The Little Life of a Big Landlord

Chapter 13 Humble House

When Yang Ming returned to his rented room in Sunshine Community, it was already noon. At that time, only Wei Qingqing was there. She was lying on the bed, with a small electric fan blowing, reading a book out of boredom.

"You're back? How did the talk go?" Wei Qingqing quickly got off the bed when she saw Yang Ming return.

"Hmm! Not bad! Aunt Zhang took good care of me. Did your friend leave?" Yang Ming sat on the bed and threw the file folder on it. There was a thick stack of contracts inside!

"They left a while ago, but they were quite enthusiastic about our tomatoes. She said she'd come back this afternoon." Wei Qingqing poured Yang Ming a glass of water and smelled alcohol on him. "Have you been drinking?"

"Yeah! After signing the contract, we had dinner with those big bosses to build rapport." Yang Ming took the water. "Let's go to Zhengjia Village this afternoon. If the houses there are too dilapidated, we'll fix them up quickly!"

"Okay! I'll call Fangfang and tell her not to come this afternoon!" Wei Qingqing said, taking Yang Ming's old cell phone out of his pocket and about to call Sun Fangfang.

After finishing her call with Sun Fangfang, Wei Qingqing said, "She said that the three of them are going to familiarize themselves with the place, and they'll be going together this afternoon. They'll be driving here. I told her we'll leave at 2 PM."

"Go ahead and go, honestly, you're pretty crazy, girl!"

"She's just that kind of carefree person, and her husband Zhang Yang is no pushover either. The two of them are a perfect match." Wei Qingqing nodded in deep agreement.

After chatting for a bit, Yang Ming went downstairs to Grandpa Zheng's house to tell him about going to Zhengjia Village to look at houses that afternoon. Grandpa Zheng readily agreed.

Around 1 p.m., Sun Fangfang and her family of three arrived in a minivan with a large interior that could comfortably seat seven or eight people. Sun Fangfang's husband, Zhang Yang, was driving, while Sun Fangfang held her son in the back seat.

Yang Ming and Wei Qingqing got into the back seat and sat with Sun Fangfang. Grandpa Zheng got into the passenger seat and was responsible for giving directions. Under Grandpa Zheng's guidance, the van drove towards Zhengjia Village.

Zhengjia Village is a small mountain village in Huaishu Township, Yungu County, which is under the jurisdiction of S City. It is about 60 kilometers away from S City.

The van drove out of the city and turned onto a country road at a fork in the road. As they drove along the country road, the sounds of people seemed to suddenly disappear, and the hustle and bustle of the city seemed to have been left far behind.

The country road was in poor condition, bumpy and jolting along. Wild grass grew on both sides of the road, and insects chirped in the grass. Occasionally, cicadas chirped from two crooked trees, but this only made the place seem more peaceful.

After traveling for about an hour on country roads, the van, guided by Grandpa Zheng, turned onto a side road. This side road was in even worse condition, and after another two hours of bumpy travel, they finally arrived at Huaishu Township in Yungu County.

The van made several turns until it reached a gravel road. Following this gravel road, we finally arrived at a peaceful little mountain village.

"This is Zhengjia Village. There aren't many people, maybe a hundred or so households. Just follow this gravel road straight ahead, and the house at the very end is my old house," said Grandpa Zheng.

Following Grandpa Zheng's directions, Zhang Yang drove the car directly to the outside of a farmhouse. Along the way, he saw houses with blue or red bricks and tiled roofs. One or two houses were even made of stone. Without exception, all these houses had a spacious courtyard.

The car stopped, the engine was turned off, and Grandpa Zheng opened the car door and got out. Pointing to the farmhouse, he said, "This is it! Every year, someone always tries to mess around with it, always eyeing my house!"

Yang Ming and Wei Qingqing also got out of the car, looking at the farmhouse in front of them with some surprise. Unlike what they had imagined, the farmhouse wasn't dilapidated at all. To the right of the gate was a large willow tree, so large it would take two people to encircle it, its branches almost touching the ground. The yard was enclosed by a fence, and perhaps the branches used for the fence were easy to grow, as lush green branches had already sprouted from it. Two large trees grew in the yard, a chestnut tree and a persimmon tree, both flourishing with leaves and bearing unripe fruit. The two side rooms were plastered with mud mixed with straw. Although they lacked luxury, they had a unique rustic charm. The house was a red brick and tile house. Judging from the weathering of the red bricks, it should be about twenty years old. Apart from the lack of human presence, this small courtyard was considered a good house in Zhengjia Village. Combining this with what Grandpa Zheng had said, the two understood that someone must be doing regular repairs. Yang Ming and Wei Qingqing, who knew Grandpa Zheng's family affairs well, could guess the most likely reason. The family that was repairing the house was probably the one that pushed Grandpa Zheng's son into the river.

