After another delicious breakfast, Li Lianhua sat on the sofa, called Yun Qingyue to his side, and prepared to discuss his plans with her.
"What do you mean by making you my junior sister? And why build a mobile house? You want to be a doctor? What if you kill someone by mistake? That—" Yun Qingyue listened to his words in astonishment, feeling rather baffled.
He didn't think his decision was anything to marvel at, let alone make such a fuss over. Raising a hand to stop her questioning, he explained: "You've saved my master's life and mine time and again, and I don't know how to repay you. Aside from keeping you safe, this is the only way. My master and mistress don't have a child, and I'm sure they'll dote on you—you can rest easy about that. As for building a house, that carriage of yours is far too conspicuous and bound to draw trouble. While I could handle it, avoiding trouble is always better than courting it. The house will be two stories, and the second floor will be your private bedchamber. As for becoming an itinerant martial arts doctor, that's well within my ability. Yangzhou Slow is inherently vital and life-giving, so of course it can heal illnesses. Besides, I studied a bit of medicine back on Yunyin Mountain; I just need to find some medical texts to brush up on. How could I possibly kill anyone? Can't you have a little faith in me?"
"Ah, well, haha. As long as you're confident, I'll listen to you—I'll listen to everything you say! I actually do have medical books I can lend you. I can teach you, too; my medical skills are top-notch!" *Right, once again I let impatience get the better of me,* she thought.
Flustered, Yun Qingyue quickly tried to salvage the situation. None of the things Li Lianhua mentioned were actually major issues anyway, and since it didn't really matter either way, agreeing to it was no big deal!
Yet she had no idea when she might have to leave, or what she would do if the System suddenly returned. And what about the gene-enhancement serum? She still wanted to suggest tackling missions together with Li Lianhua!
She felt too awkward to bring up such a thing out of the blue. Getting him entangled in this would make it impossible to predict the consequences.
And since she had no idea whether it would even benefit him, suggesting it now would feel like forcing him to make a choice. To bring up something like that right after he had been cured of his illness—wouldn't that look as though she were holding a debt of gratitude over his head?
Having his proposal accepted, Li Lianhua was happily looking down and sipping his tea, completely unaware of Yun Qingyue's hesitation. By the time he set down his teacup and looked up, she had already returned to normal.
Li Lianhua said, "It's settled, then. Let's pack up and leave shortly—the earlier we arrive, the sooner we can get started!"
Yun Qingyue asked, "Ah, is there such a rush? Where are we going?"
Li Lianhua answered cheerfully, "First, we'll head into the village to rent a house near the beach, and then we'll go to that rocky shore. The large ship from the Jinyuan Alliance that I smashed up is beached right there. Once we get people to drag it ashore, we can use the timber to build the house. Here is a drawing of what the house will look like—have a look and see if you like it. If you have any issues, we can discuss them!"
It seemed he had completely made up his mind to go through with this. For someone acting like this, yet insisting that Li Xiangyi was dead—just how different was his current way of doing things from Li Xiangyi's? He really was as stubborn as a dead duck!
Well, what more was there to say? Time to take action! They tidied up the second-floor room and cleaned up the ground floor as well. This time, she stored everything she could into the spatial dimension, determined not to miss a single chance to fleece the System! The two of them led their horses and began retracing their steps.
After rounding the foot of the mountain and reaching the edge of the bamboo grove, they brought out the original carriage. This time, Li Lianhua drove while Yun Qingyue climbed inside to organize their belongings.
Two large trunks were placed in the carriage, containing quilts, clothes, books, jewelry, and various odds and ends for their future daily life!
Thick quilts were spread over the trunks, and the remaining space was packed with several baskets holding pastries, candy, grain, fruits and vegetables, meat, eggs, charcoal, pots, bowls, basins, and ladles.
Driving the carriage to the entrance of the village, they ran into a few children playing. After handing each of them a piece of candy, they asked for directions to the village chief's house. Perhaps swayed by the sweets, the children chattered away as they trotted around the carriage, forcing Li Lianhua to keep the horses at a slow pace.
