Chapter 420: Poor Children Take Over Their Families Early
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
The men knew that Heng Yi wasn’t a simpleton.
However, Heng Yi’s direct question made them nervous.
“Can you cut the wood in the mountains at will?” Heng Yi asked.
“What do you want wood for?”
“To repair a house. Also, to let me see how strong you are.”
Heng Yi thought that he would ask them to carry the wood, and then he would get a rough idea of their strength.
And besides, while he could bring them along, he couldn’t bring them unconditionally.
There was no such thing as a free meal in this world.
“We can do that.”
Heng Yi nodded, “Then you can go into the mountain. See you at noon.”
Although the ten men were muttering in their hearts, they also knew that killing two wild boars with their own bare hands was only something they could imagine. They may be stronger than ordinary people, but they still lack experience.
The only thing they could do was to chop wood in the forest.
Han Qiao and Heng Yi split up. Han Qiao went to buy vegetables and eggs from the villagers, while Heng Yi went to the village chief’s house.
The Village Chief was a little arrogant. When he first saw Heng Yi, Heng Yi placed the Wanning token on the table.
“This is…”
The Village Chief did not know much about these things, but he was more knowledgeable than the rest of the villagers.
He knew that ordinary people wouldn’t have such things.
“I will not use my power to oppress others. Today, I will tell you that I will not stay in your village for too long, only for a year. I will not cause trouble or bully the villagers throughout my whole stay. I can lead everyone to earn money, under one condition…”
“At the very least, let your people know not to bully outsiders like me.”
“If not a thousand, at least eight hundred Mountain Bandits have died in my hands. Take it to the county magistrate and tell him that I want to buy a piece of land in Kushui Village to build a house. He will give you an answer.”
Heng Yi didn’t take the token back, but stood up and left.
The Village Chief was stunned for a moment before he quickly followed Heng
Yi out. “Then… Then how should I address you?”
“Heng Yi.”
The Village Chief quickly handed the token back to Heng Yi, “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of the villagers.”
“Where do you plan to build your house?”
“Next to Granny Gu’s house.”
“There’s a clearing near the village entrance. There’s also a stream. It’s near the mountains and the water. The location is good and the place is big. Do you want to go and take a look?” The Village Chief suggested.
If Heng Yi really was a Marquis and lived in their village for a year… Not to mention a year, he would bring them great fortune even if he stayed only for a month.
“Alright.”
The Village Chief immediately led the way.
When the two of them went out, they happened to meet Han Qiao, who was surrounded by people.
Heng Yi quickly called out to her, “Ah-Qiao.”
“Husband.”
Heng Yi’s heart was filled with joy when he heard Han Qiao call him ‘husband’. He took a few steps forward and held Han Qiao’s hand as if no one else was around, “Go to the village entrance to look at the piece of land.”
Han Qiao was puzzled.
“Let’s talk while we walk.”
On the way, Village Chief Gu talked about the wasteland.
The location was indeed good. It was close to a mountain and beside a river. It reminded her of the house in Han Village.
Although it was a piece of barren land, it was tidied up and had a large area. It looked like a very comfortable area to live in.
There were mountains behind them, so there must be a lot of food for them to
eat in the spring, summer, autumn, and winter.
Heng Yi, let s buy this land and build a house.”
Humans were indeed fickle beings.
Heng Yi smiled and nodded. He liked this place too.
Of course, it was mainly because Han Qiao liked it.
This piece of land wasn’t very expensive. The important thing to do was to claim it.
Heng Yi wanted to buy it, so the Village Chief immediately called for Li Zheng. Li Zheng was more knowledgeable and knew that Heng Yi was the Marquis of Wanning. He didn’t care if he was truly the Marquis or not and just treated him as if he was.
The large piece of land would be divided into sections of more than four mu each, which would be about four mu per land.
They only had two taels of silver, so Heng Yi told them to wait. Tomorrow, they would go to the nearby county to sell their prey for silver and get the title and deed.
The Village Chief and Li Zheng thought that when Heng Yi went to the county town tomorrow, they could test his true identity.
Heng Yi knew what they were thinking.
On the way, they talked about building houses.
“I want to find people who can work in the village. Men and women are all okay. Under the condition that they are not lazy. But first, I will need to claim the wasteland.”
“Can you help me find a few craftsmen like stonemasons and carpenters?”
“Alright, alright, alright.” The Village Chief smiled.
If they wanted to find someone, they would definitely prioritize the villagers and their relatives first.
They had to grab Heng Yi first.
Heng Yi helped Han Qiao carry her things home. Meanwhile, the Village Chief and Li Zheng were discussing things in the house.
“Old Brother, do you think what he said is true?” The Village Chief asked.
Whether it’s true or not, let’s go to the county town tomorrow. We’ll know the truth once we go there.” Li Zheng said.
Then his expression darkened, “Though, I think he’s telling the truth.”
When the Village Chief heard this, he sat up straight, “Old Brother, if it’s true, t-t-then why did he come to our village?”
“Who knows? How can we small fries know about the matters of the wealthy?
Let s just treat him as a Marquis and earn some money from him.”
“If he is good, we will treat him as one. If he is evil, we will think of a way to get rid of him…”
The Village Chief took a deep breath, but that was what he thought as well.
If Heng Yi was a good person, why wouldn’t miss this opportunity to earn some money? If he was a bad person…
It shouldn’t be difficult for them to kill four people… Right?
It s also our fault for not being informed.”
If they were well-informed, they would’ve been more prepared when some outsider decided to stay in their village…
When Heng Yi and Han Qiao returned home, they talked to Granny Gu about buying the land at the village entrance.
Granny Gu was stunned, “You want to buy land to build a house? And you’re planning to buy the barren land at the village entrance…”
Her heart felt a little bitter.
Their new place would be a little far from her house.
Most importantly, could her great-grandson and herself still bask in their light in the future?
“Granny, we’re moving there. I think it’s better for you to move with us, so we’re extending this invitation to you. If you’re good at collecting soles’ we can help you collect soles. Shun Zi is a few years older than Yao, so he can play with Yao, study and practice martial arts with him too.”
“Really?” Granny Gu asked excitedly.
This family didn’t have any money yesterday, yet today, they already planned
to buy land to build their new house.
A capable person was capable everywhere. If she could follow such a person, she would be able to follow in their footsteps. She may not be rich in the future, but she and her great-grandson would definitely be better off than they are now.
Each generation would be better than the last.
As an elder, wasn’t this what she wanted?
“Alright, alright.” Granny Gu hurriedly nodded and called Shun Zi over, “Shun Zi, kowtow to your aunt.”
Shun Zi came forward, kowtowed to Han Qiao, and declared earnestly,
“Thank you, Auntie. I will play well with Brother Yao. I won’t bully him and will protect him.”
Han Qiao smiled bitterly.
The children of the poor had long been in charge of the family. At such a young
age, they already understood the ways of the world.
“Stand up.”
Han Qiao helped Shun Zi up and stroked his head.
She was going to the county tomorrow, and Heng Yi wouldn’t go empty-handed. He had to go into the mountains to find some rare prey.
Wild boars weren’t worth much. One or two taels of silver per boar were not worth as much as deer.
Han Qiao went to the kitchen to prepare food for Heng Yi. Heng Yi began to grind the tools, weapons, hemp rope, and medicine in case he was bitten by snakes and insects. He also carried a basket. If he found good herbs, he could make a fortune by digging them out.
He planned to go deep into the mountains.
Before he left with the other men, Han Qiao held his hand, “Pay attention to your safety. That’s all I ask.”
“I know. Wait for me..”
