Chapter 121: Living Off Someone Else is Truly Sweet

Tang Banxia was unaware of the turmoil brewing outside. Geng Zhengfei and his companions had kept her in the dark. Upon returning from the county town, they simply brought back a large parcel, telling everyone who asked that it had been sent from home.

The sight of such a large package set the minds of some of the more shrewd village matrons spinning. Since his arrival, Secretary Geng had been a completely hands-off administrator, maintaining a low profile in the village. Yet, by the way he carried himself, it was clear he was a former soldier—though why he was holed up in their village serving as a nominal secretary remained a mystery. Initially, no one had paid him much heed, but seeing him with such large parcels, it was obvious his family background was substantial. A city man, a village secretary, and not bad-looking at that—wasn't he the perfect candidate for a son-in-law?

And so, Geng Zhengfei was greeted by a wave of enthusiastic inquiries from the local aunties:
"Secretary Geng, where is your home?"
"How old are you this year? Are you married?"
"How many people are in your family?"
"What kind of girl are you looking for? Should I help you keep an eye out?"

Geng Zhengfei looked utterly bewildered, his square face blank. However, having undergone professional training, he caught sight of Tang Banxia watching the show from behind the crowd. He offered a helpless smile and said, "Aunties, I am already married, so there is no need to trouble yourselves."

A chorus of disappointment followed. Geng Zhengfei seized the opportunity to slip away.

That night, under the cover of darkness, he avoided notice and arrived at Professor Tang's house. Placing the parcel on the floor, he said, "Professor Tang, these are the medicinal herbs you requested. There are more to come, which Xu Sheng will deliver to you."

Professor Tang noted that she was now able to maintain a straight face; habit, she realized, was truly a terrifying thing. "Thank you, Secretary Geng, for the trouble."

"It is no trouble," Geng replied. "Everything is for Professor Tang."

Professor Tang expressed her sincere gratitude and then eagerly ushered him out. Once he had left, Wen Mubai chuckled. "Wife, you don't know how tense you were just now."

Tang Banxia shot him a glare. "Get lost."

"Oh." Wen Mubai obediently got lost.

"Come back!" Tang Banxia was speechless.

He then obediently rolled back in.

"Light a few more oil lamps; I need to check the herbs," Tang Banxia said. If she didn't look through them tonight, she wouldn't be able to sleep.

The two moved to the bedroom, drew the curtains, and began to inspect the herbs one by one. Most of the herbs sent over had already been processed, and the craftsmanship was no less skilled than her own, which saved her a great deal of work. There were also fresh herbs that could be stored for a long time. After examining them, Tang Banxia sorted them into the herb cabinet.

Looking at the increasingly cramped bedroom, she sighed, "It's time to build a pharmacy."

The bedroom was currently packed to the brim with a heated brick bed, a regular bed, a floor-to-ceiling herb cabinet, and a large table where Tang Banxia processed her ingredients. She no longer invited people inside. Firstly, her research required confidentiality, and secondly, there was simply no room to turn around.

If she were to build a new room, she wanted to buy the house outright. The uncertainty of renting was too high, especially since she was working on highly sensitive medicine. Before that, however, she needed to calculate their savings.

After organizing the herbs, she dragged a trunk from under the bed, took out a locked wooden box, and opened it to reveal a stash of money.

"Wow~" Wen Mubai exclaimed, his tone exaggerated. "Wife, we are so rich!"

"Too much drama," Tang Banxia rolled her eyes and began counting the money. Most of the money left by the original owner had been given to Tang's parents; what was in the box now was entirely what she had earned herself. It included money earned from Lu Xun, profits from selling medicine at the infirmary, and her salary after her promotion. All in all, it totaled over eight hundred yuan. The rest consisted of some ration coupons, though not many—mostly for grain and toilet paper. There was no helping it; Tang Banxia simply could not get used to cornmeal, so toilet paper coupons were an absolute necessity.

After counting the money, she put the box away. Eight hundred yuan should be enough to buy the house and build an addition.

"Tomorrow, go to the brigade office and ask Captain Song how much this house costs. Mention our idea of building an extra room while you're at it."

"Of course, if we could also have an ice cellar, that would be even better." Tang Banxia recalled from her limited historical knowledge that ice cellars had existed since ancient times, though they were expensive to construct.

"If it's too expensive, we'll wait until we've saved more," she added. Wen Mubai noted it carefully.

The next day, Wen Mubai rode his bicycle to the brigade office. Everyone stared: Was it really necessary to bike such a short distance?

Ignoring their strange looks, Wen Mubai got straight to the point. The crowd was instantly distracted. Huang Xiaocui was the first to speak: "You want to buy that house?" She seemed hesitant, thinking that since Tang was so talented, she would eventually return to the city, making the purchase a waste.

"Yes," Wen Mubai said with a charming smile. "Banxia says that only with a house can it be called a home, and she wants to give me a home."

Everyone was speechless.

"Is that what you think too?" asked Shi Jian, who had just returned. It was embarrassing for a man to live off a woman, eating her food and living in her house, and now having her buy the property too.

"My wife is good to me, so of course I'm happy," Wen Mubai said with a light glance.

Shi Jian fell silent. Right, he'd forgotten this guy was just a pretty face who lived off his wife.

Song Weimin, however, spoke up in surprise: "Didn't Tang already buy that house?"

Wen Mubai looked over, confused. "No."

Song Weimin picked up the ledger and flipped through a few pages. "Look, it's clearly written here that the house was purchased."

Wen Mubai glanced at the entry: *Tang Banxia purchased house, received 100 yuan, deducted 10 months' rent, remaining 25 yuan, total received 75 yuan.* The date matched the day Tang Xinyi had arrived.

He glanced calmly at Geng Zhengfei, and seeing him nod, Wen Mubai smiled. "It seems my sister-in-law cares deeply for my wife."

The crowd felt a chill—this guy was truly lucky!

"Oh, right, my wife says she wants to build another room. I'll have to trouble the captain to organize some help." He added, "Of course, only after the field work is finished."

Song Weimin naturally had no reason to refuse. "No problem."

Wen Mubai nodded and took his leave. He didn't say a word about the ice cellar. It wasn't until Geng Zhengfei came out that he mentioned it. Geng agreed readily: "Leave it to me."

Wen Mubai beamed. How wonderful—a problem solved without spending a cent. He really was a master of household management.

With a relaxed smile, he headed to work. Upon reaching the fields, he saw a scene unfolding: Third Sister-in-law Hu was outwitting her in-laws. He paused, changed direction toward her, and perfectly blocked an attack from her brother-in-law, glaring at him. "Are you blind?!"

Seeing who it was, the brother-in-law shrank back and immediately apologized. He wasn't a coward, but he had witnessed Wen Mubai's ferocity before; in a pinch, it was best to be sensible.

Wen Mubai snorted and walked away without exchanging a word with the sister-in-law. But Third Sister-in-law Hu knew he had done it for her and was deeply touched. She really did have the best younger brother!