Cui Yong'an took a sip of wine, frowned as he swallowed, the scar on his forehead looking sharp and severe.
"You were asking about that courtyard earlier?"
Chen Shiyi thought to herself, this man wasn't one to break his word.
"How can I move in?"
The man in the white shirt asked, puzzled.
"Which courtyard?"
"The one next door."
The man in the white shirt let out an "oh," then turned to Chen Shiyi.
"That courtyard is ownerless. It's been abandoned for at least five or six years, with no one living there. The reason no one has moved in is that repairing it requires a lot of money, and most people here don't have any."
The loud-mouthed brother chimed in.
"There's another reason—that courtyard is haunted by someone who died a particularly unjust death."
Chen Shiyi blinked her dark eyes.
"Only those with guilty hearts fear ghosts. I'm not afraid."
Perhaps because they had been drinking, the men burst into laughter at Chen Shiyi's words.
"If you're not afraid, go ahead and clean it up to live in. Besides, with Old Cui here, no one would dare cause trouble."
"Are you bandits?"
Chen Shiyi spoke without thinking, then quickly covered her mouth, realizing she had said the wrong thing.
The man in the white shirt found the young girl quite amusing.
"Have you ever seen bandits? Do you know what they look like?"
Chen Shiyi shook her head.
"We're not bandits. We're even better than bandits—we're the ones who catch bandits."
As soon as the man in the white shirt finished speaking, the group erupted in laughter again.
The loud-mouthed brother continued.
"Brother Cui, if you tidy this place up a bit, it'll be quite spacious. That's why a home needs a woman—to care for you, ask if you're cold or warm. How nice that would be. I'll arrange a few introductions for you later."
Cui Yong'an curled his lip and waved Chen Shiyi away.
On her way back, Chen Shiyi finally settled her thoughts.
She decided to tell Wen Zhiheng about the courtyard that night and bring him to take a look, to see if it would work.
She gathered two bundles of firewood from the mountain and collected some Tea Buds. She delivered one bundle to the kind farming family from the morning, then returned to her lodgings with the remaining firewood.
It was already late when she returned. Wen Zhiheng and Wen Zhiyuan had come back.
Wen Zhiheng stood up and took the firewood from Chen Shiyi's back.
"We were just talking about you. Come, everyone's waiting for you to eat."
Three yellow steamed buns, large and hard, along with a few leftover vegetable pancakes from the morning, washed down with water and Tea Buds.
This was everyone's meal.
Those three steamed buns were likely saved from the mouths of the Wen brothers.
Chen Shiyi glanced at Wen Zhiheng's hands. Before, they were slender and pale, holding an ink brush—a sight that should have been most pleasing.
Now, they were covered in bloody scratches.
They toiled in hardship, even saving their own food to support their family.
Once living in luxury, they had now fallen into the mud.
The immense contrast must have left them physically and mentally exhausted.
Everyone ate in silence. When Wen Zhiheng had a free moment, Chen Shiyi tugged at his sleeve.
"Young Master, let me take you somewhere."
The night grew darker, with no stars twinkling overhead. It would likely rain tomorrow.
Wen Zhiheng and Chen Shiyi, carrying torches, slowly made their way along the narrow path.
"Shiyi, where are you taking me?"
"Young Master, we're almost there."
His warm palm tightly gripped Chen Shiyi's arm.
"Be careful. Watch your step."
They supported each other as they finally reached the side of the abandoned courtyard.
Wen Zhiheng asked, puzzled.
“Did you bring me here to see this courtyard?”
Chen Shiyi nodded in response.
Wen Zhiheng fell silent for a moment before saying.
“Shiyi, I don’t have any silver right now. I can’t afford to live in a courtyard like this. When I have time to rest, I’ll go deep into the mountains to hunt some valuable game, and then we can exchange it for a place to live here. How does that sound?”
Chen Shiyi hurriedly explained.
“Young Master, I’ve inquired about it. This house can be lived in without a deed. A family not far from here lives like that too. They said there are too many empty houses around here, so there’s no need to pay rent.”
Wen Zhiheng asked doubtfully.
“Are there really that many empty houses around?”
“Yes, this place is sparsely populated. Most people here are exiles like us. Some have left, others have died, and those who remain have no silver. Even if they wanted to live in a house like this, the repairs would cost a fortune.”
Wen Zhiheng smiled bitterly.
“So, we still can’t afford it.”
“Young Master, I took a quick look today. There’s one room in this courtyard with tiled roofing, and it’s quite sturdy. With some repairs, we could make it into a clean room. We can slowly fix up the rest later.”
Wen Zhiheng seemed somewhat swayed.
“By the time we return from the mines, it’s already very late, and it’s almost dark.”
Chen Shiyi smiled.
“Young Master, don’t worry. I’ve helped others repair houses before. I know how to do it.”
The torch flickered unsteadily in the night wind. Wen Zhiheng’s dark eyes gleamed, and after a long while, he let out a soft sigh.
He reached out and ruffled Shiyi’s messy hair.
“These things should be done by men. You’re a woman; you don’t need to bear the responsibilities of the household.”
“I’m fine, Young Master. Don’t worry. Actually, I think the place we’re living in now is really not good. Not only do we have to pay rent, but there are also rats and insects everywhere, and it’s easy to get sick. Besides, it’s too close to the main road, with too many people coming and going. The young lady is beautiful, and I’m afraid someone might have ill intentions.”
“Also, there’s a large empty plot of land next to this courtyard. We can grow grains and vegetables there in the future, to be self-sufficient.”
Wen Zhiheng was deeply moved by her words.
“Thank you, Shiyi. We’ve relied on you so much along this journey.”
The next day, they still had no breakfast to eat.
Wen Zhiheng got up early and wandered around, unsure of where to find food.
As the sky grew brighter, he finally gave up and went to work with Wen Zhiyuan.
Mother Wen comforted him.
“Just go with peace of mind. Don’t break the rules there, or we won’t even be able to afford medicine for injuries. We’ll find food ourselves. We won’t starve to death.”
Chen Shiyi also went to the abandoned courtyard early.
The courtyard gate was so old that with just a slight push, it creaked and nearly fell apart.
The courtyard was overgrown with weeds, some taller than she was. At the end of the weeds stood a main hall with two side rooms, arranged side by side. On the left was a small woodshed, and on the right, with a chimney on top, was a kitchen.
The house was large, but truly dilapidated.
Half of the main hall’s roof had collapsed, one of the side rooms had no roof at all, and only the other side room was somewhat presentable.
Chen Shiyi only glanced briefly, thinking she should find something to eat first to have the strength to work.
Since they arrived in Fangling, the sky had never cleared. The oppressive dark clouds only added to the growing gloom in their hearts.
Stars drifted like rain across the sky, veiled in a hazy mist that extended to the nearby stream, where vapors rose in gentle, curling wisps.
Chen Shiyi suddenly wondered if such a wide stream might hold fish.
She gathered a pile of weeds from the yard, tied them into knots, and fashioned a simple fishing net.
As she worked, Shiyi sighed.
The hardships of the past had now become the means to survive—whether that was a comfort or a sorrow, she couldn’t quite say.