The name on the title deed was still Tong Tiejun’s.
Back then, Tong Tieshan had taken this title deed to change the ownership name, but the village chief directly confiscated it, saying that this house could only be left to Tong Xiaoya.
Whenever Tong Xiaoya regained her sanity and reached adulthood, how to handle this house would be decided by her alone; no one else had the right to dispose of it for now.
“Over the years, quite a few people inquired about this house, but I turned them all down. Those who came to your mother-in-law wanting to buy the house were also rejected by her.”
They all thought Tong Xiaoya was foolish and wouldn’t regain her sanity even after reaching adulthood, planning to give Zhang Changhe a bit of benefit so he would trick the fool into selling the house.
It was the same on Wang Yumei’s end; even though they owed so much money to treat their son’s illness, she never harbored any thoughts of touching this house.
If she had any ulterior motives, relying on her relationship with the little fool, the house would have been hers in a heartbeat.
Looking at the title deed in her hands, Tong Xiaoqian remarked, “Thank you, Uncle Zhang. I want to sell the house. Roughly how much can it sell for?”
“Sell it?!” Zhang Changhe hadn’t expected that the very first thing the foolish girl wanted to do after regaining her sanity was to sell the house. He couldn’t help but look toward the Lei couple, assuming it was prompted by them.
The two of them also wore expressions of astonishment.
Lei Yihong was completely un-surprised. Ever since Tong Xiaoqian showed interest in “running to Vaizi” today, he had already guessed what she intended to do.
Tong Xiaoqian continued, “You don’t need to look at my parents. Selling the house is my own idea.”
“Aren’t your second uncle and second aunt living there right now?”
Tong Xiaoqian smiled. “Isn’t this house mine?”
Zhang Changhe nodded repeatedly. “Yes, it’s yours, left to you by your dad. I understand—you want to see who in the village wants to buy it, right? No problem. There are plenty of people coming to my place every day asking for house plots, but if the Housing Bureau doesn’t approve, I can’t do anything either. Your house is in a good location; it can sell for at least six or seven thousand yuan. Tomorrow I’ll post an announcement at the village committee, and whoever offers the highest price gets to buy it. But regarding your second uncle’s side…”
“I’ll handle it properly.”
Zhang Changhe nodded. “Xiaoya, if they act like shameless scoundrels, just come find me.”
In the past, he lacked standing. Tong Tieshan was Tong Tiejun’s biological younger brother and Tong Xiaoya’s biological uncle. When they claimed to be borrowing it temporarily, even as the village chief, he couldn’t forcibly make them move out.
Now that the rightful owner had spoken, what was there to hold back from taking a stand?
Waiting for Zhang Changhe to leave, the Lei couple quickly pulled Tong Xiaoqian aside.
“Xiaoya, do you really want to sell the house? That house is in a pretty good location.”
Tong Xiaoqian smiled. “I know. It’s precisely because the location is good that it can sell for a good price.”
Hearing this, Wang Yumei felt both regretful and glad.
What was regretful was that the house was in a good location and was the only token of memory left by Xiaoya’s parents.
What was glad was that once the house was sold, there was no need to worry about Xiaoya leaving, and she would still stay together with them.
Tong Xiaoqian linked her arm with hers. “I want to sleep in my own room tonight.”
Wang Yumei took a glance at her son, and seeing he had no expression, nodded. “Alright, as Mom said, you two decide how to get along among yourselves.”
Holding her bedding, Tong Xiaoqian raised an eyebrow at Lei Yihong, who gave her a half-hearted smile and uttered a “Thank you.”
That this woman wanted to sleep in her own room was something he couldn’t ask for more.
He hadn’t slept well all night yesterday, remaining on guard against this woman the entire time.
He had only slept for a brief moment during the first half of the night, keeping alert in between, and when he dozed off near dawn, his territory had been lost.
Returning to the small room, Wang Yumei closed the door and asked uneasily, “What do you plan to do about your second uncle’s family? They won’t move out easily. Should we bring over Yihong’s big uncle and youngest uncle, and call over his cousins as well?”
