Country Maiden: Fields and Fortune

36, Implementation

The two pieces of cloth were both fine cotton, and the colors were nice as well. The Village Head took a longer look and then glanced over at Old Man Yuan.

To settle in the village was actually not difficult; it was merely a matter of a word between him and the Village Head. A little attention given at the Governor’s Office, and the household registration could be secured.

Having a household registration would make many things much more convenient.

“It’s really not a difficult matter, as for the clan leader…”

“What about the clan leader?” the Village Head asked.

“I will take her to the clan leader later. Let’s arrange a time to visit the town’s Governor’s Office and get the household registration sorted out. Zhinuan wants to buy a piece of land and build a house!” replied Old Man Yuan.

Upon hearing that Xie Zhinuan intended to buy land and build a house, the Village Head thought for a moment, remembering what his wife had said. He looked again at the cloth on the table and agreed.

“‘The sooner the better.’ How about we go to the town’s Governor’s Office tomorrow?”

They then both visited the clan leader’s house. The clan leader was of advanced age and didn’t get involved in many matters. Things like settling household registration were mostly decided by the Village Head. With his agreement, the matter was settled.

Xie Zhinuan stood on high ground, picking out a place for the house. She wanted a good spot by the mountains and near water, with space behind for planting and a stream at the front door for convenience in washing clothes and vegetables.

“Won’t you build next to our house?” Old Mrs. Ni could not help but ask, her eyes filled with surprise when she looked at Xie Zhinuan.

Not living next door would be troublesome in case of any emergency…

“I won’t build next door. I want to build something larger!”

A big courtyard where she could plant things she liked, such as flowers, grass, and fruit trees.

She could have a couple of small dogs for company and two servants skilled in martial arts for security.

Cook some delicacies when craving good food and live a simple and joyous life; that would be good enough.

What she wanted was quite simple; having obtained everything, it seemed she no longer held the initial zeal for anything.

“But Zhinuan, are you sure you can manage all by yourself?” Old Mrs. Ni asked with concern.@@novelbin@@

“I can manage!”

Xie Zhinuan insisted, leaving Old Mrs. Ni with no room to say more. Old Man Yuan remained silent, wanting to say something but having no place to speak. He pursed his lips and took a few draws from his tobacco pipe.

Despite not having known Xie Zhinuan for long, he had an indescribable affection for her, after all, she was the child he had saved.

He had hoped that Xie Zhinuan would build her house next door, or even stay with his family. With his house so empty, having a pretty young girl around would add some liveliness.

“Then, have you found a spot you like?”

“I do have a place in mind. It’s by the mountains and beside water, but it’s remote with no neighbors!” said Xie Zhinuan softly.

With no neighbors, it would indeed be less safe for her as a young lady. That was why she wanted to hire two martial arts-skilled servants.

Xie Zhinuan had no grand notions of status, but in this era, she had to respect local customs.

“Well…” Old Mrs. Ni hesitated, “since you’ve decided, your grandpa and I will support you. Once we get the household registration settled at the Governor’s Office, we’ll select a site and start building your house!”

Xie Zhinuan nodded.

She knew that building a house in those times was not difficult, as long as one had silver. She had not yet decided whether to build a house with blue bricks and tiles or one made of stone.

The next day, they went to the town’s Governor’s Office together. When they went to manage the household registration and tipped two taels of silver, the registration was quickly finalized. Since it was close to Xiaohe Village, they bought wine and meat and went to Old Man Yuan’s house, where Xie Zhinuan took charge of the kitchen. Old Man Yuan invited the clan leader and a few relatives over for dinner, using the opportunity to discuss Xie Zhinuan’s plans for purchasing land and building a house.

Xie Zhinuan was busy in the kitchen, thought for a moment, and decided not to fetch water from her space – planning to cook an authentic dinner instead.

Chapter 38