"This is the place, my wife, what do you think of it?" Gu Jinchen pointed to a spot for Luo Ge.
"It's relatively close to the road, so it's quite convenient to go to the town. And the school isn't far from there either, so our little ones won't have to travel far to attend in the future."
"This is a connected plot, around four to five acres in size, I reckon. We can build a nice big house on it."
They were thinking of constructing a spacious manor with a large courtyard. Having more space would make everything more comfortable and convenient, like drying goods.
Then they could allocate a section to set up a workshop next to the house, which would also be handy.
Years down the line, a hundred years later even, this manor could house their descendants or serve as the ancestral home.
In their era, people valued having roots in their hometowns.
"The plot does seem quite sizeable," Luo Ge nodded as she spoke, "How much silver did the village chief say this land costs?"
The location was indeed excellent - spacious, conveniently located, and separate from the other villagers' homes with a mountain behind it.
Being able to have their own independent compound was something she truly appreciated.
"This being mountain land, it's cheaper than the fertile fields, costing 7 taels of silver per acre."
"The vacant plot at the village end, next to our current courtyard, is about four acres too, all mountain land at the same price."
"Then let's go with the one at the village end. We can incorporate our current courtyard when we expand, so it'll be just as big."
Hearing his suggestion, there was no need to hesitate - of course she would choose the plot next to their current home.
They were already settled in and familiar with the neighbors, no need to relocate.
Moreover, she felt that living at the village end without any disturbances would be quite pleasant.
"Alright, I'll go see the village chief later to purchase that land."
Gu Jinchen had already guessed that Luo Ge would most likely prefer the village end plot, but this plot near the village entrance wasn't bad either, so he wanted to show it to her anyway.
"Sounds good."
After viewing the residential plots, the family went to take a look at the village school.
This school was converted from the old Gu Family's clan house, with the Gu Family's Ancestral Hall right next door.
"Is anyone here?" Luo Ge called out.
According to the villagers, the school term was starting in a couple of days, so classes would commence soon.
She brought her two little ones along, intending to enroll them at the same time.
But the courtyard seemed deserted and silent now.
Had they come too late?
"Here to enroll?" An elderly man emerged from the inner courtyard, giving the two children a brief look.
Noticing his gaze, the two youngsters instinctively tightened their grip on Luo Ge's hands, seeming a bit nervous.
They had heard from Tie Dan that this old master had very strict criteria for selecting students, even requiring examinations.
Tie Dan had almost failed to gain admission, so seeing the old master now made them worried about not being accepted themselves.
Luo Ge patted their heads reassuringly, "Don't worry, auntie is here with you. No need to be nervous, just think of this as getting to know the uncle."
Seeing the children nod, she turned to Gu Jinchen, "Let's go."
The group followed the old master into the rear courtyard.
She had inquired about him - this elderly gentleman was a renowned scholar who had returned from a prestigious Academy in the Capital city, having experienced some unspecified incident there, though not any misfortune or trouble per se.
