"Ahuan!"
Qi Huan looked towards the source of the voice and saw Lu Yueming, dressed in a fiery red robe, fluttering gracefully to her side, like an agile butterfly.
"Ahuan, are you alright?... I heard the chatter of the market women and immediately gathered people to hurry over here."
Lu Yueming then looked puzzled at the fleeing crowd and asked curiously, "Weren't they shouting to burn you? How did they leave so easily?"
"It has been explained. Yueming, thank you for specially coming to support me."
"Why be so formal? We are good sisters, I won't stand by when you're in trouble... But how did such a ridiculous rumor suddenly spread?"
This was also Qi Huan's question.
Back home, she took out a sheet of white paper and spread it on the table, writing down the names of the people she had offended.
Shopkeeper Chen was still locked up.
Rong Xue had already committed suicide by hitting the wall.
Lady Mei? ...She's still alive and well for now. Could it be her?
Qi Huan drew a question mark next to 'Lady Mei', frowning in thought, when suddenly her right hand was grasped.
Turning her head, she saw Li Shuchen had silently sat down beside her, guiding her brush-wielding hand towards Rong Xue's name.
"It's related to her."
"But didn't she already die?"
"Her father is still alive." Li Shuchen told her the investigation results just reported by Yan Jiu: "The killer from yesterday was also sent by Rong Hongsheng. This person is deeply scheming.
Rong Xue's wet nurse and the manager of the gambling house have been silenced by Yan Jiu, but he was still able to trace it back to you. First, he sent an assassin to ambush you, and when that failed, he hatched another plot. There may be more sinister schemes ahead.
So, I've had him assassinated directly."
Against absolute force, any plot or trick is useless.
His simple and straightforward approach made Qi Huan feel quite at ease.
She thought for a moment and planned, "Since we now know who the mastermind is, and he's already dead, there's no need to keep pressing County Magistrate Chen to interrogate Dong Geqiu. We can just pass judgment directly."
*
On the day of the trial.
Dong Geqiu was not flustered. Spreading rumors in Mozhou was not a serious crime, especially since he had the backing of the Rong family. Even if it was to keep him silent, the Rong family would easily smooth things over with the county office and gloss over the matter.
He lifted his head confidently, awaiting County Magistrate Chen to release him.
But he received ten resounding slaps instead.
County Magistrate Chen slammed the gavel and said sternly, "Dong Geqiu instigated rumors, attempting to force Qi Huan to her death. The evidence is conclusive. He is sentenced to ten slaps on the face, as a warning to others, to be carried out immediately."
The bailiffs followed the order, each holding one of Dong Geqiu's hands, while another stood in front of him and started slapping him left and right.
The sound of slapping echoed, and Qi Huan curled her lips in satisfaction. After watching the scene, she tugged on Li Shuchen's sleeve and walked out of the county office.
The April sky was a pristine blue, and the breeze had softened slightly. There were no towering skyscrapers lining the streets, only gray-tiled and brick houses. The prosperous families of Mozhou lived around the county office, and their homes were built with care.
Qi Huan looked around, her eyes full of anticipation. She stopped in her tracks and looked up at Li Shuchen: "Ashu, when the weather warms up, let's build a new house!
...Now we can start the preparation. First, let's go to the county office and buy a piece of land, then ask the Yunying Caravan to bring some bricks and tiles from Lingzhou. What do you think?"
Li Shuchen nodded in agreement.
They had just left the county office when they immediately turned back.
After asking the bailiff, they found Chief Clerk Liang and Qi Huan explained their purpose: "Chief Clerk Liang, we would like to buy a piece of land."
"How large an area do you need? Where are you planning to buy?" Chief Clerk Liang put down his teacup, sitting up straight in the armchair and carefully inquiring.
She thought for a moment and replied, "The size just needs to be enough to build a courtyard house, and it's best if it's in the south of the city."
The southern part of the city was sparsely populated and more secluded, which was convenient for managing the Qi family's cellar.
After understanding her requirements, Chief Clerk Liang carefully looked through the register and finally identified several suitable plots of land for her to choose from.
After comparing back and forth, Qi Huan was once again indecisive.
"Ashu, look at this one, it's close to where we live now. And this one, it's closer to the central city. I think they're both good, which one do you think is better?"
Unexpectedly, Li Shuchen simply handed her a hundred taels of silver and said casually, "Since you think they're both good, let's just buy them both."
"Oh. I was being too narrow-minded. There was a third option."
After a moment of thought, Qi Huan decided to take his advice. It's not ideal for the little ones to keep staying with the Yunying Caravan, so they might as well build an orphanage!
When poor, focus on self-improvement; when prosperous, help others.
Now that she had a small savings, she was fully capable of building an orphanage to provide shelter for these unfortunate children.
At this point, the system also sent a praising voice: "Hostess, this idea is good. The system is very pleased. You are the most kind-hearted hostess I've guided."
"A heart inclined towards goodness is the most precious priceless treasure."
"Since that's the case, are you willing to contribute more points for this kindness?"
"......" After a moment of silence, the system quietly raised its own volume: "The hostess is also the greediest I've guided!
But, considering that children are a vulnerable group, the system will double it for you. For every child you house in the orphanage, you will earn two points."
"Okay!"
So, Qi Huan readily bought these two plots of land, reserving one for their own residence and the other for the orphanage.
After paying the money, the deed was quickly processed. As a convict, she had no right to own property, so it had to remain in Li Shuchen's name.
"Ashu, when you become successful in the future, be sure to help me get a righteous household registration!"
Seeing the longing in her eyes, Li Shuchen gave a faint smile: "Of course."
Not only would he help her get a new household registration, but he would also have it entered into his family genealogy.
The two walked and talked, first going to the land to take a look, then buying some xuan paper from the stationery shop. On the way home, the sky was darkening, and the few pedestrians were all hurrying.
Under the cover of night, Li Shuchen quietly took her hand, then calmly explained, "It's dark and the path is slippery, holding hands will prevent you from falling."
Qi Huan lowered her eyes to look at the already clean stone road, then quickly looked up, pretending not to have noticed anything, smiling brightly in agreement: "Ashu is right!"
*
After dinner at home, Qi Huan took out the new xuan paper and prepared the ink and brush, and began to draw the blueprints for the new house and the orphanage.
She didn't have much design talent, relying solely on her preferences.
Both courtyard layouts were in the four-sided style, with a side room on each side of the main gate, which could be used to store miscellaneous items. The left side connected to three side rooms, to be used as living quarters. On the right side were a kitchen, a firewood room, and a bathroom.
The three main rooms facing south, with the middle one as the living room, and the rooms on the left and right as bedrooms.
This way, there would be five rooms in total, just right for the two of them to each have their own.
As for the latrine, it was placed in the back courtyard.
After roughly sketching the basic framework with a few strokes, Qi Huan began to consider the issues of house insulation and toilet hygiene.
