Blissful Days After Widowhood

Gu Yin was very depressed, because before she could say anything, Mrs. Wang told her about her making up nonsense to fool her family.

It was no wonder that Mrs. Wang didn’t believe her, as she didn’t believe Mrs. Wang either!

She was not good at lying, and that rhetoric was the one used in novels, and other stories were not taught in novels!

…

Early the next morning, Mrs. Wang began to look for a house.

Although they got twenty taels all of a sudden, they could not be considered to be rich, as in the end their wealth was so thin that they couldn’t run out of money all at once.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Therefore, a good location like Mrs. Wang’s old house could only be given up.

Hanshan Town was divided into north and south. The south was close to the wharf. There were many coolies and small vendors. Most of the poor people made their homes there.

But that place also had hidden dangers, that was, people came and went, and the security was not as good as other places in the town.

Mrs. Wang thought about it. They were widows, and the matter of Li Daniu left an impression. After a day of searching, she could not make up her mind, so she had to go back and discuss with Gu Yin.

Gu Yin said, “Mother, it is right to be frugal, but safety is indeed the most basic need. Why don’t I go with you tomorrow and help you with references?”

Mrs. Wang could now listen to whatever Gu Yin would say. Seeing that her complexion improved after staying in the inn for two days, she brought her the next day.

Because the money given by Mrs. Wang was not generous, and she didn’t like a house after searching for a day, the middleman who greeted her before became impatient, and a new apprentice took them around.

The little apprentice looked only twelve or thirteen years old, with a tanned face and big eyes. He smiled before everyone, but he was quite clever.

Mrs. Wang was not very happy when she saw that the middleman sent a child to greet her.

However, the little apprentice came to see her, smiled and said, “Madam, hello, I looked at you from a distance yesterday and thought that you are a blessed person, looking more kind than the Guanyin Goddess in the portrait. I didn’t expect to have the opportunity to greet you, it’s a blessing for me.”

She stretched out her hand so as not to be hit with the smiling face, and Mrs. Wang was coaxed into laughter by him, but she still said, “Where’s your master? Why is it you, the only one here today?”

It was not easy for the young apprentice to directly say that his master looked down on a customer like Mrs. Wang, so he explained, “Master happened to have something at home today, let me show you around first. Don’t look at my young age, there is no place that I don’t know about. I grew up wandering in the streets, I know all the places, not to mention Hanshan Town, even of our entire Qingshan County.”

Mrs. Wang was still unhappy, so Gu Yin persuaded, “Mother, we’re all here anyway. It’s better to follow this little brother for a while than to run for nothing.”

The reason for “we’re all here” was quite sufficient. Living in the inn, they had to spend money every day. If renting a house could be done one day earlier, that would be better, so Mrs. Wang nodded.

The little apprentice saw that Gu Yin was approachable, so he turned to her and said, “Thank you sister for helping me, I don’t dare to let you call me a little brother, just call me Xiao Erhei.”

After the greeting, Xiao Erhei continued, “Yesterday, the lady was looking at the place near the pier, where the location is cheap, but there are indeed all kinds of people. Today I will take you to another place, although it is not so convenient, a bit more expensive, but it’s safer.”

After speaking, Xiao Erhei led them to Jinyi Lane in the southern part of Jinyi.

That place was not spacious. When he first entered the alley, the road was narrow, and only two adults could pass through.

Mrs. Wang was not very satisfied when she saw it, “This place is small and crowded, and the house is in tatters. It’s not as good as what I saw yesterday. Is it really more expensive than the other places? Kid aren’t you trying to fool us?”

It was the first time for Xiao Erhei to do things by himself. Just when he wanted to show it, he immediately explained, “Madam, you don’t know that although this place is shabby, it does have a good reason.”

Xiao Heizi took them to one of the small courtyards, lowered his voice and said, “This family on the left side of this yard has a scholar! The neighbor on the right side, even more so, is a well-known bureaucrat in our town!”

Seeing that Mrs. Wang and Gu Yin were unmoved, he continued, “He was transferred from another place. Although he has only been in our town for a few years, he has been able to solve big and small cases. And he is a good person, he is unselfish, and he never puts on a show. The county magistrate has to give him some face when he sees him. With him living next door, no one dares to steal!”

That spoke to Mrs. Wang and Gu Yin’s heart, what they needed most was an absolutely safe and comfortable environment.

Gu Yin and Mrs Wang went in and took a closer look. That small yard consisted of three large rooms in the shape of a zigzag. In the middle was a main room with a kitchen attached to the back, on the left and right sides were sleeping rooms, and in the middle of several rooms was a small patio and thatched cottage.

Wang Shu said that the place was small and crowded, but if compared with the house she went to see the day before, a place where fish and dragons were mixed, it was bigger. If it was compared with the courtyard left to her by the elders of the Wang family, it was already several times larger.

Generally speaking, the yard was quite spacious and the orientation was good, but it seemed that it had been a few years, and the walls were falling down. The living conditions were similar to those of their original life in Batou Village.