The GORGEOUS Mermaid Who Lands in the Eighties: Nine Brothers and Endless Pampering! - Chapter 21

The decision to split the family had been made previously, and everyone was on board. However, one question remained hanging in the air…
Yun Xiaowu, with his usual bluntness, piped up: “Once we separate, who will Gran and Grandad live with?”
Father Yun responded immediately, taking it as a given: “Well, I’m the eldest son. Village tradition says the elders always stay with the eldest. So Mum and Dad, you’ll be with us.”
Shen Yunlian was fine with this. Even though the family was skint, her in-laws had always treated her like their own daughter. She was naturally happy to look after them in their twilight years.
But Yun Linhe wasn’t having it. “Hold on, you’re not the only eldest! We were born on the same day, so they can live with us just as well. Your side’s already crowded with Xiao Jiu and Jiaojiao, so Mum and Dad should definitely come to our house.”
Wang Mei chimed in, “Brother and Sister-in-Law, you’ve got loads of kids. Let Mum and Dad come over to our place.”
The two elders, listening to their sons and daughters-in-law bickering affectionately, felt incredibly touched.
Their family had always been close and stood together, but the thought of separating had made them anxious.
They were getting old, couldn’t manage the hard labour anymore, and were genuinely worried that their sons would resent them, passing the responsibility for their care back and forth like a hot potato.
This wasn’t just idle fretting, either. When other families in the village split up, the sight was often ugly, with grown children unwilling to take on the responsibility of caring for their elderly parents.
Thankfully, their sons were dutiful, and their daughters-in-law were sound as well.
The two elders exchanged genuine, happy smiles.
“Right, that’s enough of this arguing,” said Grandpa Yun. “Your mother and I aren’t past it yet. This old house is still standing, so we’ll stay put here. We’ll just need a helping hand from you two lads if we need it.”
“No chance,” the brothers Yun Linhai and Yun Linhe declared in unison.
“Bits of this old place leak whenever it rains, and it’s terribly damp. Why live here when you could be in a new house?”
“Exactly! Grandad and Gran, you have to come and live with us.”
The grandchildren clustered around their elders, making their case.
Father Yun picked up Yun Jiao and placed her straight into Grandma Yun’s lap.
“Jiaojiao, quick, tell Grandma to come and stay with us.”
Yun Jiao looked up with her big, beautiful eyes, her cheeks chubby and pinchable.
“Grandma, I like Grandma’s food. Grandma, come live with us.”
Her sweet, soft, baby voice stood out, charming everyone among the rough voices of the boys.
Grandma Yun hugged the lovely, fragrant little dumpling in her arms, completely smitten.
The little girl had worked her magic, and Grandma Yun couldn’t help but cave in.
“Alright, alright… Grandma will do whatever our Jiaojiao wants.”
Yun Jiao: Hehe~
With the money secured, the next step was to select a plot of land and get started on the building project.
There were plenty of plots available in the village, so they weren’t worried about finding a good one.
Father Yun carried Yun Jiao as they went to see the village head.
The village head was astonished when he heard the family was planning to build, not just one, but two new houses made of blue brick and tile.
They had already prepared their cover story.
“We’ve simply got too many children now, and the old house can’t cope. No matter how many times we patch the roof, it leaks every time it rains. It’s fine for us adults, we’re tough enough, but it’s not good for the little ones. Xiao Qi and a couple of the others caught colds recently. So, we’ve borrowed a bit of cash from our daughters-in-law’s families and clubbed it together. If we’re going to build, we’re going to build something decent that will last, and we’ll separate the family at the same time.”
The explanation was perfectly reasonable. No one was going to be nosy enough to go and ask Shen Yunlian’s or Wang Mei’s families if they’d actually lent the Yuns any money.
The secret about the pearls was known only to the immediate family, and the children had been given strict instructions not to breathe a word of it.
Although the boys were little rascals, they knew how to keep a secret when told.
The village head then took them out to look at the plots.
“Jiaojiao, which one takes your fancy?”
The village head couldn’t help but stare. Asking a three-year-old toddler for her opinion on such a big decision—it seemed like a joke.
To his surprise, Yun Jiao actually pointed to a spot.
“See the sea.” She pointed to a cliff overlooking the ocean, giving a clear, wide view of the water.
It was quite far from where most of the village lived.
“That spot? Isn’t it cutting it a bit close to the sea?”
Yun Linhe rubbed his chin. “I think it’s great, actually. It’s close to the sea, but the high tide definitely won’t reach it, and there’s loads of room—enough for both houses.”
The village head sighed. “You’re really letting the little one decide?”
He’d heard how much the whole family doted on the child, and now he was seeing it for himself.
“Let’s go and check it out then.”
They walked over and found they were facing the incoming and outgoing tide, with the sound of the sea all around them. The mountain was directly behind, making access to the higher ground easy.
The adults might have had reservations, but Yun Jiao adored it.
“You really like it that much, Jiaojiao?”
Seeing her eyes sparkling like moonlight on the water, Father Yun, holding her, couldn’t help but grin.
Yun Jiao bobbed her head up and down enthusiastically. If she’d had a tail, it would have been wagging furiously.
“I like it, the sea.”
“Hahaha… well then, that’s where we’ll build it.”
The village head double-checked: “Are you absolutely certain?”
“Absolutely. The houses will go right here.”
Hearing their firm decision, the village head stopped trying to talk them out of it.
With the plot settled, they now had to buy all the materials and hire the builders and workers…
But these were adult concerns. The children were free to play and go foraging by the sea.
However, the sight of their houses being built caused a massive spectacle in the village. Plenty of people came to gawk and ask no end of intrusive questions.
Yun Linhai and the others stuck to the same line they’d given the village head.
Some people were openly dismissive of the Yuns, while others were deeply jealous.
The main point of contention was that their wives’ families were willing to lend them money. If the critics tried to borrow money from their own in-laws, they’d be lucky to get the cash, but they’d certainly face a lot of humiliation first.
The fuss eventually died down, but the topic was always resurrected whenever people got together for a chat.
“That Yun Mu family is doing well now! Building two big houses, no less. They must be rolling in it.”
“Rolling in what? Didn’t you hear them say they borrowed the money? They’re lucky those daughters-in-law’s families are so trusting, they might never see that money again.”
“Exactly. Taking out loans is asking for trouble. With how poor they are, who knows when they’ll be able to pay it all back?”
There was more than a little bitterness in these comments.
“I think they just have good luck. They always seem to find decent bits and pieces when they go foraging.”
“So what? With that many mouths to feed, the small amount of money they make doesn’t go far enough to feed them all.”
“Says you, Cai Jinhua. You talk as if your family doesn’t have many mouths to feed. When are you going to build a new house?”
Cai Jinhua declared proudly, “My girls don’t eat much, and when they’re older, we’ll collect some hefty bride price money. Just you wait, we’ll definitely build a huge house for Zhuang Zhuang.”
Then she turned nasty. “Unlike Yun Jiao. She’s lazy as sin and eats too much. We’re simple country folk; no mother-in-law would ever want a girl like her in the future.”
“Cai Jinhua, you want me to rip your tongue out?!”
Wang Mei’s furious roar suddenly erupted from behind. Cai Jinhua went bright red with embarrassment but didn’t stick around, sprinting away.
“I need to get back and cook! Bye now!”
The others just watched…
(End of Chapter)