Chapter 43. Keep people guessing

Chapter 43: 43. Keep people guessing"Daughter, what’s with this silver money?" Hua Chengtian was practically itching with curiosity. "Dad, I’ll explain when we get home. But this money has to be spent my way. It’s for buying things to nourish our family, and I won’t let you take credit for it," Huajin said, playfully asserting herself, staring intently at her father with wide eyes. Hua Chengtian: "..." Seeing his daughter with wide eyes, even with a serious face, made him want to laugh unexpectedly. Though he wanted to agree with the child, how could he, as a father, spend the money she brought? He didn’t really know what was up with this money. He knew exactly how much money his wife had, so it was most likely given by the parents. That meant he could not use it even more; it was hard for the elderly to save some silver, and it shouldn’t be spent casually. Just as Hua Chengtian was about to shake his head, Mrs. Qi came over to him, gave him a subtle look, and said, "Let’s just go with the child’s wishes." Hua Chengtian was even more puzzled, looking at his wife and daughter, finally choosing to say nothing and nodded to Li Lao San, pulling back the hand that had been holding the silver money. ... There must be something going on, Hua Chengtian squinted in thought. So Li Lao San also didn’t say much, efficiently taking the silver, and then returned over a hundred copper coins in change, sealing the deal, while inwardly marveling that even though Hua seemed unremarkable, his family must be doing quite well. Otherwise, how could a child just take out an ounce of silver? Some families, let alone a child, might not scrape together an ounce of silver; this made Li Lao San more keen on forming a connection. Thinking he should visit Hua Village sometime, even though Qinggu Mountain behind it is quite far, he had always wanted to go. "Thank you, Brother Li," Hua Chengtian said politely as he watched his wife take the returned copper coins, then both parties nodded and returned to their own vendor stalls. Then Hua Chengtian began picking through unsold furniture, selecting a chest to bring over to Li Lao San. Since others behave generously, he couldn’t be stingy himself; reciprocity builds character. "Brother Hua, you... what are you doing? No, no, I can’t accept this," Li Lao San quickly refused. Unexpectedly, Hua Chengtian’s expression turned stern: "Brother Li, are you looking down on me? This chest isn’t worth much. If you don’t accept it, I’ll be upset." With Hua Chengtian’s stern face, he looked quite intimidating. Moreover, Li Lao San could see that Hua was not someone who liked to owe favors. S~eaʀᴄh the Novёlƒire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. With things said like this, he had no choice but to accept, shaking his head helplessly at Hua Chengtian. The two then exchanged a few more pleasantries and addresses, gathering their goods to prepare to leave. "Farewell, Brother Li," Hua Chengtian acknowledged with a nod as he hitched the ox cart to leave first, heading straight to the academy’s entrance to wait. He didn’t wait long before spotting the figures of his two sons. After saying goodbye to their classmates, Hua Yunao and Hua Yunxiang cheerfully came to the ox cart, calling to Dad, Mom, Grandpa, Grandma, and their younger siblings. Hua Yunao took the ox whip from his father right away, taking the driver’s seat, while Hua Yunxiang cozied up next to his sister, nudging pouting Little Four to the side, who looked pitifully daring not to complain, making Hua Jin laugh. Little Four, who was somewhat of a figure in the village, was at the bottom of the food chain at home nonetheless. Luckily, everyone in the family could control him, or with Little Four’s temperament, he would’ve really been untamable. After picking up the people, the ox cart quickly left the town, and in the bumpy ride, Hua Jin unconsciously snuggled into her mother’s arms and closed her eyes. Even Little Four couldn’t resist, lying on his father’s lap, drowsy. She didn’t know when they returned home, but when she opened her eyes, she was in her own bed, the sky gently turning dark. She was about to head out, putting on shoes, when she bumped into her eldest brother coming to wake her for dinner at the doorway. "Big Brother," Hua Jin called out with a smile, looking up at him. "Just in time, wash up and let’s eat." Her big brother gently patted her slightly tousled hair. "Hmm," Hua Jin washed up and headed to the main room, where they were waiting for her. The family always ate in the main room; there was no separate dining room. In summer, they even ate right in the yard where it was cooler. As soon as Hua Jin entered the main room, she grinned at everyone, was pulled to sit between her grandparents, and her smile grew brighter seeing the food on the table. It was a feast. Even during busy farming times, the food hadn’t been so plentiful as tonight. A big pot of braised ribs stewed with vegetables, a plate of braised fish, and a small dish of homemade pickles made up three dishes, even the staple food was firmer than usual, a mix of fine flour and coarse grains baked into crusty cakes, the golden side making them incredibly appetizing. Everyone was eager to begin; seeing Hua Jin arrive, the younger ones instinctively looked towards Grandpa. With such rare good food, even Old Man Hua was hungry. Without further ado, he grabbed his chopsticks for the first bite, and soon the table was filled only with chewing and the sound of picking up food, while the usual dinner conversation completely disappeared for the moment. The meal was thoroughly enjoyable, even the soup was cleaned up by Little Four and Brother Er Hua, making it the fullest and finest meal the family ever had, no question. After tidying up, they all returned to their rooms. Big Brother Hua and Brother Er Hua didn’t have heavy assignments from their master today, and had done quite a bit of homework while Mom was making food, so they weren’t in a hurry to return to their rooms. They were more curious about what day it was today, buying so much good food, with both fish and meat. They noticed the fish on the way, but the meat was kept in the basket, only revealing itself by its aroma when being cooked. "Grandma, what’s the occasion today? How come there’s both meat and fish?" Brother Er Hua, more talkative than the mature Big Brother Hua, asked eagerly. "Does it have to be a special day to eat meat?" Grandma chuckled, glancing at her talkative grandson. "Really, Grandma? If I could eat meat every day, that would be the best." Brother Er Hua said cheekily, just dreaming about it made him smile. "Dream on, it’s thanks to your sister." Grandma said with a smile, looking at her granddaughter nestled by her side, never losing the smile on her lips. "Sister?" Upon hearing this, Brother Er Hua’s face lit up with surprise, looking at Hua Jin, Big Brother Hua was the same. The brothers had the same thought. "Sister, did you sell your design?" It seemed not only did she sell it, but sold it quite well. Otherwise, how could the family afford to buy so much meat? "You know?" Apart from Little Four, the rest of the family looked at the brothers. "We know," Big Brother Hua nodded, "Little Sister drew it yesterday." Brother Er Hua, more interested in the sale amount, couldn’t help but ask eagerly, "Grandma, how much did Little Sister’s design sell for?" "Take a guess," Grandmother said mysteriously, still smiling, looking at her granddaughter nestled beside her. "No need to guess, it must’ve sold for quite a bit, otherwise Grandma wouldn’t be so generous today." "Why, did I mistreat you before?" Grandma feigned a stern look, scaring Brother Er Hua into shrinking his neck, immediately trying to appease her.