The Farm Girl and the Executioner (Rebirth) 81

Chapter 81: The New House

The midday sun was scorching.

The valley was surrounded by mountains on three sides, and the mountains were full of trees. The surroundings were filled with the sounds of insects and birds, especially the cicadas, which were a bit noisy. But this noise made the surroundings seem very quiet.

After Lin Shuang and Jiang Huaizhen had been affectionate at the door for a while, they went back to their room to rest, holding hands.

Perhaps because of Wang Chun’er’s arrival, Lin Shuang had felt a little uneasy, and she had not slept well at noon. She had dreamed of her past life at the Qin residence and had woken up covered in sweat.

Jiang Huaizhen had also woken up. Seeing her sweaty neck, she took a handkerchief and wiped it for her, then fanned her with a fan. “Is it very hot? Is it because the two of us are together that it’s so hot—”

Lin Shuang glanced at her. “Are you thinking of sleeping separately from me? I remember I said that young couples can’t sleep in separate beds.”

Jiang Huaizhen suddenly smiled. “You also told me to get another bed.”

Lin Shuang glared at her. “Didn’t you say before that you wanted to be sisters?”

Only then did Jiang Huaizhen realize that she had shot herself in the foot. But she didn’t argue and reached out to brush away her sweaty hair, wiping the sweat from her forehead.

Lin Shuang snorted and didn’t argue with her anymore.

The sun was hot at noon, so the work in the fields had to be put aside for now. After the two of them got up, they washed their faces, and Jiang Huaizhen went to work on the house next door.

Lin Shuang had nothing to do, so she cut the two bolts of cloth that Mrs. Xue had sent, planning to make clothes for the family of four.

Before she had been busy for a while, the sound of horse hooves came from outside, from far to near.

Hearing the cheerful and yet coquettish voice, it was Hu Guiying.

After entering the door, her mouth was very sweet as she greeted the old woman and gave Ping’er a few pieces of candy. Only then did she go to the east room to find Jiang Huaizhen.

Jiang Huaizhen was laying the foundation. She was not in a hurry and would do a little every day, as much as she could. When the sun was strong, she would work in the shade, not letting herself get sunburned.

Hearing the footsteps, she looked up, and a few strands of wet hair were stuck to the side of her porcelain-white neck.

She clapped the mud from her hands and asked, “Why are you here? Are you on leave today?”

“What leave?” Skipping work every few days was already a common occurrence for Hu Guiying.

“Didn’t you say you wanted to buy a house? As soon as you left yesterday, I asked a broker to help me keep an eye out. Today, someone came and told me that there’s a two-courtyard house that’s not bad, and it’s not very far from my place. The house is very good. If you want it, you have to hurry, so it’s not snatched up by someone else.”

Jiang Huaizhen wiped the sweat from her neck. “You can go and tell Lin Shuang.”

“What? Aren’t you two a couple? What’s the difference between telling you and telling her?” Hu Guiying said without thinking.

“What nonsense are you talking about?” Jiang Huaizhen was rarely a little embarrassed and annoyed. “I can’t make the decision on these things. You go and ask her.”

Hu Guiying clicked her tongue. “You really look like a spineless husband.”

“Hu! Gui! Ying!”

“Why are you so loud? My ears are not deaf. I can hear you.”

Jiang Huaizhen looked at her with a bad temper. “Are you looking for a beating? I’m a perfectly fine girl. What kind of husband am I?”

“Alright—” Hu Guiying took a few steps back. “So you’re the wife. I understand.”

With that, she stood up and ran into the house, not forgetting to say, “I’ll go and ask for instructions from your family’s head of the household!”

Jiang Huaizhen helplessly bent down and continued to work.

In the room, after hearing this news, Lin Shuang asked, “Is it really that good?”

“Of course it’s true,” Hu Guiying sat down on a stool by the bed and took a large gulp from the teacup next to her. “I’ve seen it myself. The house is very new. It hasn’t been built for long. Someone in the family got promoted and went to another province, so the courtyard was sold.”

