Chapter 192: Little Rich Woman

Chapter 192: Chapter 192: Little Rich Woman

The day Song Yao moved into the family housing complex, her whole family came with her.

As soon as they walked in and saw the spacious three-bedroom, one-living-room apartment, Yang Wanqing nodded in satisfaction.

Her only complaint was the floor.

"The second floor? All this climbing up and down the stairs will be exhausting."

Shen Rongdan quickly explained.

"Grandma, you don’t understand. The upper floors get more sun, so it’s great for drying clothes and quilts. The lower floors are dark and damp, and they’re buzzing with mosquitoes and bugs in the summer."

"Besides, it’s cleaner upstairs. You don’t get that dusty, musty smell like you do on the ground floor."

Yang Wanqing waved her hand dismissively.

"These old bones of mine can’t handle climbing stairs. I’m much more comfortable and at ease in my courtyard house."

Song Yao’s eyes lit up.

"When I make it big, I’m going to buy up a bunch of courtyard houses all at once!"

’Besides, they’ll be worth more than gold in the future.’

But as soon as Yang Wanqing heard her talking about courtyard houses, she made a snap decision.

"You don’t need to worry about buying one! Grandma’s already decided—the one I live in now will be yours someday. When I give my word, it’s set in stone. I won’t go back on it."

Song Yao chuckled.

"I want to buy a couple more, though. One to live in and one to rent out for income."

Yang Wanqing was delighted and nodded repeatedly.

"Go for it! If you like them, buy them. If you’re short on cash, just say the word. Grandma will cover you."

At the mention of money, Song Yao straightened her back proudly.

"Grandma, I’m a wealthy little lady now!"

Shen Rongdan immediately jumped in.

"She’s not kidding! Grandma, the cash my little sister’s carrying is thicker than the balance in your passbook!"

Yang Wanqing’s eyes widened.

"How would you know that?"

Shen Rongdan slapped his thigh.

"How could I not know? My sister and I were out there running a stall together, making hair flowers and stringing beads all day. We were so busy we never stopped! We’d just squat by the roadside to wolf down a few bites of lunch and didn’t even have time to drink enough water!"

"Hair flowers?"

The old woman froze, reaching up to touch the slightly loose silver stud in her earlobe.

"This stuff... actually sells?"

Song Yao suddenly smacked her forehead.

’Oh, man. I brought everything back but completely forgot to show Grandma and Grandpa!’

She deftly opened her cloth bundle.

"Look, Grandma! This is how I made a living in Ning City! On a slow day, I’d make a few dozen yuan. During the busy season on weekends, I could easily break a hundred! My best day last month was 187.60 yuan. I have it all recorded in my ledger!"

Shen Rongdan immediately leaned in to add.

"She’s not exaggerating! Every single flower was sewn by my sister and me, one thread and one bead at a time!"

Yang Wanqing picked them up one by one, examining them closely.

"You made all of these yourself?"

Song Yao nodded vigorously, her eyes shining.

"Yes, I didn’t let anyone else make a single one."

Shen Rongdan quickly pointed to a pile of velvet flowers.

"These ones, I sewed them!"

"And Li Hanchen helped a lot, too."

Yang Wanqing casually picked up a pair of tassel earrings, turning them over and over to inspect them.

"Well now, these are earrings, aren’t they? My granddaughter’s hands are truly blessed! The designs are so new, and the craftsmanship is so exquisite."

Shen Lixin suddenly remembered something.

"Right, Song Yao’s maternal grandfather... I think he used to be in this line of work..."

Yang Wanqing’s face darkened. "..."

"Why are you bringing him up? Our child can take after anyone but someone from that side of the family!"

Shen Lixin quickly waved his hands.

"Hey, let’s not talk about it! It was just a slip of the tongue. My mind was wandering!"

"I just remember Yu Zhen’s older sister praising his craftsmanship back in the day..."

Song Yao muttered to herself.

’Heh, even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while. He guessed right.’

But Shen Rongdan nodded earnestly.

"Maybe it really is in her blood."

Song Yao turned and shot her second brother a glare.

Her eyelids flashed open, and she wrinkled her nose slightly.

Yang Wanqing planted her hands on her hips and roared at her grandson.

"In her blood? In her blood, my foot! We’re members of the Shen family! Not a single trace of them is allowed in our very bones!"

Song Yao jumped in instantly.

