Lin Xiaoling had no choice but to put the cake back, her heart aching even more for the children. She patted Xiaofeng’s head, "Come by and chat with Aunt Lin sometime when you’re free... In a couple of days, Gousheng will be back from his grandma’s place, you should come over and play with him..."
Gousheng was the village head’s grandson, two years old this year. His parents had taken him to his maternal grandparents’ home because they were building a new house there this month.
"Okay," Yang Rufeng replied obediently, nodding his head. "I’ll come over and play with my nephew..." Although the two little ones were only two years apart, there was a difference in generation between them.
Lin Xiaoling smiled contentedly.
"Dani, you must have something on your mind, coming over now?" After his wife had finished chatting with the children, the village head took the initiative to ask.
"Uncle," Yang Ruxin nodded, getting to the point, "I came today to ask for your help. We want to move out of the old Yang Family house..." She said with a bashful laugh, "But we don’t have any money right now. Is it possible to run up a tab? Although we got five taels of silver, it has to be used to buy medicine for my mother..."
"You want to buy land?" Yang Mancang frowned.
"No, no," Yang Ruxin waved her hands hurriedly. Even if she had the silver, buying was out of the question. "I was thinking of just renting an old house to live in for now. After all... It’s fine if the house is a bit run-down, as long as it gives us a place to settle down... Don’t worry, I’ll definitely work hard to make money and won’t delay for too long..."
"There are several old houses in the village, but not many that are still habitable," Yang Mancang frowned again.
"Doesn’t Great-Uncle have an old house?" Lin Xiaoling’s eyes suddenly lit up.
"How could I forget that?" Yang Mancang smacked his thigh excitedly.
"Your head," Lin Xiaoling laughed a bit, and then looked at Yang Ruxin, "Great-Uncle’s house is pretty old, decades old in fact. It’s been vacant for almost ten years now, but it was well-built back in the day. So, although it’s been empty for many years, it hasn’t collapsed like the other old houses. It’s located behind the village... right next to the Gu Family... The location is better than most of the other old houses..."
Times had changed, and decades ago, Xiaocang River had flooded, changing its course, causing the villagers to relocate. The entire village had shifted southeast from where it originally formed.
That’s why the houses on the original side of the village were gradually left vacant.
The old courtyard of the Great-Uncle, along with the one where the Gu Family now resided, were among the few old houses that survived, originally in the center of the village but now at the rear.
"Dani, you all wait here, I’m going to ask about it right now..." Yang Mancang said and rose to go out.
"Don’t worry. Great-Uncle’s family is doing well; the house they’re living in now has a whole row of eight rooms, and his son and grandson are living comfortably..." Lin Xiaoling comforted Yang Ruxin, "They definitely won’t be needing the old house. Even if Rulin wants to get married and build a house, he would certainly go south or east..."
Yang Ruxin nodded. She had a good impression of Great-Uncle Yang, a wise old man with broad views, respectable, and just. During the division of the family property, it was evident that the old man felt some sympathy for them, so renting the house shouldn’t be too difficult.
The village head was very efficient and returned after a short while, but he was followed by someone else – it was Great-Uncle Yang’s great-grandson, Yang Rulin.