The demolition office had specifically set up a stage and hung banners, fearing they wouldn’t attract the villagers’ attention. Many villagers hadn’t signed the papers yet, each for their own reasons.
Lin Qionghua stood under the stage and asked her father, “What number are we?”
Lin Weishen whispered back, “Third. The Gu family is first, and your eldest uncle’s family is second.”
Lin Qionghua remembered the Gu family. The grandmother in their family was ill and needed major surgery, but her four sons and three daughters had emptied their pockets and still couldn’t scrape together enough money. The village chief had previously initiated a donation drive, and every family had contributed, but they were still five thousand yuan short.
Everyone thought the old woman could only wait for death, but no one expected the village to be scheduled for demolition.
Upon learning they would receive hundreds of thousands in demolition payments, the Gu family signed the papers immediately, wanting the money to treat the grandmother.
The village chief shouted into a megaphone on stage, calling all villagers and even passersby to come over and watch. After the demolition office staff spoke a few words, they began to read the names.
At this time, demolition payments weren’t issued as checks but as cash. After receiving the money, people could go to the bank staff stationed nearby to deposit it.
The eldest son of the Gu family went on stage to receive the payment; they kept one hundred thousand for medical treatment and deposited the rest into the bank to be divided later.
After they finished, it was Lin Weimu’s turn. After receiving his money, he deposited fifty thousand in a demand savings account and the rest in a five-year fixed-term account.
Then it was Lin Weishen’s turn. He deposited three hundred thousand in a fixed-term account, ninety thousand in a demand account, and kept ten thousand in cash.
With the money in hand, Lin Weishen wanted to buy the homestead as soon as possible, move out, and collect the relocation subsidy.
Lin Weishen took his wife to buy the homestead. Lin Qionghua didn’t go; she stayed in the village to watch the spectacle. There were so many people today, but it was a shame she didn’t have any ice pops to sell.
She ran to find her eldest uncle, Lin Weimu, who was just emerging from his house, riding his tricycle.
Lin Qionghua thought he was going to wholesale ice pops, but seeing her aunt on the back of the tricycle without any wooden crates, she knew they weren’t going for pops.
“Uncle, where are you going?”
“No ice pops today. I want to buy a house in town and move out early. I’ll open a shop in town to do business later.”
Because they hadn’t given birth to a boy, they were openly and covertly mocked for having “no successors.” Now that they had the demolition money, they just wanted to leave this place as soon as possible. Buying a house in town where no one knew them meant no one would covet their demolition payout.
This was a major event, more urgent than selling ice pops, so Lin Qionghua watched them leave.
“Qionghua! Qionghua! Come on! Let’s go watch the show!” Qingqing ran over from afar, grabbing her hand and pulling her forward.
“Where to?” Lin Qionghua was dragged a few steps, a bit confused.
“To the Zhou house. Brother Dayong is kneeling at the door, begging his father for forgiveness,” Qingqing said happily.
Since she couldn’t sell ice pops, Lin Qionghua decided watching the drama would be fine, so she followed Qingqing to the Zhou house.
Several villagers were gathered at the entrance of the Zhou house. Since money was being distributed today, many people had gone to watch that, so the Zhou family gossip wasn’t as attractive as usual.
“He’s been kneeling there since early morning. Grandpa Zhou refuses to forgive him, and he doesn’t dare get up,” Qingqing curled her lip. “Why is he like this?”
Lin Qionghua was about to answer when she saw two people walk out of the front gate: Zhou Xiaoyong and Wang Suling.
Wang Suling snorted when she saw Zhou Dayong.
Zhou Xiaoyong’s face was livid. “Brother, you still have the nerve to come back? You embarrassed our whole family yesterday.”
Zhou Dayong didn’t think he had done anything wrong. He looked at his father, who was walking out of the courtyard. “Dad, you said before that the family had no money, which is why I couldn’t marry Wanfang. Now that there’s money, why are you still stopping me? I didn’t want to run away on my wedding day; you forced me.”
Zhou Qiang looked at him, his face filled with disappointment. “I planned to give each of you brothers fifty thousand yuan, including the money for weddings and building houses. Do you really want to spend ten thousand just to marry her?”
Zhou Dayong panicked. “Dad? Are you splitting the family?”
“Yes!” Zhou Qiang sighed. “You’re grown up now. Your mother and I aren’t young either. From now on, each of you will manage your own affairs.”
Zhou Dayong had never managed a household; he was only twenty-three and had only done odd jobs. Suddenly being asked to take charge, he panicked. “But our family’s demolition money is more than a hundred thousand.”
“The rest of the money will be kept for your sister’s dowry and for your mother’s and my retirement. When we are too old to move, your two families can take turns looking after us.”
This was the result of Zhou Qiang’s deep consideration. The shame of swapping the groom would spread, and eating from the same pot would only cause more trouble. It was better to split the family directly. Everyone manages their own, and no one can complain.
Zhou Dayong nodded. “Fine! Dad, I’ll listen to you.”
Zhou Qiang told him to get up. “Go find Zhang Wanfang. If her parents agree, your mother and I will go propose. The gift money must follow your brother’s standard; any excess will be deducted from your share.”
Overjoyed at the prospect of marrying his beloved, Zhou Dayong stood up quickly. “Yes, Dad. I’m going now.”
He ran off in a flurry.
Zhou Qiang looked at Zhou Xiaoyong and Wang Suling. “You two go find a house. Whether you buy a homestead in another village or a commercial apartment in town, it’s up to you.”
Zhou Xiaoyong nodded. “Yes, Dad, we’re off.”
The watching villagers hadn’t expected the Zhou family to split the household so quickly.
Lin Qionghua walked back and asked Qingqing, “Where’s your dad?”
