“There really is!” Zhao Li Zheng slapped his thigh. “There’s eight acres of land surrounding the house, also from the Wang family, and they plan to sell it together with the house. But the quality of the eight acres isn’t uniform: three acres are top-grade, four are medium, and one is low-grade. The Wang’s son said he’s selling all eight acres together—averaging eight taels per acre, total sixty-four taels. He won’t sell them separately.”
Su Wanxing calculated in her mind: twenty-five taels for the house plus sixty-four for the land, totaling eighty-nine taels. She had planned that once she was settled, she could build a few more rooms around the house and gradually buy nearby land to expand the courtyard. Buying everything at once saved future trouble. Moreover, the house was at the foot of the mountain, a little far from the village. The original owners, the Wangs, were outsiders with no relatives nearby, which meant she could avoid village gossip—especially from her cruel grandparents.
“Grandpa Li Zheng, I’ll take both the house and the land,” Su Wanxing decided immediately. “I’ll need your help to handle the transfer paperwork.”
Li Zheng hadn’t expected her to be so decisive and paused in surprise before nodding. “No problem! The transfer needs to be done at the township office. There’s a five-tael handling fee. I can go help you tomorrow.”
“I’ve included both the handling fee and a labor fee,” Su Wanxing said, taking 100 taels of silver from her pocket and placing it on the table. “Grandpa Li Zheng, here’s 100 taels. Twenty-five for the house, sixty-four for the land, five for the transfer fee, and the remaining six for your trouble, helping me run back and forth for all this.”
Li Zheng was shocked when he saw the silver, immediately trying to push it back. “Wanxing, this won’t do! Six taels is too much for a labor fee! I’ll take at most one tael!”
“Please accept it, Grandpa Li,” Su Wanxing insisted, pushing the silver back with sincerity. “The transfer requires trips to the township office, coordinating with the Wang’s son to confirm details. Multiple trips may be needed, and it’s not guaranteed to be done smoothly. I’m living in the village with my two younger siblings, and I’ll need your help in the future. This labor fee isn’t too much. If you don’t accept, I’d feel uneasy.”
Li Zheng looked at Su Wanxing’s determined eyes and considered that it was not easy for a young girl to take care of two siblings alone. After hesitating for a while, he accepted the silver. “All right, then I’ll graciously comply! Don’t worry—I’ll make sure everything is handled properly. Early tomorrow, I’ll take you to see the house, and once everything is confirmed, I’ll go to the township office to handle the transfer.”
“Thank you, Grandpa Li!” Su Wanxing breathed a sigh of relief, a huge weight lifting off her chest.
“It’s late now, and the mountain paths aren’t easy at night. You should head back—don’t let the kids wait too long,” Li Zheng reminded her. “As for the house and land, I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“All right, I’ll head back then.” Su Wanxing got up to leave. By the time she stepped out of Li Zheng’s house, night had fallen. The village was lit with lights from every household, and occasional dog barks echoed. She walked quickly back to the ancestral hall, feeling reassured—soon she would move her siblings out of the dilapidated hall into a house of their own, finally free from being at others’ mercy.
When she returned, she saw Wanfeng holding Wanyue, sitting on the stone slabs at the door. Both kids’ eyes were barely open, but they were waiting for her. Seeing her come back, Wanfeng immediately perked up and stood. “Sister, you’re back!”
Wanyue rubbed her eyes and croaked, “Sister…”
“Come inside, it’s cold out,” Su Wanxing said, carrying her siblings into the side room and laying out the new quilts. “Tomorrow, I’ll take you to see the new house. We’ll live there—it has a big courtyard and a well, and we can grow some vegetables in the yard.”
“Really?” Wanfeng’s eyes lit up, and most of his sleepiness vanished. “Is the new house warmer than here?”
“Of course it’s warmer, and we have new quilts too.” Su Wanxing helped them undress and tucked them into bed, covering them with the thick cotton quilts. “Go to sleep. Tomorrow we’ll get up early to see the house.”
The siblings nodded and quickly fell asleep, still wearing smiles of anticipation. Su Wanxing sat by the bed, watching their peaceful faces, feeling warm inside. She then went to the kitchen to organize the grain, seasonings, and cookware before returning to bed, already planning the move after visiting the house tomorrow.
She had barely closed her eyes when the ancestral hall’s main door was violently pounded with loud “bang bang” noises, accompanied by her grandmother’s shrill shouting: “Su Wanxing! Open the door, you little brat, hurry up!”
Su Wanxing’s brows instantly furrowed, a chill running through her—just as she feared, the news had spread so quickly. She had just bought the house, and her grandparents’ family had come calling. Afraid of waking her siblings, she gently patted them on the back. Seeing they hadn’t stirred, she went to the yard and asked coldly through the main gate, “What do you want?”
“What do we want? Of course, what we’re owed!” her grandmother’s voice was sharp and greedy. “I heard you went to the county town and sold ginseng today, made a lot of money, and even bought a house and land? You little ungrateful brat—think you’re big now? Making money and forgetting your grandparents, your eldest uncle and second uncle’s family?”
Her eldest uncle’s voice joined in, domineering. “Su Wanxing, now that you’ve made money and bought a house, you should give half to your grandparents! Otherwise, you’re being unfilial!”
“Exactly! The money you used to buy the house is from before the family split. By the rules, it belongs to the family!” the second uncle’s wife chimed in, her tone sharp. “If you don’t hand over the money today, we’ll stay here and let the whole village see how unfilial you are!”
Su Wanxing trembled with rage. What did they mean by raising her? The original owner and her siblings were starved, poorly clothed, almost sold off for money, and yet they had the audacity to demand her hard-earned money now? And after being cut off from them—how bold!
Suppressing her anger, she spoke coldly as frost: “The money I used to buy the land and house comes from the herbs I sold with my own hard work. It has nothing to do with you. My parents’ inheritance was already seized by you, and now you dare come for my money? Leave immediately, or I’ll call Grandpa Li Zheng to settle this!”
“Call Li Zheng? You think we’re afraid?” her grandmother sneered, kicking the door. “Even if Li Zheng comes, he’ll only judge! You little girl, without us elders, you’d have starved! It’s your duty to respect your elders, and today you must hand over the money!”
Outside, the pounding on the door and the family’s shouting grew louder, disturbing the entire village. Su Wanxing clenched her fists, her eyes icy—she knew talking sense to these unreasonable people was useless. If she didn’t make them back down today, they would only escalate their harassment of her and her siblings in the future.