Half an hour later, all the meat from the large wild boar had been bought up by the villagers.
Most families bought it to make cured meat, so each household purchased a larger amount.
In total, she had sold two hundred and eighty-five pounds of meat, collecting a basin of copper coins worth over three taels of silver.
Although she earned a bit less silver, she had repaid the favors she owed, and since she didn’t have to travel to town or do the hard work herself, it was still well worth it.
Xi Qingyue walked over to Li Wanqiu to thank her. If it hadn’t been for her bringing people to butcher the boar and sending word to the village, she wouldn’t have been able to finish so quickly.
Li Wanqiu smiled kindly, patted her on the head, and said with admiration, “What’s there to thank? Everyone should be thanking you. You even gave me rabbit meat and pork. If you need anything else, just say the word, but don’t bring me any more gifts. Keep them for yourself and Lan girl to enjoy slowly.”
“Okay, Grandma,” Xi Qingyue replied obediently.
After everyone had left, she picked up the basin and went into the house. It was full of copper coins, over three thousand in total.
She put all the coins into her space. With this money, she could buy things in town openly without raising suspicion.
As for the wild boar, she planned to sell it in town next time. A whole boar weighing over three hundred pounds would fetch at least five taels of silver.
Although she had all kinds of gold bars in her space, using them to exchange for silver in such a small place would draw too much attention. She would wait until she went to the county town at least.
Besides, she would be living in the village for a while. Having silver appear out of nowhere without reason would make people suspicious. At the very least, she needed to let everyone know that her money came from hunting. After a while, no one would pay it any mind.
Seeing that it was almost noon, she picked up the rabbit and headed to the kitchen.
She lit the stove and made braised rabbit meat and sweet and sour spare ribs. The yam and rib soup, however, she prepared inside her space since she didn’t have an extra pot.
Once the meal was ready, she went out to call Xi Weilan back for lunch. The two of them ate happily, and throughout the village, everyone was cheerful over their midday meals.
Just as she finished cleaning up, the village head arrived with her new household registration papers, surprising Xi Qingyue.
“Grandpa Village Head, it’s already done?” she asked.
The village head smiled warmly. “All the documents were complete, with signatures and fingerprints, plus Scholar Han and I acted as witnesses. The county office approved it on the spot.”
He paused and then reminded her carefully, “By the way, Yue girl, last night someone broke into your second uncle’s house. Those people were trying to catch you and Er Ya. I handed them over to the authorities. Be careful at night. If anything seems off, shout loudly.”
“Don’t worry, Grandpa Village Head. I’m strong enough. But what will happen to those people? How will the mastermind be punished?”
Xi Qingyue wanted to know if Rich Man Wang was still at home tonight. She had a score to settle with him.
If she and her sister had been caught last night, there was no telling whether they would have survived. That man could not be left alone.
The village head shook his head helplessly. “Alas, Rich Man Wang denies ordering it, and those men changed their story, claiming they just picked any household to steal a child for money. Rich Man Wang got off scot-free. Those men have been locked up, but who knows if they’ll be released later.”
As he was about to leave, he suddenly remembered something. Glancing at the thatched hut, he asked Xi Qingyue again, “Are you sure you want to buy this place?”
Xi Qingyue nodded quickly. “Yes, this place is fine. It’s just right for my sister and me. If we want to move later, we can buy somewhere else. For now, I’d like to buy this. How much silver do I need?”
The village head nodded at her. “Alright. If you want to buy it, you can. The thatched hut isn’t worth much. The land belongs to the village and has to be paid for, but this spot is small and close to the mountain, so no one really wants it. Three taels of silver should be enough. Take your time saving up; there’s no rush.”
Xi Qingyue was surprised. Three taels for this place was a very fair price. This village head was truly a good man.
“Thank you, Grandpa Village Head. I’ll go hunting in the mountains again tomorrow. Once I have the money, I’ll bring it to you. Please prepare the deed for me.”
The village head frowned slightly. Knowing he couldn’t dissuade her, he still warned, “The mountains are dangerous. Even if you’re strong, be careful. Don’t go too deep.”
Xi Qingyue knew he meant well, so she agreed verbally. But inside, she didn’t take it seriously. If she didn’t go deep, how would she get any game?
After seeing the village head off, she looked at the household registration papers stamped with the official red seal and felt overjoyed. Though the head of the household was still her father’s name, they were finally separated from Xi Erniu’s family.
Xi Weilan leaned in curiously, staring at the papers. “Sis, does this mean Second Uncle can’t sell us anymore?”
“Yes, but even without this, he couldn’t sell us. Come on, let’s go to town. I’ll buy you something delicious.”
“Yay!” Xi Weilan jumped for joy in front of her, her eyes sparkling.
“Sis, can I still ride the new toy?” Xi Weilan looked at her expectantly, referring to the pink little tricycle.
Xi Qingyue shook her head helplessly. “Not this time. It’s daytime and there are too many people. I’ll let you ride it another time, okay?”
“Alright,” Xi Weilan nodded obediently without throwing a tantrum, which made Xi Qingyue feel very relieved.
She had originally planned to go to town alone, but leaving a three-year-old child at home wasn’t safe. Having someone else look after her would mean owing favors, so it was better to just bring her along. After all, they were just going to stroll around and buy things.
The sisters walked hand in hand toward town, completely at ease.
After about half an hour, when they had put some distance between themselves and Willow Tree Village, Xi Qingyue checked that no one was around. She picked up Xi Weilan and used her wind ability to run quickly. A few villagers working in the fields saw a blur pass by on the road, but when they rubbed their eyes, it was gone—they simply assumed their eyes were playing tricks on them.
Not long after, Xi Qingyue and Xi Weilan arrived at the small town.
Cries of vendors filled the streets. Xi Qingyue led Xi Weilan into a general store and bought a large basket to carry on her back. Then she walked into a grain shop.
“Little girl, are you here to buy grain?”
The shopkeeper was a kind-looking middle-aged man. Instead of looking down on them just because they were children, he took the initiative to greet them with a smile.
Xi Qingyue smiled and nodded. “Yes, Uncle. How much are your rice and flour?”
The shopkeeper pointed to the different sacks and gave her the prices one by one. Xi Qingyue listened carefully, her eyes finally lingering on the white rice and white flour.
She didn’t lack grain in her space, but she needed to make a show of buying some. After all, it was only her second day here, and she had to keep a low profile.
She decided not to buy coarse rice. Besides white rice and white flour, she could also buy some mixed grain flour and beans.
Xi Qingyue handed over a handful of copper coins. “I’ll take ten pounds each of white rice and white flour, and five pounds each of mixed flour, millet, and soybeans.”
“Little girl, can you carry all that?” The shopkeeper glanced at her basket and the three-year-old child beside her, worried that they wouldn’t be able to manage the load.
"Don't worry, boss. I work a lot and I'm very strong." Xi Qingyue saw that he hadn't taken the copper coins, so she placed them on the counter.
