Chapter 12: Relatives

Li Sanniang went over the pros and cons of the three properties in her mind. She told Agent Chen that she wanted to schedule a time to see the second and third properties. If they were satisfactory, she would ask Agent Chen to help sign the contract to purchase the second property, assist in renting it out, and then lease the third property.

Agent Chen was surprised for a moment, but with great professionalism, he agreed, saying he would come by at the hour of the Horse (11:00 AM – 1:00 PM) in the afternoon to take Li Sanniang to see the houses.

Once agreed, Li Sanniang briskly saw Agent Chen out.

Passing through the clinic, Father Li called her over and recited a prescription, asking Li Sanniang to boil the medicine for Second Sister-in-law to promote lactation and nourish her body while she was at it.

Upon hearing the prescription, Li Sanniang naturally blurted out, "Let's swap out the adzuki beans; wouldn't it be better to go buy two large pig trotters to stew for Second Sister-in-law?"

Only after the words left her mouth did Li Sanniang realize that she was actually capable of prescribing traditional Chinese medicine. It seemed that Li Sanniang truly had a talent for it, and she must have learned quite a bit of medicine from Father Li before she was married.

Father Li’s mouth twitched slightly after hearing this, and he said, "Your talent for modifying prescriptions is still there, I see. Fine, go ahead."

Taking Luzhu'er and First Sister-in-law to check on Second Sister-in-law’s wound and little Wulang, who was gulping down rice water, she entrusted Luzhu'er to First Sister-in-law for a moment. She took a basket and, after taking several turns, finally reached the meat stall. She had arrived a bit late, but fortunately, there were still pig trotters left. She asked for two. Seeing the pig offal, Li Sanniang didn't dare buy it, simply because she only knew how to eat it, not how to cook it.

She even planned to ask First Sister-in-law to help with stewing the pig trotters later.

Since she was already there, Li Sanniang bought two jin of pork that wasn't too fatty. Two jin certainly wasn't enough for the whole family to eat their fill, but it would be enough to accompany a vegetable dish, and it would be nice if everyone could have a couple of pieces.

It was quite a coincidence; just as she finished buying the meat and returned to the clinic, she saw Old Man Wu, Uncle Wu, and Aunt Wu arriving in a donkey cart.

Li Sanniang thought to herself that Mother Li must have sent someone early in the morning to notify Second Sister-in-law’s family.

Li Sanniang hurried forward to greet them and led the three of them into the house. Second Brother Li, with his sharp eyes, spotted them immediately and rushed over to pay his respects to Second Sister-in-law’s grandfather, father, and mother. He also took the bundles and baskets from Aunt Wu’s hands. Second Brother Li wanted to help Old Man Wu and Uncle Wu with the sack and bamboo basket, but he only had two hands and really couldn't manage it.

Father Li saw them at this moment as well, paid his respects one by one, and helped Old Man Wu carry the large sack inside. The bamboo basket was quite heavy, so Uncle Wu carried it in himself.

Mother Li, First Sister-in-law, and Luzhu'er, who was being held by First Sister-in-law, heard the lively greetings and came out to welcome Second Sister-in-law’s family.

They invited Old Man Wu, Uncle Wu, and Aunt Wu to sit in the main hall. Leaving little Luzhu'er with her grandmother, Li Sanniang and First Sister-in-law hurried to brew tea and brought out some pastries from the cupboard to arrange on plates.

"Why go to such trouble with this expensive tea? We’re all family. When I heard your message this morning that our Lan-niang had given birth to a boy, I was overjoyed. So, my eldest son and his wife and I quickly packed some things and came right over."

"It’s no trouble at all. Village Chief Wu is a proper in-law to the Li family; we couldn't neglect the etiquette. You’ve come a long way, so drink some tea to cool off, and you’ll eat here later. Have some pastries to tide you over for now. Brother Wu, don't be formal; treat this as your own home."

As she spoke, Mother Li also invited Aunt Wu to have tea and pastries.

"Hehe, the in-laws are right. We’ll listen to you."

Old Man Wu had been a village chief for many years, so he had some worldly experience. Although his speech was mixed with local dialect, his Mandarin was decent, and he didn't seem overly constrained.

Uncle Wu and Aunt Wu, however, were honest, simple-minded country folk. Their sun-darkened faces could only manage smiles, revealing a bit of insecurity and timidity.

