Chapter 40 Move into the New House

“Sister, if my son can buy a house in the city instead of being such a loser, I will laugh myself awake from the sleep every night.” Aunty Li says in a loud voice.

Mrs. Lin is chopping up the meat into mince and Mr. Lin is smoking in silence.

They knew a few days ago that Lin Luoran had bought a house. Actually, they are quite proud of their daughter. However, they are still hesitating about moving into the city because they are unwilling to leave their old house behind.

Aunty Li has always been close with the Lin family so Lin Luoran has invited her here to help persuade Mr. and Mrs. Lin.

Lin Luoran adds, “We don’t raise any pig, and we can leave those chicken and ducks for Aunty Li to look after, along with the old house. Dad, mom, you can come back here and live for a few days any time you want… Please come with me to the city.” There is something Lin Luoran has not spoken. In fact, she wants her parents to cultivate with her, or else, if she becomes the only one left in the world after hundreds of years, what is the point of being immortal?

Aunty Li echoes with Lin Luoran. After a moment of silence, Mr. Lin puts out the cigarette and says, “You are right. We are ready to move to the city any time.”

Lin Luoran is lighted up with pleasure, but Mrs. Lin grumbles, “The city is filled with cars and people. How can it be better than the countryside…?”

Mr. Lin says with widened eyes, “You don’t want to enjoy a happy life? Besides, our daughter has to work. Who can take care of Luodong? Do you think our son can grow up to be a good man all by himself?”

Mrs. Lin turns around to look at Luodong. He is staring at her with his watery eyes timidly. The boy can understand what they are talking about, which softens Mrs. Lin’s heart and makes her agree to move.

Lin Luoran smiles to herself. Her dad indeed calls the shot of all the big decisions of the family, and her mom is only a paper tiger!

Aunty Li claps, “That’s right. In my view, Luoran is the only capable person in the whole village. When are you going to move? Can I go with you to have a look at your house in the city?”

Lin Luoran comes home today by asking for a leave at work. Although her boss is Baojia’s fiancé, she is only a salesgirl of Treasure House so it’s inappropriate to leave too many times. Even though, rumors are already flying among other salesgirls. Lin Luoran hopes to do things all at once, and she says to her mom expectantly, “How about today? We can bring Aunty Li with us. We can see each other regularly after she knows where exactly we live.”

Since the guiding principle is changed, Mrs. Lin thinks that it’ll be okay to make another concession. She agrees to Lin Luoran’s idea because she isn’t in the mood to care about which day they shall move.

Though Lin Luoran tells her parents that everything is prepared in their new house, Mrs. Lin insists to bring some clothes. She feeds the chicken and ducks and doesn’t forget to bring the chopped meat she just made.

Aunty Li has never got a chance to take a luxury car. She touches the leather seat and asks, “Luoran, this car must have cost you a lot.”

“Aunty, no matter how much the car is, it is used by people to ride in, right? You can just see it as a motorbike!”

“Nonsense. The cold wind in winter will make my head ache if I ride on a motorbike. Staying in the car is warm and comfortable.”

Aunty Li keeps asking questions along the way so everybody is not bored. Lin Luodong sits on the passenger’s seat and listens to their conversation.

Lin Luoran notices that her parents are sitting very properly on the back seats with postures tighter than Aunty Li’s. She thinks about how her parents are pushed aside by other villagers and feels bad.

The backyard of her new house is extremely large and it can keep Mr. and Mrs. Lin busy planting vegetables and flowers!

As for Li Anping’s family… Lin Luoran remembers the malicious expression in the eyes of Li Anping’s mother when she drives out of the village. Lin Luoran sneers. The two families will never have to encounter, which can’t be better!

…

Aunty Li doesn’t detect anything abnormal when the car drives into an alley. Lin Luoran opens the gate, drives into the yard and tells everybody that they have arrived. Seeing those exquisite pillars and the red plum thriving by the corridor, Aunty Li starts to keep her voice low, feeling herself to be tiny inside of the big house.

Lin Luodong has come here once but he can’t get enough of the sight. He picks up the fish food and goes to feed the fish in the pond the minute he receives an encouraging look from Lin Luoran.

Mr. Lin forgets to light up a cigarette and Mrs. Lin just leans against one of the red pillars in a trance. Lin Luoran leads her mom to the kitchen. The kitchen wares are all clean and shiny, which is vastly different with the dirty and oily chimney back at their house in the countryside. Mrs. Lin touches everything and she loves them all.

Aunty Li is still staring blankly in the yard. She says to herself, looking at the fat koi fish, “Everybody says that houses in the city are just like concrete cubes. Why there is a house like this? The daughter of the village head is married to a native of R City and her family lives in a tiny house which costs over 1 million yuan… How much will this huge house cost? Granny Li spread rumors in the village that Luoran had found herself a sugar daddy. What sugar daddy can be this generous?”

While Aunty Li’s imagination runs wild, she hears Lin Luoran’s calling, “Aunty, there is a backyard. Let’s go and see it.”

Aunty Li looks at the girl standing at the door smiling at her. Lin Luoran doesn’t look like other defiant people who have made a fortune. Aunty Li thinks that if her family runs into any trouble later, Lin Luoran may be able to help her out since their families are close. She is glad—I always know that Luoran is a capable girl. They shall blame Mrs. Lin for Luoran’s engagement with Li Anping. Fortunately it’s not too late. There is not a single nice person in Granny Li’s whole family!

Thinking about this, Aunty Li walks through the corner door and enters the backyard.

The two-story house in the front yard is magnificent enough. It turns out there is also an exquisite building in the backyard. Aunty Li pulls Lin Luoran and asks, “What is this building for?”

Seeing that her parents are listening, Lin Luoran explains with a smile, “In ancient times, daughters of the family have to avoid meeting people, and this is where they live in. I assume that this house is much bigger before than it is now, because it now only has a front and a back yard, which is not the size of a house of a wealthy and influential family back in the old times. I guess that all the neighboring buildings used to belong to one family before!”

Aunty Li screams, “It really is an antique house! Oh my God! I guess the house of a county magistrate may not be nicer than this one.”

Aunty Li’s words make Mrs. Lin laugh. The wrinkles on Mrs. Lin’s face are smoothened away which makes her look ten years younger, “You do have a glib tongue. I’ve never seen anyone who is a sweeter talker than you.”

She says to Lin Luoran, “This building is nice. Luoran, you can live here.”

“The buildings in the front yard have two stories. Mom, you and dad can pick a room on the second floor. R City is quite wet so the second floor is better.”

Lin Luoran smiles, “My friends will come later to congratulate us. Mom, let’s go and make some dishes.”