"Let's go in and take a look," Xia Xue said, pulling Lin Fan's hand as she eagerly walked towards her home.
"Xiaoyue, hurry up, don't fall behind," she called back, not forgetting to do so.
"Okay," Song Yue forced a smile, mechanically moving her feet.
"They've paved the ground at the entrance!" As soon as they turned the corner, Lin Fan saw that the small alleyway in front of his home had been transformed into a smooth cement surface, a vast improvement from the rutted dirt road before.
"Yup!" Xia Xue said proudly and with great satisfaction, "I wasn't planning on spending money unnecessarily, but after the house was built, there was some cement left over, so I asked the workers to repair this section of the road too. It didn't cost much."
"Spend what needs to be spent," Lin Fan said grandly, "Never mind just this little stretch in front of our house; even if the entire village were paved with cement, I could afford it."
"What are you talking about? That's not your concern," Xia Xue rolled her eyes and pulled Lin Fan further ahead.
Two ancient bronze doors stood grand and majestic, two and a half meters high and nearly three meters wide.
Inlaid on them was a plaque with a red background and gold lettering, inscribed with the four characters "神医世家" (Shényī Shìjiā - Divine Doctor Family).
Lin Fan couldn't help but smile wryly, "Are we really at the level of a 'family' yet?"
"Once you have children, won't we become a family?" Xia Xue was very satisfied with the plaque and immediately retorted.
"Children..." Lin Fan glanced at her, thinking they needed to work harder!
Otherwise, his efforts alone wouldn't suffice!
Xia Xue noticed Lin Fan's lecherous expression and knew he wouldn't say anything good, so she glared at him fiercely and stepped into the courtyard first.
"Haha," Lin Fan laughed heartily.
The renovation wasn't finished yet, and the courtyard was scattered with leftover scraps and items yet to be installed.
Lin Fan looked around and nodded with satisfaction.
"Xiaofan, look, this is our kitchen."
"This is the bathroom; I've already bought the solar water heater."
"What do you think of the entrance door? It was expensive! This side alone cost over five thousand, it broke my heart," Xia Xue said with joy in her voice.
"It's good, very beautiful. It lives up to my sister-in-law's choice," Lin Fan praised, giving her a thumbs-up.
"Come in quickly, let's see the rooms," Xia Xue excitedly opened the door, ushering Lin Fan and Song Yue into the house as if presenting a treasure.
"The living room is spacious enough, right?"
"The sofa has been bought, but it hasn't been unwrapped. I'm afraid it might get dirty during the subsequent decorations."
"That's the TV cabinet over there. It hasn't been installed yet. After we get everything else sorted, we'll ask the workers to help install it."
Xia Xue knew every item by heart.
She introduced the surrounding items and her plans with the familiarity of listing her family treasures.
Song Yue's mood was low.
Everything had its place, not even a single room for her.
She could barely resist turning around and leaving; what was the point of staying here?
"This is the game room. I heard about it from the proprietress when I was buying building materials," Xia Xue said, reaching out to open a door.
The room was empty, about twenty square meters. The walls were painted with light-colored latex paint, and the natural light was excellent, giving it a warm feeling.
"Xiaoyue's children will grow up, so you can bring them here to play. We can buy some inflatable mats and toys to put inside. I've already inquired; it won't cost much."
Song Yue, who had been dispirited, suddenly looked up, her beautiful eyes sparkling.
"It's quite good," Lin Fan, unsure of his sister-in-law's intentions, hesitated for a moment before daring to reply.
"The two villages aren't far apart. Whenever Xiaoyue wants to visit, it's just a few steps away," Xia Xue said with a smile.
Song Yue's excitement gradually subsided.
So that's all it was...
Xia Xue noticed Song Yue's disheartened expression and shook her head helplessly.
While she valued the relationship, she couldn't invite Song Yue to live in her home.
After they moved in, she and Lin Fan would manage the medical clinic together, spending their days together, leaving no opportunity for Song Yue to get closer to Lin Fan.
With time, these feelings would naturally fade.
In the future, Song Yue would find a good man, live a proper life, and be good to everyone.
"Xiaofan, let's go up to the roof and take a look."
"I haven't decided on the material for the railings yet. The workers said we could have Roman columns or stainless steel."
"Roman columns look good but aren't sturdy; they're just for show. Stainless steel is strong and durable, but not as attractive."
The three of them went up to the rooftop.
Lin Fan only then realized that besides some decorative glazed tiles, most of the roof was flat.
"Xiaofan, look, with such a large area, it'll be so convenient for drying grain," Xia Xue said enthusiastically.
"I know there's an electric hoist. We can build a frame on the side, and no matter how much grain we have, we can lift it up. After it's dried, we can use the electric hoist to lower it down and store it in the flat house."
Lin Fan was amused.
He hadn't expected his sister-in-law to still be thinking about growing grain.
He made money now easier than eating. He could let his sister-in-law enjoy endless prosperity and luxury; there was no need for her to grow grain herself.
"Sister-in-law, we don't need to grow grain anymore," Lin Fan said with a smile.
"We can buy staple grains, but we should still grow some coarse grains, like red beans, mung beans, sorghum, and millet. It's safer to eat what we grow ourselves," Xia Xue insisted on her idea.
"Alright, we'll do it however you say," Lin Fan surrendered.
He stood at the side, looking at the newly renovated courtyard, a strong sense of satisfaction filling him.
How long had it been?
It didn't seem like a very long time.
The Lin family had poured the efforts of several generations into the dream of building a new house, yet they had failed.
Now, it had finally been realized in his hands, and so easily.
"Xiaofan, what do you think of our home?" Xia Xue asked, her beautiful, flawless face beaming with happiness in the warm spring breeze.
"Good, it's absolutely wonderful. We finally have our own home," Lin Fan boldly and gently took her hand, saying with deep emotion.
"Uh." Xia Xue instinctively wanted to pull her hand back because Song Yue was still there.
But then she immediately thought of something and stopped, letting Lin Fan hold her hand.
After all, it would be known sooner or later, so why not take this opportunity to let Song Yue see clearly who Lin Fan truly had in his heart.
Xia Xue's face flushed, and she shyly lowered her head.
Seeing their intimate interaction, Song Yue felt incredibly desolate.
She bit her lower lip, hesitating whether to slip away.
Being a third wheel here was too unpleasant!
"Oh, why is Sister Zhou here?"
Standing high, one could see far. The Lin family's home was on higher ground and was two stories tall.
From afar, a Rolls-Royce Phantom was approaching Luofeng Village.
There were only a few million-dollar luxury cars in Yunqing City, and Lin Fan immediately thought of Zhou Yi.
"Xiaofan, what do you see?" Xia Xue could only see a small black dot on the distant road and couldn't make out the details.
"It's probably Ms. Zhou from Xinghe Real Estate looking for me," Lin Fan said, then directly took out his phone and dialed Zhou Yi's number.