Chapter Twenty: Purchasing a New Home

Lu Yun lowered his head, diligently opening the two wooden chests. Seeing this, the onlookers looked a bit disappointed. He closed the chests again and then opened the four small boxes sent by the Chang family. In an instant, the silver jewelry and the single gold hairpin inside were revealed to everyone.

Aunt Yang felt a mix of disappointment and happiness. She looked up at Lu Ying, who was already seated on the donkey cart, and smiled, “Ah Ying, you’ve really struck it rich this time. These things are worth at least several gold pieces.”

Lu Ying was visibly delighted, her face beaming as she said, “Yes, just last night I told Ah Yun that as soon as we got some money, we’d buy a house. That way, we won’t always be taking advantage of our maternal family.”

“Ah Ying is good at making plans.”
“That’s the right way to do it.”
“Ah Ying really knows how to think ahead. With a house, it’ll be much easier when your brother seeks marriage later on.”

Interest among Aunt Yang and the others had waned considerably after seeing the actual value of the money and goods. As the donkey cart drove away, Lu Ying could still hear their voices from afar: “I thought there would be so much more.” “Yes, with all that fuss, you’d think they were delivering some kind of treasure.” “Rich people really are stingy.”

Both the brocade and the silver jewelry were valuable commodities, so in less than half an hour, Lu Ying had exchanged them for twenty taels of gold.

The siblings had lived in Hanyang for many years and were well-acquainted with the properties in each area. They went straight to a courtyard two hundred meters from Lu Yun’s school, in a small alley, and bought a little house with six rooms, including a kitchen and a storeroom.

This courtyard had few rooms and was set back from the main street, so the price was lower. Moreover, the yard was shaded by a venerable banyan tree hundreds of years old, making the place exceptionally tranquil. Lu Ying had dreamed of owning this house ever since she learned it was for sale a few months ago, and now her wish had finally come true.

Though the house was not expensive, it still cost her twenty-six taels of gold. Now, Lu Ying had only a little over one tael of gold left, plus fifty-two five-zhu coins.

But regardless of anything else, they finally had a home.

The siblings walked around their new house, unable to contain their joy. Only after some time did Lu Ying say, “Ah Yun, I’ll go fetch our books from the old place and buy some quilts and buckets for here. You should go to the Ping family and tell them we’ve moved. Remember to ask them to take back the wooden house.”

“Alright.”

“No matter what, the people at the Ping family are our elders. Be sure to be polite. Whatever they say, do not argue with them. You’re going to be nominated for filial and honest conduct in the future; you can’t ruin your reputation over trifles like this.”

“Understood.”

“If anyone asks, just tell the truth about how much gold we received and the house we bought.”

“Yes.”

Watching her brother hurry off, Lu Ying’s lips curled into a smile. She felt the gold and coins in her pocket and thought to herself: There’s still so much we need to buy, I’m afraid this money won’t be enough. I’ll have to start with the necessities.

Thinking this, she turned to gaze at the home she now shared with her brother, and couldn’t help but smile again.

When Zeng Lang returned home, night had already fallen, and his mother had gone to bed.

The next day, after some archery practice, he saw his mother sitting under the peach tree, basking in the sun, and hurried over.

As he approached, the two maids standing behind his mother glanced at him with flirtatious smiles. These two maids had been bought by Zeng Lang himself, carefully chosen for their beauty. He had already made them his, and was only waiting for his new wife to move in before officially keeping them.

Because both maids came from humble origins, Zeng Lang often thought of Lu Ying when he saw them. He imagined that, if not for her maternal family, Lu Ying would have ended up just like them, a servant at the mercy of others.

His family had once known poverty as well, and after their fortune changed, Zeng Lang always felt a sense of superiority over his old acquaintances. He was no different with Lu Ying. Sometimes, the thought of marrying a girl who had almost become a servant filled him with a vague sense of frustration and humiliation.

