Back to 1984: Earning Money, Raising Kids, and Keeping the Household Busy

Chapter 78 House for Rent
Lin Qingxiang knew about Lin Qin's situation and didn't say anything more. He only said, "It seems that your eldest nephew is going to get married. The girl seems to be from the farm. Lin Zhi and his wife have been very happy these past few days. However, I heard from Lao Bie's wife that your younger brother wants to move into your house because there isn't enough room at home."

The layout of Lin Zhi's house is exactly the same as Lin Yi's. Lin Yi has two daughters, and Lin Zhi has two sons.

The eldest son will definitely need a new house for his wedding. Either the village will approve a piece of land to build a house, or we can only find a way to partition it. Either way, it will cost money. The easiest solution is to let the younger son live with Lin Yi, and let the eldest son and his wife live in their shed. That would be just right.

Lin Yi's face instantly darkened. "If I don't agree, can they just rob me outright?"

Lin Qingxiang shook his head, "That's definitely not possible. Even if they wanted to, the brigade leader wouldn't allow it! But they'll definitely go around saying bad things about you in the village."

Lin Yi shrugged. "Haven't they talked about me enough over the years? Anyway, if they ask you, just say I don't agree and I'll have Wenjun come back with me."

Lin Qingxiang didn't say anything more and focused on his work.

It would take two or three days to carefully lay over 100 square meters of floor tiles.

These past few days, Lin Qingxiang has been leaving early and returning late, so Lin Zhi can't catch him at a good time.

Before Lin Zhi could visit again, Lin Yi and Chen Wenjun returned to Shanglin Village together.

Upon receiving the news, Lin Zhi and his wife rushed over immediately.

Without even a greeting or asking about Lin Yi's injury, he burst in, shouting, "Brother, Jianqiang is getting married, but the girl's family insists we build a house before they'll agree. He's your nephew, you can't just ignore this!"

Chen Wenjun was speechless.

Lin Yi didn't give Lin Zhi a friendly look at all. He had stretched his legs out so far, but Lin Zhi didn't even glance at them before asking for his help. What did Lin Yi take him for?

"Just build the houses you're told to build. It's no use coming to me."

Seeing Lin Yi's decisive refusal, Lin Zhi immediately became displeased. "Brother, you don't have a son. In the future, Jianqiang and Jianguo will have to do all the dirty work for you. You can't just ignore everything and then rely on your nephew! There's no such thing as a free lunch!"

“Exactly!” Li Lian said indignantly from the side.

Lin Yi laughed, "Did I say I wanted Jianqiang and Jianguo to break the pot for me? Did I say I was relying on them in the future? I didn't say anything, but you've already made arrangements for me!"

Lin Zhi acted as if it were perfectly reasonable, saying, "If you don't have a son, who else can you rely on if not my son? Lin Ying and Lin Qin are already married, who cares about you!"

Chen Wenjun immediately said, "I'll take care of it."

Lin Zhi glared at Chen Wenjun with displeasure, his eyes full of contempt. "What's it to you? This is a family matter of the Lin family!"

Lin Yi immediately flew into a rage, standing up and shouting, "This is my son-in-law! How can it have nothing to do with him! Lin Zhi, let me tell you this! Even if I sell my things in the future, I won't give them to you, so don't even think about it!"

Lin Zhi's expression changed drastically, and he jumped three feet high in anger, shouting, "If you dare to sell me, you'll be a sinner to the Lin family!"

"I dare to do it! What's it to you?" Lin Yi shouted confidently.

Lin Zhi and his wife never expected that Lin Yi, who had never spoken a word before, would be so domineering. They were furious, but they really couldn't do anything about Lin Yi.

After being kicked out by Lin Yi, the two became increasingly resentful and turned to find the captain.

"Captain, my brother has really lost his mind. He's actually been persuaded by his son-in-law to buy a house and land. What if his son-in-law doesn't care about him in the future? We'll be the ones supporting him then. You can't just ignore this!"

Lin Zhi and his wife looked worried, as if they were completely concerned about Lin Yi. Upon hearing this, the brigade leader also became anxious and hurried to Lin Yi's house.

Lin Yi was sitting on the doorstep, his injured leg stretched out straight.

The captain noticed his leg as soon as he arrived and quickly asked, "Is your injury healed?"

Lin Yi's eyes reddened, filled with emotion. "The brigade leader is so kind. Of all the people who have come to visit me since I returned to the village, you are the only one who still remembers my injury."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the brigade leader and Lin Zhi and his wife were quite interesting.

Lin Yi ignored them and dragged a stool over for the captain to sit on.

The brigade leader plopped down, glanced at Chen Wenjun who was busy working in the shed, and asked in a low voice, "I heard you're going to sell your house and land?"

"Who said that?" Lin Yi retorted.

The captain immediately turned around and glared angrily at Lin Zhi and his wife.

Li Lian, hands on her hips, shouted angrily, "You just said you wanted to sell the house and the land!"

Lin Yi sneered and lowered his eyes. "I remember my original words were, 'Don't even think about taking my house and land. I'd rather sell them than let someone else benefit from them. What's the problem?'"

The brigade leader understood and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. "It's good that they're not selling. It's a good thing to have a house and a piece of land in this village. They'll have a place to live when they get old, right?"

His words were rather veiled, but Lin Yi understood them.

"Don't worry, Captain, I know what I'm doing!"

At this moment, Chen Wenjun took out the things he had packed. When he saw the captain coming over, he nodded to him and said, "Dad, your clothes and thick quilt are here, as well as Aqin's things. It's a big bag. We'll have to borrow a cart to push it back in a bit."

The captain was taken aback. "What's wrong? Are we moving?"

Lin Yi suppressed his desire to show off and explained with feigned modesty, "My son-in-law just built a two-story house. The second floor is currently being renovated, and he specially reserved a room for me to move in."

I wasn't keen at first, but the couple kept persuading me. They said I was just coming back to pack my things and rent out my place.

Upon hearing this, Lin Zhi and his wife felt both jealous and angry.

"Brother, what do you mean? Your nephew got married and had nowhere to stay. You have a house but won't give it to him. You're even thinking of renting it out. How can he have such a cold-blooded and heartless uncle like you!"

Li Lian angrily accused Lin Yi, her expression contorted with jealousy and resentment.

Lin Yi had no intention of wasting words with her. Instead, he explained to the captain, "Captain, I'm not Wenjun's biological father, but his father-in-law. I can't just eat and live at my son-in-law's house for free. So I'm thinking of renting this house out and giving the rent to Aqin. That way, even if we live here, we won't have to worry about what others will say, right?"

The captain agreed wholeheartedly. He glanced at Chen Wenjun, who remained silent, paused for a moment, and then patted Lin Yi on the shoulder. “I’ll ask around these next few days to see if anyone wants to rent a house. If you do, it’ll probably be a long-term lease, at least six months, and at most three to five years.”

There are many families in the village like Lin Zhi's who are facing housing shortages. It's not that they don't want to build houses, but they can't afford it. Some are unwilling to borrow money or can't borrow that much. Renting a house temporarily can help them get through the difficult period.

"The rent will be based on the village's standard. I'll give you the key, you help me rent it out, you collect the rent, and then I'll come to you for it. Is that alright?" Lin Yi stated his plan in one go, not intending to give Lin Zhi and his wife any chance to argue.

(End of this chapter)