Something Wasn't Right

She wiped away her tears with her sleeve, carefully tucking the cloth bag back into the closest place to her body, as if it were not ten Silver coin, but a ticket and a promise of a new life given to her by her son.

"Yes, Mom knows... Mom isn't sad anymore... not sad anymore..." she murmured, repeating herself as if trying to convince herself.

At this moment, Sarah, the younger sister who had been sitting quietly on the small stool next to them, watching her brother and mother with wide eyes, finally couldn't hold back anymore.

She jumped up, ran to Tommy's side, tugged at her brother's clothes with her little hand, tilted her head up, and asked in a clear voice with the unique curiosity and excitement of a child towards the unknown world, "Tommy! Tommy! Is Carnford fun? Are there big houses there? Is there sweet honey to eat? Are there many soldiers as strong as your brother?"

Looking at his younger sister's innocent and expectant face, Tommy felt much of the gloom in his heart dissipate.

He bent down, touched his sister's dry but neatly combed hair, and a warm smile appeared on his face, "Silly girl, Carnford isn't for playing around; it's our new home."

"We might not have a house right now, but I promise you'll have a big, warm house someday! As for honey..." He thought for a moment, "I'll work hard to earn money and buy it for you later!"

"There are many people working hard to build their homes there, and many soldiers protecting everyone. Okay, stop asking questions and hurry up and eat! After you finish eating, help Mom pack your things; we'll be leaving soon!"

"Yay!" Although Sarah didn't understand everything, she clapped her hands happily when she heard "new home" and "big house," and obediently ran back to the table to wait for dinner.

Meanwhile, in the most impressive Jialan Village, located in the center of the village, a house built of brick and stone with high walls and heavy wooden doors, Chief John was leisurely sitting in his warm, cozy study covered with animal skins.

What he was playing with in his hand were the land deeds and house deeds for Tommy's house, which he had just bought from Anna at a low price.

The rough parchment rubbed between his thick fingers, and an undisguised smug and greedy smile appeared on his face.

"Hmph, Tommy's dilapidated house..." he muttered to himself, his voice full of calculation. "Old Tommy was a capable man back then. To build those three mud-brick houses, he bought good timber for the beams and hired people to ram the earth and build the walls. It took him several years to build, and I heard it cost more than a hundred Silver coin."

"Although it's old now, the location is still decent. With a little repair, it can easily fetch thirty or fifty Silver coin. Hehe, that stupid woman Anna was in such a hurry to run away with her son that she sold it for ten Silver coin... What a lucrative deal!"

John was initially surprised by Tommy's sudden decision to sell the house, but he was quickly blinded by the huge profits and didn't think it through.

He had seen Tommy from afar in the village yesterday. The boy looked much stronger and more energetic than when he left home, wearing decent clothes and carrying a large bundle.

"Looks like he's made something of himself in that godforsaken place outside the Great Wall... This kid's got some luck." John curled his lip, unconvinced. "Want to take my mother and sister there to enjoy a life of luxury? Humph, it's better they're gone. They're no longer an eyesore in the village. This house and land are perfect for me."

He didn't suspect that there might be a bigger secret behind this, or rather, he didn't care about the lives or whereabouts of these poor people, as long as he could profit from it.

Just as John was admiring his "spoils of war" and contemplating whether to have them repaired and rented out or simply sell them, a servant's respectful voice came from outside the study. "Master, Mr. Edward is outside requesting an audience, saying he has important matters to report."

"Edward?" John raised an eyebrow.

Edward was another prominent gentry in Jialan Village, owning the second largest estate after him. The two often cooperated and competed, making him the second most important figure in the village.

What could be the reason for coming to see him at this time? He put away the property deed, straightened his posture, and cleared his throat. "Let him in."

Soon, the study door was pushed open, and a tall, thin man, around fifty years old, wearing an elegant dark wool coat and with a shrewd expression, walked in. It was Edward.

After he entered, he first bowed slightly to John, then his face showed a mixture of doubt and caution.

"Edward, what's the matter so late?" John gestured to the chair opposite him, indicating that he should sit down, his tone carrying the condescending air typical of a village chief.

Edward didn't sit down immediately. Instead, he stepped forward, took out a piece of parchment that was also quite old from his pocket, and presented it to John with both hands, his tone inquiring, "Village Chief John, I apologize for disturbing you."

"That's right, this afternoon, the hunter Lex's family... you know, the son of that Old Cripple Hansen, suddenly came to me and said they wanted to sell me their dilapidated hut and the small piece of land next to it."

"When asked where they were going, they hesitated and wouldn't say, only that they were moving out. I felt something was off about this, and I didn't dare to make a decision on my own, so I brought the property deed for your review and approval."

John frowned slightly upon hearing this, took the deed from Edward, glanced at it, and thought, "The Lex family? That penniless hunter? They're selling their house and moving too? What a coincidence, what a day filled with these kinds of things!"

The slight smugness he felt at having taken advantage of Tommy's family was replaced by a barely perceptible suspicion.

Tommy's family selling the house can be seen as their son coming to pick them up after making something of himself outside.

What about Lex's family? That lame old man and sickly old woman, plus a poor boy who spends all his time in the mountains—where could they possibly move to? And who would take them in?

He fiddled with the deed to the Lex family's house, his eyes gleaming, lost in thought.

Edward stood to the side, waiting quietly, his eyes filled with thought.

Both shrewd landlords sensed something unusual in these consecutive, unusual "house-selling events."

But they couldn't quite put their finger on what was unusual about it.

Greed led them to first consider whether they could do what John did with the Tommy family, buying them at a low price and making a huge profit; while their instinct to control the village over the years made them vaguely feel that something was quietly changing behind their backs.