Chapter 72 - 071 Build a house
Tian Manjin and Granny Zhao were quite welcoming of He Xuewen moving in, as they had a good impression of him, mainly because He Xuewen was very good at socializing. Like this time buying gifts, he bought something for both Granny Zhao and Zhu Aiqing. Granny Zhao got a piece of green Dacron fabric, while Zhu Aiqing received a piece of light blue Dacron fabric. As for Tian Manjin, of course, he got a packet of Xin’anjiang Cigarettes. As for the children from Donghua Weiguo, it was simple: a packet of biscuits and a packet of fruit candies was enough. Jianguo, to this day, is still wary of He Xuewen, seeing his two joyous younger brothers, he felt frustrated, deeming them too naive.
He also bought presents for Bajin’s house, though not as many as for Sisi’s house; a packet of brown sugar, a piece of Dacron fabric, a packet of Xin’anjiang Cigarettes, and a packet of biscuits, but even these were quite generous. Therefore, the Tians were very fond of He Xuewen, who was handsome and generous. Tian Manjin, of course, welcomed him, especially pleased with the red leather shoes He Xuewen bought for his daughter, believing that anyone who loves his daughter couldn’t be bad.
After eating, He Xuewen took the same gifts he gave to Bajin’s house and went to Zhong Boqiang’s house, accompanied by Tian Manjin. The visit went smoothly, with the Tians advocating for him and his second son Zhong Fugao constantly praising him. Most importantly, the lavish gifts made it impossible for Zhong Boqiang to refuse. He declared that as long as Bajin agreed, He Xuewen could pick any spot at the foot of Moon Spring Mountain to build his house.
At Bajin’s, there was no need for further discussion. As soon as Tian Manjin mentioned that the Old Man had agreed, Bajin agreed without a second thought. In his view, as long as his elder brother agreed, he just needed to support it, and he couldn’t go wrong. He had followed his elder brother’s lead all his life.
The matter was resolved to everyone’s satisfaction, and all the Tians were happy, except for Tian Xinhua, who was sulking. He didn’t like his Ah Nan getting close to that guy Chengsi, feeling as if something of his was being shared, which was upsetting, yet he couldn’t pinpoint why. Ah Nan was extremely affectionate with Chengsi, which infuriated him. He thought this guy would just stay for a few days and then go back home, but unexpectedly, he ended up staying longer and was even living in a house behind Ah Nan’s, which was outrageous!
However, no matter how unhappy Tian Xinhua was, he couldn’t stop the groundbreaking of He Xuewen’s new home. The next day, Zhong Boqiang and Tian Bajin accompanied He Xuewen to inspect the land at the foot of Moon Spring Mountain. He Xuewen had already spotted a relatively flat piece of land of about three to four hundred square meters, backed by Moon Spring Mountain, with a bamboo grove in front and a serene environment. Most importantly, there was a naturally formed spring pool with very clear water, sweet enough to drink directly, saving He Xuewen the trouble of digging a well.
There are many such spring pools on Moon Spring Mountain, so Zhong Boqiang and Tian Bajin didn’t mind He Xuewen picking this land with the spring pool. In their eyes, since the land wasn’t in the middle of the road or occupied by trees, in the rural view, it was a useless land without much value, now able to be sold to earn some money, which the villagers would certainly be happy about.
As expected, when the villagers were gathered under the old camphor tree, they were very pleased to hear that He Xuewen was willing to spend two hundred yuan to buy that piece of wasteland at the foot of Moon Spring Mountain. Two hundred yuan per household could mean one or two yuan each — not an insignificant amount, enough to buy two or three kilograms of meat!
However, they hadn’t expected this distant relative of the Tians to be so wealthy. To avoid trouble, the Old Man let He Xuewen claim that he was a distant relative of the Tians. In rural life, without local relatives and friends to look after you, it could be difficult to get by, as the villagers might find ways to ostracize you. While not fearful, it could be quite bothersome dealing with the sometimes crude villagers.