Rounding another bend, the children suddenly sped up and shouted loudly, "Little Zhuzi, you've got guests!"
Yun Qingyue noticed that ever since they met this group of children, the lines of Li Lianhua's face had softened, and a gentle smile had lingered at the corners of his mouth. From time to time, he even chuckled as he answered the children's questions.
*No way,* she thought. *He's hardly old himself—how has he already started doting on kids?*
Two figures emerged from the main doorway facing the courtyard, stepping out at a different pace. A small figure dashed quickly through the door, running and shouting, "Tiedan, why are you guys here? Where are the guests?"
Catching up to his companions and seeing them chewing on something, he asked eagerly, "What are you guys eating? Where did you get it?"
Amused, Yun Qingyue took out another piece of candy, handed it to him, and said, "Here, for you. Your little friends all have one, so you get one too."
To her surprise, Little Zhuzi didn't take it right away; instead, he looked back at an elderly man slowly approaching from behind. The old man was slightly stooped, holding a smoking pipe, his face etched with the weathering of years, though his eyes were bright: "Take it, and thank the guest!"
Little Zhuzi bowed politely and said, "Thank you, Elder Sister!" With that, he bolted off to play with his friends as if fleeing for his life!
While Yun Qingyue was talking to the child, the old man had been scrutinizing the two of them closely. Only after the children had scattered and the surroundings grew quiet did he ask, "I am the village chief of Lianhua Village, and my surname is Wang. Who are you people, and what brings you to our village?"
Hearing the village chief's introduction, Yun Qingyue almost burst out laughing. *Ah! Lianhua Village... Hahahaha, too hilarious!*
Truly, a favored child of fortune was different—Heavenly Dao forcibly stacked the deck for them! Forcibly biting back her laughter, she glanced sideways at Li Lianhua with a teasing look.
Without moving his head, Li Lianhua simply gave her a sidelong glance, then squeezed her hand in a warning gesture.
Then, wearing a warm smile, he spoke cheerfully to the village chief: "What an incredible coincidence—our village is called Lianhua, and my name is Lianhua, too. Here's the thing: my younger sister and I were tagging along with a crowd of martial arts folks to join in the excitement, never expecting such a huge incident to happen. My sister and I would like to rent a house here to stay for a while and look for that Sect Master fellow. He did us a kindness, so we want to do our bit to help find him!"
"You're martial arts people? This—this..." The village chief's expression immediately shifted as soon as he heard it had to do with martial artists.
Li Lianhua quickly chimed in, "Rest assured, Village Chief, my younger sister and I are ordinary people, which is why we want to rent a house in the village. Otherwise, we'd be lumped in with all those martial artists out there. Am I right, Elder?" He nodded affirmatively for emphasis.
He quickly added, "How about this: find us a place close to the beach, but far away from the rest of the village. It doesn't matter if it's a bit crude, as long as we have a roof over our heads!"
Village Chief Wang hesitated for a long time before hardening his resolve and saying, "There is a small courtyard at the very south end of the village. The family that lived there went out to sea two months ago and never came back. You can rent it for now, but the rent certainly won't be cheap!"
Yun Qingyue took over the conversation. "Village chief, can we go take a look first? We can talk about the money!"
After returning to his house to give some instructions, the village chief came back out and led the two of them southward.
Once they arrived, Yun Qingyue saw that this house was not far from that rocky shore at all. It had simply been blocked from view by a small grove of trees, which was why she hadn't noticed it when they were in a rush to find people earlier!
Yun Qingyue was very satisfied with the location: close to the beach for convenience, yet shielded by the woods for privacy. She turned to Li Lianhua and nodded in satisfaction.
Seeing this, Li Lianhua said to the village chief, "We're very happy with this place. Name your price for the rent. We also need to buy some extra things, and this courtyard needs people to help clean it up. Could you help us find a few people? We'll pay wages!"
A smile finally broke across the village chief's face: "Good, good, good. Don't you worry, we're honest folk here and won't take advantage of you. The rent will be three taels of silver a year. As for wages, hiring workers in town goes for twenty wen a day with one meal provided. But since it's getting late, let's call it fifteen wen. How does that sound to you two? If it's agreeable, I'll go back to the village and round up some people."