“Then… should we go and take a look?” Lin Shuang looked at her.

“Let’s go. The broker said that at least three groups of people are going to see it tomorrow.”

Hearing this, Lin Shuang quickly put down her needle and thread. “I’ll go and tell Huaizhen to change her clothes. We’ll go to the city now to take a look.”

Hu Guiying followed her out of the room and asked, “Who’s in charge of the inside and who’s in charge of the outside now?”

Lin Shuang was stunned for a moment. “We discuss everything. It’s not absolute.”

“That’s good,” Hu Guiying said. “When are you getting married? Invite me to your wedding.”

Only then did Lin Shuang realize what she was saying. She tapped her on the head with the cattail fan in her hand. “If you like weddings so much, why don’t you have your own?”

“Me? No one wants me,” Hu Guiying said.

“If you want, your mother can arrange for you to meet ten or eight a day.”

Hu Guiying pouted. “It’s boring. I don’t like any of them. Maybe I’m destined to be single. Unlike you two, who are destined to save each other. A life-saving grace, repaid with your body—”

Lin Shuang’s scalp tingled, and she tapped her on the head again. “You’re so glib.”

When they got outside, she told Jiang Huaizhen about seeing the house.

Jiang Huaizhen hesitated. “Why don’t you just go? If it’s suitable, we can just decide. I’ve only been busy for a little while, and my clothes are dirty—”

Lin Shuang glared at her. “It’s a house we’re going to live in together. Why should I be the only one to see it? Hurry up and take a shower. Washing one more set of clothes won’t kill you.”

Jiang Huaizhen was helpless and had no choice but to put down her tools.

“You go and wash first. I’ll get some clothes for you.”

She then went directly to the bathhouse to get some water.

Hu Guiying followed behind the two of them, envious. “If I had such a considerate sister in my house, who would bicker with me all day and remind me to take a bath and eat, I would be so happy.”

Lin Shuang turned and glanced at her. “You’re not bad-looking. Go and find one.”

Hu Guiying smiled sheepishly. “Where can I find one? The heavens will have to assign one to me.”

“Didn’t you just say that a life-saving grace is repaid with your body? If you save a few more beauties, fate will come, won’t it?” Lin Shuang retorted, then turned and went back to her room to get Jiang Huaizhen’s clothes.

Having not gotten any good from her, Hu Guiying went to the main hall to play with Ping’er.

After Jiang Huaizhen had finished her bath, the three of them set off.

Ping’er had originally wanted to go with them, but this time, it was for business, so Lin Shuang didn’t let her.

Seeing the two of them riding on the same horse, one in front of the other, Hu Guiying rolled her eyes in front. “Aren’t you two hot, sticking together? It’s not like you don’t have money. Just buy another horse—”

“Shut up,” Jiang Huaizhen interrupted. “Otherwise, you can tell me where that house is, and we’ll find it ourselves.”

Hu Guiying shut up.

She rode her horse in front.

Lin Shuang sat behind, the fragrance of Jiang Huaizhen’s freshly bathed body in her nose, and she pursed her lips and smiled lightly.

They first went to the brokerage, then to the house.

The broker led the three of them through a bluestone alley. After walking for about thirty paces, a courtyard with gray tiles and white walls suddenly appeared at the corner. The two osmanthus trees in front of the door were in bloom, and the fine golden flowers had fallen all over the ground, their fragrance refreshing.

“This is it,” the broker took out a key, and the copper lock sprang open with a “click.”

Lin Shuang followed her inside, crossed the second door, and when she stepped over the threshold, she looked up.

The courtyard was more spacious than she had imagined. It was paved with green bricks. In the southeast corner, an old plum tree had gnarled branches. On the stone table and stools under the tree, there were still the teacups that the previous owner had not taken with them, as if someone would come at any moment to refill the half-empty cup of cold tea.

