Chapter 23: They Seem Like Sycophants

Seeing the young girl's unwavering determination to acquire that piece of wasteland, the village chief furrowed his brows. He had previously been desperate to offload that barren plot, but now that this young girl actually wanted to buy it, he felt a twinge of reluctance to deceive her.

"Are you certain? If you find later on that the land cannot grow anything or the harvest is poor, you cannot come looking for me!"

"Rest assured, Village Chief. I will never come looking for you! You have already told me all the downsides, and it is I who insist on buying that land. It has nothing to do with you!"

"Very well!" the village chief replied. "Wait here for me!"

The village chief rose and headed straight for the back room. When he returned, he was holding a box.

"The previous owner entrusted these documents to me before leaving, asking me to help sell the land. If you want it now, I can process the transfer for you immediately!"

Once the village chief had laid the items on the table, he explained that the paperwork had already been processed at the magistrate's office in advance. All that remained was to fill in Luo Yunhe's name and for the village chief to affix his official seal.

Luo Yunhe had not expected to obtain the wasteland so easily, but she still did not know the cost.

"Village Chief, how much?" Luo Yunhe asked.

The village chief smiled. "It's not expensive. Because the land is of poor quality, the price is quite low—five taels of silver will suffice!"

Hearing this, Luo Yunhe silently calculated in her mind. Just how much were five taels of silver? She was unfamiliar with the local currency conversion. It seemed she would have to ask Su Jingxuan about it tonight; otherwise, she would never understand how the money was valued.

With that thought, she reached into her tunic, took out the small cloth pouch containing all the money she had received that morning from selling herself to the Su family, and placed it before the village chief.

The village chief looked at the money, surprised, and asked, "Miss, are you sure you want to buy it? Once I sign this, there is no turning back!"

Luo Yunhe nodded. "Yes, please proceed with the transfer, Village Chief."

After a moment of silence, the village chief began to count the money carefully. He extracted five pieces of silver, returned the remaining small change to Luo Yunhe, and said, "This is enough!"

Luo Yunhe was slightly taken aback, then smiled and said, "Thank you, Village Chief."

The village chief shook his head with a smile, quickly filled in Luo Yunhe's name on the document, stamped it with his official seal, and handed the deed to her.

Although it was written in traditional characters, Luo Yunhe scrutinized it carefully. As a descendant of the Chinese people, even with traditional script, she could guess most of the meaning through context.

"Village Chief, is it really this large?"

"Yes, it is a full three mu of land." Luo Yunhe was astonished. If calculated in square meters, that would be roughly two thousand square meters.

"Yes, though the land isn't great, it is quite spacious!"

Luo Yunhe felt a surge of joy. She hadn't expected to buy two thousand square meters of land for only five taels of silver. She thought to herself: if this were the 21st century, owning two thousand square meters of land would make her a tycoon!

She was flushed with excitement, her hands tightly balled into fists. She asked eagerly, "Then, can I build a house there in the future?"

The village chief answered with a smile, "Once you have bought the land, it is yours. Whether you want to farm it or build a house on it is entirely up to you."

Luo Yunhe’s heart was filled with joy and gratitude. She had the Su Chen matriarch and Su Ruyi to thank for this. If they hadn't been busy trying to sell her off, she never would have received so much money early this morning. And without that money, she never could have afforded this land!

She tucked the deed into her tunic as if it were a precious treasure.

Luo Yunhe left the village chief's house, her mood as vibrant as a spring flower. However, the moment she stepped out of the door, she found the men who had brought her there still waiting.

The smile on her face froze, replaced by shock and embarrassment. She stared at these familiar yet strange faces, unsure of how to face them.

This awkwardness was unbearable!

"Heh... you, you're still here?" Luo Yunhe asked, forcing herself to greet them.

"Miss, are you finished with your business?"

"Yes, yes, I'm all done!"

"Is there anything else you need help with? Or somewhere else you need to go? We can help you!"

"That's right, we have nothing else to do..."

A group of men stared at Luo Yunhe, their eyes shining with intense focus.

"Ha!!!" Luo Yunhe gave an awkward laugh. "Don't you have to work in the fields?"

"No!"

"We're done!"

The men shook their heads.

Luo Yunhe thought, *What the hell?* They had all come out early in the morning carrying hoes, clearly intending to go to the fields.

"Well, I'm going home now! You all should get back to whatever it is you need to do!"

"We'll see you home!" The men’s spirits suddenly lifted, and they made a move as if to escort her.

*Gossip is terrifying, and I want no part of it! Could you please stop? Just leave! I admit I'm pretty, but that doesn't mean you have to follow me around like desperate puppies.*

Luo Yunhe vented in her mind, though she maintained a polite smile on her face.

"Well, you guys..."

"Oh, wonderful! Li Dakui, I sent you to the fields early this morning, and you come here looking for death!"

"Yang Dashan..."

"Xu Cai..."

"Wu..."

Several sudden, furious roars erupted. The men, who had been enjoying the sight of the beautiful young girl, flinched at the sounds. They turned their heads to see several women charging toward them in a rage.

Seeing this, Luo Yunhe’s eyes widened, and she instinctively stepped back to distance herself from the men.

As the women reached them, each one reached out and twisted her husband's ear. The men grimaced in pain and immediately began to beg for mercy.

"Ouch, go easy, go easy!"

"Wife, I was wrong!"

"I won't ever do it again!"

The scene descended into chaos as the men were dragged away by their ears, their pleas for mercy filling the air. The men who had been surrounding Luo Yunhe cast glances of embarrassment and helplessness in her direction.

"How dare you! Leaving the chores at home undone just to come here and stare at a young girl? What, do you think I'm dead?"

"I’ve been working myself to the bone at home, and you’re out here ogling other women? Are you looking to die?"

After the women finished berating their husbands with all their might, they turned their gaze toward Luo Yunhe, glaring at her with pure hostility.