“Village Chief Lin, I want to give the house and my family’s farmland to people who need them more.”
Lin Yujiao looked at Village Chief Lin and told him what she had decided.
Village Chief Lin was taken aback.
“You mean you don’t intend to leave them to your grandparents?”
“That’s right. They don’t really need them anyway,” Lin Yujiao replied. “My father spent a great deal of money building this house. I can’t simply let all that money go to waste.”
Village Chief Lin immediately understood.
She wanted to sell the house.
“As for the farmland, it was allocated according to the number of people in the household. Now that my parents have passed away, their portions will naturally be taken back. As for the portion assigned to me, I’d like to lend it to someone who needs it. I don’t want any rent. They only need to pay the agricultural tax for me.”
It was only through the original owner’s memories that Lin Yujiao had learned agricultural taxes still existed in this era.
She intended to let someone else cultivate the land assigned to her without charging them anything. In exchange, they would simply take responsibility for the agricultural tax.
“Someone should be willing to take it, right?” Lin Yujiao asked.
“Of course!” Village Chief Lin replied without hesitation. “You aren’t even asking for rent. If word gets out, who knows how many families will come asking for that land?”
Lin Yujiao quickly said, “I’d rather handle this privately.”
If the Lin family learned about it, they would certainly come running over to interfere.
Then there would be another endless round of arguments.
Her expression became serious.
“Village Chief Lin, I hope you can keep this from them for now. Also, whoever buys the house needs to be prepared. The Lin family might come looking for trouble afterward.”
Village Chief Lin considered the matter for a moment.
“There is one family that could handle that. Lin Tieniu has six sons, and right now, they’re worrying because their house is too crowded.”
The moment Lin Yujiao heard that Lin Tieniu had six sons, her eyes lit up.
“That sounds perfect! They wouldn’t be afraid of Old Master Lin and his family, would they?”
Village Chief Lin’s expression became rather complicated.
“Afraid? Not only is Lin Tieniu unafraid of your grandfather, the two of them have been old rivals for years. They’ve disliked each other since they were young.”
Lin Yujiao’s eyes grew even brighter.
“Even better! Village Chief Lin, let’s sell it to his family.”
Village Chief Lin stared at her excited expression.
Anyone who did not know better might think she was eagerly hoping the two families would start fighting.
Then again, considering how Lin Laogen had treated her, it was understandable that the girl harbored some resentment.
“All right. I’ll speak with Lin Tieniu for you. How much do you want for the house?”
Lin Yujiao knew little about current house prices, so she asked, “Uncle, how much do you think I should ask? I really don’t know what a house like this is worth.”
Village Chief Lin thought for a moment before explaining.
“Your father used good materials when he built this house. He spent more than four hundred yuan on it. Your family has lived here for several years, but the house is still quite new. I think you could easily ask three hundred yuan.”
Moreover, three hundred yuan was probably an amount Lin Tieniu’s family could afford.
All the men in their household were strong laborers, and one of the sons was serving in the army. He sent his monthly allowance home as well.
Lin Yujiao considered it briefly.
“I won’t ask for three hundred. Let’s make it two hundred and fifty. After buying the house, they’ll probably have to deal with the Lin family causing trouble. I’d feel bad asking them to pay too much.”
Once Lin Yujiao learned that Lin Tieniu and Lin Laogen were old rivals, she immediately thought of the saying that the enemy of one’s enemy could become an ally.
She did not mind giving Lin Tieniu’s family a favorable price.
But that was fifty yuan less than the price Village Chief Lin had suggested.
Fifty yuan was no small amount.
Even Village Chief Lin thought she was being far too generous.
“How about two hundred and eighty? There’s no need to sell it so cheaply.”
Lin Yujiao shook her head.
“Two hundred and fifty. I hope they’ll take good care of the house. Besides, once they buy it, they’ll have to endure Old Master Lin and his family coming over to make trouble. I’d feel guilty charging them more.”
Village Chief Lin gave her a long, searching look.
Now he was certain.
This girl was doing it deliberately.
She was practically hoping the two sides would clash, and she was even willing to lose a little money to make it happen.
Still, since Lin Yujiao insisted, there was nothing he could do about it.
“All right. Since you’ve made up your mind, I’ll go speak with them.”
Then he asked, “Who are you planning to lend your farmland to?”
Lin Yujiao thought for a moment.
“Auntie Cuihua.”
