The east wing room was the bedroom of Yun Erman and Liu Cuirong.
Why were they awake in the middle of the night, wailing like that?
Immediately after, a dog's bark suddenly rang out.
In the courtyard, Xue Ling tilted its head and barked fiercely at a dark shadow on the roof.
"Woof woof woof!"
"Aiya, what are you barking at? Did a thief come?" Old Man Yun sat up, yawning.
He had been busy all day and was so tired his feet felt like they wouldn't obey him.
He had thought he could get a good night's sleep, but his second daughter-in-law and the big white dog were making endless noise.
Little Xi Tian also woke up, her bright, sparkling eyes looking out the window, her small hands waving erratically.
"Ah ah! Ya ya!"
There was something outside!
"Aiyo, what's wrong, daughter?" Old Man Yun threw on a coat and lit an oil lamp.
Madam Gu held Little Xi Tian in her arms and patted her gently. "Old man, you go out and take a look. The village chief said this house is haunted today, and I've been feeling uneasy."
"Alright!"
When Old Man Yun arrived in the courtyard, Yun Daman and Yun Erman were already out.
"Did you see anything?" Old Man Yun asked.
Yun Erman shook his head. "I was sleeping soundly just now, and Cuirong started shouting as if possessed, insisting something touched her face."
Who would believe that?
The east wing room was occupied by their family of three.
Yun Erman slept like a log and hadn't touched Liu Cuirong at all.
Their son, Yun Jinshan, wouldn't be so bored as to touch his own mother's face in the middle of the night.
Then who could it have been?
A chill ran down Old Man Yun's spine. He instructed Yun Erman, "Your wife is pregnant, keep a close eye on her!"
"Understood, Father!"
"Eldest son, you stay here for half an hour. If there's no commotion, go back to your room and sleep!"
"Okay!"
Xue Ling wagged its big tail, sniffed the air, and let out a "hum hum" sound.
Yun Daman rubbed its fluffy head. "Big white dog, you saw it too, right?"
"Woof woof!"
Yun Daman's eyes lit up. "What was that?"
Xue Ling tilted its head. "Woof!"
Yun Daman pretended to understand and nodded with feigned solemnity. "Oh, so that's how it is!"
Xue Ling: "......"
On the main house's kang, Liu Cuirong burrowed into Madam Gu's quilt and cried her heart out.
"Wuwuwu, Mother, that thing's hand was cold and clammy, like it had just crawled out of the vegetable cellar. It was terrifying!"
Madam Gu frowned at the disturbance. "No matter what it is, we'll find it sooner or later. Go back to your room and sleep!"
"No!" Liu Cuirong snatched Little Xi Tian over and held her tightly.
Little Sweet Treasure's fortune was abundant, she was the family's lucky charm, and she wouldn't let go even if she were beaten to death.
Little Xi Tian, her hair disheveled by the wind: "......"
Old Man Yun's quilt had been taken over by his daughter-in-law.
Helplessly, he had to make do with a night in the east wing room.
The next morning, Zhao Guihua prepared breakfast.
Millet congee with cornmeal potstickers, a salted duck egg for each person, and a basin of blanched wild vegetables.
The whole family sat around the table, eating heartily.
The family's grain was running low, and they needed to go to the county town to purchase some.
Even though Little Xi Tian had taken half a sack of millet from her space earlier.
But the Yun family had too many mouths to feed.
The men and the older boys ate like there was no tomorrow.
Madam Gu put down her chopsticks and said calmly, "Eldest son, go to the county town later and buy some coarse grains, and also stock up on oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar!"
The coarse grains she mentioned were nothing more than cornmeal or buckwheat flour.
These were the staple foods for the entire family.
For example, buckwheat flour could be made into buckwheat noodles, fried with a little soybean paste, which the whole family loved the most.
It could also be used to make buckwheat dumplings.
Wild vegetables chopped finely, a few drops of bean oil added, and some salt, could be made into large wild vegetable stuffed dumplings.
They were very filling.
"Understood, Mother. I'll go now." Yun Daman slurped down half a bowl of rice porridge and wiped his mouth.
Madam Gu took out her purse, fumbled for a piece of silver, and handed it to Yun Daman.
She had sixty taels of silver before; Madam Chu had given forty taels, and Yun Sanman had given twenty taels.
If she hadn't considered the whole family, this money would have been enough for her and Old Man Yun to live on in their old age.
She even said there was no need to be frugal.
The prices in the Great Liang Kingdom were low, and silver was very valuable.
However, buying this house yesterday had already cost fifty taels.
After expenses for the journey and the entire family's living costs, only five or six taels of silver were left.
"Buy a few more bolts of coarse cloth too. All our clothes and bedding need to be replaced!
And Jinshan and Jinhe's shoes, their toes are showing."
Madam Gu sighed and picked out another piece of silver, placing it on the table.
Liu Cuirong's eyes lit up. "Mother, make me a pair of embroidered shoes too!"
"Your shoes are fine, they're not falling apart, they're not unraveling, and your toes aren't showing. Why do you need embroidered shoes?" Yun Erman scolded.
Liu Cuirong pouted, rubbed her belly, and said, "Mother, it's fine if you don't make shoes for me, but at least get some small clothes for your granddaughter!"
The whole family: "......"
Little Xi Tian rolled her eyes speechlessly.
She had seen people with thick skin, but never someone who talked about having a daughter all the time.
"Go, go, go, don't cause trouble here!" Yun Erman pulled her behind him.
Old Man Yun took a few puffs of his pipe and said to Yun Erman, "The village chief said our land is behind the mountain. Let's go take a look later."
Thirty mu of land was an area of twenty thousand square meters.
It was about two and a half, almost three, football fields in size.
If they planted corn or wheat, after paying the government's grain tax, it would be enough for the whole family to eat.
Little Xi Tian blinked her big eyes and let out a happy "ga" sound.
"Oh, Little Sweet Treasure is happy again!" Yun Erman picked her up.
"Mother, we were able to buy such a nice house and get thirty mu of land as a bonus, and it's all thanks to little sister's contribution."
A certain Sweet Treasure: "......"
It has nothing to do with me!
"That's right. We must never mistreat Sweet Treasure in the future. Anyone who dares to bully her is going against me!" Yun Daman vowed.
Jinshan and Jinhe came up to Little Xi Tian and squeezed her soft little feet.
"Little aunt looks so beautiful, she'll definitely be a little beauty in the future!~"
"Yiya yiya!"
En, this baby isn't ugly!
Liu Cuirong's heart felt uneasy as she remembered what happened last night.
"Father, why don't we just move out? This house is really haunted!" Liu Cuirong said, clutching her chest.
She no longer found this grand house appealing.
Old Man Yun glared at her. "If you want to leave, you leave. We have clear consciences and are not afraid of those crooked and evil things!"
"Father, your daughter-in-law also has a clear conscience!"
"Alright, alright, stop nagging."
Old Man Yun impatiently tapped his pipe bowl and looked at Madam Gu. "Old woman, we've settled down now. I want to hold a banquet for our little daughter!"
Madam Gu was stunned for a moment. She hadn't considered this. "What kind of banquet?"
"A full moon banquet, how about it?"
"But... our daughter has already had her full moon."
"We can make it up! We were busy fleeing famine back then, not getting enough to eat or sleep. It's also thanks to our daughter's good fortune that we came to Dashui Village."
Zhao Guihua nodded in agreement. "Father is right. This will not only help us build good relationships with the villagers, but little sister will also be happy!"
However, holding a banquet would cost money.
They had no wine, meat, or dishes.
Everything would have to be bought fresh.
Madam Gu lowered her eyes, lost in thought.