Yangzhen, located in Xiang County, was two days’ journey from Shui County. Having decided to settle in Yangzhen, Yang Xi and her group packed their bags overnight and set off from Shui County early the next morning.

Yang Xi asked Third Yang about his experiences along the way and adjusted the Ruizhou map she had drawn based on his observations.

On the way to Yangzhen, Third Yang, carrying the revised map on his back in the donkey cart, said to Yan Bing, “See? My jiejie’s abilities are incredible.”

Yan Bing couldn’t help but touch his face, nodding in agreement, “Indeed, she’s very capable.”

Third Yang’s eyes darted around, “So, do you want to become my Jie’s meifu?”

Yan Bing rolled his eyes, “You won’t give up until you get money, will you!”

Third Yang tucked the map into his pocket, “Hey, you’re all alone now, don’t you want a home?”

The more he thought about it, the more suitable it seemed. His meimei was such a good girl, capable of supporting a family on her own. Yan Bing wasn’t suited to a clinging, dependent girl, and their ages weren’t too far apart, making it a good match!

Yan Bing’s thoughts drifted away. “Miss Zhou is a good girl, but unfortunately, I’m not suitable for her.”

Third Yang squinted, clearly seeing that Yan Bing already had someone he loved. “At your age, you’re not married. Given your family background, you should be engaged by now. Do you have a fiancée?”

Yan Bing’s tone was soft. “Yes.”

Third Yang perked up immediately. “Your fiancée’s family isn’t in Bozhou, nor in the south, so she must be in the north, the capital?”

Yan Bing smirked. “You’re quite perceptive.”

Third Yang replied, “It’s because I’m with you every day.”

He observed Yan Bing closely, sensing his subtle emotions. Aside from meeting Young Master Jiang, Yan Bing hadn’t shown any major emotional fluctuations on their journey south.

Yan Bing snorted. “Anyway, I have someone in my heart; I am not good enough for Miss Zhou.”

Third Yang knew Yan Bing wasn’t making excuses, and he didn’t want to put his meimei in a difficult position. It wouldn’t be fair to any girl if Yan Bing didn’t give up on his fiancée, so he didn’t bring it up again.

The group traveled for two days, arriving in Yang Town amidst winter rain. They found an inn to rest.

The winter rain felt like knives, so cold that even the fire in the house couldn’t warm it up.

Yang Xi, afraid her son would fall ill, didn’t even dare bathe him. She asked a shop assistant for hand warmers, giving one to her mother-in-law and the other to her son.

Zhou Yu held his wife’s icy hands, his brow furrowed. “We originally planned to buy a courtyard to live in first, and then build a house later. Now it seems we have to finish before you give birth.”

Spring was damp and cold; it would be difficult for her during her postpartum period, and the baby would suffer too.

Yang Xi’s hands warmed up after a while. “Let’s settle down first and rent a courtyard in Yangzhen. Yan Bing also needs to take the county exam in February, so living in town will make it convenient to travel to and from the county.”

Yangzhen was less than half an hour’s journey from Xiang County, making it very convenient to travel there.

Zhou Yu said, “Tomorrow, Brother Wu and I will go check out the village Third Yang mentioned. If it’s a really nice village, we’ll go directly to the village head to register our household.”

Yang Xi sighed, “Then I’ll draw up the house plans at the inn. We’ll buy as much land as possible. We have the excuse of repaying Yan Bing’s kindness; we can pawn the jade pendant we’ve hidden to get money. We won’t be worried about not having enough money to build a house.”

She thought she had enough money to spend after leaving Jiaozhou, but her family needed nutrition, and they hadn’t skimped on food and drink along the way. With all the expenses, plus the large household registration fee, the money they had planned to use to build a house was gone.

Seeing his son’s cheeks turn rosy red, Zhou Yu knew his body had finally warmed up. He picked up the hand warmer and placed it into his wife’s hands. “There’s no need for you to pawn the jade pendants and jewelry you’ve been hiding away. I still have quite a bit left here.”