“There are three main rooms, and two side rooms on each side,” the broker introduced as they walked. “There’s also a small garden in the back, and there are still vegetables growing there…”

Hu Guiying nudged Jiang Huaizhen’s arm. “There’s even a vegetable garden. Grandma will definitely like it when she comes.”

“This family moved in a hurry,” the broker explained as they walked. “The old master was promoted to the vice magistrate of Lizhou, which is not in our province, and he was in a hurry to take up his post.”

“Huaizhen!” Lin Shuang called from in front. “Come and see this—”

Jiang Huaizhen walked in her direction and, when she reached the door of the main room, she saw that there was a heated kang built by the window in the inner room. The edge of the kang was polished smooth and shiny.

“I didn’t expect their family to have also built a heated kang. If we buy it, we won’t have to build one for Grandma.”

Hu Guiying immediately came over. “How is it? The East Market is the quietest area, and it’s not far from the market… I just saw that the drainage is also good…”

But Lin Shuang only stared at Jiang Huaizhen. “Do you like it?”

Hu Guiying’s teeth suddenly ached. “Who’s in charge here?”

Jiang Huaizhen turned to look at Hu Guiying. “How much is it?”

“One hundred taels,” Hu Guiying said. “My old uncle knows this family. They really left because of a promotion. It’s not some shady house.”

A two-courtyard house generally sold for between seventy and one hundred and fifty taels, depending on the location and the age of the house. This price was slightly higher than their planned range, but it was not unacceptable.

“Go and see if you can bargain?”

Hu Guiying turned and went.

The house was finally bought for ninety-five taels of silver. The next day, Lin Shuang and Jiang Huaizhen met with the owner, paid the silver, and then went to the yamen to transfer the ownership.

But when it was time to transfer the ownership, Jiang Huaizhen had requested that it be registered under Lin Shuang’s name.

Lin Shuang only found out about this when she got the deed. She gave her a deep, meaningful look, then boarded the carriage without saying a word.

Jiang Huaizhen drove the carriage and headed for the new house.

On the way, Lin Shuang didn’t say a word, which made her a little anxious. It wasn’t until they had entered the courtyard and closed the door that she took her hand and turned her around, not saying anything, just looking at her.

Lin Shuang was a little angry. “Do you really consider me a member of the family?”

Jiang Huaizhen: “From the moment you were registered, I have never treated you as an outsider.”

“Then how do you explain this deed?”

“Since we are a family, it’s the same no matter whose name it’s registered under,” Jiang Huaizhen said.

Lin Shuang turned her head in anger.

Seeing this, Jiang Huaizhen walked to the side she had turned to, faced her, and still said nothing.

Lin Shuang finally experienced what Old Madam Jiang had felt.

Jiang Huaizhen was a quiet person. If she had done something she was not supposed to, she would have this dead look, and when you confronted her, she would just follow you, not saying anything, until the other person gave in.

What could Lin Shuang do?

She had chosen this person, so she had to accept it.

“A two-courtyard house. I don’t know how long it will take us to clean it ourselves. Let’s go and hire a few people to come and clean it.”

She was so angry she was full. At this moment, she didn’t want to move at all.

Jiang Huaizhen secretly let out a sigh of relief and agreed. Then she went out.

Before long, she came in with four women holding rags and brooms.

These women were all diligent. After entering the door and asking where to go, they began to clean. Some cleaned the cobwebs and walls of the eaves, some wiped the furniture, some swept the floor, and some cleared the plants and weeds in the courtyard. They were very efficient.

Lin Shuang sat on a stone stool in the courtyard, her anger not yet subsided.

Jiang Huaizhen bought a new kettle and teacup from outside, boiled some water, soaked the kettle in cold water to cool it down, and brought it to her to cool her down.

Lin Shuang drank a mouthful of water and was served by a beauty. Her anger slowly subsided.

But she still didn’t give her a good look.

By the first quarter of the Hour of the You(Rooster-5 PM to 7 PM) in the evening, the courtyard was cleaned. After Jiang Huaizhen had paid the women, she and Lin Shuang locked the main door, left the city, and went back to Whitewater Village.