Chapter 10: Moving into the New House (Part 2)

  "Uncle, auntie, I know what you're thinking, but think about it, if my siblings and I don't cut ties with the Lin family, even if we split up, they'll still come to control us as our elders in the future. What's the difference between that and not splitting up? My marriage to Er Ya will definitely be used to exchange for money, which is equivalent to selling me out. And my life after marriage will be ruined. It's uncertain whether Da Tou can marry a wife or not; my father has been away serving in the army for many years without any news, and it's likely he won't return. Mother also died miserably at the Lin family due to overwork. We let the Lin family off easy by letting them divorce our mother, but our mother was relieved to leave the Lin family. If not for us three siblings, I reckon my mother would have gone to find my father long ago. Moreover, uncle and auntie, you were there at the time, and the Lin family never intended to give us any of their belongings. They only cared about Lin Er Lang and themselves. Luckily, I had Da Tou hide the things in the house beforehand. If not for the incident with Lin Xiao Hua, the Lin family would have been in a mess by now, and they probably would have discovered everything already. But now, they don't have the time or energy to control us."

  "We've completely cut ties with the Lin family, and no matter how well or poorly we do in the future, it's our own business. We don't have to worry about Old Man Lin, Lin Er-lang, or Liu Er-niang having any more evil intentions. If we're successful in the future, we won't have to worry about the Lin family eyeing our achievements, and if we're not, we can just leave and go somewhere else. At least we'll be free, and we won't have to worry about Old Man Lin holding us back. That's why I wanted to cut off all these consequences at once, which is why Da Tou Er Ya and I came up with this idea... As for my mother, it's actually my own selfishness. She only lived a short life of less than 30 years, and she didn't get to see us grow up or say goodbye to our father. I resent my father for that - if he hadn't been away from home for so many years without any news, my mother wouldn't have suffered so much. If one day he comes back and realizes how hard it was for her, maybe I can accept him. But if he doesn't care at all, then we three siblings don't need to have anything to do with him anymore. Without our mother, he's nothing to us. It's better if he just doesn't come back..."

  Lin Chuan has seen many people who forget their integrity for the sake of gain in modern times. Lin Dalaran has not returned for many years, and no one knows what happened to him. The person from the neighboring village who went to war with him died on the battlefield, and the county government even sent condolences. Therefore, Pei Wushuang always thought that Lin Dalaran must be dead. Lin Chuan did not want to think about the worst-case scenario, but thinking that having a backup plan was also good, so he made up his mind. It has to be said that Lin Chuan's actions today avoided a series of troubles in the future, but this is another story.

  Dashan and Cuihua also thought Lin Chuns words made sense, although the last few sentences about Lin Dalang were a bit severe, but they were also very right. The two felt that the children had thought things through carefully, if it werent for being forced to the point of desperation, how would the children have come up with such ideas? Alas...children without parents, if they dont think of a way out themselves, they will only end up on a dead-end road. Fortunately, Da Ya is sensible, Da Tou is clever, Er Ya is young but obedient. Dashan and Cuihua were also happy for Lin Dalang and Pei Wushuang, but could Lin Dalang still come back?!

  Dashan no longer mentioned these things, thinking that he would go to the market the day after tomorrow, and discussed with Cuihua, letting her take the three children to the new house tomorrow to see what was needed, and write it down one by one. They would buy everything together when they came back. Lin Chun listened on the side and also agreed, thinking that he could finally move into his own home. He had been disturbing Dashan's family for so long and felt embarrassed, although Dashan was taking care of him and his sister because of their parents' relationship, it was rare to do so much for them.

  The next day, Cuihua took the three children to the hunter's house at the foot of the mountain in the west of the village. The house had been renovated, with all the rotten and unstable wood replaced with newly cut ones. The thatched roof was also made of this year's freshly harvested rice straw, very dry and comfortable. The two rooms were not very large, but enough for Lin Chun and his siblings to live in. In front of the house, a small kitchen had been built, with a small stove made of mud inside, on which sat a half-new iron pot given by the village head's family.

  The courtyard is surrounded by neatly arranged branches, tied together with grass ropes. There's a small wooden gate, and the yard is very clean, with all weeds pulled out and the soil trodden down firmly. In the room on the left, there's a slightly larger single bed, a broken wooden cabinet. On the right side of the house, on the wall hangs a broken bow, an arrow quiver, inside which are several wooden arrows. Against the northwest corner of the wall is placed a rusty hoe and a small iron shovel.

  Lin Chun was very satisfied with the house, and he couldn't find words to describe his gratitude towards Da Shan Bo Bo's family. After repairing the two rooms, even just providing food for Cuifeng Dama was enough for five days, not counting tea water. The only drawback was probably the use of water, but fortunately, there were two large water vats outside the kitchen that had already been filled by Da Shan Bo Bo. However, it would be difficult to fetch water in the future, and they still didn't have a water bucket at home.

  Cuihua and Lin Chun tidied up the things they brought, made a note of what to buy, and took the children back home for lunch. After lunch, Lin Chun and her siblings bid farewell to Dashan Bo and his family, returned home, and prepared to go to the market with Cuihua's family the day after tomorrow. Lin Chun also planned to take a good look at the market conditions and plan where she could make money.

