Top Scholar

Chapter 212 The Su Family's New Residence
At this moment, Auntie also came out, still wearing an apron around her waist and holding celery in her hand. She smiled at Su Lu and said, "Qiu-ge'er, you're finally back!"

"Auntie, I'm back." Su Lu quickly bowed to his aunt.

"It's good to see you back! Come and take a good look at our new home!" Auntie said eagerly. "We just finished cleaning up and are waiting for everyone to come back so we can officially move in!"

"Okay, okay." Su Lu quickly agreed. Following her aunt's instructions, she toured their new home surrounded by her family.

Actually, Su Youcai and his family of four had already toured the house together when they came back earlier. But this is their new home, they could look at it countless times and never get tired of it!
Upon entering, one is greeted by a brand-new screen wall. On a three-foot-high blue stone base, the wall is constructed of blue bricks laid in a staggered pattern, with the light gray glutinous rice mortar used for grouting being very smooth, indicating that the bricklayer was not cheap.

A large "福" (Fu, meaning good fortune) character is inlaid in the center of the wall with tiles, and the four corners of the tiles are bordered with bat patterns. The big red "福" character in the middle has thick and full strokes, which makes people feel very reassured at first glance.

"Isn't it beautiful? This screen wall alone cost a full five taels of silver!" Auntie said, both boasting and feeling sorry for the house. "We only spent eighty taels to buy this house."

"My sister-in-law originally wanted to give her 150 taels," the aunt whispered. "It was only when my sister came that we negotiated it down to 80 taels."

It's clear the two sisters-in-law haven't been getting along well these past few months, and the younger sister-in-law is starting to feel uneasy again...

"Nonsense!" Auntie said, unwilling to listen. "I didn't bargain; I was waiting for Lanlan to bargain. Everyone does their own thing, don't you understand?"

Unfortunately, the eldest aunt was deeply entrenched, and everyone around her was her person, even the landlady was no exception.

Then I heard my godmother laugh and say, "Yes, my sister-in-law already said that she would look at the house and I would negotiate the price."

Then my aunt fell silent again...

Passing the screen wall, you enter the front courtyard, a spacious courtyard with four water features converging into one. The ground is paved with blue bricks, and large black porcelain water vats are placed in the four corners, filled with lotus flowers and goldfish. They are used for decoration and can also be used to put out fires in emergencies.

The front courtyard has nine rooms: five main rooms and two side rooms on the east and west sides. The main room, the Mingtang, is the hall for receiving guests, worshipping ancestors, and family gatherings. The two side rooms are auxiliary parts of the hall. The two end rooms are guest rooms.

The side rooms were for servants and stewards. But the Su family didn't have any servants or stewards yet, so they were temporarily used as accommodations for clansmen who came to help.

The carved lattice doors in the main room were all open, revealing a cypress wood table inside. On the table were the ancestral tablets for "Heaven, Earth, Ruler, Parents, and Teacher." When it was the turn of the sixth branch to present their genealogy, the Su family's genealogy would also be placed here.

In front of the long table was a neat and tidy beechwood eight-immortal table, the surface of which reflected one's image. On the table were seasonal offerings, and because tomorrow was the Dragon Boat Festival, the blue and white porcelain vase was filled with mugwort and calamus.

Beside the octagonal table were two beechwood armchairs, and on the east and west sides were four jujubewood official hat chairs. Small tables were placed between each chair for guests to enjoy tea.

The room was simply furnished without any particularly striking features or rare ornaments. There were only a few auspicious potted plants like clivia and evergreen plants, which the whole family was more than satisfied with.

Happiness is derived from comparing yourself to your past self. If you are always focused on those who are better off than you, you will never feel satisfied, let alone happy.

Passing through the moon gate, the residential area begins from the second courtyard.

The second courtyard also follows the layout of five main rooms and four side rooms. The central room is a living room, while the left side room and the secondary room are connected to form a suite for the old lady and the old man to live in.

The right side has the same layout and is where my uncle and aunt lived.

Both the east and west wings were converted into suites. The east wing will be used for Su Youcai and his two sons. After he marries the landlady, Su Lu and Su Tai will move to the back.

The two rooms in the west wing will be used for the four members of the family, including the younger brother and sister-in-law. The original house will be returned to Master Cheng.

The aunt then said, "My father has already given us that house, we won't take it."

“He’s sure he doesn’t want to say anything more,” the eldest aunt said.

There are side doors on both sides of the main house, which lead to the third courtyard.

The third courtyard has the same layout: the left suite of the main house is for the younger sister-in-law, and the right suite is for the landlady and Tiantian.

Chun-ge lives in the east wing; the west wing is currently empty.

Of course, the third-tier assignments are all temporary. The boss's wife will be officially appointed next year, and Su Man and the others will be getting married one after another in a few years, at which point we'll have to rearrange things again.

“This is what I’m thinking,” Auntie said, explaining her plans. “My aunt will stay in the left room. Once Lanlan gets married to my second uncle next year, she’ll move to the front.”

"..." The proprietress blushed, thinking to herself, why did I have to say it again while watching the child?
"Then let all the brothers and sisters live in this courtyard," the eldest aunt continued, seemingly to herself.
"Once the boys get married, we'll move to the fourth courtyard, which will be dedicated to raising girls."

"What kind of girl am I?" The aunt blushed as well.

"An old maid is still a maid." The eldest aunt waved her hand, her performance still very stable, focusing on impartiality and mass casualties.

