"ah?!"

All eyes were on the girl.

Her face flushed instantly, she lowered her head, and nervously clutched the hem of her clothes.

Dunzi's face turned red, but Li Lanzhen still took a few steps to shield the girl behind him.

It blocked people's inquiring gazes and also concealed the girl's shy and uneasy expression.

Dunzi raised his head and looked at Li Lanzhen with a determined gaze.

“Auntie, her name is Maisui. When I was three years old, my father went to Youzhou City. On his way back, he saw Maisui, who had already frozen to death, in the mountains…”

It turns out that this girl named Maisui was a year older than Dunzi; she was exactly four years old at the time.

After Dunzi's father brought her home, he raised her there.

It took a year for Maisui to recover.

They told everyone that they had found a child bride for Dunzi, and that's how they got her registered.

Wheat ears have been growing in Dunzi's house until now.

Sanwang noticed that everyone had different expressions when they heard that Maisui was Dunzi's child bride.

Fearing that people might have bad ideas, he quickly spoke up to explain.

"Auntie, Dunzi's father is my third cousin."

My third aunt had a difficult childbirth when she gave birth to Dunzi, which damaged her health and prevented her from having children again.

That winter, the snow was heavy and the weather was cold. My third uncle carried the frozen, unconscious ears of wheat home from the snowdrifts at the foot of the mountain.

My third uncle and aunt treated the wheat ears better than the straw piles.

I called a doctor to examine me and get some medicine.

They raised her like their own daughter.

Later, for the sake of convenience in registering the household registration, they said it was a child bride found for Dunzi.

Li Lanzhen looked at the two children, her face flushed, but Dunzi's eyes were clear and he didn't flinch.

Looking at everyone, he nodded and said, "That day, something happened in the village. It was Maisui who carried me and escaped into the mountains."

Finally, I found Sister Shanxing, and I treated her like an older sister.

When she grows up and gets married, I will be her brother from her maternal family.

Hearing Dunzi's words, Maisui began to sob.

Later, she wiped away her tears, stepped out from behind the mound, and looked at Li Lanzhen.

"Auntie, my dad said that when Dunzi turns 16, he will arrange for us to get married!"

But, but both my parents... *sobs*

Li Lanzhen was also thinking about this matter.

The initial plan was to give her to Dunzi as a child bride. Perhaps, given the limited land in the village, the villagers wouldn't agree to it without a valid reason.

Now, Dunzi doesn't agree to marry Maisui because he feels that his physical disability might hold Maisui back.

But judging from this, Mai Sui is determined to marry him.

Dunzi turned around and glared at Maisui.

"You should stay with Aunt Lanzhen and live a good life in Peach Blossom Spring. In the future, find a healthy and strong man to marry."

I'm preparing a dowry for you on behalf of your parents.

As soon as he finished speaking, Maisui cried even louder.

"Waaaaah, no, if you don't marry me, I'll never marry anyone else in my life!"

I'll spend the rest of my life guarding my parents' memorial tablets!

Sanwang frowned and walked to Dunzi's side.

He patted him on the shoulder and said, "Brother Dunzi, I know you're afraid of delaying the wheat harvest because of your leg problem."

But your parents' wish is for you to marry Maisui and for you to take good care of her. You can't let them down.

Dunzi lowered his head, and tears fell to the ground in a steady stream.

Li Lanzhen was extremely distressed!

When a country is not strong, it is the ordinary people who suffer when natural disasters and man-made calamities strike!

The most heartbreaking are the orphans who have lost their parents!

Looking at the mound and the wheat ears, Li Lanzhen said, "Mound, Sanwang is right."

Your parents were only doing it for the good of Mai Sui.

They felt sorry for Mai Sui, fearing she would suffer mistreatment after marriage.

I've made the decision. Wheat Ear will stay here with you and guard the ancestral hall until you turn 16.

Your aunt will host a wedding banquet for you two. You will get married, and she will get married.

That's right, after you marry Mai Sui, you must treat her well and you're not allowed to bully her.

Dunzi anxiously looked up and said, "Auntie, how could I bully her? I will protect her."

In his haste, he blurted out what was on his mind, and his face turned even redder.

After stammering for a while, he lowered his head and remained silent.

People laughed.

Mai Sui was also happy. She wiped away her tears and gently tugged at Dunzi's sleeve, gesturing for him to sit down.

Li Lanzhen glanced at the large open space next to the ancestral hall.

"Sanwang, I plan to build a courtyard for Dunzi and Maisui next to the ancestral hall."

This way, being close to the ancestral hall won't disrupt their lives.

Sanwang nodded, "Thank you, Auntie, you've thought of everything."

After saying these words, Li Lanzhen turned to look at Manager Hua.

"Manager Hua, how many people do you think we need to hire to manage about 3,000 mu of land and the pear trees on this mountain?"

"Buying more than 30 laborers will suffice."

If there are people who specialize in caring for fruit trees, we could buy them and have them live on the mountain to look after the pear trees.

"Okay, we'll do it your way," Li Lanzhen agreed and said to Xie.

“After Dunzi and Maisui move here, we’ll bring you two oxen and two iron plowshares.”

As she spoke, she turned to look at Hua Zixi, "We still don't have enough farm tools. Manager Hua, you can buy them all in Youzhou City."

The number of people to be accommodated determines the number of bedding units to be purchased.

They also bought a batch of large iron pots and earthenware jars for each household to use.

The people of Lishu Village still live and cook for themselves as family units.

“Dunzi, wait until the houses and courtyards here are built before you and Maisui come over.”

I'll give you two cows, 100 chickens, and two pigs; you'll be in charge of managing them.

I'll explain the specifics to the buyers after they enter the village.

From now on, the village of Lishu is in your hands; you are the village chief!

Thank you, I was a little surprised. "Aunt Lanzhen, I'm only 15 years old!"

How can someone become the village chief?

"Age is not a problem, ability is the most important thing," Li Lanzhen said with a wave of her hand.

"Dunzi, your aunt has high hopes for you. You will definitely manage this place well."

Sanwang and the other children also spoke up to encourage him.

"Dunzi, you can do it. We will come back to see you often."

"Yes, we'll come back to help you during the busy farming season."

Encouraged by everyone, Dunzi straightened his back and nodded with a firm look in his eyes.

"Aunt Lanzhen, thank you for trusting me. I will definitely do my best. If I don't know how, I will ask you."

We had lunch here, and then took a look around and did some calculations on the open space next to the ancestral hall.

"The foundation is fairly flat, but the soil here is not suitable for building earthen walls," Li Lanzhen said worriedly.

Sanwang's eyes lit up. "Auntie, we'll come over and make mud bricks when we have some free time."

Han Minghai also said, "Okay, I'll bring a few people over to make mud bricks together here."

After inspecting the area, I found that each household's yard and house could be moved into after some repairs.

As Li Lanzhen was preparing to leave, she noticed that Shanxing and Sanwang were whispering to each other, and she couldn't hear what they were saying.

"Is there anything else?"

Shanxing hesitated for a moment, then said, "Auntie, we want to burn down the first house at the village entrance!"

"Alright, go burn it!"

Li Lanzhen agreed without hesitation.

The children ran off happily, and Li Lanzhen then told the others about that family.

Zhang Deshui frowned. "Then let's go take a look. The fire has started; we don't want it to burn down other people's houses."