MTL - Dressed As a Farm Boy, He Cheated on His Way Out of the Desert.

Chapter 18: Take root and survive!

“Let’s all have a good rest. Let’s take a look around tomorrow. It’s best to find a place to stay. No matter how bad it is here, it’s still much better than outside the Great Wall. At least we don’t have to worry about being beheaded by barbarians when we sleep at night.”

Orange Mrs. Li used a rattle to coax her granddaughter and spoke a few words of comfort to her children and grandchildren.

Li Laoer and others felt sad after hearing this. They didn’t want to make my mother sad and worry about them, so they quickly expressed their determination.

“Mom is right, our family can live better together than outside the Great Wall.”

“That’s right, Escort Liu asked me to go to the Escort Agency. With an extra salary, my family will definitely be better off.”

Mrs. Li listened quietly, patted her granddaughter gently, turned her back to everyone, and then her tears fell gently, wetting Jiayin’s swaddling clothes...

 Early the next morning, the Li family didn't cook either.

The second brother Li and his two brothers were looking around, so Mrs. Li took Jiayin in her arms and went to find someone to inquire about the news.

 There was a woman's clothes hanging out in the yard, and the chimney was starting to smoke early, so she knocked on the door.

 The person who opened the door was a woman, about thirty years old.

 Seeing that Mrs. Li was getting older and holding a baby in her arms, she said in a very gentle tone, "Sister-in-law, what can I do for you?"

 Old Mrs. Li felt relieved when she saw how easy it was to get along with the woman, and then she said with a smile.

“Sister, my granddaughter and I were passing by your village. We were thirsty and wanted to ask for some water.”

Hearing this, the woman hurriedly said "Hey", turned back to the house, scooped out water in a bowl, and brought it to Mrs. Li.

Mrs. Li coaxed Good News to take a few sips. The woman kept staring at Good News, her eyes full of love.

Jiayin saw that the woman liked children, so he did not hesitate to smile. He stuck out his tongue at the woman and shook his head, making the woman laugh all the time.

"Sister, let me ask you, is there any place for people to live in this village? Our family came all the way to live with relatives, but the relatives were gone and we couldn't go back. We were thinking of finding a place to stay nearby. ”

 Old Mrs. Li returned the bowl to the woman and asked casually.

When the woman heard this, she felt sorry for Mrs. Li, and the good news was so lovely.

She didn't hide it either. She took Old Mrs. Li and sat on the stone pillar at the door. She talked like a normal person and told Old Mrs. Li everything she knew.

It turns out that this village was originally named Qingshui Village. The village is surrounded by mountains and rivers, and it was once a prosperous place.

But there was a war many years ago. People in the village fled and died, and there were only a few families left.

 Later, when the imperial court stabilized, many soldiers who were injured in the war were assigned to settle here.

As usual, the imperial court distributed some copper coins every month as compensation, and ignored the rest.

Most of the wounded soldiers had no children. After they passed away one after another, the population of the village only decreased but did not increase, making it more and more deserted.

What’s even worse is that there was a locust plague here the year before last, and there was a flood last year, and many people died.

Some people in the nearby villages spread gossip, saying that Qingshui Village was cursed.

　　It is said that those wounded soldiers brought with them the evil spirit of the battlefield, causing Qingshui Village to suffer as well.

 In this case, no one will come this way.

 Hence, many empty yards and fields in the village lost their owners and were taken back by the county government.

The woman was a little thirsty as she spoke, but she was also warm-hearted and gave Mrs. Li some advice.

“Old sister, it’s not difficult for you to settle down. The first house in Nantou with a willow tree at the door is the village chief’s house. Go tell him and he will definitely be able to help you.”

Mrs. Li quickly thanked her, and when she was about to leave, she saw the woman looking at the good news eagerly, so she approached the woman holding the good news in her arms.

“Niuniu, please thank this aunt.” Mrs. Li teased the good news.

Jiayin cooperated very well. He looked at the woman with big eyes, smiled so much that his two rows of bald gums were exposed, and reached out to touch her face.

 The woman's nose became sour and her eyes instantly turned red, but she still had a smile on her face. "This doll is so beautiful. If my girl were alive, she would definitely look like this too."

 This is also a miserable person!

Old Mrs. Li sighed inwardly, chatted for a few more words and then went back.

  Along the way, both grandfather and grandson were thinking about it.

Although the woman just mentioned a lot about the bad past of Qingshui Village, if you think about it carefully, this place is the most suitable for the Li family.

Most of the residents are wounded soldiers, and the folk customs are tough, but there are also fewer neighborhood calculations.

Moreover, it is surrounded by mountains and rivers, has fertile soil, and is close to the county seat. It is only two hundred miles away from Kyoto, and it only takes half a month to go back and forth.

 As for the curses rumored by others...

Jiayin's mouth is watering with laughter. With her little lucky star here, do you need to be afraid of any curse?

Hearing her granddaughter giggle, Mrs. Li couldn't help but move up to kiss her little face and asked, "Do you like Fu Niu'er here?"

Jiayin immediately clapped her little hands twice, "Ah huh!"

Mrs. Li didn't expect her granddaughter to respond. She was stunned for a moment, then started laughing.

 “Okay, just listen to our Fu Niuer!”

 After returning to the big tree, Old Mrs. Li called her sons to discuss the matter, and then Old Mrs. Li took Mr. Li directly to the village chief's house.

As expected, the village chief had a fierce look on his face, as if he had been on the battlefield, but he spoke very kindly.

He was very happy to hear that the Li family had three rooms in total, and that Li Laoer could write and do math, and agreed to settle down with the Li family without saying a word.

Old Mrs. Li gave him a piece of broken silver, which he accepted after hesitating, and then took them to wander around the village.

 After looking at several vacant yards, Mrs. Li was not satisfied.

 Until we reached the northeastern side of the village, there was a large courtyard built against the foot of the mountain.

This courtyard has five main rooms, three left and right side rooms, and two small side rooms, with a cooking stove and everything.

There is a vegetable garden behind the yard, and a pig pen, chicken rack, and toilet are built on the side. It is obvious that a lot of thought was put into the construction.

The most important thing is that there are ten acres of land behind the yard. It has been cultivated for more than ten years. It is good and fertile land. However, it seems that it has not been planted in the past two years and has been much abandoned.

"This yard is really good, village chief. We will buy this yard. It would be better if we can buy the fields behind it together."

Mrs. Li immediately made the decision and decided.

The villager didn't know what he thought of, and was a little stunned. When he came back to his senses, he looked carefully at the Li family again, and then nodded.

"Okay, this yard and field belong to an old brother of mine. He had no children and passed away long ago. The house deeds and land deeds are all with me. Now I make the decision and I will sell them to you for a hundred taels. The money will be kept, just every year. Prepare some sacrifices for him."

Hearing this, Mrs. Li hurriedly said.

“When we settle down, the village chief will help show us the way, and we will also go and pay our respects.”

The village chief's face became even brighter when he heard this, "Let's go then. Whose name is the yard and the fields in? I'll take you to the county government office to settle down and hand over the house and land deeds."

Mrs. Li left her family to clean up the yard. She took Mr. Li and the banknotes into the county town with the village chief.

 The transfer and settlement went smoothly, but within an hour, two thin deed papers were placed in Mrs. Li's hands.

 Such a large yard and ten acres of land only cost one hundred taels.

This price is absolutely unavailable let alone a place so close to Kyoto, even outside the Great Wall.

 Old Mrs. Li became more and more satisfied the more she thought about it, and finally smiled.

 At this point, the Li family will take root again in Qingshui Village to survive.

 (End of this chapter)