"Settle accounts?"
Tian Jing sneered, "You bought all the courtyard houses, settled the debt with cash and goods, and you still want to settle accounts with me?"
"What accounts to settle? If you want to settle accounts, you should find your own lodging. I don't entertain guests here."
"Bang!"
The courtyard gate slammed shut in front of the six people.
The Xiao family members outside the door turned ashen.
Fang Qiuhong squeezed through the crowd, "Tian Jing has gotten rich! She built a garden courtyard for her grandfather and is unwilling to host you. How poor are you?"
"However, my family has two side rooms. I'll rent them to you for ten yuan a month each."
When the villagers heard Fang Qiuhong's words, they immediately crowded around.
"Don't listen to her. Her house is not only dirty, but her children cry incessantly every day. Come to my house to live. My two side rooms are only ten yuan a month."
"Don't listen to him. His two side rooms leak rain and don't have a kang. You'll freeze to death in winter."
"Don't listen to him..."
"Don't listen to him..."
A noise like a bustling market surrounded the six members of the Xiao family.
The two servants dared not put down their baggage. They pushed the villagers with their baggage but couldn't get through.
While they were anxious, one of them saw Grandpa Xiao and Xiao Shuyuan walking towards them and quickly waved to Grandpa Xiao, shouting.
"Third Master, Third Master, come and save us! These villagers are about to tear the Eldest Master and Second Master apart."
Indeed? The arms of the two masters and two young masters were being pulled by countless villagers.
The villagers were all shouting, "Come to my house, come to my house."
Grandpa Xiao then knew his two elder brothers had arrived. They were truly persistent.
The villagers let go when they heard the servant's words. "Grandpa Xiao."
They were quite respectful to Grandpa Xiao. A smile from three parts of the way and polite speech made the villagers naturally respect him from the bottom of their hearts.
Grandpa Xiao smiled and addressed the villagers, "Why are you surrounding them?"
After the villagers explained everything in a jumble, Grandpa Xiao smiled and said.
"They have many requirements and cannot live with you."
"Whoever has a clean and spacious new courtyard, rent the whole courtyard to them for fifty yuan a month."
A clean new courtyard?
The villagers gave up. Except for the end of the village, there were no new courtyards in the middle of the village, and new building sites had not yet been built.
"I can rent my courtyard to you, but I want one hundred yuan a month."
This voice attracted the attention of the villagers and the Xiao family.
Li Aiguo stood up straight, "There are only me and my daughter in my family, so the population is simple."
"Besides, we have clean beds and bedding. You'll have to rent these too, won't you?"
"Even if you don't use the quilts for now, you'll still need the mattresses, right?"
"These things can't be used for free. Washing the inside and outside of the quilts once makes them a bit older."
"Okay," Xiao Xueqi agreed, "Let's see the courtyard first."
"You can, but it's a minimum of one month. Even if you stay for two days, it's counted as one month. Otherwise, I won't rent it. I don't have time to move twice in two days."
Xiao Xueqi nodded, "Alright, if you like it, I'll give you a hundred immediately."
"Come and see."
Li Aiguo led the way into his courtyard.
The Xiao family walked towards the end of the village together.
The crowd followed.
Tian Jing, holding a rose branch, saw everything clearly from the outside.
This Li Aiguo has a brain.
She let go of the rose, opened the courtyard gate, and said, "Grandpa."
Grandpa Xiao entered the courtyard, "I wonder what they are here for? How did they get the address?"
As long as you are willing to spend money, what can't you buy from scalpers?
After making further inquiries in the provincial capital, when they returned, a group of eight or nine people, old and young, how conspicuous they were.
"Grandpa, don't bother with them. They're definitely up to no good. No matter what they say or ask, you just pretend not to know."
"Yes, yes, I know. I'm just worried they won't leave easily."
Of course. They put on a tragic act as soon as they arrived, so they wouldn't leave easily.
And the wealth they had been thinking about for half a lifetime was gone. It was good that they didn't die of anger.
"The villagers have income. Aren't you happy?"
"Heh heh," Grandpa Xiao chuckled, "That Li Aiguo does have some brains."
Tian Jing didn't want to mention Li Aiguo. Li Aiguo had been making some small moves recently, which seemed to be aimed at Afeng.
She didn't support Afeng and Li Aiguo getting together. Not to mention Li Aiguo already had a daughter several years older, but Hu Hongju was not easy to deal with.
Even if Hu Hongju didn't come to live, she was still a mother-in-law who liked to control her son and daughter-in-law.
However, if Afeng had feelings for Li Aiguo, she wouldn't be the villain.
But she knew Afeng wouldn't fall for Li Aiguo.
Afeng's serene demeanor suggested she wasn't looking for a partner.
"Uncle Xiao, go and tell Doctor Yuan that if the Xiao family buys anything, the price should be tripled. Buy it or don't."
"Yes."
...kanδん
The Xiao family worked busily for two days before they finally settled down.
As soon as they were settled, they came to find Tian Jing.
Li Zhengguo moved the table and stools into the courtyard to entertain them.
Xiao Dalord looked up at the sky. When did he, of all people, end up drinking tea outdoors, and in a dilapidated mountain village?
Seeing his action, Tian Jing kindly explained.
"Don't worry, bird droppings usually don't fall. Their bombing is very random and they might not hit your cup. If it happens to hit, it means you are lucky."
Before Xiao Dalord could speak, Tian Jing added, "This tea set was compensated by Mr. Xiao Xueqi. Be careful. There's no such tea set for sale in the county town."
"If you break it again, I'll demand two thousand yuan in compensation."
Xiao Dalord had the urge to smash the cup again.
Seeing his elder brother procrastinating again, Xiao Er lord was displeased and got straight to the point, "Jingjing, that, that courtyard house has collapsed."
"Collapsed?"
Tian Jing suddenly stood up, her face full of anger, "You said you bought it to remember your loved ones. The consequence of my grandfather's reluctant sale is that you demolished the house?"
"No, no, no, no."
Facing Tian Jing's anger, Xiao Er lord quickly waved his hands, "We didn't demolish it. It collapsed on its own, on its own."
"What do you mean?"
Tian Jing slapped the corner of the table with her palm. "Crack," she broke off a corner (five corners remained).
"What you mean is, we sold you fake and shoddy products? So, you're here to get back those fifty-six gold bars?"
"No, no."
Xiao Er lord was flustered by Tian Jing's preemptive strike and intimidating demeanor.
Xiao Dalord looked at his second brother with disappointment. He had told him not to be in a hurry.
"Chen Jing, don't try to bluff us with a fierce but weak front. The courtyard house was fine when you lived in it, but it collapsed when we lived in it. You must have done something!"
You got it right, but there's no prize.
"This is purely baseless fabrication. Let's go to Kyoto now and see what the reason for the collapse is."
"By coincidence, I have a master who specializes in building courtyard houses here. They can tell at a glance whether it's insect damage or mildew."
"If it's due to insect damage or mildew, I'll admit bad luck, return the gold bars to you, and re-register the land and property deeds."
"If it has nothing to do with the structure and materials of the house, and if someone demolished it and wants to slander me, then, hmph, we'll meet at the police station."
Xiao Dalord fell silent.
Xiao Er lord glared at his elder brother. Do you still want to control this fiend? It's more than enough that she has you completely under her thumb.
Xiao Xueqi and Xiao Xueping were also silent.