Early the next morning, Li Xingyue woke up early and placed most of the things she planned to take with her into the farm’s wooden house, carrying only a small basket.
She took little Yanran and little Teddy with her and left the house.
She left before Gu Qishan and Madam Zhou were awake, and didn’t bother to say goodbye to them as she went out.
She went straight to the village entrance and took the ox cart.
When they reached the town, little Yanran was full of excitement. Li Xingyue first took the little girl to a wonton shop, and they each had a bowl of wontons.
The wonton wrappers were thin and the filling generous. Little Yanran’s mouth was covered in oil as she ate, laughing so heartily that her teeth were barely visible.
After finishing the wontons, Li Xingyue thought of first going to a property broker; she needed to rent a small courtyard to settle in.
Passing by a bun shop, she heard Yun Niang calling out to her from afar, “Madam Li.”
Li Xingyue looked up and smiled. The bun shop wasn’t busy at the moment, and since she would be delivering vegetables there today anyway, she walked over to Yun Niang.
“Yun Niang, I’ll deliver vegetables to you later,” she said with a smile.
Yun Niang nodded, “Alright.”
Seeing that she was holding a little girl’s hand, Yun Niang casually took a piece of oiled paper, wrapped two buns, and handed them to little Yanran.
She asked with a smile, “Miss, where are you going with the child?”
Li Xingyue hurriedly asked, “Yun Niang, do you know where a property broker is?”
Yun Niang looked surprised. “Miss, are you planning to buy a house or rent one?”
The property brokers in town also dealt with buying and selling servants, but only wealthy households could afford them. Ordinary families naturally couldn’t.
Li Xingyue smiled, “I want to rent a small courtyard in town.”
Yun Niang’s eyes lit up. “Miss, what kind of courtyard are you looking for?”
Li Xingyue said, “It doesn’t need to be too big, but at least three rooms.”
Yun Niang nodded and smiled, then hesitated slightly. “I happen to have a courtyard that I was planning to rent out, but…”
Li Xingyue was always straightforward and didn’t like to guess at others’ thoughts.
She said first, “Sister-in-law, just tell me directly.”
Only then did Yun Niang lead her inside to sit and whispered, “Miss, here’s the situation: my mother-in-law used to have a courtyard that meets your requirements, but last year she passed away there. Because someone died in that house, it hasn’t been rented out for half a year. If you don’t mind, I can take you to have a look.”
It made sense; people back then were superstitious and believed in spirits. But Li Xingyue wasn’t afraid—so someone had died there? Houses with dead people in them were common enough.
She said, “I don’t mind. You can show me.”
Yun Niang smiled and nodded, leading Li Xingyue and her daughter out.
After walking for about the time it takes to drink two teacups, the three arrived near the county school, and Yun Niang opened the gate to a courtyard.
The courtyard wasn’t large. The main house had three rooms, the east wing had two rooms, there was a kitchen, and a storage room. On the west side was a small vegetable garden and a chicken coop.
Although no one had lived there for six months, the courtyard was fully furnished. After a quick cleaning, it would be ready to move in.
It was located near the county school, surrounded by many shops and street vendors.
Li Xingyue was very satisfied with the courtyard and decided to rent it.
“Sister-in-law, how do you plan to rent this courtyard?” she asked.
Yun Niang smiled and replied, “Miss, are you planning to rent long-term?”
Li Xingyue thought for a moment and said, “I’ll pay for three months first. If I want to continue renting later, I’ll pay then. How about that?”
Yun Niang agreed readily. “Good.”
“What’s the monthly rent?” Li Xingyue asked again.
Yun Niang looked a little embarrassed. “Miss, how about 300 wen per month?”
“Deal,” Li Xingyue agreed promptly.
The two of them then found someone near the academy entrance to draw up the contract. After signing, Li Xingyue immediately handed Yun Niang nine hundred wen.
Yun Niang insisted on inviting Li Xingyue back home for a meal, so the three returned to the bun shop.
It wasn’t yet mealtime, so Li Xingyue said she would go back to fetch vegetables and left little Yanran with Yun Niang.
After delivering two carts of vegetables to Fumanlou, Li Xingyue brought back another cart of cabbage and carrots to the bun shop.
After the meal, she gave Yun Niang a few tomatoes and taught them how to eat them. She couldn’t just enjoy their hospitality without giving something in return.
Back at the rented courtyard with little Yanran and little Teddy, Li Xingyue bought a new bed from a furniture shop.
She was still a bit uneasy about sleeping in a bed where someone had died.
Once home, they began tidying up. The three main rooms were quickly cleaned, and they took bedding from the wooden house to set up the new bed.
She also gave the kitchen a quick cleaning. The storage space already had sufficient grain and vegetables, so they didn’t need to buy more.
There was a little firewood left in the house, which Li Xingyue planned to buy more of in town the next day.
That night, Li Xingyue made tomato and egg noodles, and she and little Yanran each had a small bowl.
Before sleeping, she took two boxes of milk from the storage and gave one to each of them.
Wasn’t it wonderful to live a free, peaceful life?
Lying in bed, Li Xingyue thought that since she now lived in town, even if only to avoid suspicion, she should do some business.
After all, she only delivered vegetables to Fumanlou and the bun shop every two days. The rest of the time, she had nothing to do. She might as well do some light, easy business to earn a little money.
Sell braised pork offal?
Food was scarce in ancient times, and braised meat sold well. Pig offal was cheap, but washing it daily was unpleasant.
Sell milk tea?
Milk tea had always been popular, and naturally, it would sell well in this era too. The profit was high.
But if these new foods were popular, it would inevitably attract attention.
A powerless woman, pregnant and with a child in tow, would be an easy target if someone wanted to cause trouble.
Li Xingyue thought and entered her storage again.
She had only been using her mind to harvest and replant for several days and hadn’t entered in a while.
The storage seemed to have upgraded—what was originally three plots of land had expanded to four.
She used one plot to grow medicinal herbs, one for corn, and one for vegetables.
Cabbage, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes—though just one acre, they grew quickly in the storage and yielded daily harvests.
With the extra plot, she planted wheat.
The wooden house was piled high with vegetables and corn, each around 5,000 jin.
The ranch had also upgraded; chickens and rabbits had multiplied to over three hundred. Over a thousand eggs were neatly arranged in a corner of the wooden house.
If she could raise sheep and cattle in the storage too, the reproduction rate would let Li Xingyue fully relax.
Looking at the mountain of vegetables, Li Xingyue decided to sell some the next day.
Though she had moved, lying on a soft, new bed with fresh bedding, she quickly drifted into sleep.