When Li Suisui returned to Shigang Village, she didn’t go home but instead asked her grandfather, Old Li, to take her directly to Chief Huang’s house.
Chief Huang was about the same age as Old Li, a little over fifty.
Both of them had lived hard lives, and their hair had turned quite gray.
As soon as Old Li entered the yard, he spoke loudly without preamble: “Old Huang, the two rooms my second son is living in—are they for sale in the village?”
Chief Huang, sitting in the yard and busy fixing a fishing net, lifted his eyelids slightly. “What’s this? Are you planning to buy those two rooms for your second son?”
“I don’t have that kind of money,” Old Li replied.
“Then why ask?”
“You think I want to come here? It’s only because my granddaughter insisted that I bring her to ask.”
Li Suisui couldn’t help but put her hand on her forehead.
Her grandfather really was blunt in both speech and action, completely lacking tact.
Though he and Chief Huang were both born and raised in the same village, Huang was still an official and deserved respect.
“Grandfather Huang, hello. I am Li Suisui, the eldest daughter of Li Erzhu. Today I asked my grandfather to bring me here because I do want to buy the two rooms we are currently living in. Could you tell me how much they cost?
Also, some time ago my father got injured. I heard he happened to meet you in town, and you helped him quite a lot.
This wine I brought from town today is a small gift to thank you, Grandfather Huang, for taking care of my father and our family.”
Chief Huang looked at the wine jar Li Suisui handed him, and his expression softened a little. Li Suisui was clearly more tactful than her grandfather.
“You can take this wine back; I won’t accept it. That house isn’t worth much; it’s mainly the land that’s valuable. Although it’s only a little over three fen of homestead land, it will cost at least two taels of silver. Can you afford that?”
“This wine is especially for you, so you have to accept it.
As for the money for the house, I haven’t gathered it all yet. Right now I only have one tael of silver.
Can I give you this one tael first and pay the remaining one tael within this month?
Could you help me start the house transfer paperwork first?”
“I can’t decide that. Even though the house you live in is technically ownerless, the authority to handle it belongs to the government. The money for buying the land and the house also has to go through the government. I could allow you to pay on credit here, but the government might not agree.”
Old Li immediately bristled. “You, Old Huang! If the government has the authority over the house, why do you still collect twenty wen in rent from my son every month?”
“You really don’t recognize kindness. Where in the outside world can you rent a house for twenty wen a month? Many people in the village are watching that house—I can’t just give it to you for free. I help you, and yet you talk like that!”
“That house is empty, and my second son’s family is poor. You could have just lent it to them to live in,” Old Li retorted.
“That’s easy for you to say. I’m not just the village chief for your Li family—I’m the chief of all of Shigang Village. If I gave the house to your second son’s family for free, your Li family would be satisfied, but what about the other families? What if they come to me complaining?”
“If that happens, you can tell them to come to me. I’ll explain to them,” Old Li said.
“I’m not arguing with you. What you’re asking for today, I can’t do. Take your things and leave quickly.”
“Hmph, leave if you want. You think I care about that broken house?”
Li Suisui stopped her grandfather. “Grandfather, you don’t care, but I do. Without that house to shelter us from the wind and rain, how can our family live? Should we move back to the old house and live with you? Can the old house even fit all of us?”
Old Li was left speechless. Their old house was already crowded with the eldest and third branches of the family. If the second branch moved in too… well, it would be chaotic.
Seeing her grandfather calm down, Li Suisui turned to Chief Huang:
“Grandfather Huang, my grandfather did speak a bit harshly just now. Please don’t be angry.
I am determined to buy those two rooms. I just don’t have the money ready yet, but I will do my best to gather it. I hope, in the meantime, you won’t sell the house or continue collecting our rent.”
Chief Huang, not unreasonable, saw her humble attitude and softened. “Alright, I’ll give you one month. If you can gather two taels of silver within a month, I’ll refund the sixty wen you already paid in advance.”
“Okay, then thank you very much, Grandfather Huang.”
She handed over the wine jar. “This wine is especially for you, please do accept it!”
“No, take it back. I cannot take it!”
Li Suisui ignored him, grabbed her grandfather, and started to leave. Old Li looked unhappy. “Girl, why are you being so ingratiating? Old Huang didn’t really help us, yet you give him fine wine?”
Li Suisui patiently explained again. “Grandfather, though the village chief’s position isn’t high, he is still an official. In the future, when we buy land or houses, we will need Chief Huang’s help. It’s very important to maintain a good relationship with him.”
“Even if we don’t, it doesn’t matter. I don’t believe he won’t help us buy land or houses. Old Huang and I are similar—we both scratch a living from the land. He just got lucky to become village chief.”
Li Suisui was speechless. Her grandfather was even more naive than she was about social matters.
After saying goodbye to her grandfather and returning home, she saw a shop assistant in front of Zhang’s carpentry shop delivering goods.
The wooden bed she ordered had arrived.
She happily walked over. “Brother, are you here to deliver the bed?”
The assistant’s eyes lit up when he saw Li Suisui. “Miss, finally I’ve found you. No matter how I explained to the lady at the shop earlier, she said I delivered it to the wrong place.”
“You didn’t deliver it to the wrong place; it’s right here.”
She hadn’t yet told Wang Xiulian about buying the bed.
“Suisui, you bought a bed?”
“The floor is damp. Sleeping on it long-term is bad for health. So I bought the two cheapest beds. One for you and father, and one for me and Nian Nian.”
The assistant unloaded the bed boards onto the ground. “Miss, I’m ready. Can we set up the beds now?”
“Hehe, wait a moment. I’ll tidy things up first.”
Actually, there wasn’t much to tidy. She just gathered the straw on the floor and the sheets and blankets on top of it, exposing the space for the bed. Then she swept the floor.
“All ready, Brother. Come in and help us set up the beds.”
The two beds from the carpentry shop were simple and easy to assemble, so the assistant quickly put the wooden pieces together.
Along with the beds, he also delivered a small table she ordered and four small stools as a gift.
“Miss, check if this small table is the style you wanted.”
“This is exactly it. Didn’t you say there was nothing ready-made? How did it arrive so quickly?”
“There was ready timber at the shop. Master Zhang happened to have free time, so he made it quickly. As for the doors and windows, do you want them made? If so, I can take the measurements now.”
“Measure them. We’ll need them sooner or later anyway.”
“Alright, I’ll take the measurements and keep them. Just let me know when you need them, Miss.”