Chapter 29: Site Selection

  When Ye Baiji arrived at Qi Zhener's house, the smile on her mouth couldn't be stopped, and she laughed for a long time before barely stopping. She said to Qi Zhener: "Zhener, you didn't see her face, it was as black as coal! I'm dead from laughing, I've never seen her like that before, it's so relieving!"

  Ye Baiji smiled enough, only to find that Qi Zhener's face was also sinking, and she hadn't responded to her for so long. She carefully asked: "Zhener, are you unhappy? Are you angry with me for not helping you just now? Actually I...

  Ye Baiji was interrupted by Qi Zhen'er before she could finish speaking, "Sister Baiji, I'm not angry with you. I'm just angry with myself." Her voice sank lower, "If I were as strong-willed as you, maybe my brother and I wouldn't have been forced to this point either." She then burst into tears.

  Ye Bai Zhi hugged her and comforted, "Zhen Er, don't say that, you're great, really good. Look at how well you take care of Hu Zi, so obedient and sensible. Unlike me, my own sister is closer to others, and when she sees me, it's like seeing an enemy."

  Qī Zhēnér was comforted by these words and couldn't help but laugh. "You know too. When I first woke up, that gentle-looking girl who looked like a painting, how did she turn into this shrew in the past two days? I don't want her." She pulled on Yè Bái zhǐ's sleeve and exclaimed: "Return to me that elegant and lovely young lady!"

  Ye Baiji slapped her and scolded, "You little dead girl, you're still smiling at your sister. Let me tell you, that gentle and lovely young lady is just an illusion of yours, from start to finish, there's only this wild and unruly older sister."

  Qī Zhēn'ér listened to Yè Bái Jí's words, which were firm but also heartbreaking. Sūn Shì was such a gentle person; if she didn't have any difficulties, how could Yè Bái Jí's temperament be so unruly and not follow her mother's example?

  After laughing for a while, Ye Baiji sat on the edge of the bed and sighed: "No wonder you wanted to move out. Ye Baiji has been strong-willed since childhood, she will get what she wants no matter how hard she tries. In fact, it's good that you moved out, so you don't have to suffer from their temper."

  "Hey, Zhen Er, did you guess it was going to be like this all along, that's why you wanted to move away?" Ye Bai thought of Qi Zhen Er's extraordinary intelligence, perhaps she had known about this situation long ago.

  Qī Zhēn'er smiled silently and didn't say a word, neither denying nor admitting it.

  "No way, I'll go ask Grandfather right now. You can choose a place early and leave here early too." Ye Baiji said as she was about to get up.

  Qī Zhēnér smiled and said: "How can it be as exaggerated as you say? It sounds like your home is a den of dragons and tigers. You don't want me to live here, do you? Are you trying to drive me away?"

  Ye Baiji glared at her, "You little fool, don't you know how much your sister cares about you? Am I not doing this for your own good?"

  Turning around, he muttered: "Isn't a place where Ye Lao San and his family are just a dragon's lair?"

  Because Ye Baiji's voice was low, Qi Zhen'er didn't hear it. She covered Hu Zi with a quilt and let him take a nap, pulling Ye Baiji along the way: "I'll go ask with you."

  Ye Lao Yezi is a well-known doctor in the village, with good medical skills and low fees. He has some reputation in nearby villages. Many people come to see him for treatment.

  In order to facilitate this, he opened another door next to the stairs on the upper floor, so that people could come to see him without disturbing the family members who used the main entrance.

  Ye Baiji and Qi Zhen'er didn't see Old Master Ye in the upper house, so they knew he was in the clinic. When they arrived, Old Master Ye was taking a patient's pulse, Ye Baiji sensibly waited behind the door, and after sending away the patient, she took advantage of the gap to take Qi Zhen'er out.

  "How did you get here?" Ye Lao asked while putting things away. The clinic had all sorts of people coming and going every day, and Ye Lao had once made it clear that except for adult men, family members were not allowed to come over casually.

  But Ye Lao didn't blame them, knowing that they must have had a reason to come find her. Moreover, Ye Bai Zhi told him about what happened at the market today, and he also thought that Qi Zhen Er was a clever little girl who wouldn't be so reckless and lacking in judgment.

