The Little Lucky Girl

Chapter 224 Stay

Just thinking about the delicious sweet potatoes and corn, Ming Youyou sighed, "When can we take a boat to faraway places to have a look? Maybe there are some particularly long and delicious things there."

"You are so generous, little girl," Mrs. Tao said with a smile, "Dayu's shipbuilding industry cannot compare to those two countries, and the ships cannot go too far at present. And the merchant ships from outside don't think much of us, and are always more willing to trade with Qi and Liang. I'm afraid it will take some years for your wish to come true."

Ming Youyou walked out of the room with regret, and turned around to find Zheng Huan and others waiting for her in the yard.

Zheng Huan handed her a box and said, "This is the money that Captain Jin confiscated from our family when we left the capital. Now he has returned it."

When they left Beijing, Captain Jin had already announced that he would keep a strict watch on several people. The families thought that their silver would be confiscated, so they exchanged their large amounts of money for silver notes as a tribute to Captain Jin. They also secretly gave them some small amounts of silver for their own safety. Unfortunately, they were all searched out and they didn't keep any.

Needless to say, there were always people in the Lu Tai and Feng Xu families who truly cared about them and brought a lot of silver; even Zheng Huan's stepmother gave him two hundred taels for the sake of reputation, but they were all silver notes.

They originally thought that the money would never be returned, but unexpectedly, Captain Jin returned it in full, but the silver note was different from the original paper.

"I didn't expect that we could catch up with him being so generous. It seems that Captain Jin has made a lot of money these days." Feng Xu said with a sigh.

Ming Youyou picked up the banknotes and looked at them one by one. She couldn't help but exclaimed at the numbers on them, "You guys are going to get rich."

Zheng Huan smiled and said, "It's not us, it's you who are going to get rich, this money is for you."

Ming Youyou asked in confusion: "Just keep the money, what are you doing for me?"

"If it weren't for your idea, they might not have made so much money, and naturally they wouldn't have thought of paying it back to us."

"You spent a lot of money on our schooling and food before, so this is our repayment," Lu Tai and Feng Xu said with a smile, "I will pay you back when I make money in the future."

Ming Youyou looked at the three of them, "Now that you are free, are you preparing to return to the capital?"

The three of them were stunned and looked at each other, not knowing how to answer for a moment.

If it was when they first arrived in Yuqing County, they would naturally miss the capital city very much and would wish to rush back the next moment. However, now that they have lived here for a year, it seems that they have experienced more people and things than all their previous experiences combined, and the thought of returning to the capital city has not appeared in their minds for a long time.

Zheng Huan said softly: "I no longer have a home in the capital. If I leave, I want to go see my sister, but I am afraid that my current identity will cause criticism and bring trouble to her. It is better for me to live here alone."

Lu Tai glared and said, "Why are you alone? I don't plan to leave."

"You really don't have to do this for me—"

"It has nothing to do with you," Lu Tai waved his hand and said, "Yuqing is a place that brings me good fortune. You see, I have hardly had any heart disease since I came here. I won't leave."

"What about your grandfather? He misses you very much."

"My grandfather is old. He has been talking about returning to his hometown for the past few years. Our hometown is much closer to here than the capital. When my grandfather retires, I will bring him here so that he can enjoy a few years of peace and quiet in this beautiful place."

"Have you decided so quickly?" Feng Xu stared at the two of them with wide eyes. He hesitated for a few times, and finally gritted his teeth and said, "Forget it, if I don't want to go back, then I won't go back. The capital is full of things, and it's boring to stay there for a long time. Besides, as long as I don't go to my father's place, the court shouldn't care where I am."

Seeing that Zheng Huan was still trying to dissuade him, Lu Tai patted him on the shoulder and said, "Don't think too much about it for now. We still have studies to complete. Bailu Academy is an opportunity that many people would love to have. My grandfather once said that the prosperity of the capital is dazzling, but it is not as good as his small village when he was young, where people can study quietly. We have the opportunity now, so let's study hard first."

Ming Youyou was relieved to confirm that the three of them would stay. She was really reluctant to let them go. She looked at the three of them quietly and found that they were also looking at her. When their eyes met, they couldn't help but laugh.

Returning to the familiar courtyard, several people lay on the bed. Although they were extremely tired after going out early in the morning, they tossed and turned and couldn't fall asleep.

At daybreak in the morning, Zheng Huan and the other two got up one after another, each took a small stool, and sat in the yard looking outside.

"You know what," Lu Tai said with emotion, "It's the same scenery I see every day, but my mood has changed and the feeling has changed. Even the wind doesn't seem so cold anymore. A-choo!"

Ming Youyou was eating breakfast while staring at the three people whose noses and cheeks were a little red. "Are you okay? What are you doing sitting there in the wind so early in the morning?"

Feng Xu picked up an egg for Ming Youyou in a flattering manner and said, "I was woken up by the cold again in the middle of the night yesterday. Can I apply for an extra thick quilt?"

Ming Youyou slapped his forehead and said, "I forgot that you are from the north and are not used to our cold and damp climate. Last time, Madam Tao said that she wanted to change the room to a kang, why don't we do the same."

Feng Xu said hurriedly, "That's good, but if we remodel it, I'm afraid the whole house will have to be rebuilt. Why don't we just do it thoroughly and build a blue brick and tile house like the ones in the county?"

"That's fine," Ming said happily, "It just so happens that the folks in Xiaguan Village have made some money, and many of them want to rebuild their houses. My second grandfather even asked me if we want to build one together. We can go to the kiln to buy bricks together, which will be more cost-effective."

As a result, when they were excited to go together to order bricks, they were told that if they bought a lot, they would need to bring the land deed. Only then did they remember that the house seemed not to be theirs yet.

It was the county government that paid for the two courtyards and lent them to them to live in.

The four of them discussed it and, taking advantage of their break, rushed to the county government office, carrying the box of silver bills that had not yet been warmed up.

Knowing that they had money, Magistrate Tao did not hesitate to sell them the two courtyards and the land they cultivated at the current market price.

Ming Youyou and the other three did the math and found out that when the county government bought Xiaguan Village, it was just an ordinary poor village. Now it has become a new town full of business opportunities. With this in and out, the county government has doubled its profit.

A few people looked at the shrunken money box, and heard that the county government would implement control over the land around the town in the future, so they set aside the money for building the house and took out the rest, intending to take this opportunity to buy two more pieces of land.

With the newly issued land deed, the four of them went to find Village Chief Guo to build a house together. As a result, the old man looked at the banknotes and smiled, "Gentlemen, you don't know that the labor here is not as expensive as in the capital. Even if we build a house like Master Xu's, it won't cost that much."