Yang Xi nodded. They didn’t have a particular attachment to jade pendants and other valuables; in their eyes, they were all money.

Yang Xi sat by the fire for a while, then took out the box containing the silver. “Most expenses were on the journey south to Nanzhou. We bought a lot of grain and donkeys. In Shuixian, we also bought the state gazetteer and the local gazetteer. In other states, we spent the most on lodging and food. Now we still have eighteen taels and four mace of silver left.”

They had over forty taels of silver in Qijia Village, and after dividing the silver in several installments on the southward journey, they spent over thirty taels along the way, showing how well the Zhou family had eaten.

The Wu and Zhao families mainly spent on lodging; they didn’t spend much on food. They never ordered dishes at the inns; they always cooked for themselves by borrowing firewood.

Zhou Yu said, “We also bought a lot of cloth, spices, and planting materials along the way, which cost a considerable amount of money.”

Yang Xi laughed, “Look at me, I forgot to calculate it.”

This didn’t even include the money Third Yang paid for medicine; Third Yang had also spent quite a bit along the way.

The couple checked their expenses, exchanged a glance, and thankfully, the Xu family hadn’t searched them, allowing them to hide things. Otherwise, they would have been worried about money once they arrived in Ruizhou.

A winter rain fell all night, and even with two layers of quilts, the Yang family of three didn’t feel warm. Yang Xi woke up with dark circles under her eyes, having slept poorly due to the cold. “I miss a cashmere blanket.”

At least it would be warm to lie on!

Zhou Yu said, “We don’t have a cashmere blanket yet. I’ll go find some sheepskin to make you a mattress.”

Yang Xi put on her thick cotton coat. “Okay.”

After breakfast, Zhou Yu left with the heads of the other families, and Third Yang and Yan Bing followed.

The group returned early in the afternoon. Zhou Yu brought all the money from his family. They had paid twelve taels of silver for their household registration, including Third Yang, as they were all registered under the same household register. Third Yang had also paid for the other servants, including Li Zheng.

Yang Xi looked through the new household register. “From now on, we’re residents of Shanghe Village. Did you buy the land for our house?”

Zhou Yu gestured for Third Yang to produce the deed. “Yes, I did. This kid paid for the land. We bought a three-mu plot.”

Yang Xi blinked. “Three mu. Building a house on it will cost a lot of money.”

She wasn’t afraid of being high-profile. If it were just the Zhou family, they should indeed be discreet. But with Yan Bing and five other families, plus the registration fees, building a house without being ostentatious was already quite high-profile.

Building a large house would actually intimidate more people. Once Yan Bing passed the imperial examination and became a scholar, the village would be even less likely to covet them. Having multiple scholars in the village would make the villagers hold their heads high.

Third Yang sat down and drank two glasses of water before replying, “Jiejie, I’ll contribute money to build a house.”

Yang Xi replied, “We have enough money.”

Zhou Yu snorted, “We have something else in our hands.”

Third Yang asked, “Then I’ll contribute half?”

Yang Xi shook her head, “You’ve already paid the money for the land, so listen to me.”

This boy was restless; she knew he wouldn’t stay put. The main reason was that their family would live there, and Third Yang only needed to live with them; the money for the land was already more than enough.

Third Yang knew his adopted sister well; once she made up her mind, she wouldn’t change it. He changed the subject, “The Zhao family is really wealthy. They not only bought a house plot, but also ten mu of land—five mu of paddy fields and five mu of dry land.”

Zhou Yu said, “Old Man Zhao has an uncle from the Imperial Household Department; it’s normal for him to have left behind good things.”

Third Yang added, “And the Ye family. They bought a vacant house in the village and also bought two mu of land.”

Yang Xi was more concerned, “What about Brother Wu’s family?”

Zhou Yu replied, “They bought a courtyard in the village, very close to our house plot. Houses in southern villages are more expensive. Brother Wu’s family has many children, so the courtyard they bought is large, and they spent a lot of money, so they didn’t buy any farmland.”

Yang Xi noticed she didn’t see a land deed, “Didn’t we buy land?”

(End of Chapter)

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