"This house is pretty nice! The environment here is also quite nice, with a rustic feel..." Sun Fangfang said as she got out of the car with her baby son in her arms and glanced around.

Grandpa Zheng took out his key from his pocket, opened the gate, and said, "Come in!"

"This Zhengjia Village is surrounded by mountains on three sides. There's only one road leading out, the one we came in on. On the other side of the mountain is an old forest, full of bears, wolves, wild boars, and the like. Don't go there by yourself," Grandpa Zheng led everyone into the courtyard, then opened the door and led them into the main room. "This small courtyard covers a total area of ​​350 square meters, with two courtyards, front and back. The main room also has a back door that leads to the back courtyard. The east and west rooms are habitable, and they all have earthen beds."

Yang Ming and his group also saw that as soon as they entered the main room, there were two stoves on either side of the door, but there were no pots on them, and the mud inside had not yet turned black, so it was obvious that they had not been cooked.

Grandpa Zheng led everyone to look around the east and west rooms. Both rooms were very tidy. The earthen kang (heated brick bed) was extremely smooth and covered with a layer of kraft paper. Various New Year pictures were pasted on the walls. The windows were still made of oil paper, making the rooms seem a bit dark.

"Don't be fooled by the fact that this house is made of bricks on the outside; the inside is actually made of adobe. If you don't like it, you can tear it down and rebuild it. Building a house in the countryside doesn't cost much. And this kang (heated brick bed), who still lives on a kang these days... If you're not used to living here, you can dismantle it and replace the bed. But you can't use the stove outside. Remember to seal the hole under the roof tightly to prevent rats and insects from crawling in..." Grandpa Zheng stomped on the smooth blue brick floor and said.

"It's great, it feels very rustic!" Wei Qingqing said.

"I'm glad you like it," Grandpa Zheng nodded. "The markets here are Zhangjiazhuangzi, Wangjiaji, and the county market; the markets here are Majiagou, Liujiatun, and the township market; and the markets here are Niujiawopeng, Lijiazhuang, and Hujiabao. If you need anything, you can buy it at the nearest market..."

Grandpa Zheng then led everyone to the backyard, which was half the size of the front yard. On the left side of the yard was a large well with a bluestone rim and a windlass. In the corner on the right side of the yard was a simple toilet, and next to the toilet was a livestock shed. Inside the shed was a solid wood donkey cart with a full set of bridles, but no animals.

"This is the backyard. There's a small gully behind it. Our two acres of land are in the mountains. You can get there by driving straight down the gully. It's about 300 meters away! Want to go take a look?" Grandpa Zheng said, opening the back door.

"Let me go with you and take a look. Let them rest here for now," Yang Ming said, seeing that Sun Fangfang was carrying the child and he didn't want her to have to walk with him.

"Okay, you guys go and come back quickly. We need to get back tonight, otherwise we won't have anywhere to sleep!" Wei Qingqing said.

"I'm going with you! Don't worry, Sister Ugly, I'll keep an eye on your husband and make sure he doesn't get carried off by wolves!" Zhang Yang said at this moment.

Everyone laughed. Wei Qingqing kicked him in the butt in anger. Even Grandpa Zheng, whose face had been gloomy the whole time, showed a rare smile. "Don't worry, there's a small river running across one end of this gully. The drop is quite big, so wolves can't cross it."

"What's going on? Why does this old man look so pale after he got here? Did your husband force someone to buy his house?" Sun Fangfang whispered to Wei Qingqing after the three men left.

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Wei Qingqing rolled her eyes at Sun Fangfang and then told her about what happened at Grandpa Zheng's house.

"So that's what happened. I was worried something might happen, which is why I had your brother-in-law come along. You said this house has been abandoned for thirty years, but it doesn't look like it at all." Sun Fangfang found a small stool and sat down.

"In my opinion, it must be the family that pushed Grandpa Zheng's son into the river. They've been regretting what happened back then, so they've been helping to take care of the family ever since Grandpa Zheng's family passed away." Wei Qingqing found a small stool and sat down next to Sun Fangfang.

