Lily Evans's Plan

All night long, Lily Evans lay awake, her mind spinning with plans to buy a house in the school district, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Honey, why are your eyes so bright?" Suddenly, Lucky reached over and gently touched Lily Evans's eyelids.

Lily Evans rolled over to face Lucky. "Lucky, tomorrow let's go into town and do some proper investigating. If what the village chief said about Phoenix Academy is true, we should act fast and buy up as many houses and shops near the academy site as we can! Once the academy is built, I’m sure Greenfield City will boom and become more prosperous because of it."

Lucky blinked, looking as if he was listening intently to Lily Evans.

Lily Evans didn’t care if he understood or not. She started counting on her fingers and rambled on, "Look, Lucky, if Phoenix Academy really is as good as the official schools in the capital, then all the big families in Greenfield City will send their kids there. Those young masters won’t be used to living in the academy—they’ll bring their attendants and servants, and they’ll need to live nearby. The best courtyards will be close to the academy, making it easy to go to and from school. Once the students gather, business will surely flourish, and the shops near Phoenix Academy will skyrocket in value. Restaurants, stationery stores, general stores—every kind of shop will open up. So if we buy property now, while the prices are still low, whether we rent or sell later, we’ll definitely make a huge profit!"

Lily Evans grew more excited as she spoke, her face animated. Lucky gazed at her adoringly, "You’re so smart, honey. You know everything. I wish I were half as clever as you."

Lily Evans laughed and poked Lucky’s chin. "You’re good-looking, and that’s enough. Who needs brains when you’re this handsome?"

He’s so handsome and easy on the eyes—I could look at him all day and never get tired!

Lucky’s eyes lit up at Lily Evans’s compliment, and he clung to her like a koala, his handsome face flushed. "You’re the most beautiful, honey!"

"Silly!" Lily Evans pinched his pretty cheek. "Go to sleep! We’ve got a lot to do in town tomorrow—need to register our household at the yamen and check out those school district houses."

Lucky snuggled up and burrowed into her arms. "I want to sleep with you holding me."

"...Alright, I’ll hold you." Lily Evans wrapped her arms around Lucky’s head and stroked him a few times. Instantly, her nose was filled with his unique, faint scent—fresh, pleasant, and comforting.

"Tell me a story, honey." Lucky pressed his face to Lily Evans’s chest, looking utterly content and speaking in a muffled voice.

Lily Evans burst out laughing. How could this man be just like a child? "Alright, alright, I’ll tell you a story. Once upon a time..."

===

The next morning, the two of them got up early, cheerful and eager, and headed into town. First stop: the yamen to register their household.

Now Lily Evans’s family of three officially had their own household, completely independent from the Evans family. No more worrying about relatives showing up to claim their fortune after they struck it rich—this was a huge relief for Lily Evans!

"From now on, you’re the head of the household, the man of the house, got it?" Lily Evans gave Lucky’s chest a playful pat.

Lucky puffed out his chest proudly. "Head of the house!"

Lily Evans thought to herself: In ancient times, information was hard to come by. As a farmer’s wife, it wasn’t easy to get the latest news. So why not go straight to Savory House and ask Mr. Baker about Phoenix Academy?

Mr. Baker greets so many powerful people from Greenfield City every day—he’s sure to know some insider news.