Chapter One

  Jing City to Linqing takes half a month, Xianyi was nervous all the way, after all, in her past life, such long journeys rarely didn't encounter robbery, pursuit or hijacking. However, until she entered Linqing County, Xianyi realized that she had worried for nothing. This journey not only went smoothly and safely but also arrived three days earlier than expected. It seems that not every dog has blood.

  Lin Qing is indeed a small town, surrounded by mountains on three sides, with only three or four nearby villages. Most of the villagers make a living from farming, while a small portion rely on hunting in the surrounding mountains to get by. Although they don't starve, they can't be considered wealthy either.

  Xian Yi sat in the carriage, quietly observing the passersby outside, seemingly understanding why Lady Meng wanted to marry into a rich family and why Madame wanted to enjoy the autumn breeze. This place was almost like two different worlds compared to the luxurious and grandiose Beijing city. Buildings rarely exceeded two stories, and the old, small, blue-brick tile houses looked worn out. Most pedestrians wore coarse cloth, and even some young masters who brought servants with them when going out were dressed in simple attire. At most, their clothes had brighter colors and finer fabrics, but to Xian Yi's eyes, these so-called rich family children didn't even compare to the stewards of the Jin Manor.

  "What's on your mind?" asked Jin Fenghua as she put down the curtain and looked at Xianyi with a lack of interest.

  "Poverty!" This is the reality, nothing to hide, Xian Yi doesn't need to pretend that she's a woman who doesn't care about wealth or poverty. To be honest, she doesn't like this kind of rustic life at all. In her previous life, it was described as too good to be true, but in reality, this kind of hardship is not something that women like them, who are used to being pampered, can bear. As for relying on herself to become rich, don't even think about it. Not to mention whether she has the capital or not, just the environment around her may not allow it. You know, even in a place as open-minded as her previous life, women starting their own businesses were more difficult than men. What's more, this is a feudal society. So, when people say that a woman marrying is equivalent to being reborn for the second time, this saying has been passed down for thousands of years and absolutely makes sense. Women in ancient times are not inferior to modern women.

  Jinfenghua seemed delighted with Xianyi's directness and nodded along: "Exactly, it's a poor and remote place."

  A group of people first placed Mrs. Han's coffin in a Taoist temple near the Jin family ancestral home, and then discussed the burial arrangements, sending someone to inform the head of the Jin family. Although they had already sent word before leaving the Jin estate, entering the ancestral tomb required the consent of the clan leader and written documents; it was not possible to simply choose a place to bury her. Apart from the clan leader, no one else was notified, including Jin Fenghua. Anyway, none of these people would attend Mrs. Han's burial, so it was better not to contact them for now and consider visiting later when things had settled down.

  The coffin was placed, and Xian Yi thought Jin Fenghua would take her to the prepared courtyard, but they ended up at an inn instead. The future residence was still unknown. At first, Xian Yi thought Jin Fenghua didn't plan to stay here long-term and would leave after Han Niang's burial, but when she asked, she found out that Jin Fenghua just wanted to experience the life of a commoner in a foreign land for the first time, and as for the house, he wanted to choose it himself.

  Xian Yi, who had already understood Jin Fenghua's temper to some extent, fell silent once again.

  A few people arrived at the inn, and Xian Yi hadn't even changed his clothes when a young servant brought over a small girl, saying that Jin Fenghua had prepared her as a maid for Xian Yi. Xian Yi didn't say anything and just kept her there. To think about it, originally there were very few people accompanying Jin Fenghua to Linqing. Apart from the coachman and Jin Fenghua's original servant, there were only the people from the escort agency. However, after they left the capital, Xian Yi discovered that the servants around Jin Fenghua had changed, even the coachman who was still the same person but his demeanor and behavior were completely different from when he was at the Jin estate. Not to mention the people from the escort agency, all of whom had been replaced with new ones who were extremely respectful towards Jin Fenghua. Xian Yi wasn't blind and could see that these were all Jin Fenghua's own people.

  The little girl was not very old, looking only about ten years old, with two braids and a round face with big eyes that looked very lively. She was just a head shorter than the others, and her figure was also slender, not like the usual maidservant of a wealthy family, but rather like a third-class maid like Xue Shuang. This little girl's name was Bi Xi, she was clever and had a sweet mouth, knowing many things about Lin Qing, with a clear head and good judgment, looking delicate on the surface but never overstepping her bounds, and very agile with her hands and feet, which made Xian Yi very satisfied. Anyway, she didn't plan to leave Jin Feng Hua, nor would she go out of her way to harm others, so she wasn't worried that Bi Xi was sent by Jin Feng Hua to spy on her, but rather felt that having Bi Xi by her side was a kind of comfort, and wouldn't let her feel lonely. So in a sense, Xian Yi was a broad-minded person, even if she encountered Jin Feng Hua, this big demon who killed people like flies, she could adjust her mood in time and would never be overly sentimental or bitter about the love-hate relationship.

