The Peasant Wife: The Prime Minister's Beloved

He felt a little embarrassed for losing his composure in front of the children, so he cleared his throat, said a few perfunctory words and turned away.

The children didn't understand why, so they went to their mother to ask her the reason.

Inside the clinic, Mr. Xie, Mr. Xie, and their two daughters-in-law all fixed their eyes on the one or two taels of silver in Qin's hand.

Everyone was exhausted and hungry, and the silver became the hope of the whole family.

"Mom, let's find a place to stay first."

Boss Xie suggested finding an inn to rest and have a good meal.

"Yes, yes, yes, Mom, let's go, I'm starving."

Xie Laoer echoed, his stomach growling.

Qin was reluctant to spend the precious tael of silver and was hesitant.

"My dear, please take out the silver. The children are starving."

Mr. Xie also persuaded.

Old Mrs. Wang couldn't resist, so she reluctantly took out the few dozen copper coins she had left and gave them to Old Mr. Xie.

"This is enough for a meal, even steamed buns or pancakes will do."

As for the one or two taels of silver, she made up her mind to hide it.

Boss Xie took the twenty-five cents from his father's hand, quickly left the clinic, bought himself two meat buns, and swallowed them in just a few bites.

After he had filled his stomach, he slowly went to buy steamed buns and cakes.

In the clinic, seeing that Qin and his group had no intention of receiving treatment, the doctor asked the servant to ask them to leave. After all, their large number affected the normal order of the clinic.

At the inn not far away, Mr. Xie inquired about the price and learned, "Our upper room is 300 wen per night, and the lower room is 200 wen."

He couldn't help but sigh that the cost of accommodation was beyond his imagination, life was not easy and money was needed everywhere.

Mr. Xie's legs were shaking like old branches attacked by the cold wind. Every step he took seemed to be on clouds. He staggered and barely dragged himself out of the threshold of the hotel. He looked as if he had just escaped from a sudden fright and had not yet fully recovered.

Even until he staggered in front of Qin and the children, his face was still filled with an expression of disbelief and confusion, and his eyes were empty, as if he had just experienced an incredible adventure.

"Dad, how much money do you need?"

Xie Lao Er asked cautiously, with a barely perceptible hint of nervousness in his voice.

Mr. Xie seemed to wake up from a dream and slowly raised two fingers, his movements were slow and stiff.

"Twenty coppers?"

When Xie Lao Er heard this, he was relieved and quickly hugged Qin's arm, saying expectantly, "Mom, let's go now. It's only 20 yuan for one night, and there's hot water available. It's really a good deal."

In a small town like this, twenty copper coins for a good night's sleep and hot water is indeed a rare bargain.

"Well, it's time for us to enjoy ourselves for once."

Qin waved her hand pretending to be generous, as if her previous image of being petty had gone with the wind. At this moment, she was looking forward to this small luxury.

Just at this moment, Boss Xie came back with a package of dinner, a satisfied smile on his face.

"Let's wrap the food in oil paper first. Mother said we're going to stay in a hotel."

Jiang smiled softly at Boss Xie, her eyes flickering with anticipation for the little happiness that was about to come.

Upon hearing this, Boss Xie was secretly delighted. He carefully wrapped the food in oil paper and planned to stay in the hotel to slowly enjoy this rare warm time.

However, Mr. Xie's sudden words were like a drop of cold water on their heads, making everyone's hearts hang in the balance again.

"No, it's two hundred pieces of silver!"

He finally couldn't help it, and there was a hint of helplessness and shock in his voice.

"How many?!"

Everyone said in unison, unable to believe their ears.

"Dad, are you sure you heard me right?"

Xie Lao Er confirmed again, his tone full of doubt.

In order to find out the truth, the group hurried back to the hotel and asked again.

As a result, the clear and undoubted answer came like a bolt from the blue.

Two hundred silver coins were only the price for a lower-class room, while a higher-class room was as high as three hundred silver coins a night.

This news was like a huge rock thrown into a calm lake, causing ripples.

The Xie family had never expected that a single night's accommodation would be so expensive, and they couldn't help but feel indignant and helpless.

"So much money for one night, isn't this obviously robbery?"

Qin's expression suddenly darkened, and her tone was filled with dissatisfaction and disappointment.

Seeing this, the hotel waiter curled his lips in disapproval, revealing a bit of contempt in his words: "Auntie, in this world, hotels are all priced like this. If you don't have money, don't come in. Look at the way you are dressed. I thought you escaped from a disaster area."

As soon as these words were spoken, Qin's face instantly turned pale and she was filled with anger.

"Who are you talking about fleeing from famine?"

She demanded, anger in her voice that couldn't be ignored.

The waiter just rolled his eyes and replied nonchalantly: "I will tell whoever can't pay the money."

Obviously, in the eyes of the waiter, the Qin family could not afford to stay in this hotel no matter what.

Qin was angry and anxious, and she thought to herself that if Xie Tianyi was present, she might be able to get by with one or two taels of silver.

But considering the accommodation needs of a family, at least two rooms are needed. Even if it is a lower-class room, it will cost four hundred silver dollars.

This amount is enough to buy food for several months. How can we squander it easily?

"No, I won't waste this money."

Qin was determined and took Mr. Xie away. Although his two sons and daughter-in-law were reluctant, they could only follow her silently.

They asked at several hotels in succession, but the prices were almost the same. The fire of hope seemed to be extinguished little by little.

"Mom, if we can't find a cheaper place, let's just stay here for one night."

Jiang finally couldn't stand the exhaustion anymore and suggested in a low voice.

Her steps became heavy and it was obvious that she really couldn't walk anymore.

"What do you want to settle for? Do you have the two hundred silver pieces?"

There was a hint of severity in Qin's words. When asked this question, Jiang had no choice but to lower her head silently and said nothing more.

Faced with the high cost of accommodation, they can only give up.

Qin led his family wandering on the streets as the night grew darker, his heart filled with anxiety and helplessness.

"Let's find a place to rest first, eat some dry food, and recover some strength."

Boss Xie suggested, and his proposal was agreed by the whole family.

So, the family found a relatively quiet corner, sat on the ground, and ate dry and hard biscuits and steamed buns, temporarily relieving their physical fatigue.

The last ray of sunset in the sky gradually disappeared, but they still hadn't found a suitable place to live.

"Mom, why don't we go back to the hotel and squeeze in together? It's better than sleeping on the street."

Boss Xie proposed again, with a hint of pleading in his tone.

"Why are you squeezing in? There are many places in the world where you can't squeeze in. Why do you have to spend two hundred dollars to squeeze in a hotel?"

Qin turned her head away stubbornly, unwilling to face Boss Xie's request.

The other members of the Xie family knew that asking Qin for money was as difficult as climbing to the sky, so no one dared to say anything more.

Just when they were about to despair, Qin's eyes fell on a stone bridge not far away.