"Lord Fu, we've decided to stay here and not go back," Zhao Youtian said to Lord Fu in his final words.
"Alright, since you've decided not to go back, we'll settle you here. Don't worry, I'll take good care of you according to the imperial laws. Do you plan to disperse to different villages, or will you be allocated a plot of land and stay together?" Lord Fu asked.
“We’re together,” Zhao Youtian said firmly.
He was overjoyed. He had thought they would be separated, but he hadn't expected they would have a choice.
"Go and fetch the clerk," Lord Fu nodded and said to the yamen runner beside him.
A short while later, the clerk arrived, and Lord Fu asked, "There are about 40 people and about 10 households in their group. If they want to get a separate plot of land to build houses, which county or village in our city would be suitable?"
After a moment of contemplation, the clerk said, "Why don't we go to Liujia Village in Gui County? The houses there were originally built, but the clansmen returned to their hometown and the houses are now empty."
It was only after being reminded by the clerk that Lord Fu remembered this matter. It turned out that they had accepted a group of about ten refugees, and about ten houses had already been built. However, it seemed that one of their clansmen had become an official and prospered. He wanted to revitalize the family and wanted to move back to his ancestral home. So all the people went back to their ancestral home, and the houses were temporarily left empty.
"Then let's go with that place. As for the names, just register them as they were originally from Zhao Family Village. Once you've assigned them their household registrations and made the necessary records, you can take them to Gui County to find Lord Gu," Lord Fu instructed.
Thus, Zhao Youtian followed the clerk to handle matters such as household registration.
"Sister, we might not be able to share a household registration with you," Dahe said with some guilt.
If they were registered under the same household as Li Rouniang, it would be difficult to say whose household it was. After all, their lineage still needed to continue, so it wouldn't be good to be tied together, even though they had shared joys and sorrows along the way.
Li Rouniang understood and nodded with a smile: "Of course it can't be one household registration. I'm registering it as a female household."
Everyone laughed and fell silent.
"Dad, how about you and I share the same household registration?" Li Rou Niang consulted Old Man Mo's opinion. After all, Mo Xiaoshan's identity was special, and she couldn't really force them all to be registered under her household registration.
Old Man Mo pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said, "I think I'll register a separate household, just in case Mo Bei comes back someday."
Old Man Mo didn't finish his sentence. Acknowledging her father on the road was a temporary measure. If they were to actually become father and daughter under the same household registration at this point, it would be truly awkward for Mo Bei to return.
Li Rouniang nodded. "Mo Bei, where are you?"
Li Rouniang felt a surge of helplessness, sadness, and guilt.
That hasty farewell that day, never to be seen again, would surely be a lifelong regret!
Zhao Youtian quickly divided the households according to everyone's situation, and then they left Fucheng and headed straight for Guixian.
Although it was a two-day journey from Fucheng to Guixian, Zhao Youtian, carrying his new household registration, was filled with hope, free from the confusion and hesitation he had felt along the way. His steps became more determined.
Lord Gu from Gui County quickly completed the household registration and other procedures.
"According to the laws of our dynasty, each household will receive a resettlement fee of one tael of silver."
The houses have all been built, one house per household. Apart from their different locations in the village, they are all the same size and have a main room, a bedroom, and a kitchen.
There's nothing inside; you'll have to make your own way. You can tidy up after you've finished shopping.
However, since you don't own land and are just refugees, you're exempt from taxes for the first three years. You can buy land or cultivate it yourself. Just come here and register when the time comes.
Lord Gu's son came out and spoke to Li Rouniang and the others.
From that moment on, everyone had a new impression of the new dynasty and a sense of belonging.
This policy is truly winning people's hearts.
Of course, they did settle down, and in any case, they had money and houses.
Even without land, they can still live a good life with their own hands.
Seeing the joy on everyone's faces, Lord Gu instructed the clerks to begin the next step: one tael per household. After the purchases were completed, everyone would set off together.
"Sister, we don't know what to buy either, why don't you help us?" Dahe and Erhe obediently handed over their silver to Li Rouniang; they trusted her completely. Old Man Mo also gave his silver to Li Rouniang; having this daughter saved him a lot of trouble.
Li Rou Niang did not refuse. They could save a lot by buying some necessities together. So she asked Xiu'er and Old Man Mo to stay and take care of the children while she took Dahe and Erhe to go shopping.
The people in this county are relatively larger and have a larger population than the original village. They also look more refined, both in terms of the goods sold in the market and the buildings.
The people there were dressed quite well, making this group of raggedly dressed people stand out. However, since they had been resettling refugees for some time, no one found it strange and no one pointed fingers at them.
Moreover, wherever they went to buy things, the people there were very welcoming, because they knew that no matter how ragged their clothes were, they had real silver from the imperial court.
We bought some basic necessities. Although one or two taels of silver seemed like a lot, everyone had been frugal throughout the journey and didn't dare to spend extravagantly.
I'm thinking of settling down first, then seeing what I need, and then buying whatever I need.
Lord Gu, of course, didn't say anything, and waved his hand to let the yamen runners take them to Zhao Family Village.
It is a place nestled against the mountains and beside the water, about half a day's journey from the county seat.
The area approved wasn't very large, but the houses were built very exquisitely. Every household was the same size and had the same layout. Perhaps apart from the location, there wasn't much else to choose from.
Because of the journey, there was less competition among them, except for Zhao Dahua, who recently expressed her desire to live in the middle of the village. Since she was pregnant, and given Zhao Dazui's reasons, Zhao Youtian acquiesced, and the others didn't say anything.
The houses of Li Rouniang, Mo Laodie, and Zhao Dahe were next to each other, all at the end of the village. Other families also gradually chose their preferred houses.
As the clan head, Zhao Youtian's house was located at the entrance of the village.
That day, Li Rouniang was busy tidying up the house and asked Dahe to buy some wine and dishes. The whole family sat down together and had a big meal!
While eating and drinking, they suddenly started crying. No one knows who started it, but the crying spread to every household. In the middle of the night, the sound of crying echoed throughout the new Zhao Family Village!
Finally, finally, we're settled!
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