuan’er didn’t want to meddle unnecessarily, lest she be accused again of harboring ill intentions.

After the first snowfall, the north wind began to blow, and the weather grew even colder. As the harsh winter months approached, construction work at the river office picked up the pace, since everything would halt once the twelfth month began.

Despite the cold weather, the laborers worked hard, their muscles glistening as they toiled away. Every time Wang Yuan’er passed by the riverway, she could see the strong men busily working.

Taking a stroll by the riverbank, she eventually couldn’t resist the biting cold wind and quickly returned to her small courtyard.

“Elder sister, elder sister, come quickly!” Just as she returned home, Wang Chun’er hurriedly came to pull Wang Yuan’er to the shop with Wang Bao on her back.

Wang Yuan’er was puzzled and went to the shop, only to see a man in his twenties standing at the shop entrance. At his feet, a little girl around three or four years old was biting her finger as she gazed at the fragrant dried tofu on the counter, her drool forming a long thread.

“Elder sister, he says he wants to rent our yard,” Wang Chun’er pointed at the man, her face a bit red.

“You want to rent a house?”

Wang Yuan’er looked him up and down. He appeared to be around twenty-three or twenty-four years old, wearing a long robe with several patches sewn on it, but it was washed very clean. He carried a basket on his back. As for his appearance, his complexion was a bit dark, with thick eyebrows and big eyes. The sleeves on his arms were slightly rolled up, giving the impression of someone strong and capable.

“My name is Hou Biao. I just arrived at Changle Town and saw that your family has a yard for rent. Could you consider renting it to me?” Hou Biao looked at Wang Yuan’er with a bright smile and directly stated his purpose.

“Our yard is relatively remote, and the house isn’t very big. You…” Wang Yuaner glanced at the little girl beside him. The little girl, noticing her gaze, hid behind Hou Biao’s legs, peeking out with her big, rolling eyes.

“It’s just me and my little daughter living together.”

So she really is his daughter, Wang Yuaner thought to herself. Then, she explained the terrain and other details about their yard.

“That’s fine. I don’t have much to my name, and I’m just a simple man, so I doubt there’s anything about me worth coveting. But the rent…” Hou Biao hesitated and asked, “Could it be reduced a little more?”

In the past, they had rented to Cui Yuan for two taels of silver a month. Now it had already been reduced to one and a half taels, and he still wanted it reduced?

“It’s just me and my daughter. We can live in one room, and the other room you could still rent to someone else,” Hou Biao added when he noticed Wang Yuan’er’s hesitation.

“Elder sister, anyway, that yard is just sitting empty. Look at the little girl; she seems so pitiful,” Wang Chun’er said as she looked at the little girl, noticing her clothes had holes in them. Somehow, the sight of the father and daughter together tugged at her heartstrings.

Wang Yuan’er was more cautious and asked Hou Biao several questions about his background, making sure she wouldn’t accidentally invite someone suspicious, like a rogue or robber, into their lives, as that would be troublesome.

“Miss Wang, you can rest assured. I am from Huazhou. My hometown was struck by floods, and I lost my wife, so I brought my daughter and traveled all the way here. I am not a malicious or evil person,” Hou Biao explained with a smile. He then handed over his clearance documents and other papers identifying himself for her inspection.

Wang Yuan’er took them and, feeling a bit embarrassed, returned them while saying, “I’m sorry, with the year-end approaching, I must be extra cautious.”

Hou Biao assured her it was no trouble.

“Papa, Dandan is hungry,” the little girl said, her eyes fixed on the braised eggs on the table.

Wang Chun’er quickly wrapped one braised egg and handed it to her, saying, “Take it and eat.”

“Thank you!” Hou Biao said sincerely to Wang Chun’er. Her face instantly flushed red, and she bowed her head, saying, “No need to thank me.”

Wang Yuan’er noticed this and felt a bit peculiar about the situation but quickly brushed it aside. She then led Hou Biao and his daughter toward the small courtyard.