Although Lin Wan doesn’t aunt, she’s still family, and if she can help, she will. If only this aunt didn’t speak so harshly, Lin Wan wouldn’t mind losing twenty or thirty bucks today. But some people are just —they want you to be the big spender and act like it’s perfectly normal.
In recent days, Lin Wan has been staying at the shop quietly. She noticed Ye Qing hasn’t contacted them or gone to see Mom, almost as if he vanished overnight.
Lin Wan couldn’t be happier; as long as Ye Qing wasn’t around bothering her, she felt at ease.
That day, Mom said Grandma Wang knows we’re planning to buy a house and mentioned there’s a street-side one over on their side that’s quite cheap, suggesting they go take a look.
Upon hearing this, Lin Wan rode over on a tricycle, taking Mom along.
Grandma Wang was talking about a house two streets away from their own, comprising three big tile-roofed rooms with a small courtyard. It looked quite nice, larger than their current place, and it was fairly new. Plus, it had indoor plumbing and a squat toilet.
"Mom, what do you think?" Lin Wan asked quietly to get Mom’s opinion.
Liang Hongmei nodded, "Not bad."
"Hongmei, the owners are people we know. The elderly couple only passed not too long ago. Their four sons want to divide the estate, so they plan to sell this place for the money."
Liang Hongmei paused, "Did the old couple pass away naturally?" Buying a second-hand house often comes with taboos; you most fear a death, especially an unnatural one, as it’s considered unlucky.
"They were worked to death, alas. The couple had four sons but no daughters, working hard to raise their grandchildren. When it was finally time to rest, they couldn’t work anymore, and the kids didn’t care, pushing the responsibility onto each other. The old couple felt disheartened and didn’t care for their ungrateful children, working themselves to death every day. They didn’t last two years," Grandma Wang said, nearly in tears. (I’ve seen many elderly folks with many sons who don’t take care of them; sons are often more indifferent than daughters-in-law. They say raising sons is preparing for old age, but I believe education is what’s most crucial, regardless of gender.)
Lin Wan quickly stepped forward to console her, "This place isn’t bad; I wonder how much they’re asking for it,"
"Two thousand," Grandma Wang gestured with her fingers, saying, "This price is quite reasonable. A few days ago, someone was looking for a house here, saying it costs that much to go into the city," Grandma Wang held up three fingers again. "I think it’s fair, and your mom will probably like it, so I asked you to come over quickly and have a look."
"Hmm, it seems good. Ma’am, could you speak with them? Could we schedule a time to discuss it?" Liang Hongmei nodded with satisfaction.
"Alright, let’s arrange for tomorrow. I’ll go back and talk to them,"
In the evening, after Lin Wan had dinner with her brother and mom, she went back.
They agreed that tomorrow, Mom and brother would meet with them to negotiate the price and see if they could lower it a bit.
The next day, Lin Wan didn’t go to the shop until noon.
As soon as she got to the shop, Xiao Gu dragged her aside, saying someone came this morning to arrange a banquet—a grandson’s one-month banquet.
"Twelve dishes, only offering a hundred bucks. I said we couldn’t take it, but she insisted on having it here, giving me no choice but to balance the cost with the dishes."
Lin Wan took the menu and glanced at it, furrowing her brow. The five cold dishes were common; a stir-fried chicken dish but not whole chicken. The braised fish was made into fish soup. "She agreed?"
Xiao Gu nodded, "Yes, agreed. She paid a deposit of thirty bucks and will come over the day after tomorrow at noon."
Lin Wan scanned the account book and saw Zhang Huilan’s name, her eyelid twitching involuntarily.