The two families talked about the danger of the day Second Sister-in-law gave birth, the healthy little Wulang who was born with a full head of hair, and chatted about various farm matters. They also talked about how much copper they had earned recently from processing medicinal herbs using the techniques taught by Second Brother Li.

After the pleasantries, Mother Li took Aunt Wu into the room to see Second Sister-in-law and little Wulang, and brought little Wulang out to the doorway for Old Man Wu and Uncle Wu to see.

Old Man Wu remarked that little Wulang’s eyebrows and eyes looked like Second Brother Li’s, so his appearance couldn't be bad. Uncle Wu could only say, "Wulang looks good, very good."

In the kitchen, Li Sanniang and First Sister-in-law were pondering what to have for lunch.

Second Sister-in-law’s family had brought quite a few good things.

The sack Old Man Wu carried contained three fat chickens with their feet tied, and two wild rabbits.

Aunt Wu’s bundle had already been taken inside; it was likely little clothes she had made for Wulang. The basket she carried held many eggs, a small bag of brown sugar, and even a small ceramic jar of honey! It was likely something the Wu family had gathered themselves after finding a beehive while picking herbs in the mountains.

The contents of Uncle Wu’s large bamboo basket were even more plentiful. At the very bottom were many large sweet potatoes, as well as soybeans, millet, two small bundles of chives. Li Sanniang even dug out two river fish, a few mountain peaches, and a small pile of wild apricots.

No wonder Uncle Wu’s basket wasn't light; it had all these things inside.

Father Li stayed behind to continue chatting with Old Man Wu, while Second Brother Li was persuaded to go back to work at the medicine counter. Uncle Wu was an honest man; seeing the herbs drying in the courtyard, he didn't stay idle. After telling Old Man Wu, he got up to help sort the herbs. Uncle Wu finally felt at ease, no longer having to engage in formal, flowery conversation.

Mother Li left Aunt Wu to have a private chat with Second Sister-in-law and came to the kitchen, just in time to see Li Sanniang taking out the two river fish by the straw rope tied to their gills.

In the end, Mother Li decided to keep one fish alive for the next meal to stew into fish soup for Second Sister-in-law. Today, they would stew the pig trotters Li Sanniang had just bought for Second Sister-in-law, and stir-fry the two jin of pork with green onions. The other fish would be steamed for lunch.

Mother Li suggested that First Sister-in-law make a pot of egg drop noodles with the flour Li Sanniang had bought, which would be good for entertaining guests and nourishing Second Sister-in-law.

The chives would be blanched and served as a cold dish with their homemade pickles. They would also go out and buy two roasted geese—yes, the same roasted geese the whole family ate when they celebrated Li Sanniang getting rid of her scumbag ex-husband.

They would also get a jug of wine, and that would make for a very decent banquet.

Once Mother Li had made up her mind, First Sister-in-law and Li Sanniang obediently began to carry out the plan.

Mother Li went out to the street and spent a good amount of money to buy three roasted geese—two for the guests and one as a return gift. She also bought four types of pastries and two jugs of wine, one for lunch and one to be given as a return gift later.

Mother Li thought to herself that it was fortunate they had boiled plenty of eggs that morning and marked them with red dots; with the red eggs, the four-part gift was more than sufficient.

Li Sanniang hadn't developed any cooking skills in the modern era, and she hadn't in this ancient one either. After all, First Sister-in-law had been in charge of the kitchen before she was married, and the Wang family had their own cook. Li Sanniang could diagnose illnesses, write prescriptions, and even modify them—a skill many young women didn't possess. Therefore, the Wang family hadn't cared whether Li Sanniang knew how to cook.

So, at this moment, Li Sanniang could only act as an assistant to First Sister-in-law, doing chores like washing vegetables, tending the fire, and watching the steamer.

Seeing First Sister-in-law so busy, Li Sanniang felt a bit guilty, standing to the side feeling awkward, wanting to help but not knowing how.

"Why is Sanniang making that face at your sister-in-law? Haha, it's fine. It's not like we're this busy every day. You help your sister-in-law plenty on normal days; don't worry about it."

"Hmph, now you think of helping your sister-in-law? Back when I asked you to stay in the kitchen a little longer, you acted like you were suffering a great injustice. If you feel bad for your sister-in-law, why don't you go wash that pile of vegetables? You have no sense of initiative."

