Buying a House

"Finally, we're rid of that awful bunch!" Li Changsen's family felt relieved after successfully separating and cutting ties with the Li family. Public opinion was on their side, which made them even happier.

"Dad, now that we're no longer military households, it's time to leave this remote and barren place. Let's go elsewhere to make a living," Li Wuya suggested.

Li Qilang quickly asked, "Where should we go then?"

"Naturally, we should go where it's prosperous," Li Wuya replied.

Personal development is closely related to location, and they understood that the resources in this remote region were scarce. No matter how skilled they were, they could only hunt for a living, which could hardly improve their lives.

Li Qilang chose a destination based on his limited knowledge, "Master Fan often talks about a paradise on earth, Suzhou and Hangzhou. It must be beautiful there. How about we go to Jiangnan?"

Li Wuya eagerly agreed, "Exactly! The water towns in Jiangnan are the most refreshing. This northwest region is so dry, just look at our skin, all dark and rough, lacking that delicate glow."

Influenced by Old Man Tianchi, Li Qilang also cared about appearance, "Once we get to Jiangnan, we have to take good care of ourselves."

As the younger siblings grew more enthusiastic, Li Sanlang had to interrupt, "Alright, enough dreaming. We can't go to Jiangnan because our household registration cannot be easily moved out to other regions to prevent population loss in the border areas."

"What?!" Li Wuya and Li Qilang frowned in unison.

"Why is the household registration so troublesome?" they asked.

"That's right! It's so difficult to change from a military household to a civilian household, and now we can't even leave this northwest region. Living here is so hard!" they exclaimed.

"Technically, we can leave, but we'll have to pay a considerable amount to do so," Li Er'ya said.

Li Wuya's eyes widened, "What? You're talking big. How much money do you have to pay?"

Li Er'ya glanced at her brother and answered, "I earned at least ten thousand taels of silver from the incident at the Guo and Tianluo families in Rongcheng."

Li Wuya was taken aback, as she hadn't told her family about it yet. She silently calculated the amount and realized she and her brother were indeed becoming wealthy.

Seeing their banter, Li Changsen's wife, Jin Yue'e, smiled and turned to Li Changsen, "Since we had such trouble with them over there, I also don't want to stay in this village anymore. How about we move to Xining City?"

Li Wuya immediately shook her head, "Xining City is too small, and it's still close to Tianling Village." She then sat next to Li Changsen and said, "Dad, as the head of the family, you decide where we should go."

Li Changsen didn't answer immediately. Instead, he fell into silence, gazing at the roof for a while, then looking at his four children. Only then did he speak, "Let's go to Rongcheng?"

At the mention of Rongcheng, Jin Yue'e and the others recalled what Li Changsen had said in the Li family's courtyard before. They were curious to ask about his background, but seeing him close his eyes and avoid the topic, they remained silent.

"Alright, your dad needs rest now. Go out and do whatever you need to do," Jin Yue'e said, leading everyone out of the room.

Once outside, Li Wuya whispered to her siblings, "Brother, do you think Dad wants to go to Rongcheng to find his biological family?"

"Regardless of whether he acknowledges it or not, he is still our father," Li Sanlang replied.

"I don't know about that," Li Wuya touched her chin, "Dad mentioned that person was a general, a military household."

Li Qilang curiously looked at his sister, "Sis, why are you sighing?"

Li Wuya replied, "I just feel that even if we acknowledge a family with a military background, the benefits might not be that great."

Hearing this, Li Sanlang and Li Er'ya stared at her.

"What do you mean by benefits or not? Don't talk nonsense!"

"Five Ya, if Dad wants to acknowledge his biological family, it must be based on blood ties. Don't speak so negatively."

Li Wuya saw that Li Er'ya struggled to find the right words and couldn't help but help, "Don't be so materialistic, always talking about interests and benefits, right?"

"Exactly, that's what I meant," Li Er'ya agreed.

Li Wuya curled her lips, "If there are no tangible benefits for our family in acknowledging them, why should we do it? Brother, sister, can you be more practical and not live in an ideal world?"

"Dad was swapped at birth, and we have no emotional connection with that family. Blood ties, hmph, haven't you suffered enough from this so-called blood relation at the Li family?"

Li Sanlang and Li Er'ya fell silent.

"Alright, this is not something we should worry about. Let's follow Dad and Mom's decision."

Having decided to go to Rongcheng, Li Wuya gathered her siblings to discuss the next steps.

"We need a place to stay in Rongcheng, right? Shouldn't we buy a house first when we get there?"

"Buy a house? How much money does that cost?"

"Don't worry about money; when we left Dieling Pass with Dad, Governor Cai gave us a hundred taels of silver. That's enough to buy a house."

