Mingyue smiled faintly and replied, "Looking for an old friend."
Lin, the guard, was completely bewildered. What old friend was he looking for? Did the lord have an old friend here? He glanced at the lord's expression and decided not to ask any more questions.
"I see, young lady. Are you a daughter of a wealthy family or a daughter of an official?"
"My master is not a pampered young lady; Ming Family Embroidery and Textile was founded by my master!"
No one may have heard of Mingyue, but even in their poor and isolated village of Dahe, the Ming family's embroidery workshops are somewhat known.
For a moment, the villagers stared at Mingyue in shock. They had heard that even the cheapest silk handkerchief from the Ming family's embroidery workshop cost five taels of silver, which was equivalent to their family's food expenses for a year.
"Kobayashi, don't be rude."
Guard Lin lowered his chin arrogantly and replied respectfully, "Yes."
At this moment, the village chief came out with several land deeds. "These are land deeds for places in decent locations and houses that are in good condition. Take a look."
“Alright.” Mingyue put away her exquisite feather fan. “Let’s leave the carriage here for now and go see the house first.”
The village chief nodded and turned to instruct, "Dali, Dashan, you two keep an eye on the carriage. They're all valuable; don't damage them!"
Mingyue did not object. The village chief was old, but he walked with a brisk pace. "This place is close to the village, so it's convenient for you to ask the villagers for help if you need anything."
"Do you prefer a quieter place?"
The village chief flipped through the land deeds and looked at Mingyue with some difficulty. "Yes, there is, but it might be inconvenient for a young lady like you to live alone. It would be better if someone could look after you and you wouldn't be afraid."
Poor mountains and bad waters breed unruly people. In the past, he could still suppress some villagers, but he is old, some of his sons have gone to the city, and some have been murdered. He has long lost his former spirit and can only retreat step by step.
"Xiao Lin is highly skilled in martial arts; there will be no accidents."
The village chief's cloudy gaze fell on Lin, and after looking him up and down, he had a good idea of what was going on. He said in a deep voice, "Alright, then come with me. This land deed is close to the deep mountains behind, and there are only three households around it."
The group followed the village chief to the place. Mingyue looked at the dilapidated house, the yard was overgrown with weeds, covered with a thick layer of dust, and every now and then a few rats would scurry out.
“This place is near the back mountain, and no one dares to come here. The previous owner moved to the city, so I’m left to deal with this house. If you think it’s okay, you can hire someone to repair it and live in it.”
Mingyue took out fifty taels of silver and said with a smile, "This is the place. Thank you for your help. If you have any extra silver, please help me find a few repair shops."
"That's too much. A dilapidated house isn't worth much." The village chief said, taking thirty taels of the money and returning it to Mingyue.
This house is worth at most five taels of silver. Even if you hire people to build it and host a dinner party, it will only cost a dozen or so taels.
"Don't worry about this little bit of money," Mingyue said calmly. "You can handle the rest yourself."
Upon hearing this, the village chief stopped refusing. He knew that Mingyue's family background was not simple, so he naturally didn't care about such a small amount of money.
"How about this, will you stay at my house while the house is being built, or should I find you a place to stay?"
Mingyue pointed to a house ahead, "I think I saw someone at that house when I passed by earlier?"
"That family... the little girl you saw is called He Nian. She's a pitiful person. Both her parents died, and she's raising her younger siblings, leaving early and returning late every day."
The village chief sighed. He Nian was a man with a tragic fate, and he would look after her from time to time to prevent the young girl from being harmed at such a young age.
"Then I'll stay at her place."
"Her house? But He Nian's house is dilapidated and leaks when it rains. It's not as good as the Liu family next door. Why don't you stay at the Liu family's house? You'll be more comfortable there."
Mingyue, fanning herself with a feather fan, declined the village chief's suggestion, saying, "I just like her."
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