Chapter 231 Flying a Kite
As long as you don't try to get a bargain, you generally won't be cheated.
Before leaving, Qin Yao pulled Liu Ji's ear and warned him not to hide his private money, otherwise if he messed up, she would crush him to death.
Liu Ji's eyes widened in horror: She actually knew that he had hidden his private money? This is impossible!
However, the fact is that Qin Yao can see his every move. The only difference is whether she wants to or is too lazy to turn a blind eye.
Frightened by this, Liu Ji dared not act recklessly anymore. He honestly found a legitimate agent and made an appointment to take them to handle the formalities the next morning.
"The people in this city are so nice." As soon as they returned to the inn, Liu Ji said to the mother and her two children with a smile:
"The agent personally took us to have a look first, and then we left it to them without any worries. They will prepare the admission certificate and personally deliver it to the inn for us. I don't have to worry about it at all."
At the end, he said proudly: "Money is really useful~"
"That's right." Qin Yao curled her lips, "How can the money I earn not be useful?"
Liu Ji responded hastily, "Yes, yes, yes." He turned around and punched the air twice as if venting his anger.
"What are we having for dinner tonight?" Qin Yao asked.
The inn here was not very spacious, and a family of six only had one room. Fortunately, the owner was an open-minded person and allowed them to sleep on the floor in the guest room, and even asked the waiter to bring an extra thin quilt.
Of course, the daily rent is twenty cents more expensive.
However, Qin Yao planned to stay for a long time. They would not leave until the results of the provincial examination came out, and they would have to stay until at least the end of the month. So she bargained with the shopkeeper and simply booked the room until the end of the month. The total rent was three taels of silver.
When Qin Yao paid the room fee, she felt a little pain in her heart.
She originally planned to come here to find a short-term rental house, but after asking around, she found out that houses were difficult to rent.
Houses with cleaner and safer environments are all rented out in their entirety, and people here won't bother with short-term tenants like them.
Qin Yao was too lazy to even look at the rest. It would be better to stay in an inn, where safety was at least guaranteed.
The inn is surrounded by residents with better conditions in the city, so when they go out occasionally, the children can stay in the inn without worrying about any random people breaking in.
It's a bit expensive, but you can't save this money.
Of the seven taels of silver that were looted from the bandits, only three taels were left. With a family of six and Qin Yao's own big appetite, it was a little doubtful that they would last until the end of the month, unless they cooked for themselves.
So, he rented the inn's kitchen and planned to buy ingredients and cook his own meals.
It was already dark outside, but as this street was mostly lined with inns, it was brightly lit and very lively.
Liu Ji looked away several times, but when he saw people drinking, composing poetry and discussing elegant things in groups of three or five, he felt itchy in his heart.
Unfortunately, when Qin Yao asked this question, the reality of daily life instantly shattered all those romantic thoughts.
"Ah~" Liu Ji sighed and said, "I'll go to the kitchen to see what's there. It's late today, so just eat something to fill your stomach. I'll find out where the vegetable market is later, and we'll buy some vegetables tomorrow morning and have something delicious."
After saying that, he naturally reached out to Qin Yao for money.
Qin Yao gave him one or two taels of silver.
One tael! Liu Ji was a little flattered and couldn't believe it, but he took the money quickly, grabbed the silver and stuffed it into his arms immediately. At the end, he gave her a flattering smile and walked briskly towards the kitchen.
Erlang asked suspiciously, "Mother, why did you give Dad so much money?"
"This is called flying a kite." Qin Yao sat down and poured herself a cup of tea. Tea was available free of charge throughout the day in this inn. Although it was not a good tea, it was still very thirst-quenching to drink a sip of cool tea in the summer.
Jiro scratched his head in confusion, "What is kite flying?"
Qin Yao patted the stool next to her and asked Erlang to sit down, explaining: "Your father is like a kite. When the wind is strong, if you pull it with brute force, the string will easily break and you will lose control. If you loosen the string at the right time, everything will be under control."
There are so many temptations in the city now, and Liu Ji is not a man of firm mind. If he controls her too strictly, it might backfire and give her a "shock".
Instead of doing this, it is better to give him a wide range and let him move within the boundaries.
After listening to Qin Yao's explanation, Erlang nodded seriously, indicating that he had learned something new.
Liu Ji was quick and soon brought back six bowls of dumpling soup and a basket of coarse grain steamed bread.
The soup base is made from large bones, and a handful of chopped green onions float on the surface of the soup, exuding an enticing aroma.
Although steamed bread is a coarse grain, the raw materials are finely ground and it is freshly baked, so it is soft and fluffy.
"Not bad." Qin Yao praised.
I quickly called the four brothers and sisters of Dalang, who were completing their unfinished reading notes today, to come over and eat first. We could continue after we were full.
Seeing that Qin Yao was satisfied with the meal and even praised him, Liu Ji thought about the bustle in the front hall and asked tentatively,
"Madam, can I go out for a while after dinner?"
Qin Yao: "Whatever."
Liu Ji was immediately delighted and said quickly that he would clean up all the dishes before leaving.
However, when the four children looked at him expectantly, Liu Ji suddenly felt a great deal of pressure.
In the end, he slipped away on the pretext that they had not finished their homework.
Si Niang stamped her feet in anger, "Mother! Why don't you take care of him!"
Qin Yao jokingly promised to take them out shopping tomorrow. The little girl then started smiling again and happily went to write her book review.
Qin Yao told the four brothers and sisters to stay in the house and went to ask the waiter for two buckets of hot water.
After such a long journey, I have finally settled down, washed up and had a good sleep at night.
When the mother and her five children were washing up, Liu Ji suddenly came back excitedly.
Si Niang's first reaction was to ask in surprise: "Dad, are you done playing now?"
Liu Ji scratched his daughter's stubborn mouth and said, "Stop being so sarcastic. I'm going to tell you something fun."
He walked around the room looking for a stool. There were only four stools in the guest room. The four siblings sat around the foot basin washing their feet, while Qin Yao sat by the bed adjusting the arrows.
Liu Ji hesitated for two seconds, then decisively took Sanlang out of the footbath and put him on the bed. He pulled a stool and sat down between the bed and the footbath, and said excitedly,
"Isn't tomorrow the Dragon Boat Festival? There will be a dragon boat race in the city. Let's go together. I heard that it's very lively. We can also guess lantern riddles at night. If you guess correctly, you will get a prize."
Sanlang was thrown onto the bed and fell into a ball under the quilt. He finally got out and was about to complain to his mother about his father bullying him, but he heard Liu Ji's words. His attention was instantly drawn and he opened his eyes wide and asked curiously:
"What is dragon boat racing?"
Liu Ji explained lamely, "It's a rowing competition to see who can row faster."
"Is there any prize?" Erlang asked excitedly.
Liu Ji nodded excitedly, "Of course there is. Not only will the first prize be 100 taels of silver, but you can also go to the rooftop of the largest restaurant for a free banquet. The restaurant is called Dengyun Tower, and what is the banquet called? Oh, yes, it's called the Dragon King Banquet!"
(End of this chapter)