"Do we need to buy a house? Can't we just rent?"

"It's better to buy. Renting gives a floating feeling, not like home."

"It's only twenty days until the New Year. Brother, let's go to Rongcheng immediately to check out houses. We should aim to spend the New Year in our new home."

"Sure, let's go buy a house now!"

"Who should go?"

"I will go." Li Wuya raised her hand without hesitation. "And Brother, you have to come too. We need someone to handle the purchase."

Li Qilang was already fifteen and considered almost an adult, so buying and selling properties wouldn't draw much attention.

"I want to go too," Li Qilang quickly chimed in.

Li Er'ya was also interested, but she knew that Dad was injured and bedridden. The siblings should leave one person at home to assist Mom, so she volunteered, "Then I'll stay at home."

Li Wuya looked at Li Er'ya and hugged her neck, "Sis, you're so good. Don't worry; I'll make sure to choose the best house for our family."

Li Qilang imitated his sister and also hugged Li Er'ya, "Sis, you're truly the best. I love you."

Li Er'ya was overwhelmed by her younger siblings' antics and quickly pushed away the two little troublemakers. Knowing that her younger sister was ambitious, she couldn't help but remind her, "Brother, you must keep an eye on Wuya and prevent her from doing anything reckless."

Li Wuya glared, "When have I ever done anything reckless?"

Li Sanlang smiled and defended her, "Wuya knows her limits when handling things." After that, he got up and went to discuss matters with Li Changsen and Jin Yue'e.

The next day, after breakfast, Li Sanlang took Li Wuya and Li Qilang and set off towards Rongcheng.

Seeing the three children leave, Li Changsen looked somewhat lost.

"What's wrong, the head of the family?"

"Do you think it's right for us to move to Rongcheng or not?"

"Well..."

Jin Yue'e hesitated. Li Wuya had a point; the more prosperous the place, the more opportunities there would be to make a name for themselves.

So, for the sake of their four children's bright future, she was in favour of moving to Rongcheng.

After all, Rongcheng was the largest city on the border, and the Western Regions Protectorate was established there.

However, she understood her husband's hesitation and concern.

Since he had learned about his true identity, it wasn't true that he didn't want to acknowledge his biological parents. She knew that her husband yearned for parental affection. Otherwise, faced with the harsh treatment of Old Master Li and Old Madam Li, he wouldn't have borne the burden of supporting most of the Li family.

However, to seek recognition from his biological parents, would they accept him?

He was just a low-ranking military officer, born in a military household, and the difference between him and the young masters of wealthy families was vast. Noble families were very conscious of their reputation and prestige.

At this moment, she understood her husband's hesitations, uncertainties, and sense of inferiority.

"Head of the family, our four children are outstanding. I believe that they can achieve great things on their own."

Upon hearing her words, Li Changsen tightly held Jin Yue'e's hand.

Did he want to seek recognition from his biological parents?

He did.

On one hand, he wanted to know what kind of people his biological parents were, and on the other hand, he had plans for their four children.

Even though he was naive, he still knew the huge difference between children from good families and those from ordinary ones.

However, did they want to recognize him?

His wife saw his concerns in this regard and comforted him. With her understanding and support, he felt relieved.

At his age, it didn't matter whether it was good or bad. He was afraid of delaying the future of their four children.

General Guangwei's residence, the Jiang family.

He had only briefly investigated the Jiang family before. He knew nothing about their situation.

Never mind, he would wait until they arrived in Rongcheng to find out.

On the other side, as they travelled to Rongcheng, Li Sanlang was struggling to catch up with his siblings whom he had fallen behind.

"Brother, just give up; you can't catch up with me."

Li Qilang ran ahead, feeling extremely pleased with himself. Seeing Li Sanlang trailing behind him, he was in a great mood.

Li Wuya laughed, "Qilang, you should take it easy. If Brother gets close to you, he can knock you down with one punch."

Li Qilang replied, "I know I'm not good at close combat, of course, I won't let Brother catch up."

That afternoon, the three siblings arrived at the foot of the city wall in Rongcheng.

"Sis, our light work has improved again."

The last time they came, it was already dark. This time, it was still early in the morning.

The three of them entered the city and found an inn to stay. The next morning, they started looking for houses.

Thanks to their previous search for the Huo family stronghold throughout the city, Li Wuya now had a preliminary understanding of Rongcheng. She roughly knew the distribution of houses in all four directions.

This saved them a lot of time when looking for houses.

With one hundred taels of silver, Li Sanlang originally thought it was a considerable sum. But after seeing several houses, he realized that one hundred taels of silver couldn't even afford a decent quadrangle courtyard.

