Chapter 81: Building a House—A Big One
Wen Xiuyi didn’t refuse. He simply nodded.
Luo Shi didn’t say more and prepared to go make arrangements.
“Mother, wait a moment,” Wen Xiuyi suddenly called out to stop her, then glanced at Wen Yao. “Yao Yao, the thing?”
“I brought it.” Wen Yao pretended to rummage in her clothes and took the land deed out from her space.
Wen Xiuyi took it and handed it to Luo Shi.
“Mother, keep this.”
Luo Shi was confused. She stared at the folded paper in his hand and accepted it suspiciously. “What is this?”
But when she opened it, her expression changed immediately.
“This is—?” Even if she couldn’t read, she recognized a land deed.
She stared at the family of three in shock. “Where did this come from?”
Old Wen stood up at once and took the deed from her hands, equally baffled.
Wen Xiuyi shifted into a more comfortable sitting position and said, “Since everyone’s here today, Father, Mother, there’s something I need to tell you.”
Still stunned by the deed, the family asked instinctively, “What is it?”
“These several mu of land are on the west side of the village, past the hillside. That whole area now belongs to our family. The deed is in Father’s name. This is what I owe you—I bought it back.”
Luo Shi’s hands trembled as she held the deed, overwhelmed with excitement.
But then her brows tightened. “Where did you get the money? Did you do something again?”
She was truly afraid—afraid her son, who had finally turned over a new leaf, might have gone astray again.
Seeing her worry, Wen Xiuyi said directly, “Don’t worry. The money came from a proper source. Remember the child Xiao Jun and Yao Yao saved? This was the family’s reward. We kept fifty taels to build a house and used the rest to buy land. It’s all here.
Father, Mother, I was foolish before and harmed this family. That won’t happen again. I’ve seen the land—it’s good. The lower-grade fields can be improved over a few years into medium-grade land.”
Luo Shi and Old Wen were still in shock until Wen Xiuzhu asked, “Big Brother, you’re building a house?”
Only then did everyone realize Wen Xiuyi had mentioned building one.
Buying land and building a house—Li Shi couldn’t help asking, “How much did that family give as thanks?”
This time Luo Shi didn’t scold her. She was curious too, though she had no intention of coveting the money. After all, most of it was already in her hands.
When they helped repay Wen Xiuyi’s debts before, they had sold several mu of land. Now, the land had returned to them—and even more than before.
Wen Xiuyi didn’t hide it. “Two hundred taels. We bought land, set aside fifty taels for the house, and Yao Yao kept the rest.”
Everyone gasped.
This wasn’t just saving someone—it was saving a golden child.
The old couple looked through the deed and finally said, “We don’t need this much. We sold four mu to repay your debts, so four mu is enough. Keep the rest.”
But Wen Xiuyi had already decided. “The deed is done. Keep it for now. Otherwise, we’d have to redo paperwork at the yamen and pay fees again.”
Hearing about additional fees, Luo Shi hesitated. She didn’t want to take advantage of her son but hated wasting money on fees even more.
Wen Xiuyi secretly signaled his siblings: Handle Grandma.
Wen Yao stepped forward and held Luo Shi’s arm. “Grandma, let’s talk about the house first.”
“The house? What house?”
While she was distracted, Wen Yao folded the deed and tucked it into her arms. “Didn’t Father say? We want to rebuild our house. The kitchen already collapsed—what if the bedroom collapses next?”
Luo Shi frowned. “That house is old. It’s the ancestral home. When we split the family, we were angry but worried you’d have nowhere to live. Ask your grandfather and uncles about building.”
Wen Yao turned to Old Wen, who was still immersed in the joy of gaining thirteen more mu of land.
Thirteen mu! With their existing six mu, they now had nineteen—practically the new small landlords of Gutong Village.
After being called twice, Old Wen finally snapped out of it. “What? The land?”
Everyone covered their mouths to laugh quietly so as not to wake Datou.
Luo Shi rolled her eyes. “Your granddaughter is asking about building a house. Stop thinking about land all day.”
Old Wen coughed awkwardly. “What kind of house do you want?”
Wen Yao replied directly, “We have fifty taels. What kind of house can we build? Also, who owns the empty land behind our house? The village? Can we make the house bigger?”
Old Wen trembled in shock at the mention of fifty taels. “Village land? That’s our Wen family’s ancestral homestead. Build as much as you like—you can fence in the whole back area.”