"What you say is true, young lady!" Wei Qingqing had barely finished speaking when an old man's voice rang out behind them.

Both women were taken aback and quickly stood up, turning around to look.

There stood an old man, around seventy years old, leaning on a small cane, in the backyard.

"Who are you?" Seeing that it was an old man, the two women were no longer flustered, and Wei Qingqing asked.

"I am Zheng Yunqian's uncle, my name is Zheng Guangrong, and I used to be the village secretary of Zhengjia Village. Young lady, Xiaoqianzi is back. Where did he go?" the old man said in a low voice.

Wei Qingqing knew that Zheng Yunqian was Grandpa Zheng, so she said, "Grandpa, Grandpa Zheng has already given us the house and land. He took my husband and the others to see the land."

"He's going to sell all his possessions? He'd rather die than come back?" Old Master Zheng Guangrong was speechless upon hearing this.

"It wasn't sold, it was given away!" Wei Qingqing corrected.

"Xiao Qianzi's lineage is finished. Let's just sell his assets. It's a pity for that kid Zheng Yu. He'll never have peace of mind in this life." Zheng Guangrong sighed dejectedly.

"Please sit down, sir. Can you tell us what happened? Maybe we can help you!" Wei Qingqing quickly offered her stool to the old man.

"You all know about Xiao Qianzi's family, so I'm not afraid to tell you!" Zheng Guangrong sat on a small stool, holding his cane in his arms. "You probably already know about what happened thirty years ago, but I'll tell you what happened afterward. That Zheng Yu, the rascal who pushed Xiao Qianzi's Er Gouzi into the river, he's 37 years old now! Back then, he was just a kid, only seven or eight, and didn't understand anything. He just thought it was fun. After Er Gouzi died, he searched the whole world for him, not knowing that Er Gouzi would never come back. Later, as he grew up and became more sensible, he realized that Er Gouzi wasn't in his hands, and he lived in regret every day. It's been like that all these years. Who was the first in the village to build a brick house? It was..." The house that Xiao Qianzi lived in was built by Zheng Yu, that rascal, who used the money he earned from working to buy roof tiles and built it piece by piece by himself. He didn't want to ruin the house's appearance, so he took bricks and laid them on the outside one by one. Every year, during festivals, he would put up New Year pictures and couplets inside and outside the house, and clean the house every ten days or half a month. He has been doing this for the past thirty years without fail. He is not young anymore, and he has not married. His family line is about to end. He just wants to hear his uncle and aunt say something to him, even if they scold him or beat him! Our husband has tried to mediate many times, but every time we try, it falls apart. Now, Xiao Qianzi even hates us...”

The two women listened to the old man's words and remained silent for a long time. Sun Fangfang hugged her precious son tightly. She thought about it and realized that her precious son was gone... Ugh, ugh, that's bad luck... Wouldn't she go crazy? There would be no point in living.

Wei Qingqing felt a little heavy-hearted. "Let's try talking to Grandpa Zheng and the others about this!"

"Young lady, I'm so grateful for your kindness! It's a tragedy for our Zheng family, really!" Zheng Guangrong nodded gratefully.

The old man didn't dare linger, fearing that Grandpa Zheng would give him a hard time when he returned, so he left in a hurry.

The mountain gully was a narrow mountain path about 20 meters wide. Grandpa Zheng led Yang Ming and Zhang Yang along the gully to the two acres of land. The two acres of land were located between two mountains and were overgrown with weeds. There was also a small mountain stream flowing down from the mountainside at the edge of the land. The stream was ten meters wide, with clear water and small fish swimming in it.

"These two mu of land were allocated by the team. Our family was stuck at one end of a small gully, so we were allocated these two mu. To be honest, we cleared these two mu ourselves. Our family used to be quite large, and we were allocated a lot of land. After our family had an accident, we returned all the other land to the state, leaving only this piece." Grandpa Zheng's face showed sorrow again. "This land is right next to a mountain stream, and it's very fertile. When planting, you just need to burn the grass and hoe it once."

"This place is really nice, quite quiet." Yang Ming stood on the ridge of the field, looking around.

"There are still fish in the stream. We'll get a net and catch some later. Wild fish taste completely different from farmed ones." Zhang Yang looked at the fish swimming in the stream, his mouth watering.

"Alright, that's all. It's getting dark, let's go back. We'll go to the township office tomorrow to complete the transfer procedures," said Grandpa Zheng.

So the three of them started walking back.

P.S.: Please recommend and add to your favorites...