  In modern times, Lin Chun majored in literature and minored in administrative management. He never studied agriculture or business. If asked to recite a few poems or couplets, he would be more than happy to oblige, but these skills wouldn't fill his stomach in this impoverished farming household. If he were the son of a wealthy family or a noble lady, perhaps his talents would be useful, such as playing the piano, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Alas, he was only familiar with the basics of the latter two... Sigh...

  Now, aside from the two thatched cottages made of wood, there's nothing left at home. The villagers took pity on them and sent over some food and supplies. Uncle San and Village Chief gave the most, but they couldn't rely on their support forever. Without land, they had no source of food, which was essential for survival... Even if they became wealthy in the future, and Lin Chun's children could attend school or take part in imperial examinations, having land would still be a good thing...

  Lin Chun returned home with Da Tou and Er Ya, standing in the courtyard thinking for a while, when Er Ya interrupted her thoughts, "Sister, didn't you say that after moving into the new house, we would boil a big pot of water to take a bath?" Er Ya was afraid Lin Chun would forget, seeing her standing dazed in the courtyard, she hurriedly went forward and shook her hand saying.

  "Uh-huh, sister remembers, you and Big Head go to the nearby house to pick up some firewood, sister will wash and dry the wooden basin that Uncle Dashan gave us, tonight before we sleep, we all need to wash ourselves clean." Big Head and Second Ya were very happy, holding hands as they left the yard.

  Lin Chuan took out the basin, a wooden basin, which was a bit heavy. Lin Chuan washed and scrubbed it with great effort, and also brushed the iron pot on the stove in the kitchen twice, and put water in it. Da Tou and Er Ya both returned to the yard with their arms full of dry branches. Lin Chuan picked up a handful of straw outside the kitchen, which was still from the original thatched roof that had been removed and was almost rotten. These straws had been dried by the sun for several days and were just suitable for starting a fire. Lin Chuan and Da Tou started a fire together. At first, they weren't very skilled, but with Da Tou rushing to burn the fire on one side, Lin Chuan learned on the other side, and slowly got the hang of it.

  Lin Chun let Er Ya go back to the house and get their clothes ready, letting Da Tou wash first, then the two of them would wash together afterwards. Er Ya happily agreed.

  Three people took a beautiful hot bath, tidied up the house a bit, and went to bed. Although the bed was small, it was enough for three people to lie down. Lin Chun let Da Tou sleep against the wall, Er Ya slept in the middle, and she slept on the outside. "Sister, from now on, every night before going to bed, we'll take a bath, it's so comfortable!" Er Ya's thoughts were still immersed in the warmth of the hot water just now.

  "Uh, okay, but the weather is getting colder and we need to pay attention to keeping warm, otherwise we'll get sick. At home, even if we have money to see an old Chinese doctor, it's still a hassle with runny noses and all that." Lin Chun said mischievously to scare Er Ya.

  "Huh? Can't we just wash it every few days, not today for such a long time, just soak it and that's fine." Er Ya felt a little disappointed after hearing Lin Chun's words, but still wanted to try.

  "Sister, I also want to take a bath. In the past at grandfather's house, he wouldn't let me bathe and said that if I wanted to take a bath, I should go to the riverbank to wash up. The water is so cold." Da Tou nodded and spoke, making Lin Chun feel a pang of heartache listening to this. Such a small child going to the riverbank to take a bath, not to mention how cold and unhygienic the water was, what if they fell into the river?!

  "Alright, from now on I'll try to let you all take a bath every day, but you also need to help me gather firewood, we'll boil water together and take baths together."

  "Alright, alright, sister, don't worry. In the future when I have nothing to do, I'll take Er Ya to collect firewood and burn it slowly in the yard." Da Tou immediately began to show his determination after hearing Lin Chun's words.

  "Uh, Big Head is right, the weather is getting colder and our quilt is broken. We don't have a warm kang in the house, and we don't have thick winter clothes either. Let's save some firewood for winter to keep warm. When Sister thinks of a way and earns some money, she'll first buy fabric to make new clothes and quilts for Er Ya and Big Head." Lin Chun's determination to earn money became even firmer. Improving living conditions was one thing, but if they could do better, maybe they could go to the county or even further to Beijing to inquire about Lin Da Lang's life and death and Pei Wu Shuang's origins. Since they had come to ancient times, it would be a good idea to visit Beijing to experience its culture and customs.

  "Sister, although I'm small and can't think for you, if there's anything you want me to do, be sure to tell me. In the future, Er Ya and I will listen to you."

  "Alright, alright, listen to sister."

  Dahou and Er Ya thought that Lin Chun had taken them away from the evil Lin Lao Tou's family, and they were very impressed. From then on, as long as they listened to their sister's words, they would definitely not go wrong. This also made Lin Chun worry less about her siblings' affairs in the future, because Dahou and Er Ya took Lin Chun's words as sacred decrees, and trusted Lin Chun without a doubt. This laid the foundation for the family's unity and harmony in the future, making it impossible for outsiders to take advantage of them.