Either the size wasn't right, or the location was unsuitable. Any house that they liked exceeded one hundred taels.

This left Li Sanlang at a loss, especially when he saw Li Wuya and Li Qilang specifically selecting quadrangle courtyards with good locations and plenty of rooms. It made him even more worried.

"Wuya, Qilang, we don't have much silver. Should we go and check the outskirts of the city?"

"Outside the city? No, let's not. The security there isn't as good as in the inner city."

"Indeed, the inner city is much better in all aspects. But how about we choose a smaller courtyard? Look, there aren't many of us in the family. Dad and Mom in one room, Qilang and I in one room, and you, Wuya, and Er'ya in one room. Add a kitchen, and four or five rooms would be enough for us."

Li Wuya shook her head even more vigorously, "Brother, we are all grown up now and should have our rooms. Especially you, you're fifteen already, and in a couple of years, you'll be marrying someone. How can you still share a room with Qilang?"

"Brother, buying a house is a big deal, we can't be hasty. Let's buy a larger courtyard, so even if you have children in the future, there will be enough space for everyone."

Li Sanlang was speechless. His younger sister was thinking too far ahead, and it would indeed cost a lot of silver.

Seeing her brother's worried expression, Li Wuya suddenly realized something, "Brother, are you worried that we don't have enough money?"

Li Sanlang glanced at her, thinking, "Finally, she figured it out."

Who wouldn't want a large courtyard with a good location and plenty of rooms? The problem was that they lacked silver!

Li Qilang enthusiastically interjected, "Brother, money is not a problem; we have plenty!"

Li Sanlang looked at him and asked, "Where did you get the money from?"

Li Qilang quickly looked at Li Wuya.

Li Wuya didn't hesitate and directly told Li Sanlang about what they had done in Rongcheng, including their involvement in dealing with the Huo family's stronghold and the Tianluo Gate.

"From the Huo family's stronghold and Tianluo Gate, we made about ten thousand taels of silver. So, the money for buying a house is more than enough, and we'll still have some silver left to buy land."

Li Sanlang was dumbfounded, staring wide-eyed and slack-jawed at his younger siblings.

They took down the Huo family's stronghold!

They destroyed the headquarters of the Northwest's top organization, Tianluo Gate!

Oh my, were his siblings telling him a fantasy story? Looking at his siblings, who were barely reaching his waist, Li Sanlang felt like he was in a dream. This was too shocking, and he needed some time to process it.

However, when he saw Li Wuya taking out more than ten ingots of silver, each weighing ten taels, he snapped out of his daze. He couldn't help but feel a mix of complex emotions, staring at his younger siblings in disbelief.

"Dismantling the Huo family's stronghold and dealing with an assassination organization like Tianluo Gate... Do you realize how dangerous it is? What if they had more people, what if you couldn't handle them? Have you considered the consequences?"

Li Wuya snorted, "If the Huo family dared to target you on the battlefield, then I dared to dismantle their stronghold. By doing so, I'm also doing a good thing for the country and the people."

"As for Tianluo Gate, if they wanted to come and kill Qilang and me, of course, I had to take the initiative to strike back. Otherwise, would we just wait for them to come and attack us?"

"Assassination organizations are involved in dark deeds, and none of them are innocent. Either they kill others, or they get killed. There's nothing to discuss."

She finished and smiled confidently.

"Brother, rest assured; I'm careful with what I do. Since I dared to go with Qilang to deal with them, I naturally have my confidence. I value my life and won't act recklessly."

Li Sanlang sighed. His younger sister had such audacity that at the age of ten, she dared to go with her brother to destroy the spies and assassination organization of North Yan. Could he be at ease with her?

His second sister's advice was right; he needed to take good care of his younger sister.

Li Wuya handed the silver to Li Sanlang, "Brother, don't worry about the money; feel free to choose a courtyard."

Li Sanlang quietly pocketed the silver. It felt great not to worry about money, but he would be even happier if his younger siblings weren't so daring.

In the end, after discussing with his siblings, they bought a two-courtyard quadrangle, located just one street away from the government school in the east city.

The previous owner of this courtyard was a scholar, and the yard was well-kept.

Entering through the main gate, there was a moon gate on the left, leading to three rooms facing each other, along with a stable for horses and a well.

Opposite the main gate was a hanging flower gate with side corridors on each side, leading to the living quarters.

The front house had three rooms, one bright and two dark, with an additional side room on each side.

The east and west wing rooms each had three rooms, one bright and two dark. There were also many plants and flowers in the yard.

This courtyard satisfied both Li Sanlang and his siblings. The location was good, and the size and number of rooms were just right for their family.