"How much silver does dad have?" Mu Dade asked.
"About forty taels! This is the savings from your mother and me over a lifetime. Originally, it was the land in the countryside, now turned into this silver!"
"Forty taels are enough to buy a one-in-one-out courtyard, but with so many people in our family, we have to get a three-in courtyard. Without eighty taels, it won't work!"
"What? Eighty taels?" Mr. Mu was completely dumbfounded.
Even after selling the land, he didn't have that much silver!
And eighty taels would be enough to support the Old Mu Family for forty years.
"Dad, it's like this in the county! Even houses in the town require twenty or thirty taels? Houses in the county, even small ones, cost forty or fifty taels, but they are no different from where we're living now. People still need to sleep on the floor!
Dad, why don't you keep the money with Mom for now, and when we've saved enough, then we'll buy. For the time being, we just make do, okay?"