  With Bi Xi, Jin Fenghua and Xian Yi soon learned that the best location in Lin Qing was Wa Pian Xiang. It is said that during the previous dynasty, three talented girls emerged from this place. One became a noble lady in the palace, one became a concubine of the royal family, and another married a military general on the border. Who knew that the general would achieve great merit and become a marquis? The girl then became the wife of the marquis. In this era, giving birth to a daughter was called "playing with tiles". Coincidentally, more than one woman born in this street had such great success, so it was later called Wa Pian Xiang by others. Compared to other places in Lin Qing, it is relatively prosperous. Having found the right place, Bi Xi introduced Sun Shu, a reliable middleman who was known for being fair and honest. As his prices were reasonable and he was a trustworthy person, people around Wa Pian Xiang liked to entrust him with their business. Naturally, the number of houses in his hands gradually increased.

  After Jin Fenghua found out, he became enthusiastic and didn't care that it was getting late. He pulled on his immortal clothes and let Bi Xi lead him to Sun Shu's house. Although he didn't care about other people's feelings, this small town had never seen a man like him before. Even with Xian Yi by his side, she was overshadowed by his presence. In fact, there were more people sneaking glances at Jin Fenghua than at Xian Yi, which made her sigh in relief and also feel a little amused. However, Jin Fenghua seemed to be completely unaware of it all.

  Sun Shu had just put down his rice bowl, he was about 40 years old, with a wife at home who looked slightly plump and was his childhood sweetheart. The couple had a son after marriage, and now the son was working as a shopkeeper in another town and had married the only daughter of the shop owner's family, which was considered to be a good family. Sun Shu used to run a business when he was young, so there were some savings at home, and many people knew him. Originally, he should have been enjoying his life at home, but he couldn't bear the loneliness, so he went out every day to act as an intermediary for others. Over the years, he had gained some reputation, and thus became more and more enthusiastic about it. However, by now it was already dusk, and truly few people visited him at this time.

  However, Sun Shu did not hesitate and directly opened the door, but was shocked by the man and woman at the entrance. The woman didn't need to be said, she looked like a fairy from heaven, and should be the young lady of the family. But the man was even more stunning than the woman, Sun Shu had to take a closer look to confirm that he was indeed a young man and not a noblewoman disguising herself as a man. Fortunately, Sun Shu was not inexperienced in worldly matters, so after taking a glance at their clothes, although they looked ordinary, the fabric was only available in the south and could not be bought in a remote town like Linqing.

  Sun Shu scanned them briefly and soon smiled and said: "Do you two have something on your minds?"

  Bi Xi stood up at this time and said cutely: "My young master knows that the most capable person in this area is Uncle Sun, so he naturally asked to come to the door."

  "It can't be helped, it can't be helped." Sun Shu shook his head repeatedly and said cautiously.

  "When I arrived, I thought of buying a house in Linqing to settle down, but due to the urgency of time, it was troublesome for Uncle Sun." Jin Fenghua smiled, with a hint of shyness amidst her beauty, and her attitude was very humble. Xian Yi felt that this person's heart might have been worn by others.

  Sun Shu subconsciously tilted his head, afraid of being blinded by the smile, and smiled slightly with his eyes lowered: "No trouble, no trouble, we're just doing this line of work, and we should thank you for taking care of our business. I just don't know what kind of house you want?"

  "It doesn't have to be too big, about three rooms would do, it's best if there's a garden, and even better if there's a pond..." As he said this, Jin Fenghua's face turned slightly red, and he took Xianyi's hand again, smiling foolishly: "As the youngest son of my family, I've already settled my marriage, now that I'm living separately, I have to take care of my future descendants."

  Xian Yi felt that Jin Fenghua was like someone who had taken the wrong medicine and got addicted to acting, at first she was also deceived by Jin Fenghua's appearance of enduring humiliation for her mother, but in fact, she wasn't enduring humiliation for her mother, she was actually a pervert who wanted to experience the feeling of being bullied, so there's no reason to talk about neurosis, she just does whatever she wants.

  Sun Shu thought that Jin Fenghua was a sincere and responsible young man. If it were someone else, they would not have mentioned their illegitimate status when no one around them understood the situation. After all, being born out of wedlock is only slightly better than being a slave. Since Jin Fenghua brought it up, he probably wanted Sun Shu to find him a cheaper house. The girl by Jin Fenghua's side was likely given to him by his stepmother, so they could live together without getting married first. By bringing this up, Sun Shu estimated that Jin Fenghua also wanted to give their neighbors advance notice, lest they suspect the two had eloped and ruin the girl's reputation.

  It can't be helped, older people tend to overthink things. In reality, Jin Fenghua simply didn't care and thought it was no big deal. After all, the longer you live together, who doesn't know each other? Now that he's spoken up first, it saves those boring people from trying to pry.

  "Don't worry, I'll take care of this. I have three courtyards with three entrances here, and tomorrow morning I'll take you to see them. If you like it, just let me know, and Uncle Sun guarantees he won't cheat you." Uncle Sun, who was taken in by Jin Fenghua's words, magnanimously took on the task and even enthusiastically told them where to buy furniture and daily necessities at a lower price.

  Having settled the matter, Jin Fenghua returned to the inn with a great mood, wearing his immortal clothes. He suddenly felt that this kind of life was truly wonderful and exciting, just like someone who had always lived in a foul smell and suddenly escaped, taking their first breath of fresh air.