Chapter 99: The Heng Family Falling Out
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Fourth Brother Heng did not reply.
Madam Wu continued, “Heng Yi is the most upstanding man out of the four of you, while Third Brother Heng is the smartest one, but both Eldest Brother Heng and Second Brother Heng are the most ruthless men out of all of you. Third Brother Heng should’ve known a little about this matter…”
Silang, our children are still young. No matter if it’s right or wrong, we can teach them slowly. I don’t want them to push their brothers down the cliff for money when they grow up.”
“We have saved up three to four taels of silver in the last few years. Adding on the ten taels in your hands and the five taels given by Father and Mother, we have twenty taels. We will rent a small house in the county town and buy a mule cart. You go to the countryside to buy some vegetables, radishes, eggs, duck eggs, chickens, ducks, and geese. I will sell them in the county town and earn some money.”
Fourth Brother Heng fell silent.
He was also weighing Madam Wu’s words.
“Is it profitable?” Fourth Brother Heng asked.
“Yes, I asked my mother. In the countryside, these things are not worth much. Many people are willing to sell them for a cheaper price. However, the county is different. They will sell them at the same price as our town.”
“I think our son can read and write. In the future, he will be a man with morals.”
In the end, it was all for the sake of their child.
Fourth Brother Heng fell silent again.
After a long time, he nodded.
“We can’t just give the three of them the wasteland in the countryside for nothing.”
At Fourth Brother Heng’s request, Eldest Brother Heng, Second Brother Heng, and Third Brother Heng agreed without hesitation.
Because they felt guilty.
Even when Old Man Heng learned that Fourth Brother Heng was going to Puyi County, he didn’t object.
This matter was settled.
The autumn weather at the end of September was really refreshing, and it was especially comfortable to go out.
Han Qiao brought her grandfather, grandmother, and the three children along.
Bai Cha drove the carriage, while Heng Yi rode with Han Qiao.
Han Qiao’s hip hurts and she sits back in the carriage holding in the pain.
Grandpa, Grandma, and the three children were all very curious. They found everything they saw strange.
“Aiyo, that tree is so big.”
“That house is so stylish.”
They were still looking at the manor that belonged to them from afar.
“We can live here next year.”
The grain had been harvested, and the oranges, and pomelos on the mountain were also ripe.
Han Qiao also knew that the family needed money, “Heng Yi, do you think we can discuss it? We can pay some money to buy these.”
Living in Xishan Village was good but not good enough.
The place they lived in was too small. It felt very stifling to do anything at night.
Most importantly, these fruits and plants might not be sold in any store on the street.
It was more convenient to have some at home.
Moreover, the fields here also needed to be plowed. After the water was released, they could be used to grow oilseed rape. When spring came, the rape would be harvested and pressed for oil.
They could store it for a year.
She had wanted to stay in Xishan Village because she lived closer to her family. However, after this incident, she realized that it was not good to be too close, especially since they were exceptionally rich. They would only sow jealousy in her family.
Han Qiao knew what it was like to be far away from them.
After Lady Lin came to the house, her sister-in-laws all came to ask if she could teach their children, but the house really could not accommodate so many people.
Lady Lin didn’t have the energy to teach them all either.
It put Han Qiao in a difficult position.
When they arrived at the county town, they went to the inn and booked four guest rooms.
After that, Han Qiao and Heng Yi brought Grandpa, Grandma, and the three children out.
Sun Xiu and Sun Yi were afraid that Sun Ke would get lost, so they held her hands.
Han Qiao had to take care of Grandpa in case he got lost.
To top it all off, there were more pedestrians coming and going today.
Heng Yi and Bai Cha followed behind.
Sun Ke was still young and could not see anything past the tall bodies. It made her extremely anxious.
When Heng Yi saw this, he carried her on his shoulders. And the taller he was, the farther she could see.
Sun Ke blinked.
She looked at Heng Yi’s head, then at her two sisters, and saw envy in their eyes.
