"Sister, how could you lie to that poor old lady?" Hua Yuexi said, her brows knitting together in disapproval.
Hua Yuanshi waved her hand dismissively. "I didn't lie. I merely… omitted some information. Technically, Ergu is like my son."
"But sister, a lie is still a lie," Yuexi insisted stubbornly.
Yuanshi leaned back and crossed her arms. "Look, do you want to continue starving and sleeping on the street?"
Yuexi lowered her gaze and muttered quietly, "No."
Ergu, who had been listening silently while clutching his empty stomach, brightened. "Then let's go buy dumplings!"
Yuanshi immediately perked up. "Now that's the smartest thing anyone has said today."
She led her siblings through the bustling market street. The evening crowd was thick, merchants shouting prices while the smell of grilled meat, steamed buns, and fried dough drifted through the air. Oil lamps flickered under wooden stall roofs, casting warm golden light over the street.
They stopped at a roadside dumpling stall where steam rose from bamboo baskets stacked high on a wooden cart.
"Three servings of beef dumplings," Yuanshi said boldly, slapping down some coins.
The vendor raised an eyebrow at the ragged children but said nothing as he handed them a plate of plump dumplings.
The siblings sat on low wooden stools beside the stall. They devoured the food eagerly, hot juice bursting in their mouths.
Yuanshi rubbed her stomach afterward, groaning in satisfaction.
"I can't believe we earned so much from one old lady," she said dreamily. "The universe is finally smiling upon me. We should rent an inn and buy some pork tomorrow morning."
Yuexi nearly choked on her dumpling.
"Absolutely not," she said sharply. "We will not waste ten taels of silver like this. We already spent fifty niang—half a tael—on this meal."
She folded her arms and glared at both of them.
"Ten taels of silver can feed a family of five for two months. We should spend the money wisely."
Yuanshi frowned deeply.
As if it wasn't bad enough she had transmigrated into this miserable world, now she had a stingy sister who wouldn't even allow her to enjoy life a little.
"What's so wrong with renting an inn?" Yuanshi complained. "We can always run another scam."
Yuexi's eyes sharpened like knives.
"We will not do that again," she said firmly. "We should build a shack. Even if we run out of money later, having a roof over our heads is important. We should also buy some food and animals to raise."
Yuanshi leaned back in her chair dramatically.
"Fine, fine. We'll do as Yuexi says." She sighed heavily. "But until we build this magical shack of yours, can we at least rent an inn?"
Yuexi thought for a moment.
"We can keep sleeping in market stalls like before," she suggested.
Both Yuanshi and Ergu slowly turned their heads and stared at her with identical scathing expressions.
"…Fine," Yuexi muttered reluctantly. "You can waste money on an inn. But no more than three taels."
Yuanshi clapped happily.
"That's better! By the way…" she grinned mischievously. "Are you the eldest or me?"
Yuexi ignored the jab and said seriously, "We still need to find some work."
After finishing their meal, the siblings wiped their mouths and set off down the street to find a place to stay.
Their first stop was a large, brightly lit inn near the market gate.
Yuanshi pushed open the wooden door confidently.
The innkeeper looked up from his abacus and immediately frowned.
"What do you beggars want?"
"We'd like a room," Yuanshi said.
The innkeeper wrinkled his nose and waved them away. "Get out. You'll scare away my customers."
The siblings left awkwardly.
At the second inn, the servant at the door didn't even let them enter.
"No room for beggars," he snapped.
"But we have money," Yuanshi protested.
The servant looked them up and down—their dusty hair, ragged clothes, and bare feet.
"Even if you had silver, you'd still smell like the street," he said before slamming the door shut.
Yuanshi clenched her fists.
"If I ever become rich," she muttered darkly, "I'm buying every inn in this city just so I can ban those two."
After several more humiliating rejections, they finally reached a smaller, run-down inn at the far end of the street.
A crooked wooden sign hung above the entrance.
Feng Palace Inn.
The paint was chipped, and the lantern outside flickered weakly in the night breeze.
Yuanshi eyed the building suspiciously.
"This place looks like it might collapse if someone sneezes."
Inside, the innkeeper barely looked up.
"How much for a room?" Yuanshi asked cautiously.
"Two hundred niang," he replied lazily.
Yuanshi blinked in surprise.
That was far cheaper than the other inns.
She immediately slapped the coins down.
"We'll take it."
The innkeeper tossed them a wooden key without another word.
The siblings climbed the creaky stairs to their room.
Inside, the space was small but clean. A wooden table stood near the window, and a narrow bed covered with simple cotton blankets sat against the wall.
Yuanshi immediately flopped onto the mattress with a satisfied sigh.
"Ah… heaven."
After sleeping on cold streets and hard market stalls, the bed felt unbelievably soft.
As she lay there, she glanced at her siblings standing awkwardly nearby in their ragged clothes.
We should really buy new clothes, she thought.
But the moment she imagined arguing with Yuexi about spending money again, she quietly closed her eyes.
Never mind. I'll bring it up another day.