Mother Li happened to return with her basket at that moment.

After a flurry of activity, the Li and Wu families finally sat down for lunch. For convenience and to keep things relaxed, a table was set up specifically in Second Sister-in-law’s room for the women. Except for the lack of wine, the dishes were no different from those on Father Li’s table, though Second Sister-in-law had an extra bowl of pig trotter and soybean soup.

The lunch was enjoyed by both hosts and guests. Old Man Wu was very pleased with how seriously the Li family treated them. He felt that he had been incredibly lucky to have agreed to the marriage of his eldest granddaughter, Lan-niang. For so many years, he had never seen city folk treat country folk with such sincerity. It was also because Lan-niang herself was capable—she could process herbs, had a good temperament, and could bear sons; what family wouldn't be happy with that?

Old Man Wu had a bit too much to drink and was a little dazed. Uncle Wu didn't care for alcohol, which was fortunate, as there was at least one sober person to ensure the Wu family could safely drive the donkey cart back to the village.

Finally, carrying the four-part return gift prepared by Mother Li, Second Brother Li personally saw them off to the city gate. The Wu family had come happily and returned happily.

After this meal, there was no time for a nap. After a short rest, Father Li went to the clinic to see patients.

Mother Li, First Sister-in-law, and Li Sanniang spent a long time washing and cleaning in the kitchen. Even Luzhu'er didn't get a nap today and was taken to the front by Father Li to be watched.

Before they were even finished, Agent Chen arrived.

Li Sanniang quickly wiped her hands, gave a brief explanation, and followed Agent Chen to the entrance to call a donkey cart to go see the houses.

The second house was in Blacksmith Alley, not too far from where the Li family lived. It was just past two intersections and then a short distance in.

After opening the door and going inside, it was quite clean. At the entrance, one could still hear the "clang, clang, clang" of blacksmithing, but as they went further in, the sound was muffled and barely audible.

Li Sanniang noticed that the wall in the courtyard looked like it had been added later. After asking Agent Chen, she learned that this courtyard and the one next door had originally been one. Later, when the brothers divided the family property, the larger portion went to the eldest son and the smaller to the second, and they had built this wall to separate their households.

The original owner had too many descendants and simply couldn't fit anymore, so they wanted to sell it for money to buy a larger place in the outer city where they could live more comfortably.

Li Sanniang looked at the house and saw some flaws, such as the doors and windows, which would need to be replaced with better, wider ones. There was no furniture in the rooms, but that was actually fine; after all, the Li family’s side room still held the good wooden dowry furniture that Li Sanniang had brought back when she reasonably returned home.

However, she only intended to buy this house to have an independent property so she could register as a female head of household at the household registration office, which would allow her to obtain the official document stamped with the government’s red seal to secure custody of Luzhu'er.

Therefore, buying some old furniture from a pawn shop or asking Agent Chen to help contact someone to buy and place it directly would be enough.

Without further ado, after seeing this place, Li Sanniang went with Agent Chen to Four Seasons Alley.

This place was truly excellent. It was near Qinglian Academy, the surrounding families were relatively well-off, and it was far from the market—quiet and not noisy. Not to mention the flower garden the original owner had mentioned was truly beautiful. Li Sanniang didn't recognize the flowers, but they looked very natural, fresh, and interesting.

There were also two large jujube trees, whose canopies shaded nearly half of the not-so-small courtyard. She imagined placing a lounge chair under these trees; it would be so pleasant.

Having seen both, Li Sanniang was very satisfied. She told Agent Chen directly to buy the second property and complete the transaction as soon as possible. She also asked Agent Chen to find some reasonably priced, decent-looking furniture and to find some carpenters to renovate the doors and windows so it could be rented out to collect some rent.

Agent Chen was quite happy to hear this, as this was a significant commission for him.

As for the third property, she would just rent it, and it would be best if they could handle the paperwork for both tomorrow.

Li Sanniang thanked Agent Chen and arranged to go together the next morning to complete the transfer procedures.

Haha, I, Li Sanniang, am now a person with property in the capital!

Haha, Li Sanniang has a house, but I don't yet~ *crying*~

I went to the dentist again today because the temporary crown I had done last time broke when I was eating french fries...

Everyone, please make sure to take good care of your teeth!

Thanks to Yi Daoyou Zao'an Tusheng for the 1 recommendation vote, thank you.

(End of chapter)