Xi Weilan, still young, slept very soundly at night and didn't wake up even when there was a commotion outside.
The next morning, when she woke up, Xi Qingyue had already washed up and prepared breakfast for her.
"Sister, are we going out today?" Xi Weilan rubbed her eyes and looked at her.
Xi Qingyue helped her get dressed while saying, "Today we're going to the county town. After we finish our business with the village head, we can stroll around the county. I'll buy you whatever you like."
Thinking about what Scholar Han had said—that there would be war here sooner or later—she felt she should buy more things. Any later, the prices might go up.
The county town was big. She could buy things freely there, and no one would know her.
Once Xi Weilan was ready, she sat obediently at the table. A bowl of plain water was placed in front of her. Her eyes lit up, and she picked up the bowl and drank it all in one go.
"Sister, this water is so delicious."
Xi Qingyue smiled and nodded. "Mm, I'm glad you like it. Just let me know when you want some, but only when there are no outsiders around. Let's eat breakfast first."
"I understand, Sister. I won't tell anyone." Xi Weilan patted her chest in assurance.
After eating, they drove the mule cart toward the village entrance. The village head was also there with an ox cart, waiting for them.
"Village Head Grandpa, would you like to ride in our cart?" Xi Qingyue asked with a smile.
The village head waved at her. "No need. I just happen to be going to the city to buy some things; the cart is more convenient for carrying goods."
Then, each of them drove their carts toward the county town. When they passed the market town, Xi Qingyue let the village head go ahead while she bought some things and then caught up.
Once the village head was far away, she drove the cart to Aunt Wu's bun shop and bought everything inside, taking it all away.
She also stopped at other shops along the way, buying a lot of food. She nearly emptied the smaller stores.
After shopping, she drove the cart out of the town and continued toward the county town.
It wasn't that she didn't want to cook for herself, but at eight years old, she was too short. It was troublesome to cook without standing on a chair, so buying ready-made food made things convenient for the future.
She also had frozen food like buns and fried dough sticks in her space that could be heated up, but the food from the town shops was already hot and could be eaten directly if stored in the space. Besides, the taste was decent and it was cheap. Since she wasn't short on money now that she saw such goods, naturally she wanted to stock up.
In less than a quarter of an hour, she caught up with the village head's ox cart and followed at a leisurely pace behind him.
Half an hour later, Xi Qingyue finally saw the county town's city gate.
Many commoners were queuing at the gate to enter the city. She waited in line behind the village head. The soldiers guarding the gate curiously glanced at her when they saw a young child driving a cart.
When it was her turn, Xi Qingyue handed over three copper coins as the entry fee for herself, her sister, and the mule. The soldier waved her through without making any trouble.
Once inside the city, the village head stopped and sought her opinion. "Yue girl, let's go to the yamen first to transfer the land deed. Once that's done, you can wander around here for a while. We'll head back together later."
"Alright, Village Head Grandpa. But you don't need to wait for me. I want to take Lan'er to play for a while. It might take longer. If it gets too late, we might stay overnight and go back tomorrow."
"That's fine, but stay safe. Two little kids like you might easily attract unwanted attention."
After giving this reminder, the village head led her to the yamen.
It was Xi Qingyue's first time seeing an ancient government office in person. As she followed the village head inside, she curiously looked around. Xi Weilan, pulled along by her, couldn't help glancing about as well.
When they arrived at the land registration office, a thin, elderly man was recording something at his desk.
The first thing the old man said to the village head was, "You again? What is it this time?"
The village head smiled and explained the purpose of their visit, taking out the land deed for verification and stamping.
The old man curiously glanced at Xi Qingyue. When he read the name on the deed, he was startled. "You're Xi Qingyue? Did you just buy a mule cart?"
Xi Qingyue nodded. "Yes, I bought it recently."
The old man shook his head. "Since you came yourself, why did you pay the cart shop to handle the mule cart's deed? You wasted your money for nothing."
Hearing this, Xi Qingyue realized the cart shop had already come by. She smiled and said, "Sir, you're right. I hadn't planned on coming to the county earlier, so I had the shop handle it. Today's trip was sudden. My apologies for the trouble."
As she spoke, she took out two small pieces of silver and handed them over.
One piece was for the tax stated on the deed, and the other was a courtesy payment for him.
The old man pocketed the silver unceremoniously, his face wrinkling into a grin. He stamped the deed willingly and even praised Xi Qingyue. "Little girl, not bad. You have a future."
Watching this, the village head felt pained. Why give so much? What a waste!
Leaving the yamen, the village head was about to leave on his ox cart when he added a caution, "Yue girl, don't be too free with your money. You and Lan girl didn't earn it easily. Spend it wisely."
Xi Qingyue smiled and nodded. "Alright, Village Head Grandpa. Please take care."
Then, the village head drove away in his ox cart, intending to buy some more things.
Meanwhile, Xi Qingyue took Xi Weilan to start wandering around the county town. Coincidentally, as she left, she was spotted by one of the yamen runners who had visited Willow Tree Village before.
That runner immediately informed the others who had also gone to the village earlier. All six quickly gathered.
"They went to the yamen? Do they have connections with the yamen officials? Did you ask?" The leader, a square-faced runner, frowned.
"No, I checked at the land office. She bought a small plot of land—it's that rundown thatched hut we saw that day. Today she's here to finalize the deed."
Hearing that they had no ties to the yamen, the group relaxed and greed stirred within them.
The square-faced runner thought it over and said, "Since she's walked right into our hands, we won't be polite. Two little kids in our territory? They're ours for the taking. Xiao Wu, keep an eye on her. We'll make our move once they leave the city."
"Brother Yu, why wait until they leave the city? We can just find an excuse to arrest them inside the city. No one will bother about two children." A runner with triangular eyes spoke with a calculating look.
The square-faced runner paused thoughtfully. "Better to do it outside the city. It's too obvious inside."
The group acted as if Xi Qingyue was their prey, taking her for granted.
At that moment, unaware of the danger, Xi Qingyue and Xi Weilan were leisurely riding through the county town in their mule cart. Whenever they fancied a stall, they stopped to buy something. Xi Weilan's little face was full of excitement.
Spotting a fabric shop, Xi Qingyue parked the cart at the entrance and led Xi Weilan inside. A middle-aged woman smiled and greeted them.
Though they were only children, their plain silk clothes and mule cart told her they weren't ordinary.
"Misses, what are you looking for? We have ready-made clothes and all kinds of fabrics. We also do custom tailoring. Please take a look and see what you like."
Xi Qingyue nodded calmly with her hands behind her back. "Mm, bring out all the ready-made clothes you have here that would fit us."
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged woman's face immediately lit up with a smile as she eagerly called for her assistants to bring out the garments, her attitude warm and hospitable.
