Chapter 528: Chapter 528: Want to Borrow a House Chapter 528: Chapter 528: Want to Borrow a House In the afternoon, Luo Qiao and Stone returned to Ji City. They packed up Stone’s belongings and shipped them out. After finishing the errands, Stone went to bid farewell to a few of his classmates he usually hung out with.
Luo Qiao tidied up her things to take with her, covered the cilantro and green onions she had scattered in the backyard with another layer of film, and then placed the straw mat on top before walking out the door and heading down the front row of the alley.
The storefronts were even busier than usual, especially the fresh vegetables; they sold as much as they could haul in. The greenhouses in the suburban areas of Ji City were also ready for harvest these days, so the stores had notices up indicating there was plenty of stock available.
Luo Qiao gave Yin Dong a set of her house keys, asking him to take care of the vegetables in the backyard during this time. She reminded him to cover the vegetables with the straw mat at night and when the weather was bad.
Also, there were the chickens in the backyard; she asked him to remember to feed them every day. She instructed him to use the well-mixed feed in the outermost porcelain jar under the shed for cooking their feed.
Yin Dong repeatedly assured her that he would take good care of everything.
Luo Qiao pointed to the basket she had brought and said, “There are a few fish in here. Give two to each person at your store, so they can have an extra dish for the New Year.”
Just then, Huo Yuhao also came by. Luo Qiao said, “I’m taking the night train tonight, so I’m leaving everything in your hands here. Remember to hand out red packets to the staff at the store.”
Huo Yuhao replied, “Don’t worry, I won’t forget.”
Then he took out a folded paper from his pocket and handed it over: “This is the dividend for this period. It’s just an approximate number. Take it and use it for now. After the New Year, when you come back, let’s settle it in detail, and I’ll make up the difference for you.”
Luo Qiao smiled and accepted the folded paper: “Okay, then I’ll take it now.”
But when she opened the paper, she was also startled; she hadn’t expected the business to be this good: “How come there’s so much?”
Huo Yuhao explained, “I solicited a few newly opened restaurants last month. We also supply them with fresh vegetables and dry goods. With the increased volume, of course, we make more.”
Luo Qiao gave a thumbs-up: “Impressive. It seems you really have a knack for business.”
Before leaving, Luo Qiao said to Yin Dong, “Please take good care of my house. The family next door argues every day, and I’m afraid that when I’m not home, they might climb over the wall and move into our place at night.”
Although it was meant as a joke, Yin Dong took it to heart. Living in the area around both the front and back alleys, he had of course heard about that family’s situation; a few days ago, their married daughter had returned from the countryside with her little brother-in-law and parents-in-law.
During these days, the neighbors hadn’t stopped talking about it, saying that there were several quarrels in the family every day, causing considerable dissatisfaction among the neighbors. Most importantly, the child brought back had no sense of propriety whatsoever.
After delegating her tasks, Luo Qiao went back home and, unexpectedly, was blocked at the front gate by none other than the Wang Family’s old lady from next door.
Luo Qiao asked, “Wang Daniang, do you need something?”
Wang Daniang looked at Luo Qiao with a smile and said, “Luo Qiao, Daniang has a favor to ask of you.”
As soon as she said this, Luo Qiao thought to herself that it wouldn’t be about wanting to use her house, would it?
Sure enough, Wang Daniang continued, “Luo Qiao, here’s the thing: you have probably heard the noise from my yard these past few days. My eldest daughter has come back from the countryside with her parents-in-law and little brother-in-law.
The house is too crowded to accommodate everyone, so I was wondering, since you weren’t here last New Year, if you could lend your house to my family for a while. They could move out when you come back.”
Luo Qiao thought to herself that this was exactly what she expected, but she wasn’t one to indulge such requests. There were so many neighbors, was Wang Daniang taking advantage of her being a single girl, thinking she would be too embarrassed to refuse?
Unfortunately for her, she guessed wrong. Luo Qiao was a neat freak, not someone who had the habit of lending her house out. Moreover, she had already seen how sloppy those kids were these past few days; their runny noses practically turned into noodles, sucking and slurping, sometimes even licking and eating them, which was simply disgusting to witness.
Luo Qiao said, “Wang Daniang, I’m sorry, but I can’t help with this. You should try asking someone else’s family.”
As soon as Wang Daniang heard Luo Qiao’s refusal, she hastened to say, “Your house will be empty during the New Year anyway, and they won’t damage it. We’ve been neighbors for so long; you can’t be too stingy now.”