"..." The aunt lowered her head, her face turning even redder.

"We haven't had time to tidy up the fourth courtyard yet." After leading the group to visit the third courtyard, the eldest aunt stopped and said, "Just these first three courtyards alone, with the tidying up and additions, have already made me anxious. Anyway, there's no rush. We'll take our time to tidy up when we come in next."

"I still have two hundred taels here, I'll give it to my sister-in-law later," the proprietress quickly and considerately said.

"No, no," Auntie waved her hand, saying, "Your expenses in Luzhou are high; how can you manage without some money?" She then couldn't help but laugh, "I'll wait for my dividends, hehehe..."

"Alright," the proprietress nodded. "I'll consider mine as family property then."

"Listen to your sister's awareness, huh?" The eldest aunt glanced at her younger sister and reprimanded her, "Don't be so clear about what's yours and mine all the time."

My aunt has been silenced by the spell, and she doesn't utter a sound.

"But your share should be considered part of your dowry," the aunt said to the landlady with a smile. "Just keep it for yourself. If you need money at home, you can use it to help out."

"There's no need to be so particular about family matters," the proprietress said with a shake of her head and a smile. "I earn money to spend on my family, don't I?"

“One thing at a time. It’s a favor if you give, it’s your right not to.” Auntie said happily, “Don’t worry, the Su family members are the most sensible, we won’t let you suffer a loss.”

"Don't worry, sister-in-law, this is just my duty." The proprietress's emotional intelligence was on full display, making her aunt beam with joy.

"Oh, she's such a good sister." The aunt held the proprietress's hand tightly.

The two were already arm in arm, and now they looked even more like one person.

My aunt, however, became completely withdrawn.

I've been waiting for this day and night, and finally my older sister is back! We were planning to team up as sisters to fight our domineering sister-in-law, but it turns out she's not on our side…

~~
After touring the new house, the landlady asked Su Lu, "What do you think? Isn't the landlady amazing?"

"Amazing, amazing." Su Lu nodded hurriedly, this was not a perfunctory compliment, but a genuine praise.

The entire three-courtyard house lacks opulent decorations, yet it exudes meticulous attention to detail. The furniture and utensils, though made of ordinary materials, are both practical and beautiful, and the furnishings, in turn, are understated yet possess a dignified and composed air.

Everything seemed ordinary, but it was the culmination of my aunt's countless efforts...

Su Lu then showered his aunt with compliments, so much so that she forgot her own name.

After providing ample emotional support, Su Lu asked with a smile, "By the way, where will the guests be staying tonight?"

He hasn't forgotten why he came back.

"They're staying in your grandparents' room. The old couple haven't even moved in yet, and that Master Zhu has already had his turn. Isn't that giving him enough face?" The eldest aunt was oblivious to what was happening outside their home; in her opinion, anyone who could stay at their house couldn't be anyone important…

However, it's not surprising that the eldest aunt didn't understand the significance of Master Zhu, and even the eldest uncle didn't realize that he was just an ordinary scholar.

"..." Su Lu didn't want to tell his family that the guest was a top-tier tycoon in Luzhou, as it would put too much pressure on them.

After all, it was my family who owed the Zhu family and Master Zhu, not my own. Their warm hospitality was more than enough; I couldn't ask for anything more…

Even if there were any shortcomings, it could only be blamed on Master Zhu for refusing proper official hospitality and insisting on staying in a humble family like theirs.

However, Su Lu still asked his aunt to open the locked door and go to the east room of the second courtyard to take a look.

He was startled when he entered. In the outer living room, there were rows of mahogany tables and chairs, and against the wall were antique shelves with book boxes, antiques and offerings.

On the daybed under the window, there was a Shu brocade cushion, a chessboard, and even a brass incense burner with wisps of agarwood fragrance.

The bedroom is just beyond the curtain, where a canopy bed made of rosewood is draped with a Shu embroidery curtain. Beside the bed stands a double-topped wardrobe, also made of rosewood, and a bluish-gray wool rug is laid on the floor, its edges embroidered with wheat ear patterns, echoing the Shu brocade cushions in the outer room.

The bedroom was also filled with the fragrance of agarwood, its gentle woody aroma creating a relaxing atmosphere that promotes a good night's sleep.

It took Su Lu a while to come to his senses. These two rooms were completely different from the others!

"Who arranged this?" He knew perfectly well that it couldn't have been his aunt's doing. This single rosewood canopy bed alone was enough to buy the entire house and all its furnishings.

“I definitely can’t afford to decorate these rooms,” the eldest aunt said. “These two rooms were decorated by Mr. You from the county, who personally led a team to decorate them.”

"I heard that all this furniture was confiscated before the New Year..." she whispered to Su Lu.
"Mr. You means that once it's done, just leave it here. In case Mr. Zhu comes back later, there's no need to rearrange it."

"That's true." Su Lu nodded. Magistrate Lu is full of tricks; he might even erect another monument or build a shrine for Headmaster Zhu. It's quite possible that Second Master Zhu might come back again.

“But we can’t keep occupying this room. Where will Grandpa and Grandma live?” Su Lu asked again.

"Silly, just stay here. It's public property anyway, might as well stay or not." Auntie said with a beaming smile, "The old folks have worked hard all their lives, what's wrong with them enjoying themselves a bit?"

“Alright…” Su Lu understood. This was clearly the county magistrate rewarding him.

P.S. I'm so sleepy, but at least I managed to finish the check. Please vote for me with monthly tickets!!!
(End of this chapter)