Chapter 746: Chapter 746: Book Two Rooms Chapter 746: Chapter 746: Book Two Rooms The old lady was just about to leave her house with a basket, planning to do the laundry at Fang Family’s house.
The weather had been fiercely cold these past few days, and the river had frozen over, a slight shiver and one could easily topple into the river.
It might have been alright in Shangshi Village, but at Righteous Dao Village, there weren’t many people around the riverside, and if something happened to the old lady, there would be no one to rescue her.
Moreover, the cold water could easily cause frostbite.
Shu Yu had wanted to let the old lady stay and do the laundry herself, but the old lady disagreed.
Having no choice, Shu Yu asked her to take the clothes to the Fang Family’s house. Although their place wasn’t big, they miraculously had a well.
The well’s water was warm in winter and cool in summer, just perfect.
The well originally had a windlass, but it had been out of order. These past few days, Father Fang had been feeling much better and had fixed the windlass; now it was working very well.
It just so happened that Aunt Fang was also going back at the same time, so the two had company.
Unable to persuade her further, the old lady cheerfully agreed.
Who would have known, just as she was stepping out with the basket, it was as if she saw an illusion and spotted her second son.
The old lady rubbed her eyes, ensuring she wasn’t mistaken, then exclaimed in surprise, “How did you all come?”
“Mother,” Lu Erbai got down from the mule carriage, and Madam Ruan went straight forward to take the basket from her.
Hearing the noise, Sanya and Dahu immediately rushed out, bouncing towards them, “Dad, Mom, big sister.”
Daya looked inside and asked, “Where’s Yu?”
“Yu is still at the manor and hasn’t come back yet; she had something to handle today and might be late. Enough now, it’s cold outside, let’s all go inside to talk,” the old lady invited everyone into the courtyard.
Meng Yunzheng, hearing Shu Yu hadn’t returned yet, paused for a moment and nonchalantly said to the old lady, “Perfect, I’ll go and book a couple of rooms at the manor and pick her up on the way.”
The old lady glanced at him sidelong and pointed at Zhao Xi, “Let him go with you.”
Zhao Xi, who was talking with Daya, was momentarily speechless.
But since he was nominally Shu Yu’s brother, indeed, it made more sense for him to go with Yunzheng.
The two secured the mule carriage and set off towards the manor together.
Shu Yu felt an itch in her nose, as if someone was thinking of her; she sniffled twice and took a sip of water before feeling somewhat better.
The registry method was almost as Wang Changdong had described, so she planned to leave.
But before she could stand up, she saw two familiar figures enter the gate.
She blinked twice, and when Meng Yunzheng approached closer, she asked in a low voice, “What are you doing here?”
“It’s not just me; your dad, mom, and big sister also came, just got home. Your brother and I came to book two rooms for them.”
The Lu family rarely visited, and in such cold weather, it surely wasn’t ideal to travel back late at night. The Lu family’s small courtyard only had three rooms, definitely not enough to accommodate everyone.
There were unoccupied houses in Righteous Dao Village, but they were all dilapidated; just cleaning and fixing them up would take half a day, obviously not suitable.
However, the manor had specifically arranged five or six rooms for guests, and people exiled here occasionally had relatives and friends visit.
With this arrangement, they needed lodging.
The manor was very large, so a small section was designated for guests to stay temporarily.
But the fees… weren’t low.
A small room for one night cost a hundred coins, a blatant rip-off, yet there was nothing anyone could say about it. If one didn’t want to pay, they could stay in the county town, although the rooms there might be more expensive.