Villages nowadays lack planning; people build houses as they please, finding an empty spot and building if it feels right.
Consequently, the houses in the village are haphazardly arranged, neither neat nor aesthetically pleasing, with no discernible pattern.
Many alleyways are winding and crooked, with only the main road through the village being relatively straight.
Of course, appearance isn't important, and besides, he currently lacks the means to rectify such matters.
He needs to focus on finding a plot of land to build himself a decent courtyard.
His current residence is on the outskirts of the village, so if he were to build again, it would be better to do so further inside. This would also provide Cui Hongyu and Qiao'er with a greater sense of security.
After much deliberation, Chen Xiaobei thought of a place. With this idea, he quickly went to find Li Dong.
Li Dong listened to his thoughts and pondered for a while. "Alas, Riverhead Village may not be large, but if you want to move further in, it's truly hard to find a spot."
Chen Xiaobei smiled slightly. "Isn't the area in front of our ancestor's old house vacant? What if I cleared that out?"
Upon hearing this, Li Dong immediately shook his head and gestured. "No, no, that place is absolutely out of the question."
"Why not? No one lives there, do they?"
Li Dong sighed. "No one lives there, that's true. But don't you remember? The family that used to live there had a single heir for three generations, and later they had no children. When they passed away, the house was abandoned. That place is unlucky, very unlucky, and extremely inauspicious."
Chen Xiaobei burst into laughter, thinking to himself, what am I afraid of now?
Having transmigrated to such a poor place, how could he afford to be concerned about such things?
"It's fine, it's fine, it's settled. Later, you can bring people to clear it out and build the house as soon as possible. Oh, and I'll pay you for the labor and materials later."
As they were speaking, Chen Xiaowen returned with Yang Zhi.
Upon seeing Chen Xiaobei, Yang Zhi again offered his thanks. "Brother Xiaobei, thank you so much. That place is very spacious; it's perfect for our large group to live there."
"Also, could you help find some craftsmen to build a few houses for us as soon as possible?"
Chen Xiaobei glanced at Li Dong.
Li Dong immediately smiled and said, "Brother Yang, you've come to the right person. Summer is the slack season for farming, and there's plenty of labor in the village. Don't worry, I'll have the houses built for you in less than half a month!"
Yang Zhi took out a banknote from his sleeve; it was for five hundred taels.
"Take this money first. Use good materials, and don't be stingy with the wages; make sure to hire the best craftsmen."
Li Dong was a little taken aback. Five hundred taels! That's enough to build a huge courtyard!
Seeing Li Dong's surprise, Yang Zhi thought the money was insufficient and reached for more, but Li Dong stopped him. "Brother Yang, perhaps you could first have someone tell me where we're building and how large it will be, and then we can discuss whether this amount is enough."
Only then did Yang Zhi sheepishly pat his forehead. "Ah, look at me, I was so anxious that I forgot all these details. Let's go now."
Just as Yang Zhi was heading to the four mu of land with Li Dong and Chen Xiaowen.
Da Lao Hei, with Yang Chun, appeared in Xiaozhen Town.
The two arrived at a solitary courtyard by the roadside.
Yang Chun stepped forward and gently knocked on the door knocker.
After a moment, with a creak, the door opened halfway. Xiao Cui peeked out and looked at Yang Chun.
"Oh, isn't this Brother Yang Chun? Please, come in quickly."
Yang Chun didn't enter but stepped aside. Only then did Xiao Cui look up and see Da Lao Hei smiling at her from a distance.
"Oh, the Great Village Chief is here! My apologies, please come in."
Saying this, Xiao Cui stepped forward and took the reins from Da Lao Hei.
Da Lao Hei laughed heartily and reached out to pinch Xiao Cui's cheek.
Xiao Cui showed no sign of annoyance, only saying in a low voice, "The buyer has arrived and is in the main hall. You two may go in."
Da Lao Hei nodded and walked in with Yang Chun, entering the courtyard one after the other.
Arriving in front of the main hall, Da Lao Hei raised his hand and knocked twice on the door.
"Come in." A pleasant female voice answered from inside.
Hearing this, Da Lao Hei's brow twitched.
He gently pushed open the door. The room was dimly lit. After a moment of adjustment, he could see a woman sitting on the main seat.
Yes, she could only be described as a woman, for her face was covered with a white veil, making it impossible to see her features and thus her age. The only thing visible was perhaps a good figure.
Da Lao Hei chuckled and, without pleasantries, sat down on a guest seat.
"Do you have the item?" the woman asked directly.
Da Lao Hei raised his hand, and Yang Chun carefully took out a piece of oxhide, no bigger than his palm, from his embrace.
Da Lao Hei took it, held it in his palm, and slowly placed it on the table, then pushed it towards the woman. "Please, examine it."
The woman picked up the oxhide, looked at it closely, and then looked at Da Lao Hei with surprise. "Why is it so small? It's not a complete drawing, is it?"
Da Lao Hei smiled faintly. "Lotus Cult Leader has sharp eyes. This is only a section from the entrance of the mountain. Please go and verify the goods first."
The Lotus Cult Leader suddenly let out a peal of laughter.
Her laughter was high-pitched and powerful, causing dust to fall from the roof beams.
She was a completely different person from her seemingly gentle demeanor just moments ago.
"Since you know my identity, I assume you wouldn't lie to me."
As she spoke, the Lotus Cult Leader took a banknote from her sleeve and placed it on the table.
Five thousand taels of silver.
Seeing this amount, Da Lao Hei's mouth nearly watered.
If Chen Xiaobei knew, he would probably regret it to his core.
He had entered Green Ox Mountain, reached the summit, and endured hardship and suffering.
But Da Lao Hei, by simply drawing a map, could earn five thousand taels, while he got nothing.
Da Lao Hei put away the banknote and then, unhurriedly, took out a folded piece of oxhide from his embrace.
He gently pushed the oxhide towards the Lotus Cult Leader and said, "Forgive my presumption, but may I ask what use you have for this map, Cult Leader?"
The Lotus Cult Leader smiled faintly. "Since you know you're being presumptuous, you shouldn't have asked."
Alright, Da Lao Hei gave an awkward smile, stood up, and cupped his fists towards the woman. "In that case, we shall meet again."
As soon as Da Lao Hei and Yang Chun left, Xiao Cui walked in.
Xiao Cui bowed to the Lotus Cult Leader. "Cult Leader, the matter is concluded. Can I leave now?"
The Lotus Cult Leader shook her head. "You cannot leave yet. No one knows your true identity at the moment. People of all sorts will come here to trade information. This is a channel for us to monitor the movements of the Imperial Advisor Sun Yuliang and the Crown Prince."
Xiao Cui paused for a moment and bowed slightly. "Your subordinate understands. I was not considerate enough."
"You don't need to blame yourself; you've done very well. By the way, before I came, the Princess specifically instructed me to find a way to instigate conflict between the Crown Prince and the Imperial Advisor. This way, the Princess can make her move amidst the chaos."