CHAPTER 88: CHAPTER 88: ENTERTAINING GUESTS

Lin Qin frowned, "Ordinary material will do, I’m just looking to block the light. Right now, in the middle of winter, it’s not a big deal, but when summer comes, it’s light at five in the morning. Getting up early is fine for us, but I want the kids to sleep longer. Without curtains, the sun is blazing by six."

Zhang Shujuan laughed, "Just blocking the light is easy, you can use bamboo blinds. Check with the bamboo craftsman—I remember there are quite a few old handicraftsmen selling their wares around Ancient Street. You can ask them."

Ancient Street is right next to Friendship Square; you can just walk over there.

Lin Qin was overjoyed, thanked Zhang Shujuan, and headed straight to Ancient Street. While wandering there, she really found two places that could take on this job, and the price wasn’t too high—four dollars per bamboo blind, with guaranteed delivery in five days.

Lin Qin ordered six at once, just enough to fit in all six rooms.

Busily occupied, when the six bamboo blinds were delivered to Nanyu, it was already the Little New Year.

At this time, all the custom furniture they ordered from Ah Fu also arrived, and their home was fully furnished. Working hard for an entire year, they finally had their own home.

Lin Yi, in a rare gesture of generosity, bought a long string of firecrackers and lined them along the cement path to the wide-open front gate.

Chen Wenjun pasted the newly purchased red couplets on the entrance.

With the firecrackers set off, the Dang people from all over Nanxi heard the commotion.

Just returning home, Chen Wenhai listened to the commotion and curiously asked, "Mom, what’s going on over there? Such a huge fuss!"

Zhou Shuifang glanced up and then lowered her gaze, "It’s probably Wenjun setting them off. He bought land and built a house on the island; I guess it’s completed, and they’re moving in."

Chen Wenhai was greatly astonished, "What? Brother Wenjun is so impressive? Even buying land and building a house?"

Not many of the Dang people have such ideas. After all, everyone earns a hard living, their ancestors have lived like this, and they are already accustomed to life on the water, unlikely to change voluntarily.

Zhou Shuifang scoffed, "What’s so impressive about this? If you ask me, it’s just a waste. Buying land and building a house still means relying on fishing to make a living. Building a house on the island is inconvenient for going out, unlike living on a boat, where we can go anywhere we want—even moving our boat to South Port to live is possible."

She had planned this before. However, as everyone here is familiar, helping each other and chatting every day, she didn’t move.

But Chen Wenhai had different thoughts, "Mom, moving to South Port is no longer possible. Last month, I heard from the Dang people there that the government is planning to unify dock management. In the future, only cargo ships can enter the port. Those living in South Port will have land allocated by the government for easier management."

Zhou Shuifang listened intently, her eyebrows furrowed, her dissatisfaction almost spilling out.

"We’re all Dang people, living on land instead of on boats? They’ll surely protest!"

The tone of Zhou Shuifang was very confident, but Chen Wenhai shook his head, "No protests—I see everyone is quite happy. The government is giving land and housing subsidies; a household only needs to pay two hundred dollars to have their own house. Boats can be converted into cargo ships, making more money. Who wouldn’t be pleased?"

Zhou Shuifang was instantly silent.

Grandpa Chen said with emotion, "If the government wants to plan uniformly, there’s no way around it; we’ll have to comply. Having a house on land isn’t bad, at least there’s no worry about wind or rain."

Zhou Shuifang pondered and couldn’t help but ask, "Dad, do you think there will be unified management here too?"

If so, they’ll have to learn from Chen Wenjun and buy land to build a house.

Thinking about how she used to scoff at the idea, Zhou Shuifang felt somewhat uneasy.

Chen Wenhai spoke eagerly, "Grandpa, let’s go check out Wenjun’s house. I wonder what his new house looks like—have you seen it?"

Grandpa Chen shook his head, "I frequently travel with cargo ships with your father. Previously, Wenjun said the house wasn’t finished, and since we couldn’t help, we didn’t want to add unnecessary trouble."

Without thinking too much, Chen Wenhai urged Chen Yongding to change course.

When the fishing boat reached Nanyu’s wide-open front gate,

Chen Wenhai saw the house number on top and read aloud, "Nanyu Household 001. Wow! The island is named too!"

The house number is the same as those in the village, clearly marked by the government.

Upon hearing this, the whole family became curious. The gate happened to be open, and Chen Wenhai eagerly jumped off the boat, shouting inside, "Brother Wenjun!"

Chen Wenjun was busy in the kitchen in the courtyard. Hearing the noise, he quickly ran out; upon seeing the guests, he ran down the steps to greet them, "Wenhai, you’re back? Where’s Wenjiang?"

Chen Wenhai grinned, looking at the surrounding fields in shock, "He’s sleeping on the boat."

As soon as he finished speaking, Grandpa Chen and the others came down, Chen Wenjiang trailing behind, drowsy-eyed.

Once through the courtyard gate, finally seeing the inside clearly, he fully awoke.

Chen Wenjun led them toward the house.

The group kept asking questions from all directions; finally, they entered the living room and sat on the brand-new solid wood sofa, still in a daze.

Zhou Shuifang was stunned by the house’s grandeur. From the moment she entered, she kept exclaiming, "My goodness! This house is so big and beautiful! I thought you’d just build an ordinary brick house but didn’t expect such a splendid mansion!"

Grandpa Chen and Chen Yongding had similar reactions to Zhou Shuifang, albeit not as exaggerated.

Chen Wenhai and his brother carefully observed the layout of the first floor, their eyes full of envy.

"Brother Wenjun, this house must have cost a lot of money!"

Chen Yongding’s family all turned their gaze to Chen Wenjun.

Chen Wenjun smiled sheepishly, "It did cost a lot, the exact amount I haven’t calculated. Anyway, I’ve exhausted my savings this year, and still owe outside debt. Luckily, the creditors aren’t urging repayment, so I’ll repay slowly next year.

Plus, the furnishings on this floor were gifted—otherwise, it wouldn’t have reached this level."

Zhou Shuifang was skeptical, "Who would be so generous, spending money to help you decorate?"

Chen Wenjun briefly explained about his rescue incident, "They wanted to pay me, but I refused. Somehow, they quietly sent over the materials for the decoration. I wanted to return them, but the delivery person wouldn’t agree, so in the end, I had to use them."

Zhou Shuifang’s family listened intently, having nothing else to say aside from praising Chen Wenjun’s good fortune.

The whole family was invited by Chen Wenjun to stay for dinner.

While waiting for the meal, they didn’t sit idle, following Chen Wenjun to pick vegetables in the garden.

For the Dang people who had never farmed before, picking vegetables was novel—even Grandpa Chen showed great interest, commenting on Lin Yi’s produce.

While they worked, the two children finished their homework and came down, holding hands into the field.

Chen Wenhai and his brother were shocked by Ping’an’s transformation.

"Wow! Ping’an, Uncle almost didn’t recognize you!"

Ping’an beamed proudly, bouncing twice, "Mom says I’ve become handsome."

Chen Wenhai and his brother nodded repeatedly.

"You’ve become handsome indeed. And where’s your mom?" Chen Wenjiang asked.