Why were people of this era so obsessed with having sons?
Because there was more labor power when farming, and it wasn’t easy to get bullied.
Tong Xiaoqian shook her head. “There’s no need to make such a big fuss.”
Wang Yumei was stunned for a moment. “But your second aunt is no easy target; Mom is afraid you’ll suffer a loss…”
Tong Xiaoqian smiled with deep meaning. “It’s fine. Maybe they’ll come knocking on our door tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” Wang Yumei looked at her. Once this child regained her sanity, she had become a bit clever and full of tricks.
Tong Xiaoqian coaxed Wang Yumei into going to sleep.
Only after Wang Yumei left did she lie down.
She hadn’t done much physical work today, but after talking for a whole day, her jaw felt sore right now.
Having transmigrated here for just a single day, she could already feel the kindness and sincerity of the Lei couple.
It reminded her of Grandma Tong.
It seemed she was simply not destined to have parents.
In the other world she was an abandoned child, and in this world she was an orphan.
Fortunately, however, she had met kind-hearted people in both.
Whether the original body was a jinx she didn’t know, but she was certainly quite unlucky—her parents died one after another, and the marriage to ward off bad luck directly sent the man to death’s door, taking her own life along with it.
She was a person of bitter fate as well.
In the other room, Lei Yihong was also lying on the *kang* bed, pulling a small red pouch from inside his clothes, embroidered with the character “Qian.”
What on earth this thing was, he hadn’t been able to figure out to this day.
It had been worn on his person for as long as he could remember.
He had once tried to take this thing off, but after a short while it would return to his body, impossible to shake off like sticky candy.
Who would have thought that after transmigrating to such a strange place and even changing to a new body, this thing could still follow along?
He put the brocade pouch back inside his clothes and closed his eyes to sleep.
Both of them could get a good night’s sleep tonight, except that midway through the night, Tong Xiaoqian unconsciously reached out her hand to touch beside her, only to realize hazily that she had already transmigrated and had no Fei Niu to hug anymore.
In the end, she straddled her quilt and drifted off to sleep groggily once again.
Early the next morning, as soon as the day broke, Wang Yumei got up to make breakfast.
The day broke early in Long Province, turning bright after three o’clock in June; the villagers also rose early, carrying hoes to the fields after finishing their meals.
Just as the meal was ready, the yard gate was pounded on.
Opening the door to look, she found that it was actually the couple Tong Tieshan and his wife, bringing along their third son.
The moment Tian Juhua saw her, she immediately bared her large buck teeth and beamed all over her face. “Good morning, in-law!”
Wang Yumei let out a cold sneer. “Oh my, I certainly can’t afford to be called in-law. Speak up, what’s the matter?”
Tian Juhua stood on tiptoe to look into the room. “Is Xiaoya up yet? Her second uncle and I came over to see her…”
Wang Yumei offered a sarcastic remark, “Oh, it really isn’t easy to trouble your grand presence to come see your own niece.”
Tong Xiaoqian had also gotten up; this body possessed time memory and naturally woke up at this hour.
Lei Yihong also stepped out of the room. Hearing the commotion in the yard, he glanced at her. “Your trouble has arrived.”
Tong Xiaoqian looked at him with a grin, leaned closer, and whispered, “How about cooperating a bit?”
Lei Yihong felt her face was full of scheming, not looking like anything good was afoot.
Not allowing him to refuse, Tong Xiaoqian whispered a few words in his ear and patted him. “How about it? OK or not?”
Lei Yihong looked at her. “Do you think they’ll believe it?”
Tong Xiaoqian smiled. “Depends on your acting skills!”
“To think you could come up with this.”
Tong Xiaoqian raised an eyebrow. “I call this having a legitimate cause!”
Lei Wanqiang came out of his own room, wanting to see who came so early.
Seeing the young couple standing so close and talking, he quickly slipped back into his room.
The children’s mother had said they should give the young couple more opportunities to be alone together.