Bo Xi began shopping, moving from store to store and buying what she needed.
Many shops even offered delivery services, so she simply gave them the address of her new house.
Furniture, clothing, daily necessities—she bought quite a lot.
As she walked around, she noticed something.
Most of the workers were women. Men were never alone; they were always accompanied by family members or someone familiar.
She bought wheat flour, rice, beans, spices, and lard.
Cooking, however, was her biggest problem.
She had never been a good cook. Anything she made was barely edible.
Fortunately, she wasn't picky. As long as the food was safe and technically edible, she could manage.
She also bought a few steamed buns to eat that evening.
After checking her list and feeling she had bought everything she needed, she headed toward Han Village.
Villages in this world were usually named after the surname of the first family that settled there. Naturally, most people in the village shared that surname.
Han Village, accordingly, was full of people with the surname Han, including the village chief.
From the map she had seen, it was a good place—there was a river, a pond, and a nearby mountain where people could hunt or gather wild vegetables and herbs. Unfortunately, she didn't know anything about wild plants yet.
'I still need to register for the exam. There are three months left before registration closes, and the exam is next year. It's only the second month now, so I still have plenty of time', Bo Xi reminded herself as she drove the carriage.
Just thinking about all the books in her carriage gave her a headache.
She finally saw the entrance to the village. A few children were playing nearby and stared at her carriage with curiosity.
Driving in, she immediately spotted her new house; it was the only one built with blue bricks.
She stopped the carriage in front of it and stepped into the courtyard.
An old woman came over to greet her.
"You must be the one who bought the house, Miss Bo Xi? I'm the village chief, Han Wei," she introduced herself.
"Yes, Village Chief. I'm new here, so I'll be in your care." Bo Xi bowed slightly out of respect.
"Alright, alright." The village chief smiled warmly.
"It's done, Village Chief," a woman called out as she approached. She was tall but extremely thin. Behind her stood two men—one her husband, the other her son.
The woman was thin, but her husband looked even thinner and exhausted. Their son had a poor complexion and was almost skin and bone.
"This is Bo Xi, the new owner of the house and our new fellow villager," the village chief introduced.
"Hello, ma'am. Thank you for your hard work," Bo Xi said, handing the woman the copper coins she had promised.
"No need to thank me. We're fellow villagers now," the woman replied with a smile as she accepted the payment.
Bo Xi noticed several carts arriving—her clothes and furniture deliveries.
The woman leading the group approached her."Miss Bo Xi, your items are here. You may check them. Where should we unload?"
"Just put them in the yard for now. I'll arrange everything later," Bo Xi said.
"There are so many things. Do you need help?" the village chief asked, surprised, as she helped direct the workers.
"No need. I'll sort it out slowly," Bo Xi replied with a small smile.
"By the way," the village chief asked curiously, "I heard you're a scholar. Where is your family? Will they be joining you later?"
"Yes, I passed the first exam. I'm preparing for the provincial exam now. As for my family… I don't have any. My mother passed away, and she wanted me to move and continue studying." Bo Xi lowered her gaze slightly.
"That's unfortunate," the village chief said sympathetically.
"Sister Han, it's time for the next shift!" someone called from a distance.
"Chief Han, Miss Bo Xi, we'll head home now," the thin woman said before leaving with her husband and son.
The village chief sighed. "She's had a hard life. Being the eldest daughter didn't matter; her parents favored the younger ones and gave her only a small piece of land. They moved in with her youngest sibling a month ago. Her second son—the one you saw—is nineteen. His name is Han Fei. I pity him. His family only has one daughter. The two sons barely get enough to eat."
Bo Xi didn't respond; she simply listened.
"Well, it's getting late. I should head home. We can talk again tomorrow," the village chief said, waving as she walked away.
After a while, the delivery workers finished and left.
Finally, Bo Xi stood alone in her new house.