Chapter 40 Renting Instead of Buying

The sun bathed the winding mountain path in its warm glow. As usual, Lin Yuexi, with a light and determined step, weaved through the forest. This year’s weather was exceptionally kind, with very little rain, making her trips into the mountains much easier. She carefully searched for various herbs, and finally discovered a large patch of wild Tianma. She carefully dug them up, placing them gently into her basket. When her basket was filled with about ten kilograms, she stored the rest in her space and quickly descended the mountain. She then retrieved 20 kilograms from her space, hanging 15 kilograms in each of the baskets on her bicycle. She then sped towards the county town.

Upon reaching the county, she went to “Bencao Yiyuntang” as usual. She walked familiarly into the backyard and saw Master Bai, who was busy. Master Bai was a kind man, with considerable knowledge of medicinal herbs. Lin Yuexi had developed a special bond with him.

In recent days, Lin Yuexi knew that ginseng was precious and rare. To avoid suspicion, she was extremely cautious, only selling one ginseng every other day. This allowed her to save money much faster. This time, Lin Yuexi didn’t take any ginseng, but she increased the amount of Tianma to one hundred kilograms. Seeing her hard work, Master Bai couldn’t help but feel a little curious and concerned. He couldn’t help but ask, “Young comrade, you work so hard to make money every day, is there something at home that needs money?”

“Master Bai, to be honest, I have no choice. My husband went to the army for five years, and there’s been no news. I have two young children to raise at home. Besides, I don’t want to stay in the village for the rest of my life, I’ll eventually come out. I might as well make more money while it’s good, and then bring my two children to the city to go to school,” Lin Yuexi replied.

“Young comrade, you have a lot of ambition! You want to settle down in the city, but now you can’t buy a house, you can only rent…”

“Master Bai, renting is also fine! Just write a long lease term, and when it’s allowed to buy, it’s not too late to transfer ownership…”

“Well, you’re a smart girl, that’s a good idea. I’m going back to Beijing before the New Year, I have a two-courtyard Siheyuan house not far from here, it’s just empty. If you want it, I’ll rent it to you long-term, and when the house can be bought and sold, you can transfer ownership, how about that?”

“Master Bai, are you serious? That’s great…” Lin Yuexi exclaimed. This was truly a stroke of luck!

“It’s true, I’m not kidding you! Wait a minute, I’ll take you to have a look, see if you like it. The furniture and everything, I can’t take it with me, I’ll leave it all to you…”

“Okay, I’ll wait here…” Lin Yuexi was overjoyed! Master Bai was a trustworthy person, his courtyard must be good.

Sure enough, after a while, Master Bai finished his work and took Lin Yuexi out of “Bencao Yiyuntang”. They walked through several quiet alleyways. Soon, an elegant two-courtyard Siheyuan appeared before Lin Yuexi’s eyes. The grayish-blue brick walls exuded the charm of time, the vermilion gate was solemn and grand, and the door knocker was shiny.

Walking into the courtyard, the first thing that caught her eye was the spacious front courtyard. The ground was paved with square bricks, neat and clean. The main house and side rooms were laid out rationally, the carvings under the eaves were exquisite and delicate, as if telling stories of the past. There were also several towering trees in the courtyard, which would surely cast a cool shade in the summer.

Master Bai took Lin Yuexi to check each room. The furniture in the house, though not new, was made of solid wood, exuding a faint woody fragrance. The tables, chairs, and benches were arranged neatly, and the beds, wardrobes, and other furnishings were complete. Some of the objects were also decorated with some antique ornaments, adding a touch of elegance.

Lin Yuexi was overjoyed, she could already see herself living here with Ziyan and Xiyun. The children would be playing and laughing in the courtyard, she would be taking care of the house, and in her spare time, she could read and rest in this quiet environment.

“Master Bai, I really like this courtyard, I want to buy it through rent, what do you think?” Lin Yuexi asked.

Master Bai waved his hand, “Of course. I see you’re a sincere girl, and I admire your ambition. You’re also destined to be with this courtyard. The lease term is 50 years, 3000 yuan for a one-time payment. What do you think? This price is much cheaper than outside.”

Lin Yuexi quickly nodded, “Master Bai, this price is very fair, you’ve really helped me a lot.”

Then, the two of them discussed some details of the rent-to-buy, such as the start date of the lease term, the responsibility for repairs, etc., and drafted a simple contract. Lin Yuexi took out part of her savings and paid the 3000 yuan rent.

Master Bai was also very happy, “My courtyard is also quite old, I really wouldn’t be willing to give it to others. You’re a girl with good intentions and ambition, you won’t go wrong with it…”

“Thank you for your trust, Master Bai…” Lin Yuexi said happily.

From now on, she would also have a home, regardless of whether Lu Cheng would divorce her or not, she could still live with her children. By the way, the college entrance exam would be in three years, when she took the exam, she would get a city hukou, and she could bring her two children to the city to study.

After leaving the Siheyuan, Lin Yuexi’s steps were light, she felt that she was one step closer to her dream life.

In the following days, she continued her medicinal herb business while making preparations to move to the county town. She planned to clean and decorate the courtyard first, then choose some suitable daily necessities and learning materials for the children.

As for Lu Cheng, she only hoped that he would come back soon and divorce her.

… At this very moment, Lu Cheng, who was in the southern army, sneezed several times involuntarily.

Xiao Yichen, his subordinate next to him, joked, “Brother Cheng, you haven’t been back for five years, your wife is still thinking about you? It can be seen that she truly loves you…”

“What wife, she doesn’t have any feelings for me at all. I think I should go back and give her freedom this year…”

“Brother Cheng, you’re really joking, you’ve been gone for five years, and you want to divorce your wife when you go back, aren’t you hurting her?”

“Yichen, you don’t understand, she doesn’t like me at all. Maybe in the five years I’ve been gone, she’s already left my house with someone she likes. Even if she hasn’t left, I send her 30 yuan every month, which is considered compensation.” Lu Cheng sighed.

“Brother Cheng, let me tell you, you’re just being stubborn! You clearly like your wife, but you don’t go back and give the two of you a chance…”

Lu Cheng fell into thought after hearing Xiao Yichen’s words. He remembered Lin Yuexi’s cold gaze on their wedding day, his heart felt like it was blocked by a stone. He also remembered the light in Lin Yuexi’s eyes when she saw Xu Mingyuan. In these five years, he had actually imagined countless times going back home and living a good life with her, but he was afraid of facing her coldness.