Auntie Cuihua had been Jiang Chunyue’s good friend and had always treated Lin Yujiao kindly.
She would let Auntie Cuihua’s family use the land.
“Village Chief Lin, when the time comes, we may need to sign a written agreement at your office. That way, after I leave, the Lin family won’t be able to cause trouble over the land.”
Lin Yujiao did not want to leave behind an unresolved problem that might later cause difficulties for Auntie Cuihua.
A trace of admiration appeared in Village Chief Lin’s eyes.
This girl handled matters carefully and thoroughly.
It showed that her years of schooling had not been wasted.
After receiving Lin Yujiao’s instructions, Village Chief Lin immediately went to find Lin Tieniu’s family.
Meanwhile, Lin Yujiao went to Auntie Cuihua’s home and called from outside.
Auntie Cuihua soon came out.
“Yujiao, it’s you. How are you? I heard your grandparents went over and cursed at you?”
She had also heard that some particularly vicious things had been said, but she had no intention of repeating those words to the girl.
Lin Yujiao was not surprised that the incident had already spread through the village.
The old couple had shouted at the top of their lungs outside her house. Clearly, they had never cared about protecting her reputation.
If anything, they wanted to ruin her name so that Lin Shengli would appear innocent.
“Auntie Cuihua, don’t worry. I’m fine.”
Lin Yujiao met her concerned gaze, and warmth filled her heart.
She leaned closer and lowered her voice beside Auntie Cuihua’s ear.
“I’m planning to…”
Auntie Cuihua’s eyes widened.
“Really? You’ve thought this through?”
“Mm, I have. I’ve asked Village Chief Lin to help me sell the house. Auntie Cuihua, please don’t take it the wrong way. I thought Lin Tieniu’s family would be more suitable because they have so many people in their household. They won’t be afraid of Old Master Lin and the others…”
Auntie Cuihua interrupted her.
“You don’t have to explain. I understand. Tieniu’s family really is suitable. His wife was complaining just the other day that there wasn’t enough room in their house.”
She looked at Lin Yujiao approvingly.
“You’re a clever girl. There are so many people in Lin Tieniu’s family. They certainly won’t be afraid of your grandparents.”
If it were Auntie Cuihua’s own household, things might be different.
After all, she did not have as many sons as Lin Tieniu.
Seeing that Auntie Cuihua truly did not mind, a smile appeared in Lin Yujiao’s eyes.
Then she told her about the farmland.
Auntie Cuihua’s eyes immediately brightened.
“You really want my family to cultivate it?”
“Yes. Auntie Cuihua, do you want it?”
Lin Yujiao was also worried that Auntie Cuihua’s family might already have too much land to manage. If that were the case, giving them another plot would only create more work for them.
“Of course I want it!” Auntie Cuihua replied quickly. “Who wouldn’t want another piece of farmland? Don’t worry, we can manage it. We definitely can.”
With that settled, Lin Yujiao immediately took Auntie Cuihua with her to the village hall.
There, she wrote out an agreement clearly stating that the farmland would be lent to Auntie Cuihua’s family for five years. Once those five years had passed, the arrangement could be reconsidered.
Each of them received a copy.
They signed their names and pressed their fingerprints onto the agreement, and the Village Chief added his official seal.
Holding the agreement in her hands, Auntie Cuihua could not stop smiling.
“Yujiao, Auntie really has to thank you.”
Lin Yujiao gently patted her hand.
“There’s no need to thank me. You know there aren’t many people here I can truly trust.”
Auntie Cuihua sighed.
With Village Chief Lin standing nearby, she turned toward him.
“This poor child has already suffered enough. Village Chief, have you spoken to Tieniu’s family yet?”
She worried that Lin Yujiao was young and might feel embarrassed about pressing the matter herself, so she took the initiative to ask for her.
“I have,” Village Chief Lin replied. “Tieniu’s family is very willing to buy the house. Yujiao, find a suitable time to meet with them. Once the transfer is completed, everything will be settled.”
Hearing the good news, Lin Yujiao’s eyes sparkled.
“Good! Thank you, Village Chief Lin!”
“There’s no need to thank me. If anything, Lin Tieniu and his family said they should be thanking you.”
When Village Chief Lin had arrived at their home, the entire family had been in the middle of an argument about their housing situation.
Having six sons had once been a tremendous source of pride for Lin Tieniu.
But now that his sons were reaching the age when they needed to marry and establish households of their own, that pride had become quite a troublesome burden.