The house stood some distance from the village, though not far—about the time it took to walk the length of one cup of tea.
Nestled at the foot of the mountain, the property was enclosed by tall walls with vermilion wooden gates.
Pushing open the courtyard doors, Qingqing found three main rooms directly ahead. Along the eastern side stood several smaller buildings: one filled with miscellaneous storage, another with its door shut, and the last serving as the kitchen.
On the western side was an open patch of land overgrown with weeds. Judging from its appearance, it had once been a vegetable garden.
A large peach tree stood in the middle of the courtyard, with a stone table and four stone stools beneath its shade.
At the far western corner was a well beside several large water jars. Not far away lay a small pond. The courtyard itself was quite spacious, and the brick-and-tile house had clearly been built at great expense. The former owner must once have been fairly well-off.
“The previous owner was a hunter,” the village head explained. “He was capable and hardworking, and it took him years to save enough money to build this place. His son later passed the provincial examination and brought the whole family to live comfortably in the city. The house has stood empty ever since. Around here, twenty taels is already more than most people can afford.”
Qingqing was extremely pleased after touring the property.
To her, it would have been worth even a hundred taels.
At only twenty taels, it was an absolute bargain.
“Thank you, Uncle Liu. Please trouble yourself to finish the paperwork as soon as possible. Consider whatever money is left over my treat for a few drinks.”
“No trouble at all, no trouble,” the village head replied with a broad smile. “You’re a generous young woman. Don’t worry—I’ll head to town first thing tomorrow morning. Also, I’ll need your husband’s name, date of birth, and age so I can register him under your household.”
Qingqing had already explained that Lin Heng was an orphan with no parents. She claimed she had found him on the streets, and because he had no household registration documents, she hoped the village head could use his connections to add Lin Heng to her household.
“Of course, Uncle Liu. Please go home and get some rest first. I’ll bring the information over later this evening.”
As she escorted him to the gate, he chuckled.
“If you don’t mind, just call me Uncle Liu. Most of the people in Peach Blossom Village are surnamed Liu. There are also a few families from elsewhere, just like you. Once you’ve lived here awhile, you’ll know everyone.”
“Thank you, Uncle Liu. And please don’t keep calling me ‘young lady.’ Just call me Qingqing.”
“All right, all right, Qingqing. Hurry and get the place cleaned up. It’s been empty for years and needs a thorough cleaning.”
“I won’t keep you any longer then, Uncle Liu. Take care!”
After seeing him off, Qingqing led the carriage into the courtyard and tied the horse to a wooden post beside the western wall before shutting the gate.
She pulled back the carriage curtain. The afternoon sun had already shifted, leaving Lin Heng safely in the shade.
Using the keys, she opened every door and window to let fresh air circulate through the house.
Finding a broom in the storage room, she thoroughly swept the three main rooms before cleaning the smaller buildings.
The middle of the smaller rooms turned out to be a bathhouse.
That discovery pleased her even more.
After finishing inside, she cleaned the entire courtyard, piling the rubbish together to throw away the following day.
By the time she was done, it was nearly shen hour (3:00–5:00 p.m.).
She drew a bucket of water from the well and washed her hands and face.
Then she carried the bedding, clothing, and medicine from the carriage into the house.
There was also some food left in the carriage, which she stored in the main room.
She had already tidied one of the east rooms, though for now there was only one set of bedding, so they’d have to make do for the night. Tomorrow she would go into town and buy another.
Walking back to the carriage, Qingqing carefully helped the sleeping Lin Heng down and settled him onto the bed, covering him with a quilt.
She found some paper and brushes left behind by the former owner and placed them on the small table beside the bed.
Then she sat down in front of him.
“Wake up. Can you hear me? Wake up.”
Lin Heng knew he could no longer keep pretending to be unconscious.
He slowly opened his eyes, feigning confusion.
The moment he saw the young woman before him, his heart gave an involuntary jolt.
Her delicate features had just been washed clean, and she hadn’t yet had time to arrange her hair. It cascaded over her shoulders like a waterfall.
His heartbeat quickened.
He had never imagined he would awaken to find such a beautiful woman looking down at him.
Doing his best to remain composed, he had no idea how he ought to face her.
Just as he was hesitating, Qingqing spoke softly.
“You’re awake.”
Her voice was crisp and gentle, flowing like a mountain stream, bringing an inexplicable sense of peace to his heart.
“Can you write? If you’re willing to stay, write down your name, age, and birth date. I’ll ask the village head to register your household. If you’d rather leave, then once your injuries have healed, you’re free to go.”
With that, Qingqing stood and walked toward the bundle lying on the table.
Lin Heng stared blankly at the brush and paper.
He silently asked himself:
Should I stay… or leave?
After waiting a long while without seeing him move, Qingqing decided not to remain in the room.
She went to the kitchen instead.
After looking around, she discovered there wasn’t a single utensil suitable for cooking.
Finding a piece of string, she measured the diameter of the stove opening, cut the string to length, and tucked it into her sleeve. Tomorrow she’d buy two iron woks according to those measurements.
Of the fifty taels she had brought with her, she’d already spent five on food, clothing, medical treatment, and medicine during the journey. Another twenty-five taels had gone to the village head for the house and registration.
That left her with twenty taels in silver.
Tomorrow she would deposit the thousand-tael banknote into a money house. The remaining twenty taels would be enough for the two of them to live on for quite some time.
She counted out fifteen taels into a cloth pouch, placed another three taels in her purse, and set aside the remaining two taels for tomorrow’s shopping trip into town.
When Qingqing returned to the room, Lin Heng had already lain back down.
Seeing the still-damp handwriting on the paper, she smiled and gently fanned it dry.
After putting away the money pouch and purse, she picked up the paper and headed for the door.
Before leaving, she remembered to tell the man lying on the bed,
“I’m taking this to Uncle Liu so he can register our household tomorrow. Rest for now. I’ll make you something to eat when I get back.”
Listening to her footsteps fade into the distance, Lin Heng let out a long sigh.
It felt as though a great weight had finally been lifted from his shoulders.
“Sixteenth day of the eighth month, fourteenth year of the Hongwu reign… nineteen years old. So he’s actually two years older than I am,” Qingqing murmured as she read what he’d written.
“Uncle Liu, are you home?”
She called out as she stepped into the courtyard.
“Oh, Qingqing is here!” Aunt Liu emerged from the house with a smile.
“Your uncle just stepped out. What do you need?”
“Auntie, this has my husband’s name and birth date. Please give it to Uncle Liu when he comes back.”
She handed over the sheet of paper.
“Of course. I’ll give it to him as soon as he returns.”
“Then I won’t keep you any longer.”
“Wait a moment, Qingqing.”
Aunt Liu stopped her.
“I just finished steaming some buns. You and your husband just moved in, so I’m sure that house isn’t ready for cooking yet. Take a few back with you so you can get by for tonight. Tomorrow you can go into town and buy what you need for the kitchen.”
As she spoke, she wrapped several white steamed buns in oiled paper and pressed them into Qingqing’s hands.
“Thank you so much, Auntie.”
“Oh, it’s nothing. At least the two of you won’t go hungry.”
After saying goodbye to Aunt Liu, Qingqing headed home.
Along the way, she greeted the villagers she met with warm smiles, introducing herself and telling them where her new home was.