I was a stepmother in ancient times, and I led my whole family to wealth.

Chapter 25 Planning to Buy a House

Lin Peisheng became interested: "Oh, tell me, as long as it's a village matter, I can handle it."

He made one mistake: his mother secretly sent him to serve in the military, and he only found out afterward.

If Gu Chenglin hadn't gone, and if he had insisted on not going, he, as the village chief, would have been punished.

"Here's what happened. This morning, Lin and I went to the county..." Dongfang Jin then told Lin Lizheng's family what she had heard.

Lin Li looked at her in surprise: "Master Tang's house isn't cheap. I know that too. His steward told me before that if someone wanted to buy it, the county government would take over, and you..."

As Dongfang Jin had expected, she replied, "Uncle Village Head, you should go to the county government office tomorrow and ask how much it costs."

Lin Lizheng looked surprised: "You really want to buy Mr. Tang's house?"

Dongfang Jin nodded seriously: "Uncle Village Head, please ask him, I'll go and raise the money."

As you can see from my house, it's really uninhabitable, and it's too late to rebuild it now.

It's still bearable to live in now, but what about in winter? When the wind howls and snow falls, the adults can withstand it, but the children will surely catch a cold.

Lin Fengshi looked at her and smiled: "You don't need to worry about that. It is cold here in winter."

But it's much better than Fengtian Prefecture; I heard that Ningguta is already experiencing heavy snowfall.

Gu Chenglin's wife is a good woman. She's genuine, unpretentious, and free of any pretense. Gu Chenglin can tell at a glance that she's honest and truly cares for his two children.

Previously, the three of them, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, were worried that Chenglin's daughter-in-law would abuse his child, but now they can finally rest assured.

Lin Min chimed in, "Yes, this is what my mother-in-law and I heard from those out-of-town merchants when we went to the county to sell eggs last time."

I heard that people over there are already wearing sheepskin coats and trousers when they go out, while we're just starting to feel the chill here.

When winter truly arrives, there are only a few days of real cold weather around the Lunar New Year.

Hearing their words, Dongfang Jin was already in a state of shock. Fengtian? Ningguta?

Isn't this Northeast China? Does this region exist here too?

“We still have to buy it. I heard today that no one has lived in Master Tang’s house. It just so happens that my family needs one too. Uncle Village Head, please take care of it.”

We'll wait for your good news tomorrow. It's getting dark, and I'm worried about the two kids at home, so we'll be leaving now.

As Dongfang Jin spoke, she grabbed Gu Chenglin and pulled him outside.

Lin Li was looking at them and said, "You child, take this money. You don't need this much."

Dongfang Jin didn't even turn his head: "I'll use the rest to buy you some wine."

Watching them walk away, Lin Yu said to his father, "Father, just take it. Just help Cheng Lin and the others out in other places in the future."

This Dongfang Jin is a reasonable person, unlike Tian Xiaocao who is a coward and unreasonable person.

I'll let Xiaomin get to know her better in the future; I always feel like this person is not simple.

If you can befriend her, it's better than the Gu family. Gu Yaohui is just a novice scholar now, and the Gu clan chief treats Cheng Lin like that.

Just you wait and see, they'll regret it someday.

Lin Jiang also looked dissatisfied: "That's right. You see, every time Gu Yaohui comes back to the village, he greets people. Last time, when Grandpa Xu spoke to him, he didn't even acknowledge his home."

Who is Grandpa Xu? He's seen it all. He's a doctor, after all, with the skills to make a living. What does he have?

He's so arrogant now, if he really passes the imperial examination and becomes a scholar, will he be able to help the people in our village?

"Hmph! I don't believe it. I think he wouldn't even care about the Gu family."

After hearing what her two sons said, Madam Feng added, "Listen to the children, I think this Xiao Jin is capable. Xiao Min, you and Xiao Fang should get to know her more often."

Just as their two sons said, Gu Yaohui is only a student at the lowest level and doesn't greet anyone.

If it weren't for him, would Cheng Lin have been expelled from his clan? If someone with ulterior motives found out, it would be difficult for him to even pass the imperial examination.

"Good girl."

"I never expected this child to be so knowledgeable," Lin Peisheng exclaimed, still sitting there.

Madam Feng poured him a cup of tea: "Why are you worrying about this? Everyone has their share of unexpected encounters. I think Gu Chenglin is about to rise up."

"I hope so. This child has suffered enough."

Lin Jiang leaned closer and smelled his father's tea: "Dad, tell me, where did they get so much money to buy Master Tang's house?"

The housekeeper said last time that the house couldn't be sold alone; it had to include the orchard and the surrounding land.

That adds up to a considerable sum of money.

Lin Peisheng glanced at the second son with disdain: "We don't know about that. Maybe they have their own way."

This Dongfang Jin is a shrewd businessman; didn't you all see that Cheng Lin didn't say a word?

Lin Yu sat down and looked at his father: "Father, you mean...?"

Lin Peisheng picked up the cup of tea and took a sip: "Chenglin has been fighting away from home for five years, and this is the first year he has brought money home in those five years."

He hasn't brought a single penny home all these years; he said all that money went to treating his injuries.

This is merely his explanation, and no one else can verify it.

Lin Jiang swallowed hard and whispered, "The imperial court isn't short of money right now..."

Lin Peisheng slapped him on the forehead and scolded, "Shut up, this is not something we should be talking about. You must be more careful when you're out in the future."

"I know dad."

……

On the way home, Gu Chenglin looked at the person walking with his arm linked with his and asked, "Are you really going to buy the Tang family's house?"

Looking around at the low, dilapidated mud-brick houses, Dongfang Jin realized that only the village head's house had bricks. They were so poor.

"if not?"

“But… that place is quite far from the village,” Gu Chenglin said with some disagreement.

Dongfang Jin pouted: "I want to stay far away from the village, so it will be quiet."

When Gu Chenglin heard her say that, he knew she wasn't lying; in fact, he didn't like living here either.

He had always avoided crowds since he was a child, and he still did now... Thinking of something, he glanced at Dongfang Jin again, but ultimately said nothing.

Along the way, Gu Chenglin and she didn't encounter a single villager.

When the two arrived home, they saw two children hoeing the ground in the yard. Dongfang Jin asked curiously, "What are you doing?"

When Shi Tou saw them return, he said, "My sister and I will start a vegetable garden and grow some vegetables so we won't always have to buy them."

This young woman doesn't know how to manage a household, and her father can't control her either, so he can only work with his younger sister.

Looking at the area that was about the size of a butt, Dongfang Jin joked, "Oh, so what kind of vegetables are we planning to plant, Little Stone?"

This child is only seven years old, yet he already knows how to manage a household. Nowadays, a seven-year-old is probably just starting first grade.

She didn't know anyone else, but when she was seven, she was still playing and seemed to know nothing.

Stone, speaking like a little adult, said, "We can only plant bok choy and spinach this season. Ask us about the others next year."

"Hmm, not bad. After I buy the land, you can go and plant there, okay? This yard is too small. Even if you plant vegetables, it won't be enough for us to eat."

Stone looked disapproving: "Save money where you can."

Dongfang Jin was amused by his adorable expression: "I didn't realize you were so good at managing your finances."