Yun Qingyue smiled and replied, "Three taels is fine, and let's set the wage at twenty wen. Just make sure the work is done thoroughly. Please find five people for today—send whoever you think is appropriate to tidy the yard and do some cleaning up. We'll have plenty of odd jobs for villagers to do in the future!"
The old village chief nodded eagerly: "Good, good, good! You two can rest assured; the people I find will be completely reliable. I'll go right now—just wait here a moment!"
Watching the village chief hurry away, the two of them stepped into the courtyard and looked around carefully. A grape arbor stretched from the doorway of the east wing all the way to the eaves of the main house's side chambers, with a stone table and stools set beneath it. The main house had a central reception room, flanked by a side chamber on either side—just right for individual bedrooms.
The two rooms in the east wing could serve as a study and a bathroom. Yun Qingyue absolutely refused to use an outdoor pit latrine. They could renovate it later, divide it into two rooms, and use it for both a toilet and a bathing room!
The two rooms in the west wing would serve as a kitchen and a storage room. Surprisingly, there was a well tucked between the west wing and the courtyard wall; they could build a small well-house over it to keep out dust and ensure safety. Almost the entire front courtyard was paved with flagstones, making it very neat.
Between the west wing and the main house was a path leading to the back courtyard. The backyard was huge, featuring a chicken coop, a woodshed, and a plot of cultivated land where various crops grew in a somewhat wild fashion.
There was also a room that looked like a storeroom, with racks fixed to the walls—probably used for making cured meats and the like.
After inspecting the small courtyard and returning to the front gate, Yun Qingyue looked thoroughly delighted. She loved this little courtyard; aside from the toilet, there was practically nothing to fault, and with a little tidying up, they could move right in!
Meanwhile, Li Lianhua followed quietly behind Yun Qingyue the entire time, listening to her chatter on about her plans and arrangements for the courtyard.
The warmth in his chest threatened to overflow, surging upward until it left him burning hot—so hot that tears stung his eyes! Such a leisurely and carefree life was something he wouldn't have dared to imagine before the disaster struck.
He had always thought that once the martial arts world stabilized, he would take A-Mian back to Yunyin Mountain to live out their remaining days with his master and mistress. Then the successive tragedies struck, until even A-Mian grew weary of life with him!
He had originally assumed the rest of his life would be spent clinging to mere survival. Never had he imagined that a little fairy would descend from the skies to rescue him, pulling him out of despair and the quagmire.
Since this life-saving grace could never be repaid, he would simply protect her well, shield her from bullying, and let her continue living the life she desired.
His next mission was to make this young girl happy every single day. Li Lianhua silently set this task and his future plans for himself!
"Ah, they're here, they're here," the two of them were chatting idly when the village chief arrived with a group of people, calling out from afar: "You haven't been waiting long, have you? The people I've found for you are all top-notch workers; I guarantee they'll have this place done in no time!"
"Sorry to trouble you, Village Chief. Are there any carpenters in the village? We'd like to buy some furniture," Yun Qingyue stepped forward to speak with the village chief, while Li Lianhua went over to get the workers started.
Hearing this, the village chief raised a hand and pointed at a dark-skinned middle-aged man standing nearby: "This is our village carpenter, and his craftsmanship is second to none. Whatever furnishings you two want to add, just tell him directly!"
Yun Qingyue smiled and nodded. "Let's go inside to talk; I have quite a few things I need."
The previously desolate courtyard instantly bustled with activity. After telling the carpenter what items she needed and agreeing on the price, and having a quick word with the village chief, Yun Qingyue went with Li Lianhua to the carriage to discuss their next arrangements.
By the time the courtyard was completely cleaned and tidied up, and the carpenter had delivered all the requested items, dusk was already falling.
After paying the wages and making arrangements with the village chief to visit tomorrow, they sent everyone away. The two of them began arranging their rooms, taking a full three hours to set up the entire courtyard according to Yun Qingyue's vision.