“He just bought a homestead and went with my mom to clean it up, getting ready to move in a few days.” Qingqing felt a bit attached to Dalin Village. “In the future, this village will turn into yellow earth, and I might never see it again.”
Lin Qionghua was also made sentimental by her.
At noon, Lin Weishen and Song Lanfang returned. Both were very happy. Lin Qionghua assumed they had bought the homestead. “Mom, how much did you spend?”
“Four thousand,” Song Lanfang said with a smile.
Lin Qionghua’s eyes nearly popped out. It was seven thousand before; how did it drop by three thousand in just one day? How could this happen?
Lin Weishen explained to his daughter, “We didn’t buy the Yang family’s house. We bought the former village clinic building.”
Lin Qionghua was puzzled. “They wouldn’t lower the price?”
Song Lanfang nodded. “That house was sold to Qingqing’s dad yesterday. He didn’t haggle and paid on the spot. Your father and I were one step late. Besides, such a high price wasn’t worth it.”
Lin Weishen smiled. “Actually, the village clinic building is quite good. Once we clean it up, it’ll be perfectly livable. As for the yard, we’ll pave it with cement, so we don’t have to worry about glass pricking your feet. Oh, and we still need to build a kitchen and an enclosure.”
Song Lanfang told him to take people to build it tomorrow. “After it’s built, we’ll move in. We’ll also pave the floors with cement and install tiles. I heard that houses in the city now use marble tiles. They’re very easy to clean.”
Lin Weishen agreed immediately.
Song Lanfang put her arm around her daughter’s shoulder. “We’re going to the city tomorrow, Mom will buy you a gold locket. And a few more pretty clothes.”
Lin Qionghua nodded.
The family of three was in the courtyard and saw that many villagers had received their money. Others were one thing, but Dong Liang had received 430,000 yuan in demolition payments. Although he didn’t grow vegetables in his fields—only rice—and his land payout wasn’t as high as Lin Weishen’s, his family had more people, the homestead was larger, and there were trees behind the house. Altogether, it was more than the Lin family’s.
Lin Weishen and Song Lanfang were decent people, and after beating him up last time, they ignored him.
But Lin Qionghua was petty; she was unhappy. In her past life, this man had caused her father’s early death, and seeing him strutting around made her miserable. So, she went to find Dong Liang’s wife, Wang Caixia.
She told Wang Caixia that once a man gets money, he changes his heart, and that a woman should keep the money in her own hands.
Wang Caixia was an honest and simple-minded person who usually lived frugally and wouldn’t even spend money to dress herself up. She didn’t say anything, but seeing her thoughtful expression, Lin Qionghua knew she had taken it to heart. She quit while she was ahead and returned home.
“Dad? Did Uncle go to town to buy a house?” Lin Qionghua got home and shared the good news with her parents.
Lin Weishen didn’t like living in high-rise buildings. “The area is too small, and you’d bump into the walls just by turning around in the kitchen. And in high-rises, you have to pay for even a drink of water; the expenses are too high. It’s not as good as the village.”
Song Lanfang pushed him. “It’s not for you to live in, don’t be a busybody. If Eldest Uncle invites us, just praise them more and don’t offend anyone.”
Lin Weishen understood. “I’m not a fool.” He asked his daughter, “Is your uncle back?”
“Not yet.” Lin Qionghua asked her father to make cold noodles in the evening, and she would sell them in the village tomorrow.
Lin Weishen agreed immediately. “Only cold noodles? No additions?”
“Uncle will wholesale some ice pops. We’ll sell both.” After Lin Qionghua finished speaking, her uncle returned and called her to go sell pops together.
Lin Qionghua didn’t delay and went out immediately.
“Uncle, did you buy the house?”
Lin Weimu nodded. “Bought it. It’s a second-hand house, already renovated, so I can move in right away. But I’m not in a hurry to move just yet. The things at home aren’t packed.”
Lin Qionghua suggested he could buy a shopfront to make doing business easier.
Lin Weimu didn’t refuse. “I have to think about it carefully. A shop is different from a house; it depends on the location. People aren’t necessarily willing to sell a house in a good location.”
That was the truth, and Lin Qionghua was just offering suggestions; good shops depend on fate.
If he really bought a shop, he couldn’t just sell ice pops; that was a seasonal business, and after the summer, he would have to sell something else.
“Uncle, Dad is making cold noodles for us tonight. There’s a market tomorrow, we can take them to sell.”
“Fine. Your father’s cooking is undeniable. Adding one more thing will only make business better.” Lin Weimu arrived at the threshing floor, where some people were collecting money and others were inquiring about demolition issues.
The village chief was explaining the demolition policy to Old Mrs. Fang.
Lin Weimu and Lin Qionghua set up their stall nearby to sell ice pops, and the villagers ran over to buy. The villagers who had just received their demolition payments were especially generous, buying one for every member of the family, old and young.
Before long, all the ice pops Lin Weimu had brought were sold out, but he wasn’t in a rush to leave.
Old Mrs. Fang asked him, “Where is your family preparing to move?”
“To town. Just bought a house.”
Old Mrs. Fang didn’t like going to town; people in the city were cold. Her son had grown up eating food from a hundred families; it was safer to live in the village.
The village chief smiled. “You move to one of the nearby villages. The villagers will still look after your son.”
Old Mrs. Fang had lived long enough not to trust others so easily. Although they were all villagers, the villagers of Dalin Village had watched her son grow up and were naturally willing to give him a bite to eat; how could villagers from other villages have such kindness?
She was still pondering how to keep her only son alive when someone called her from behind. She turned back and saw that it was her eldest daughter-in-law, who had remarried, coming back with her eldest grandson.