"Right, right, right! I only inherited the Shen family genes—smart, skilled with my hands, and lucky!"

’My own mother abandoned me, so what’s so great about that side of the family?’

Yang Wanqing smiled and ruffled her hair.

"That’s more like it! Our Shen family kids have cleverness running through their veins!"

Song Yao nodded enthusiastically, a smile revealing her canine teeth.

Shen Rongdan silently rubbed the back of his head and shut his mouth, not daring to say another word.

Once everything was put away, Yang Wanqing clapped her hands.

"Rong Dan, don’t just stand there. You and Li Hanchen get this place cleaned up. Wipe what needs wiping, and put things where they belong!"

She flicked her wrist, and her sleeves slid up to her forearms.

After the three of them finished their work, they ate a hot meal at a small restaurant at the entrance to the alley before seeing the old couple home.

Li Hanchen held back the greasy plastic door flap of the restaurant for Yang Wanqing.

Song Yao stood at the courtyard gate, waving, and only turned to go back inside for a nap after their figures disappeared around the street corner.

When she opened her eyes, it was still light outside. The wall clock pointed to four-thirty.

The setting sun hung softly in the sky, its light like warm honey, flowing from the balcony into the living room.

A gust of wind sent a few dry leaves spinning.

Song Yao sprang up from the sofa in a single motion and dashed to the balcony.

"Wow, Beijing! We’re official Beijing residents now!"

Her ankle bumped against the leg of the coffee table, and she stumbled.

Li Hanchen was squatting in the bathroom, scrubbing a washcloth.

Hearing her shout, he rushed out without even rinsing the soap from his hands.

He saw Song Yao standing in the slanted light, her eyes curved into crescents and her cheeks glowing in the sun.

Song Yao turned and rushed over, grabbing his wrist.

"Hubby! We’ve put down roots! Aren’t you happy?"

Li Hanchen didn’t quite understand. ’Was getting Beijing residency really as sweet as eating candy?’

He turned the phrase over and over in his mind but couldn’t make sense of it.

’Could adding a name to a Beijing household register really make a person feel so sweet inside?’

He couldn’t figure it out.

Song Yao grabbed his arm and started dragging him toward the door.

"Let’s go, let’s go! We’re going grocery shopping! We can scout out the neighborhood and learn the streets while we’re at it!"

Li Hanchen nodded cheerfully.

"Okay, whatever you say."

’It was a rare moment of leisure, and his wife was carrying their little one.’

The two of them strolled arm in arm along the golden-hued streets.

The slanted sunlight stretched their shadows long and thin, and the shadows of the trees swayed.

Patches of light danced on Song Yao’s shoulder and the back of Li Hanchen’s hand.

A gust of wind gently deposited a leaf in Song Yao’s hair.

He raised his hand and brushed it away with a familiar gesture.

’He never would have dared to imagine a life like this before.’

’And now, it was unfolding right before his eyes...’

Since getting pregnant, Song Yao’s pace had actually picked up; she walked even more briskly than Li Hanchen.

The two of them ambled their way back home.

Just as they turned into the stairwell, the door to the neighboring apartment clicked open.

A woman with short, curly hair emerged, dressed in a long skirt and ankle boots.

She had a knit cardigan thrown over her shoulders, looking like she’d just stepped off a magazine cover.

But her features were sharp, and her gaze was even sharper.

The way she looked you up and down, it was like she was sizing you up, deciding if you were worth a second glance.

Song Yao’s heart immediately sank.

’There was something off about the way this person looked at people.’

She had intended to give a polite nod.

But the moment that sharp gaze landed on her, she clamped her mouth shut.

Fortunately, her apartment was on the right and the other woman’s was on the left, with a staircase between them.

’Who bothered to greet whom was entirely a matter of mood.’

’But you could tell just by looking at this type of person that she didn’t know the first thing about mutual respect.’

Song Yao hooked her arm through Li Hanchen’s.

"Let’s go home!"

Before the words were even out of her mouth, a shout came from behind her.

"Hey!"

Song Yao: ???

She pretended not to hear and kept walking.

The voice grew louder.

"Hey! I’m talking to you! Are you deaf?"

"Playing dumb when someone’s talking to you?"

"Have you no manners at all?"

"You’re new here, aren’t you?"

"Not from around here?"

"Are all outsiders this rude?"

She tutted, her face full of disdain.