She suddenly laughed, “Wow, it’s so lively.”
Not only were there many people selling items but there were also jugglers.
For those who saw the performance for the first time, it felt novel and rare.
There were tables and stools in the area for people to watch the show. However, there were very few people sitting there because they knew they would have to give them money if they sat.
Han Qiao brought her family over and booked a table for 300 cash.
Grandma didn’t say anything, but the three sisters’ hearts ached at the money.
However, they also brought tea, melon seeds, and peanuts. They could watch the show and did not have to squeeze in with the passerby on the streets. So the money was very well spent.
The performance included walking on stills, folding stools, swallowing swords, breaking rocks with the chest, and performing magic tricks.
Every single one of them made people cry out in awe and amazement.
There was a little girl who went to ask for money with a copper gong. If someone gave her one or two coins, she would thank them warmly. If someone refused, she wouldn’t be angry.
Most people were still willing to pay for one or two copper coins.
After going back and forth like this several times, she still earned hundreds of cash.
After the show ended, they still wanted to see more.
Grandpa did not want to leave, “Granddaughter, can I watch it again?”
The three children, including Heng Yi and Grandmother, all looked at Han Qiao.
Bai Cha, on the other hand, doesn’t care, because he had seen a hundred times more wonderful acrobatic performances than this.
Unfortunately for him…
“Alright,” Han Qiao would have to pay again if they wanted to watch their performance again.
The acrobatic master was a clever and kind person.
“It alright if you don’t pay. It’s just that we won’t be serving you tea and melon seeds.”
They don’t have many tea and melon seeds left on the table, but it was a little boring to sit there without them.
“Bring us another serving,” Han Qiao laughed.
“Alright.”
The master quickly ordered people to serve the tea, melon seeds, and peanuts.
This time, more people came to watch and sat at the side.
The masters became more and more jubilant.
In this day and age, earning money was not that easy.
Especially performing with this kind of unpresentable acrobatics.
Han Qiao sipped her tea and looked at everyone. Everyone was working hard to live a good life.
After watching the acrobatics, Han Qiao and Heng Yi brought their families to the gold and silver shop.
When they entered the shop, the three children couldn’t stand still and watch.
Grandpa wasn’t interested in these things, but they couldn’t let him run around outside, so she asked Heng Yi and Bai Cha to watch over him.
“Heng Yi, look after him for me.”
Heng Yi nodded.
Meanwhile, Han Qiao brought her grandmother and the three children to pick something.
She was here to buy some things today.
However, she could not let the shopkeeper squeeze her money like a wet rag.
She had taken a fancy to a Hetian jade bracelet for her grandmother. The jade was fine, smooth, and white. There were no cotton, black spots, or cracks to be seen with the naked eye.
It was of good quality.
The shopkeeper offered seven taels of silver.
Hearing this, Grandma rejected it, “No, I don’t like it. Too expensive.”
II
Grandma, try it. I think it looks good on you.”
Han Qiao pulled Grandma over and forced her to try it on.
Whether it was the necklace or the ring, they were very beautiful.
She didn’t let her grandma take them off and bargained with the shopkeeper. In the end, she bought it for five taels of silver.
She didn’t even feel bad when she paid, but Grandma couldn’t take it.
“It’s so expensive. What if I broke it?” Grandma touched the jade bracelet.
If she loved it, she loved it, but it would break her heart if she broke them.
Han Qiao bought a thumb ring for Grandpa.
Grandpa didn’t quite understand it at first, but he understood once he put the ring on his thumb.
“This is good. I like this. My eldest granddaughter bought this for me?”
“I did.”
The three children bought Hetian jade beads. They were small and looked fair.
The two gold bangles were not very different in weight, and they were both priced at six taels of silver.
Why did you buy two?” Grandma asked.
“One for Mother and one for Mother-In-Law.”
Since she had agreed, she had to buy one for her.
If she didn’t for her mother, she would probably be sulking for a few days.
Han Qiao had long been familiar with Han Yuan’s temperament..