Chapter 81: Building a House, Building a Grand Mansion

Wen Xiuyi did not refuse and simply acknowledged with a sound. Madam Luo didn’t say much either, preparing to leave and make arrangements.

“Mother, wait a moment,” Wen Xiuyi suddenly called out to stop Madam Luo, glancing at Wen Yao. “Yao Yao, did you bring it?”

“I did.” Wen Yao pretended to rummage through her bosom and pulled out the land deed from her space.

Wen Xiuyi took it and handed it to Madam Luo.

“Mother, take this,” Wen Xiuyi said.

Madam Luo, completely baffled, stared at the folded papers in his hand with confusion as she accepted them, asking, “What’s this?”

But as soon as she opened it, her expression changed.

“What is this?” She might not be able to read, but she recognized a land deed when she saw one.

Madam Luo looked at the three of them in astonishment. “Where did you get this?”

Old Man Wen stood up at once, taking the land deed from her, his face full of bewilderment.

Wen Xiuyi shifted into a more comfortable position before speaking. “Since everyone’s here today, Father, Mother, there’s something I need to tell you.”

Madam Luo, Old Man Wen, and the rest of the family were still reeling from the shock of the land deed and instinctively asked, “What is it?”

Wen Xiuyi said, “These acres of land are all behind the hill west of our village—that whole area now belongs to our family. The deed has Father’s name on it. This is what your son owed you; I’ve bought it back for you.”

Madam Luo’s hands trembled as she gripped the deed, overwhelmed with emotion.

But a moment later, her brow knit tightly. “Where did you get the money to buy land? Did you get involved in something again?”

She was truly afraid—afraid that after her son had finally left his wayward path, he might fall into another one.

Wen Xiuyi saw what was on her mind and said directly, “Don’t worry, the money came from a proper source. Do you remember when Xiao Jun and Yao Yao saved a child? This money is the reward from that family. We kept fifty taels to build a house, and used the rest to buy land. It’s all here.

Father, Mother, before, your son was thoughtless and brought harm to you and this family. It won’t happen again. I’ve checked the fields—they’re all quite good. Though the lower-grade land isn’t the best, if we nurture it for a few years, it’ll become mid-grade.”

Madam Luo and Old Man Wen were still in shock, unable to recover for a long while, until Wen Xiuzhu asked, “Big Brother, you’re going to build a house?”

Only then did everyone come back to their senses, recalling Wen Xiuyi’s mention of building a house.

Buying land and building a house—Li couldn’t help but ask, “Big Brother, how much did that family give as a reward?”

This time, Madam Luo didn’t scold Li, as she was curious herself—though only curious.

She’d lived most of her life and would never covet her son’s money, especially since it was earned by her grandson and granddaughter. Besides, most of that money was now in her hands.

Back then, to help Wen Xiuyi pay off debts, they sold several acres of land. Now the family barely had enough to plant, just enough to scrape by. But now, the land seemed to have returned to them—even more than before.

From now on, they would all live together as a family. Wen Xiuyi didn’t hide anything. “They gave two hundred taels. We bought land, kept fifty taels to build a house, and the rest is with Yao Yao.”

A sharp intake of breath swept through the Wen family.

This wasn’t just saving someone—it was like saving a golden child.

Madam Luo didn’t press further, and even when Li wanted to ask more, a look from Madam Luo silenced her. After all, this was the eldest son’s affair, and the fact that he was willing to use the money to buy land for them was already generous.

The old couple studied the land deed for a while before saying, “We don’t need that much. Back then, we sold four acres to repay your debts—just give us four acres. Keep the rest for yourselves.”

Li opened her mouth, but Wen Xiuzhu tugged her sleeve, making her fall silent, though her eyes lingered longingly on the deed in Madam Luo’s hands, filled with regret.

Since Wen Xiuyi had decided to give the land to the old house, he would not take it back. But knowing his parents’ temperament, if he insisted they keep it, the old lady might refuse to take any at all.

“The deeds are all done. Just keep them for now; otherwise, we’d have to go to the magistrate’s office to divide them up—far too much trouble. Most importantly, we’d have to pay another fee,” Wen Xiuyi said.

Sure enough, at the mention of paying another fee, Madam Luo hesitated. For so much land, even a small fee would be a tael or so.

She was torn between not wanting to pay the fee and not wanting to take advantage of her son—her expression was almost painfully conflicted.

Wen Xiuyi quietly signaled his younger siblings: convince your grandmother.

Wen Yao caught the cue, stepped forward, and took the old lady’s arm. “Grandma, let’s just keep the land deed for now and talk about the house.”

“The house? What house?” Madam Luo was distracted and momentarily confused.

In that moment, Wen Yao had already folded the deed and tucked it into the old lady’s arms, saying, “Didn’t Father say earlier? We want to rebuild the house. You saw how the kitchen collapsed—what if the bedroom caves in one day?”

Madam Luo frowned. “Your house is a bit old. That’s our ancestral home. When we split the family, your grandfather and I were angry, and worried that you and your mother would have nowhere to live, afraid your father would sell everything, so we let you move there.

Ah, I don’t know much about building houses. Ask your grandfather or your second and third uncles.”

Wen Yao looked to Old Man Wen, who was still lost in the joy of having gained thirteen more acres.

Thirteen acres! Together with their current six, that was nineteen in total—enough to make them the new small landlords of Gutong Village.

Wen Yao called out twice before Old Man Wen came to his senses.

“What? What about the land?” he asked blankly.

Wen Yao stifled a laugh, and even the rest of the family covered their mouths to keep from disturbing Da Tou.

Madam Luo rolled her eyes in exasperation. “Your granddaughter is asking about the house—how to rebuild it. They want to redo it. Land, land—you’re always thinking about land.”

Old Man Wen pursed his lips—what else would he be thinking about, if not how to show off to his old friends?

He coughed to cover his embarrassment. “What kind of house do you want to build?”

Wen Yao was straightforward. “Fifty taels, Grandpa. What kind of house can we build with that? Also, whose land is that open space behind our house? The village’s? If we want to make the house a bit bigger, can we?”

Old Man Wen was shocked by the mention of fifty taels, almost dropping his pipe. “What village land? That’s the Wen family’s ancestral grounds. If you want to build, build. The whole area behind can be included.”