Unlimited estates for rural beauty-Chapter 24 Buying the Mountain as Well

After Feng Xuxu heard this, her eyes narrowed into crescent shapes with joy, "Village Chief Uncle, I can’t thank you enough. May I know when would you have the time to handle the land deed?"

"Anytime you wish, as long as you pay the required amount for the wasteland and then hand over ten silvers for handling fees. Once the secretary in town finishes the review and it’s passed to the county magistrate for his stamp of approval, you can get the deed. If things move quickly, you could have it by today. At the very latest, tomorrow afternoon," the Village Chief explained the process to Feng Xi and Feng Xuxu.

Feng Xi and Feng Xuxu exchanged a glance, and with a tacit understanding, Feng Xi took out a silver note worth a thousand silvers and two sets of ten silvers, placing them on the table. "Village Chief Uncle, kindly trouble yourself with this," he said.

When the Village Chief saw the silver note and silver in front of him, clearly ten silvers more than needed, he asked, "Feng Xi, what are you doing?"

"This is for the Village Chief Uncle’s tea money, please don’t refuse it," Feng Xi said shyly and nervously.

"You two kids, ah well, I’ll just have to be thick-faced and accept it, then. Whose name should the land deed be processed under?" The Village Chief looked from Feng Xi to Feng Xuxu.

"Under my elder brother’s," said Feng Xuxu.

"Under my younger sister’s," said Feng Xi.

Hearing each other call out the other’s name, they looked at each other and couldn’t help but break into a snicker. "Village Chief Uncle, please put the land deed under Feng Xuxu’s name."

"Big brother, I don’t want it, put it under your name," said Feng Xuxu, her eyes shining with unshed tears.

"Big brother doesn’t want it. As long as you are safe and sound, that’s more than enough for me," Feng Xi reached out to wipe the tears from his sister’s face, silently swearing never to let her shed another tear again.

"Don’t cry. Brother will still expect you to save dowry for him to get a wife in the future!" Feng Xi teased his sister as he saw her starting to cry.

"Yes, I will certainly save up plenty of dowry for big brother to marry a beautiful bride," Feng Xuxu promised earnestly to her elder brother.

Feng Xi playfully tweaked his cute little sister’s nose, "Silly girl, brother is waiting for you to save up a dowry for him to marry a beautiful bride," he said indifferently, willing to say anything to make his sister happy, not knowing the unexpected joy he would receive during his grand wedding several years later. But that’s a story for another time. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"Hehe, as long as you siblings support each other, there’s no reason why your days won’t be prosperous and thriving," the Village Chief expressed contentedly, speaking earnestly.

"Girl, what are you planning to plant on all that wasteland you’ve bought? It’s not the busy farming season now, and there isn’t much work for the able-bodied laborers in the village. Although they can find some jobs in town, it doesn’t pay much. If you are going to clear the land, the village laborers would surely be capable of doing it," reasoned the Village Chief. Since Feng Xuxu had bought the wasteland, she would inevitably need people to cultivate it. Why not employ people from their own village? It would mean staying close to home and earning silver—a win-win situation.

"Village Chief, that’s for sure. When the time comes, I’ll ask for your help in finding some honest and hardworking people, no loafers or cheats. The wages will be the same as outside, as long as they are willing to work hard, I won’t shortchange anyone," Feng Xuxu promised the Village Chief.

"Ah, good child, I’ll definitely vet them for you and reject any tricksters or shirkers," the Village Chief gratefully responded.

"Village Chief Uncle, we’ll head back first and wait for your good news," Feng Xi and Feng Xuxu said their goodbyes to the Village Chief and set off for Aunt Hui’s house.

"Uncle Hui, Aunt Hui, we’re back," they announced upon entering the courtyard, finding the whole family gathered around a small table, chattering and laughing together in a warm and lively atmosphere.

"Back so soon? How did it go, did you buy it? Is it good farmland or a paddy field? Where is it located, and was the silver enough?" Aunt Hui bombarded them with a series of questions.

"Wife, can’t you let the kids catch their breath? How can they answer you when you ask so much all at once?" Uncle Hui poked fun at his wife.

"You old man, I’m just concerned, that’s all," Aunt Hui retorted with a chastening glance at Uncle Hui.

With laughter, Feng Xuxu said, "Uncle, Aunt, we bought a thousand acres of wasteland at the foot of Nameless Mountain. We also bought the adjacent Nameless Mountain while we were at it. The silver has been paid in full; all that’s left is to get the land deed and start the cultivation." She told them everything in one breath, sitting down next to Sister Jiaojiao.

With a sudden move, Aunt Hui stood up, bent over with excitement, and grabbed Feng Xuxu’s arm, practically shouting, "What did you say? You bought a thousand acres of wasteland? And you even bought the mountain too?"