Striding over to his mother, he greeted her respectfully as she looked at him with evident affection. “Mother, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you.”

“What is it? Tell me.”

“I went to Ah Ying’s house last night.” At the mention of Lu Ying, his mother’s face turned cold. Zeng Lang composed his features, sat across from her, and said seriously, “Mother, can you guess what I saw? I saw that philanthropist Wang, and people from the Chang family, all coming to thank Ah Ying with gifts.”

He leaned forward, recounting the events, and then said, head held high and excitement in his voice, “I think this is a rare opportunity. If handled well, it could benefit Father and our family greatly. What do you think, Mother?”

His mother pondered for a while, then looked up and said, “You’re right. Go to the Lu family at once and make that wretched girl return all the gifts. And while returning them, stay with her the whole time. Also, take your father’s name card with you. Hmph, a life-saving debt can’t be repaid with such paltry gifts. Remember, when you visit, make sure they know that the favor Lu Ying did is a favor from our family. And your father is a commandant—these gifts are far too meager, unworthy of our family’s status or their son’s life.”

Though the Zeng family was not a large clan, Zeng Lang’s mother handled all household affairs, and her authority was considerable in her son’s eyes.

Reminded by his mother, Zeng Lang’s eyes lit up. He slapped his thigh and said, “Mother is right. I’ll go right away.” As he stood up, he turned back and said, “Mother, I think Father’s name cards have all been used up.”

His mother replied decisively, “Have more made immediately. They must be ready today. Hmph, if we wait too long, who knows what foolish thing that girl might do and ruin our family’s plans.”

“Very well.”

Zeng Lang was indeed efficient. By noon, he had new name cards made for his father. Holding the exquisitely crafted cards, he got on a donkey cart and hurried to the Lu residence.

A quarter of an hour later, his cart stopped outside the Lu house. He saw that all the doors of the few small, low houses were wide open, and inside, not a single thing remained. Zeng Lang’s heart leaped, and he rushed forward.

The rooms were completely empty—everything had been moved out. Looking at the battered doors and windows rattling in the spring breeze, Zeng Lang turned and strode to Aunt Yang’s house.

Aunt Yang was sitting in the sun, weaving straw sandals. Seeing Zeng Lang, she quickly stood up and greeted him with a smile, “It’s the young master from the Zeng family! Are you here to help Ah Ying move? You’re too late, she just took several donkey carts and moved everything away.”

“Moved?” Zeng Lang’s face darkened as he frowned, “Why did she move all of a sudden?”

Aunt Yang was taken aback; she hadn’t realized that such a major matter as moving had not been discussed with her betrothed.

After a moment’s daze, Aunt Yang replied with a cheerful smile, “So you didn’t know, young master? Here’s what happened: early this morning, Ah Ying sold all those gifts and used the money to buy a new house. With a new house, of course she’s busy moving.”

What? Lu Ying sold the gifts on her own? And used the money to buy a new house?

Having meticulously planned everything and supremely confident in his own foresight, Zeng Lang felt as if something had struck him hard in the chest, leaving a lingering ache.

His face grew grim as he said coldly, “Do you know where she moved to, Aunt Yang?”

Aunt Yang shook her head and grumbled, “I asked several times, but Ah Ying, really! She didn’t even say where she was going.”

This was like pouring oil on the fire. Zeng Lang nearly jumped with anger.

He gritted his teeth and asked a few more neighbors, but to his frustration, none of them knew where Lu Ying had gone.

He turned abruptly, intent on intercepting Lu Yun at his school. But as soon as he stepped out, he stopped: what use was there now? The gifts had all been sold, and the money spent!

Suppressing his fury, Zeng Lang thought bitterly: Ah Ying really is a fool—so easily satisfied with a few pieces of brocade and silver! Hmph, if I had handled it, the benefits would have been ten, twenty times greater. If I were in a generous mood, just the crumbs from my fingers would have been enough to buy her a house! Fool! Truly a fool!