  Ye Baiji looked at Qi Zhener and said: "Grandpa, does Zhener want to move out and live on her own?"

  "Oh?" Old Master Ye was puzzled for a moment, then suddenly understood and asked, "Why isn't Zhen'er living here anymore? Did someone say something?" As for the temper of each person in the family, Old Master Ye still had a good grasp of it. He was sure that someone must have said something, so Zhen'er decided to move out.

  Qī Zhēn ér shook her head repeatedly and said: "No, Grandpa. Everyone at home is very good to me."

  Ye Baiji also said: "Zhen'er wants to settle in our village. Grandfather, is there any way?"

  Ye Lao said: "Zhen Er, do you have a household registration document?"

  Qizhen still shook her head.

  Ye Lao Yezi looked at them for a moment, pondered for a while, and said: "Without household registration documents, this matter is not easy to handle."

  "Grandpa, think of a way, okay? Zhen'er's little brother is so pitiful." Ye Baiji begged.

  Ye Lao Yezi sighed and said, "Bai Zhu, Zhen Er, it's not that Grandpa doesn't want to help you, but without a household registration certificate, we can't prove your identities as siblings, and the village can't help you with your household registration either. You know that, right? Grandpa can't help you either... unless..."

  "What's wrong?" Qizhen and Ye Baiji asked hastily.

  "Unless everyone in the village agrees to your household registration and there is someone who can prove your identity."

  Qī Zhēnér felt disheartened, the people who could prove her identity were in Qíjiā Zhuāng. If those people could come and prove her identity, then why would she still risk her life to escape with her brother?

  Ye Lao Ye Zi and Ye Bai Zhi also looked regretful.

  "If I don't register as a resident in the village, can I still live here?" Qizhen'er asked, compromising. She really liked this place and felt warmth from the relationship with Ye Lao and Ye Baiju mother and daughter, she didn't want to leave here.

  "You can live here, there are also some outsiders in the village," said Old Ye, "it's just that you won't be allocated any land, but then again, you won't have to pay taxes either."

  Is that a black household? Zhen'er's heart darkened upon hearing this, but she quickly regained her spirits and asked: "Then can I open up wasteland?" She had heard before when she was at the Qi manor that wasteland could also be used to grow crops, it's just that the harvests were poor for the first few years and required a lot of effort.

  "Wasteland?" Old Ye pondered, "Reclaiming wasteland is possible. The imperial court encourages reclamation, and some families in the village with little land have also reclaimed wasteland, but the output isn't great. So there are still very few people reclaiming wasteland; if you want to reclaim it, no one should stop you."

  Zi Zhen'er finally put her mind at ease and smiled upon hearing this. "Then I'll prepare to find a place to build a thatched hut first, and later open up the wasteland to plant crops."

  Building and thatching are different, although they differ by only one word, the houses built are quite different. The thatched hut made of straw does not have a door, and all four sides are made of straw and bamboo strips, with very low resistance to wind, rain and snow. As for the thatched house, it is more particular, the wall is made of straw mixed with grass mud, the straw is also very thick in three layers, there is a door and window, and there is also a beam, similar to a real house.

  There was a wasteland that made her so happy, this little girl didn't know if she really didn't know what a wasteland was or if she was just easily satisfied. However, Old Man Ye also understood her meaning and nodded in approval after a moment of contemplation: "Jian'er has thought this through."

  Ye Baiji hurriedly pulled Ye Lao and asked: "Grandpa, is there a suitable place near our home to build a house for Zhen'er?"

  Ye Lao Yezi thought for a moment and said, "I remember that the front half of the medical building is all wasteland." He stood at the door and pointed to the distance, saying: "It's just by that small stream, it's all wasteland, with many stones, not good for farming, and nobody likes that place. Look, you can see it from here. If Zhen'er wants to build a house, that place will do. If you really move in, I can still keep an eye on the door for you."

  Ye Baiji and Qi Zhen'er both heard it with joy.

  Ye Bai pulled Zi Zhen'er and said: "Let's go take a look."