Chapter 413: Saving Face

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 Chapter 908: Liang Shi: No House, No Confidence

Liang Shi lifted the covers and got out of bed. She first pulled out a clay jar from under the bed and rummaged inside, taking out a small cloth bag.

Then she hurried to the wardrobe, pushing the clothes aside and taking out a small box.

Next, she walked to the bottom of the bed and glanced at the basket hanging from the ceiling. She fetched a stool and reached inside the basket, pulling out a dusty cloth bag.

After that, she opened another box found behind the bed.

Finally, she retrieved a slightly smaller cloth bag from under the pillow.

Lu Sanzhu was completely dumbfounded, watching Liang Shi busily place the bags and boxes on the bed. He opened them, and a pile of silver coins spilled out with a clatter.

His mouth hung open. "You... you hid them in so many places? If we have a hundred taels in the future, won't the whole room become a hiding place for silver? Aren't you afraid of forgetting?"

Liang Shi glanced at him. "These are silver coins, how could I forget? Hurry up, count them."

Lu Sanzhu immediately forgot everything else and quickly sat cross-legged, gathering the silver coins on the bed. He counted meticulously, going through the pile twice before excitedly saying, "There really are forty-six taels! This is the first time I've ever held so much silver."

Liang Shi leaned over, crossed her legs, and said, "That's why we should buy a house."

Lu San Zhu frowned. "Forty-six taels still aren't enough."

"Can we borrow some from Shu Yu?"

Lu Sanzhu was a little afraid. "I dare not."

Liang Shi wanted to smack him. "Why are you so timid?"

The couple had borrowed money from others before, although most of the time it was unsuccessful. Lu Sanzhu could ask the first branch or the fourth sister, even the old lady, but when it came to Shu Yu, he became hesitant.

He looked at Liang Shi. "Or... let's forget it? If we buy a house, we'll have to tighten our belts and won't even be able to eat well. It's not worth it."

"What do you know?" Liang Shi was annoyed. "This isn't our own house, so inconvenient for everything. Just a few days ago, the tenant across the street had their rent increased by thirty wens. And the month before that, the family at the end of the alley had their house taken back by the landlord because their son wanted to divide the property. They were compensated a little money and were kicked out. They had nowhere to stay that night, and it was freezing cold. The child even caught a cold."

Liang Shi had realized that living in a rented house made her feel insecure.

Especially after news of Shu Yu's exile got out, their landlord had come over twice, making veiled threats and trying to kick them out. They even claimed that the house was different from before and had many issues.

If it weren't for Liang Shi's own fiery temperament and unyielding nature, they might have been kicked out.

Lu Sanzhu didn't know about this situation, so he rolled up his sleeves. "The landlord is so unreasonable? I'll settle the score with him tomorrow."

"There's no rush for that. Let's talk about buying a house first. I inquired, and smaller houses around here cost around a hundred and eighty taels, and slightly larger ones..."

"Burp." Lu Sanzhu burped.

They only had forty-six taels of silver, and Liang Shi was already thinking about a hundred and eighty taels?

But Liang Shi seemed determined to buy a house. Lu Sanzhu suddenly felt immense pressure, and the meat they ate tonight couldn't fill the sadness in his heart.

That night, Lu San Zhu and Liang Shi tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. Similarly, Da Ya, who had been affected by the conversation, couldn't sleep either.

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 Chapter 907: The Wealth of the Third Branch

Liang Shi silently calculated in her mind and whispered, "Excluding the scattered copper coins, our family has approximately forty-six taels of silver."

"How much?!" Lu Sanzhu suddenly sat up, his face full of shock. "Forty-six..."

"Keep your voice down! Do you want to get us robbed?" Liang Shi quickly sat up and gave him a slap. "If someone hears us, our house will be targeted by thieves."

Lu Sanzhu hurriedly covered his mouth, but he still asked in disbelief, "You said we have forty-six taels of silver? When did we have so much money?"

"Of course, it's been saved up."

Their family originally had about ten taels of silver, which they had saved up over the years through various means. Liang Shi intended to use this money to marry off Da Bao and Bao Ya when they grew up. It was something she cherished.

Later, in Tao Lin, Shu Yu made the three young masters who had bullied Lu San Zhu compensate him with ten taels of silver. In order to thank those who helped and show filial piety to her mother-in-law, she took out three taels, leaving them with seven taels of silver.

After that, Lu San Zhu started working in Tao Lin, initially earning one tael of silver per month, but his wages increased three times over time.

Now it had been ten months, and his monthly wage was a full twelve taels of silver.

In addition to that, Liang Shi helped sew doll outfits. Even after the old lady went to the southwest and the clothing shop was closed, the doll business was still doing well.

Liang Shi felt like she had taken chicken blood when she saw the money she earned, and it was only when she made four taels of silver that she calmed down a bit.

Nevertheless, she had accumulated eight or nine taels of silver from sewing doll outfits so far.

The last major source of income was Lu Sanzhu's tips.

Working in Tao Lin, he encountered many influential people. Being an active person, whenever he saw someone being generous, he immediately helped out. The tips he received from these people were enough to cover the family's monthly expenses.

Almost every month, he received tips, which was also an important reason for his wage increase.

Last time, a visitor from another place lost a very important pearl necklace while playing by the lake. Lu Sanzhu immediately dived in and retrieved it.

It was in the middle of winter, and there was a lot of mud at the bottom of the lake. Lu Sanzhu searched for quite a while before finding it, his whole body turning purple from the cold.

After returning, he fell ill, but fortunately, his health was good. After resting for two days, he returned to work full of energy.

Later, the visitor gave him five taels of silver as a reward and also sent some medicinal herbs.

Calculating everything, they had accumulated over fifty taels of silver.

However, their expenses for living here, including rent, groceries, and meals, were much higher than in Shishi Village. Da Bao also needed to attend a private school, which added to the expenses. They were significantly higher than what they were used to.

Liang Shi had considered whether Da Bao could attend school on credit and pay it back later when he became successful.

However, their teacher mercilessly rejected her request. Liang Shi was frustrated for two days before getting over it.

Currently, Da Bao was just starting his education, so the expenses weren't that high. This allowed Liang Shi to save up so much. Otherwise, the cost of the children's education alone would have been too much for many people to handle.

Lu Sanzhu listened to Liang Shi's calculations and also made his own mental calculations. His eyes sparkled even more.

"I never expected that. I thought when our family moved to the county town, everything would cost money, and we wouldn't be able to save more than a few taels of silver. But in just ten months, we already have nearly fifty taels. In another year, we might have a hundred taels!"

Lu Sanzhu was so excited that he couldn't even feel drowsy anymore. He quickly asked Liang Shi to take out all the silver and count it.

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 Chapter 60: Family Law

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 Chapter 412: Resolving the Situation

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 Chapter 411: Opinions from Each Family

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