So Cheng Ruyi enthusiastically pulled Cheng Yan up the mountain together, and soon they reached the highest point. The top of Pear Mountain was also a large forest, overgrown with weeds, and there was nothing special about it.
Looking west towards the foot of the mountain, a straight dirt road can be clearly seen in the distance, presumably the official road. Looking north, the town of Huaishan can be faintly seen, and to the south, in the distance, the majestic Wuling Mountains rise—the scenery is truly magnificent!
"Dad! Look, look! That's the county town over there, and we can almost see our house!"
"Where? I can't see it. But the trees on this hill are growing quite well, not bad at all!"
"Hey? There seems to be a town to the south, Dad. Do you know what town it is?"
"South of the county town, um... I remember the closest one should be Baisha Town. There's a Baisha River in the town, and the color of the river water is very special. The Baisha fish in it are also very delicious!"
Ruyi liked it more and more as she looked at it, so she couldn't help but turn to the panting fat man behind her and ask, "Manager Huang, if we buy this piece of land at the entrance of the village, can you also sell us this hill?"
Although Huang Youcai was surprised, he still took out a booklet from his pocket and looked through it for a while. "The price of medium-grade paddy fields in Lishan Village is six taels per mu, while wasteland and woodland are two taels per mu. This piece of land at the entrance of the village is worth a total of one hundred and sixty taels of silver."
"As for this Pear Mountain, according to the records, it covers an area of seventy mu. The mountain land is one tael per mu, so the total price is seventy taels of silver. As for whether it can be sold... it should be possible, but I need to go back and ask the owner before I can reply to Madam Cheng."
According to the landlord's original intention, she could choose between two plots of land at the beginning and end of the village. But who would have thought that she would also take a fancy to a hilltop? Fortunately, the hilltop has no productive output and is essentially a barren mountain. It should be able to be sold... right?
Cheng Ruyi was so happy to receive the reply that she almost jumped for joy. All of it cost less than 300 taels of silver, but she could buy more than 140 acres of land. If this price were in the county town, it would only buy a small three-courtyard house with a land area of two acres. The comparison was still very tragic.
Of course, she also knew that housing prices in the county town were not comparable to those in the villages outside the town.
The mountaintop wasn't very big. The three of them walked around it and then came down the mountain. After turning a corner at the foot of the mountain, they arrived near the official road.
The so-called "official road" was actually just a slightly smoother dirt road. Ruyi estimated that it was about ten meters wide, which was quite spacious, but it would definitely be very bumpy if you were to ride in a car.
Across the official road was a patch of wasteland, and about ten meters away was a forest. Not far behind the forest were also some fields and villages.
At that moment, there were several stalls set up along the official road, selling farm products such as eggs and wild vegetables. There was also a tea stall set up by someone. It looked fairly clean, so everyone simply sat down, had a bowl of tea, and rested for a while.
"Manager Huang, there's one more thing I need to trouble you with. Do you know any construction workers?"
Cheng Ruyi had absolutely no idea how houses were built in ancient times, and the house she wanted to build was slightly more complicated than an ordinary house; it would be difficult for someone who wasn't a professional to do it well.
"Hehe, Madam Cheng, don't worry, leave this to me. I'm sure I can find a craftsman who will satisfy you. Come, come, let me offer you all a toast with tea instead of wine. I hope you'll take good care of me in the future!"
"Not at all! Manager Huang, you're too kind. It's us who are asking for your help!"
In fact, after these past few days, Cheng Ruyi has come to understand some things. Living in ancient times means having to follow the ancient rules of survival, and no matter how much she disagrees, she has to bow her head and endure it.
She was just an ordinary office worker before, lacking the courage and knowledge to resist the inequality of society. So, until she was strong enough, she still needed to keep a low profile.
So self-esteem and pride are worthless. The reason she felt humiliated and angry before was simply because she discovered that the ancient people she had always looked down on had actually seen through her tricks at a glance. As a result, her self-esteem was hurt, and she became angry out of embarrassment. To put it bluntly, she was just being too pretentious.
The Zhou family is a behemoth in Huaishan County and is also known for their philanthropy. It is actually very fortunate to be able to cooperate with them. Besides, Manager Huang has always been friendly to her and is a sincere person. Why should she take her anger out on him?
