The brigade leader furrowed his brow upon hearing that Luo Qiao wanted to involve the police, thinking to himself that since the Zhao Family's son's household registration had already been moved, even if Luo Qiao wasn't their daughter, the issue of her household registration being left behind wasn't a big deal.
Gao Suhua also feared that Luo Qiao might genuinely seek the police, and if other matters were dredged up in the process it wouldn't be good, so she chimed in, "Brigade leader, given that my Gui Bao's registration has been moved too, why not just help her leave it behind as well?"
The brigade leader also worried about the Zhao Family's affairs becoming public and becoming a joke to other villages, so he said, "Alright then, the Educated Youth courtyard is empty, you can stay there for now, but you can't stay for free."
Luo Qiao said, "I understand, the house is public property, I'll pay rent."
The brigade leader, seeing that Luo Qiao was young but sensible, felt much more comfortable and said, "Give me your proof of household registration transfer, and when I have time, I'll get your registration settled.
At the Educated Youth courtyard, you'll pay one yuan a month to the brigade. If you don't have money now, we can deduct it from the year-end bonus. You don't have any objections to that, do you?"
Luo Qiao replied, "No objections, thank you, brigade leader."
Wishing to minimize future disputes, Luo Qiao said, "Since that's the case, would you please write us a certificate, brigade leader? A document stating I have no ties with the Zhao Family. So, if the Luo and Zhao families bring this up again, there will be a certificate to refer to, saving everyone trouble."
Gao Suhua, eager to dissociate herself from Luo Qiao, not wanting to provide for her unconditionally, and fearing the Luo Family might cause trouble later, thought it sensible to have such a document. It would prove that Luo Qiao herself claimed she could earn her own work points and support herself so that she wouldn't blame the Zhao Family for any future misfortune.
Lu Yichen fetched paper and pen and drafted three copies of a certificate, roughly stating that Luo Qiao was not blood-related to the Zhao Family and that in the future they would lead separate lives without interfering with each other. Then the brigade leader, Lu Yichen, and several respected villagers signed as witnesses.
In the end, Luo Qiao, Gao Suhua, and Zhao Pulin, who had been silently following behind, also signed, affixed their fingerprints, and the matter was considered settled, with each relevant party and the brigade keeping a copy.
With the issue resolved, the brigade leader dismissed everyone, telling Luo Qiao, "You're still not fully recovered, so temporarily you can stay at Yichen's place. The Luo Family left ten yuan for you yesterday for your medical care.
The doctor's visit and medication cost three yuan, so here are seven yuan left for you to take; you'll need to purchase some things for when you move to the Educated Youth courtyard."
Luo Qiao took the money and thanked the brigade leader profusely.
At last, the issue was settled, and Luo Qiao was utterly exhausted.
Lu Yichen said, "You should rest for a while," and then went out with the brigade leader.
Once Lu Yichen and the brigade leader had left, Luo Qiao quickly lay down on the kang, her body too weak.
Lying on the kang and sorting through the events, she thought about possibly living in Qingshan Village for the next few years and couldn't help but sigh.
Recalling the place she'd dreamed of before, Luo Qiao wished she really had such a space. Thinking of the novels she'd read before, she jokingly said aloud, "Enter."
In an instant, the view before her eyes changed, and she found herself standing in front of a bookshelf. Taking a closer look, wasn't this the place from her dream? She was stunned and, after snapping out of it, pinched herself hard enough to make her grimace in pain.
So, it wasn't a dream after all; she really did have a space. Her consciousness had only entered here before, but this was incredibly lucky. Spotting the book that had fallen to the ground, it was the same Embroidery Technique book she had pulled out in her dream.
For now, she had no interest in the book, so she put it back in its place.