CH 137

The shops along the main road were all built by the governing official, so naturally he was the one they had to pay rent to.

The two people who posted the notice were his men. After hearing that they were going to rent the building, the two immediately led them to the governing official’s office.

Liu Fengchun treated them as kindly as always, “You two really have good eyesight, the location of the restaurant is excellent. Manager Liang just left last night, and now you’re renting his shop. I can’t help but suspect you tried to force him away.”

Mo Yan smiled slightly, “We’re just workers, how would we know any tricks? He had bad intentions, not managing his shop well. He focused on the wrong thing.”

Liu Fengchun brought over the lease contract that he had prepared and asked, “Who will sign the contract?”

Lu Junming looked at Mo Yan, “You do it!”

She stretched out her hand to pick up the pen, “Okay, the workshop is yours, and this shop will be mine from now on.”

After signing the contract and paying the deposit and the rent, Mo Yan asked, “What should we do with the remaining furniture?”

Liu Fengchun thought for a while, “If you want it, it’s yours for five silver taels. If not, just put it by the side of the road.”

Lu Junming put five taels of silver on the table, “We’ll keep all of it.”

Liu Fengchun took the money in his hand and weighed it, “It’s rare to have tenants like you who don’t negotiate the price. When new shops are built in the future, you’ll be the first to know, and the rent will be cheaper for you.”

“Where will it be built?” Mu Yan asked.

He smiled mysteriously and said, “We might build a few more.”

Mo Yan and Lu Junming left his office and went to the stop. Lu Junming aske,: “The workshop can have no name for the time being, but the shop can’t. It must have a name with a signboard. What’s your idea for a name?”

Mo Yan didn’t respond for a long time after he asked the question. When he turned sideways, he saw she was staring straight ahead at nothing. He stretched out his hand and waved it in front of Mo Yan, “What’s on your mind?”

Only then did Mo Yan blink her eyes and asked solemnly, “Where do you think Liu Fengchun will build the new shop?”

Lu Junming shook his head, “Who knows?”

The buildings on the main road were all owned.

Lu Junming looked around, “There doesn’t seem to be any decent place to build a shop here.”

Mo Yan looked in the direction of their storefront. Behind the clinic was Ms. Hua’s courtyard. Because of that, the clinic was wide but very narrow.

It occupies such a good location, but can’t be rented at a good price.

Now that the clinic has been closed…

Mo Yan stuffed the lease contract into Lu Junming’s hand, then ran to Ms. Hua’s. Lu Junming called for her from behind, but she neither stopped nor answered him.

She ran there without stopping. Ms. Liang and her siblings had already returned home, and the candied fruits in the yard were gone. Zhong Cheng must have helped sell them.

Ms. Hua was sitting in the yard with her arms around Zhao’er in a daze, worrying about their days in the future. Seeing Mo Yan come in, Ms. Hua immediately stood up. She opened her mouth but didn’t know what to say.

Mo Yan took a deep breath and asked, “Godmother, why did Zhao’er’s father have a conflict with Liu Fengchun?”

Ms. Hua thought for a while and said, “When I arrived, my husband had already passed away. Liu Fengchun said that he didn’t want to pay the patrol protection fee, and got a heart attack after a heated argument.”

“What happened before that? Does he have any other dealings with your family?”

“A few years ago, when the main road was still being built, he came to ask us if we would sell this yard to them. This was our ancestral home, and Zhao’er’s grandfather lived here. Of course my father would be unwilling to sell it.”

Lu Junming entered the courtyard, “Godmother, everyone else in the town lives west of the main road, why is your family the exception?”

Speaking of this, she lowered her head and said timidly, “I heard that Zhao’er’s grandfather was expelled from his family because he broke the family rules. That’s why we live here on our own, and we aren’t allowed to enter the ancestral grave after death. ”

No wonder no one helped them after Zhao’er father died.

Mo Yan suddenly thought of something. Her eyes reflexively widened in shock, and she covered her mouth with her hands. Lu Junming asked her what was wrong, but she didn’t answer. She asked Ms. Hua again, “Godmother, when Zhao’er’s father passed away, who took the body away? Did you ask a doctor to do an autopsy?”

Ms. Hua didn’t follow her train of thought, but Zhao’er asked, “Is there something shady with my father’s death?”

Ms. Hua stepped forward in shock and said, “You mean my husband didn’t die of a heart attack, but was killed by Liu Fengchen? But it’s been so long, the case won’t be reopened!”

Lu Junming said slowly, “Open his coffin to perform an autopsy.”

She reflexively refused. It was human nature to let the deceased rest in peace, and their family members would no longer want to bother them.

Mo Yan said again, “Godmother, if someone asks to buy your yard again, you can say that someone has already bought this yard.”

“Who?” Lu Junming asked.

“Me,” She turned her head to look at Lu Junming, and replied firmly.

“No way, this yard is a hot potato now.”

“But-”

Ms. Hua and Zhao’er no longer had any income. If they continued like this, they’d starve to death. If Mu Yan hadn’t rented their storefront, they wouldn’t be where they are now.

If her guess was correct, Liu Fengchun was trying his best to force Ms. Hua to sell the courtyard, and he may use more tricks in the future.

Mo Yan couldn’t bear to continue speaking, and she looked back at Ms. Hua, “Godmother, can you trust me?”

She nodded, “Of course.”

“Give me the deed to this courtyard. If anyone asks you, just tell me that you sold this courtyard to me for fifty taels.”

“Okay.” Ms. Hua went into the house to get the deed and came out. Lu Junming stretched out his hand and said, “Give it to me!”

Mo Yan reached out to take the deed first, “This isn’t the Upper Valley, your father’s jurisdiction doesn’t extend to here.”

“I still have more resources than you!” Lu Junming reached out to grab the house deed, but Mo Yan turned around and walked away, putting the house deed into her arms.

“If you really want to help out, I have something for you to do.”

“What?”

“I’ll tell you tonight. Now that godmother has no income, why not let her work in the workshop! They can live there for now, and she can help with the domestic work.”

Ms. Hua was naturally happy she had work to do. She didn’t quite understand why Mo Yan wanted her to live in the workshop, when it was such a short distance away. However, she was afraid asking about it more would make her lose her livelihood.

Ms. Hua had her own ideas, and Zhao’er also had his own. In the past few months, he has fallen in love with medicine and had a good time with Mr. Cao. He still wanted to continue to study medicine with Mr. Cao.

“Mother, I still want to study medicine with Mr. Cao.”

Ms. Hua said with relief, “Okay, I’ll take you there one day.”

Mo Yan rolled her eyes and said, “Why not go today, and bring a meal for it while you’re at it. His wife and son are not at home, and he’s lonely! If you go, he’ll be very happy.”

Zhao’er asked, “Sister, aren’t you going back to the village? Let’s go together!”

Mo Yan looked at Lu Junming, then shook her head and said, “There’s a lot to do in the workshop. I’ll be staying there tonight.”

Post-translation notes: There is a non-zero chance that Mo Yan is wrong, it wouldn’t be the first time. However, this revelation kind of came out of left field.