After finishing their tea, the group rode in a mule cart along the official road, passing through the south gate, back to the county town.
Unlike the leisurely journey along the side road, the mules on the official road ran swiftly. However, ancient carriages had virtually no shock absorption measures, and for this journey of less than half an hour, Ruyi could only distract herself by looking at the scenery outside, otherwise she might be jolted to the point of vomiting at any moment.
The thought of having to walk on this road every day made her a little worried. It seemed she needed to buy a better car and lay down a thick mat!
As they approached the county gate, Ruyi noticed groups of ragged people sitting by the roadside, with more and more people appearing as they got closer to the south gate.
Huang Youcai noticed Ruyi's gaze and doubt, so he took the initiative to explain: "These are all refugees from the Northwest. Alas, although the war has temporarily stopped, it has destroyed many villages, and even some border towns have been looted. These refugees are pitiful people who have lost their homes and have been forced to wander."
"Then why are they all staying outside the city? Why don't they come into the city to find work?" Ruyi asked, puzzled.
Cheng Yan knew the answer to this question: "It's probably because they don't have a travel permit, or even a household registration. Without any money or proof of identity, they naturally can't enter the city..."
As he spoke, he recalled himself thirty years ago, just like these people now. If he hadn't happened to save his future wife, he probably would have continued to wander, not knowing where his future lay.
The South Gate is the largest and most bustling city gate in Huaishan County. Since there is a checkpoint required to enter the city, a long queue forms in front of the gate. Fortunately, the Zhou family's car has special privileges and can take another road with few people, so they can enter the city smoothly without queuing.
As Cheng Ruyi sat in the car and looked back, the city and the outside world seemed like two different worlds.
"You're not a savior; you're like a clay Bodhisattva crossing the river—you can barely save yourself. Since you can't help others, put away your cheap sympathy! Forget about it!"
She didn't consider herself a great philanthropist, nor could she sacrifice herself to save others. The only thing she could do was to protect herself. But seeing those refugees only strengthened her resolve to work hard and earn money.
After returning home, Cheng Ruyi told her family about the land survey she had conducted that day. The children were incredibly excited when they heard that they had also bought a hilltop. They had grown up in the county town and were confined to their small courtyard, so they could never imagine what it meant for their family to own a hill.
"Mother, are we going to leave the county town? Will we come back?" Cheng Yunping thought of his wife Xiaoman. Although she didn't have a good relationship with her family, it was still her family. He wondered if she would be willing to leave her family.
Cheng Ruyi saw that her son and daughter-in-law were looking at her, so she knew how worried they were.
Knowing that her family had always lived in the county town, she figured it would be difficult for them to adjust to moving to the village all at once, so she reassured them, "Don't worry, we'll mainly stay in the county town for now, since the shop is still here. As for Lishan Village, we'll treat it as a villa or estate. It's currently mainly used for raising chickens and rabbits, and maybe we'll do some other business transactions there. Once the houses are all built, you can stay wherever you want, or stay here for a few days and there for a few days."
Hearing Ruyi say this, Xu Cui asked curiously, "Lishan Village doesn't sound that far, but if the rabbits and chickens are all transported there to be raised, wouldn't someone have to keep an eye on them all the time?" After all, she was actually in charge of all the animals at home, so this was the first question that came to her mind.
"Yes, Aunt Cui and I often have to run back and forth to take care of these animals. So, I plan to go to the West Market sometime in the future and buy a mule cart. That way, it will be convenient and fast for us to go out in a mule cart. When we came back just now, we took the main road, and the mule ran very fast. We arrived at the South Gate in half an hour."
When everyone heard that they also needed to buy a mule cart, they became even more excited and continued discussing it until after dinner.
Manager Huang was very efficient. The next day, she brought good news: the Zhou family was willing to sell Lishan to her, including the vacant land at the foot of the mountain near the official road. This would add up to about ten acres of wasteland, for a total of two hundred and fifty taels.
Upon hearing this, Cheng Ruyi was overjoyed. She immediately paid the money and went to the yamen with Manager Huang that very day.
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