CHAPTER 209: CHAPTER 209: NO VACANCIES

Yu Xiaolian brought the brothers Li Meng and Li Lie back home, and the family was already anxiously waiting for her to eat.

If it weren’t for the fact that Yu Changhe and Sun Fengshou were not at home, Mrs. Sun would have already sent Yu Changhe out to find Yu Xiaolian.

Although the Yu Family was mentally prepared for the protector issue, the sudden addition of two middle-aged men still made them feel somewhat uneasy.

It was uneasy for others, but for Xiaohu, he was extremely happy because he now had a master!

Xiaohu looked up and asked Li Meng and Li Lie if they could fly and whose martial arts were better.

Li Meng honestly said, "Our qinggong is average. As for martial arts, although I am three years older than my brother, my skills are slightly inferior to his."

Su Jingyue scanned the faces of the Li brothers several times.

Li Meng looked more approachable, while Li Lie stood with his arms folded, his stern face devoid of any smile.

Su Jingyue pulled Xiaohu aside and whispered, "Li Lie must be very strict, you should choose Li Meng as your master instead?"

Xiaohu dubiously glanced at Su Jingyue, "No, I want to choose the most formidable as my master."

Hmph, ever since rescuing Su Jingyue from the dilapidated temple, he had suffered many losses. He used to think he was the smartest kid in Upper River Bay, but ever since meeting Su Jingyue, he realized a heart-wrenching truth: Su Jingyue is smarter than him.

Even though it was the same article, Su Jingyue memorized it faster than he did.

Even though it was the same test paper, Su Jingyue answered faster, and his handwriting was better.

Moreover, Su Jingyue was adept at competing for affection, leading to the situation where he was no longer his sister’s most beloved, but Su Jingyue was.

Xiaohu had become sharp-minded, deciding to do the opposite; since Su Jingyue wanted him to choose Li Meng, he surely would choose Li Lie.

Heeding the lesson learned, how could he always be overshadowed by Su Jingyue?

Seeing that Xiaohu had seen through his little scheme, Su Jingyue was unfazed and calmly said, "Since you choose Li Lie, I’ll go with Li Meng then, just don’t regret it later!"

"Wait..." Xiaohu saw Su Jingyue’s slight smile at the corner of his mouth, seemingly very satisfied with Li Meng, and suddenly felt he was caught in Su Jingyue’s stratagem.

Xiaohu hesitated, "I need to reconsider..."

Su Jingyue raised an eyebrow, "Take your time, once you’ve chosen, I’ll decide!"

As night fell, Yu Changhe and Sun Fengshou finally returned by carriage from Taohua Village.

Yu Xiaolian had just delivered confinement food to Mrs. Sun when she saw her father come in, looking disheveled.

"Your grandma said you brought back two protectors, are they reliable?"

Yu Xiaolian replied, "Don’t worry, Dad, they were recommended by Zhao the Escort. They can’t be that bad.

Dad, how come you’re covered in dirt again? Did you join them in their work again? I’ve told you, supervising is enough, you don’t have to get hands-on. Go wash up, don’t go into Mom’s room all dusty, the little ones can’t handle so much dirt, they might end up sick again."

Yu Changhe was about to check on the two babies in the cradle, but upon hearing Yu Xiaolian’s words, he halted and then exited again through the door.

As he walked out, he told Mrs. Sun, "I’ll go wash up and be right back!"

Mrs. Sun laughed and said to Yu Xiaolian, "Your dad just can’t stay idle. I knew he would end up working with those people. He changed clothes just this morning, and now they are dirty again."

Yu Xiaolian was playing with Yu Zixuan while talking to Mrs. Sun, "Mom, there’s a drought up north and war down south, so refugees are starting to move to our central region in batches, and bandits and robbers are increasing. Ask Dad to take Li Meng and Li Lie with him when he goes out tomorrow!"

Mrs. Sun listened to Yu Xiaolian’s words and worriedly said, "Does that mean Luocheng is not safe anymore?"

Yu Xiaolian said, "Our two protectors came with their master, fleeing from the south.

They said the journey hasn’t been peaceful, so I thought it’s better to be safe than sorry."

Moreover, Yu Xiaolian noticed that lately, there were more people in Luocheng, and one could always see carriages and horse teams entering the city.

In the morning, Dean Ying also mentioned that Great Liang is now chaotic in both the north and south, turning the central regions into a sanctuary.

If the south and the Great Meng Country continue fighting like this, the number of people seeking refuge in Luocheng will likely increase.

Yu Xiaolian was unsure whether her decision to have her father build a house in Taohua Village was correct.

If the number of refugees explodes, Luocheng will become chaotic, and chaos would mean safety hazards.

At that time, staying in the city would be the safest because, after all, once the city gates are shut, ordinary refugees won’t be able to get in.

Yu Xiaolian felt it was necessary to buy a large house in case of unexpected needs.

Upon sharing her thoughts with her parents, they immediately supported the idea.

If things turn out as Yu Xiaolian anticipated, building the house in Taohua Village would indeed need to be postponed, as they wouldn’t dare to move in even if it’s completed.

So, the next day, after Yu Xiaolian left the academy, she once again sought out Zhao the Escort. Under Zhao’s guidance, she went to Zhao’s Dental Clinic.

After Yu Xiaolian expressed her intentions, Zhao the Escort’s second brother, Zhao Zhijie, showed a helpless expression.

It turns out that housing prices in Luocheng had already doubled, making them hard to purchase.

Zhao Zhijie said, "There are a few large houses available, not because they are undesirable, but simply because they’re too large for most people to afford!"

Yu Xiaolian wasn’t afraid of a big house; she wanted to buy a large one. So she asked, "How many courtyard houses are they?"

Zhao’s second brother replied, "There’s a five-courtyard one in Yintai Lane in the west of the city, originally the residence of the brother of Imperial Concubine Min’s family. It’s priced high at twenty-eight thousand taels, and they won’t negotiate.

There are two four-courtyard ones, one in Heqing Lane in the east of the city and one in Xiangyang Lane.

Although the two in the east are also four-courtyard, they are not smaller than the five-courtyard in the west.

The one in Heqing Lane is larger and priced at eight thousand two hundred taels, while the one in Xiangyang Lane is eight thousand taels."

Yu Xiaolian realized that the two houses in the east were not as expensive as the one in the west, indicating that the land in the west was indeed pricey!

No wonder people with power and influence, the prominent families, lived in the west.

The west was indeed a symbol of status!

But after weighing her savings, Yu Xiaolian thought better of pretending to be something she’s not.

"I’ll look at the two in the east!"

Zhao Zhijie took out a large bunch of keys from behind the counter, "Let’s go, we’ll take a look!"

Yu Xiaolian knew where Xiangyang Lane was, because it was near her home, so they first visited the house in Xiangyang Lane.

Touring the four-courtyard house from beginning to end, Yu Xiaolian roughly estimated it was about fifteen hundred square meters.

Zhao Zhijie started introducing the structure of the house to Yu Xiaolian, "The main house has a front gallery and a rear pavilion, with covered rooms at the back.

The flower walls in the south of the east and west wing rooms have a hanging flower gate, with four wooden screens inside connected to the wing rooms via covered corridors.

Between the main house and the wing rooms is a round moon gate for passage..."