Free Web NovelChapter 668: Chapter 668: New Neighbors
After seeing off Qin Feng, the family’s mood was low for two days.
But soon, the eight members of the family dove into setting up their new home.
The clogged drains needed to be cleared, the broken stable needed repair, and the well in the yard needed to be rebuilt with bricks around it.
Apart from that, there was also the division and arrangement of the house.
This house wasn’t just for temporary residence; the family had a long-term settlement consensus, with three to five years being just a start.
So, Qin Yao wouldn’t compromise at all.
All the functional areas of the house needed to be renovated according to the family’s living habits.
The couple divided the work; Qin Yao, along with Ah Wang and Yin Le, shuttled daily between the new house and Qin Feng’s home.
Liu Ji stayed at home with the four children to reinforce their studies, took care of the three meals a day, and inquired about the private school.
The entire month of April was busy and fulfilling for the family of eight.
By the time the house was completely tidied up and ready for move-in, it was already May.
On the day Qin Yao’s family moved into their new home, the State Preceptor also completed the blessing ceremony.
The whole Capital City was filled with joy, everyone immersing in the sea of happiness, as if they had gained fortune and would soon become wealthy.
Kuanzheng Square was also very lively; after more than half a month of bustle, someone finally moved into the house, and the neighbors gathered curiously to watch.
At the entrance of the three-courtyard residence with the "Liu Mansion" plaque, neighbors stood in threes and twos, excitedly discussing.
Aunt Yu said confusedly, "This family’s been bustling for more than half a month, yet I don’t see anything different, the roof is still the roof, and the door is still the door."
"That’s what you don’t know, it may look similar from the outside, but the inside has changed a lot."
Old Mrs. Qiu, whose family lived in the adjacent house to the west of the Liu Mansion, spoke up, and immediately everyone turned to look at her.
"I heard from the bricklayers working inside that this family pulled out all the flowers in the back yard, put up a frame, and planted vegetables..."
"The original kitchen and the adjacent side room were directly opened up, and even the wall of the neighboring yard was smashed halfway through, making the whole kitchen big and bright, with an oven built directly inside, and they bought three large blue-and-white stone slabs to make what they call a central island table."
"That’s not all; the large fish pond in the front yard was completely filled in, and they made it into a martial arts training ground..."
A young sister-in-law clapped and said, "I know this!"
"Da Lang of Mr. Liu’s family is into martial arts, we talked about it when they first came to see this house, and now my son will have a companion for martial arts training."
"By the way, did you notice, it seems like Lady Liu is the one in charge. Over the past half month, it’s her who’s been busy going in and out. Did you see her carrying a large bluestone slab by herself?"
Aunt Yu asked exaggeratedly, "Really? Gui Zhi, don’t try to fool me. Such a heavy stone slab, not many strong men could lift it?"
Zhang Guizhi rolled her eyes, "If you don’t believe it, ask Old Mrs. Qiu, their houses are so close that you could see into the neighboring yard by placing a ladder against the wall. She must have seen it too."
Old Mrs. Qiu didn’t dare to respond to this and quickly waved her hand to deny it, "You young wives, don’t talk nonsense; who climbed the wall? Am I that kind of person?"
The people around laughed out loud at this.
"Hey, hey, someone is coming out."
The noisy crowd immediately looked towards the Liu family’s entrance.
A young girl with half a beauty mask on her face came out with a large tray of candy, melon seeds, and peanuts, smiling as she approached them.
"Our family just moved in today, and we’ve been busy settling in, so we haven’t had time to entertain everyone, please don’t mind!"
"It’s hot out in the sun, everyone come sit under the tree near the entrance and have some melon seeds and candy," Yin Le warmly invited.
Ah Wang and Da Lang brought out long benches and placed them under the big tree in front of the gate, then went back into the yard to tidy up.
Old Mrs. Qiu and others exchanged glances, nodding silently, and happily followed Yin Le to move under the tree. Each person politely took some melon seeds and candy and warmly asked:
"Is there much stuff? Do you need help? We can’t just take your treats for free; if you need a hand, just say the word, don’t be shy."
Zhang Guizhi also said, "My family lives at the lane’s entrance, if you need anything, just come to us, my husband and his brother both work in the government office, usually petty rascals won’t dare cause trouble."
Yin Le thanked them all with a smile, "No need, no need, we don’t have much luggage, but we appreciate everyone’s kindness."
"Since we didn’t have time to entertain everyone today, we will hold a housewarming banquet the day after tomorrow, and we hope you all bring your families and join us..."
Old Mrs. Qiu and Aunt Yu exchanged a look, the new family seemed nice, appearing easy to get along with.
Everyone agreed with smiles, and someone even asked if Yin Le’s family needed more hands, offering to come over and help.
The new neighbors were making friendly overtures to them, and everyone was happy to offer support.
However, Qin Yao had already planned to book tables at a restaurant and didn’t need extra hands.
Yin Le thanked everyone for their kindness, then brought out a table, prepared some tea, and followed Old Mrs. Qiu to introduce themselves to all the families gathered nearby.
So by then, they’d know how many people to invite.
In Kuanzheng Square, there were 29 households in total, half locals and half from other places. Everyone settled down in one place, looking after one another, and the relationships were mostly quite good.
The families living here mostly had men working in various government offices, with some being officers of the seventh or eighth rank, and others being petty officials.
The two households next to Qin Yao’s house, one was the Qiu family. Old Mrs. Qiu was quite influential. Her family men worked in the West Market Mutual Market Supervision, and the family’s economic situation was good. They had relatives supporting them outside the city and had lived in Kuanzheng Square for decades, holding some prestige.
But even if there were minor officials in the family, they weren’t affluent enough to afford servants in attendance. Occasionally, a few families would hire one or two menial servants.
The economic level was down-to-earth, making for harmonious and casual neighborly interactions.
However, when talking about the family to the east of Qin Yao’s, everyone showed a complicated expression.
"The official airs are very big."
"Usually, the main door isn’t even open, and they’ve never greeted us neighbors."
"Being an Imperial Censor, you should be careful with what you say, lest they file a complaint against you."
Old Mrs. Qiu laughed, "Don’t talk nonsense if you don’t know, what dirt do they have on us ordinary folks? We haven’t done anything wrong, why fear ghosts knocking on the door?"
Aunt Yu sighed, "Our neighbor opposite, Mrs. Wang from the Wang family, is also from the Imperial Censorate but is very nice. Although we don’t see many guests usually, during festivals, they always send holiday gifts to a few of us nearby, and even her maids are very amiable."
Just as they were chatting, the side door of the house to the east opened, and Aunt Yu quickly nudged Yin Le’s arm, "I guess they heard us talking here."
Yin Le left the crowd and went to the Qi family’s side, politely inviting their family to the housewarming banquet the day after tomorrow.
The response was a cold string of questions: "Which family? Where are they employed? Don’t you know our master needs to avoid suspicion?"
Yin Le felt a chill in her heart, forced out an awkward but polite smile, and turned to leave.
The person dressed as a steward glanced at the tables and chairs under the big tree, frowned, and shouted:
"A crowd blocking the street disrupts order, carriages can’t get through, the noise makes it impossible for our young ones to concentrate on studying!"
After speaking, he pointed at the tables and chairs under the tree, shot a warning glare at Yin Le, and went back inside.
People didn’t dare say much even after the side door closed, only pursed their lips in dissatisfaction.
After all, they’re just Imperial Censors. It’s easy to talk, but with family members working in offices, who dares to truly offend them?
A few older sisters patted Yin Le’s shoulder for comfort, and they dispersed with a sense of disappointment.
