Chapter 43 Buying a House That Looks Familiar
Songjiang Prefecture is too small, and the whole city will panic at the slightest sign of trouble.
Guo Yuanchun was not particularly worried. Their whole family had traveled far and wide, through wind and rain, and had experienced both good and bad times.
"Your family isn't like when we first arrived, where we didn't know anyone, had no property, and no permanent assets. Even if there's a drought next year, yours will be the least of our worries."
Guo Yuanchun tried to persuade Gu Youan, but he smiled and said, "My parents are in charge at home, so I don't need to worry. I'm just wondering if the drought will affect the herbs in the mountains."
Guo Yuanchun hesitated and said, "I think so."
This herb, like the crops in the field, also needs proper light, water and fertilizer.
"Captain Guo, the production of medicinal herbs will definitely decrease next year. Under such circumstances, I estimate that most of the medicinal materials in Songjiang City will be bought up by Prince Qi's Mansion, and there won't be much left for our caravan."
As the amount of goods decreases, the number of merchant caravans decreases, and the number of escorts needed will also decrease. For escort companies like Guo Yuanchun's that rely on escorting for a living, life will naturally be much more difficult.
Guo Yuanchun sighed, "Let's see what God wills."
The two chatted for a while, and Gu Youan asked her brother if he had returned to the neighboring mountain village.
"My father took your brother and Tian Jilang to the mountains. They've been gone for two days. According to the old rules, they should be back in two or three days."
Guo Yuanchun suddenly remembered something: "Oh, right? You asked my father to find you a large yard for a warehouse. He found several, and he thinks two of them are great. Do you want to take a look?"
"Where?"
"One is on North City Street, and the other is in Minren Lane to the right of the West City Gate. I've been to both, and they're both quite spacious."
Gu Youan nodded and said, "I happen to be free right now, please take me to have a look."
The northwest corner of Songjiang City is the territory of Prince Qi's Mansion. To the right of Prince Qi's Mansion is the back street of Prince Qi's Mansion, where the managers of Prince Qi's Mansion and his subordinates live.
Across from the back street by a main street, the street close to the north city wall is North First Street.
Because North First Street was close to Prince Qi's mansion and had spacious courtyards, relatives of Northeastern General Meng Chuan and the Yuan family, the daughter-in-law of the Meng family, all had houses on North First Street. They didn't live in Songjiang City permanently, but they would come several times a year.
Guo Yuanchun took Gu Youan to North First Street to look at houses. As they passed by the Meng and Yuan families, Guo Yuanchun said, "Besides the Meng and Yuan families, many large caravans and escort agencies live on North First Street. They have a large population, and the spacious courtyards on North First Street are just right for them."
Guo Yuanchun pointed at several houses and said, "See? Boss Cao's, Shopkeeper Li's, and Shopkeeper He's are all here."
"Actually, if you want to trade cheaply, South Street is the best. But the land on South Street is expensive. If you're buying a place to live, it's probably more cost-effective to clean it up and open a shop."
"Except for the Han family who built a large house on South Street 20 years ago, other businesses have not caught up with the good times."
Having lived in Songjiang City for two years, Guo Yuanchun could tell the layout of Songjiang City like the back of his hand.
"Here we are, this is the one."
Guo Yuanchun went forward and knocked on the door. After a while, the door was opened from the inside and it was opened by an old woman who was a gatekeeper.
Guo Yuanchun seemed to recognize her. He smiled and said to the others, "Mrs. Zhang, I'm sorry to have taken up a moment of your time."
Mrs. Zhang smiled and said, "Don't delay. I also want to rent out the house as soon as possible so that I can save myself some trouble."
Guo Yuanchun said to Gu Youan, "Mrs. Zhang's landlord is a kind person. You don't have to worry about anything if you rent their house."
Zhang Po looked at Gu Youan, and Guo Yuanchun said to her, "Manager Gu has a large caravan that trades in medicinal herbs. He has dozens of guards, and he's looking for a house to house his goods."
Grandma Zhang led the way with a smile, saying casually, "Our Songjiang City used to have a few capable female shopkeepers, but who knew that some of them got married and some died. Songjiang City hasn't seen a female shopkeeper as capable as you in many years."
Gu Youan always wore men's clothes when she went out, but she did not deliberately hide her female appearance. People with good eyesight could still tell that she was a young lady.
This was a two-story house. The three of them walked around the house. Gu Youan smiled and said, "This house is well maintained. It would be a pity to use it as a warehouse for me."
Mrs. Zhang said it was not a pity: "My master's family has moved to the Second Street in the west of the city. It's more lively there than here. The house here is just sitting there anyway. It would be a good source of income if we rent it out soon."
After asking the price and saying a few polite words, Gu Youan walked out.
Guo Yuanchun followed and asked, "Are you dissatisfied?"
"You can't say you're dissatisfied, let's take a look at another one."
When the two of them left North 1st Street and walked onto the main street, Gu Youan saw a familiar man. He seemed to be the attendant of the handsome man he met in the Taoist temple on Beishan Mountain last year?
"What are you looking at?"
Gu Youan retracted his gaze: "I didn't see anything, let's go."
Xu Zhi and Zhou Chen went to the Meng family and were on their way back to Prince Qi's Mansion. Xu Zhi had good eyesight and recognized the unruly little girl at a glance.
Zhou Chen is the chief secretary of Prince Qi's Mansion, helping his master to take care of all the affairs inside and outside the mansion. He must know Gu Youan, the female manager who emerged this year.
Zhou Chen: "Why? Know each other?"
"We've only met once, so we can barely be considered acquaintance." Xu Zhi refused to reveal anything about his master, even though that person was Zhou Chen.
Zhou Chen could tell Xu Zhi wasn't being honest, so he didn't ask any further questions. He just said, "That person's name is Gu Youan, and she's the owner of a medicinal herb business. Her father is a fifth-level agricultural official. He's very meticulous and I heard he's doing a very good job."
Xu Zhi was shocked. No wonder the girl was so unruly and not like an ordinary girl in the boudoir. It turned out that she was a female shopkeeper who was doing business outside.
"How is her caravan doing? Is it profitable?"
Zhou Chen snorted lightly: "The Han family is ruined. She may be the next leader of the drug dealers. Do you think she can make money?"
Xu Zhi envied him: "What do you think about me going on a business trip?"
"You?" Zhou Chen looked him up and down.
Xu Zhi felt insulted and snorted, "Don't look down on me. The prince once praised me for being smart."
Zhou Chen didn't believe it. He said, "Stop talking nonsense. Let me ask you, what exactly does the prince mean to the Meng family?"
"How would I know? How dare we speculate on the master's affairs?"
"You follow the master every day. How could you not know what the master thinks of the Meng family?" Zhou Chen obviously didn't believe him.
Xu Zhi just said he didn't know.
Zhou Chen sighed, "Our master has come of age. It's time for him to get married. There's no time to put it off. Look at how many times the daughters of the Meng and Yuan families have come to Songjiang City in the past year or two, yet they haven't even seen our master. If this continues, I'm afraid General Meng will personally lead his troops to Songjiang City to force a marriage."
"Hehe, does the Meng family have the courage?" Xu Zhi smiled contemptuously.
Zhou Chen suddenly stopped, stared at Xu Zhi, and said, "You don't think that I'm asking these questions to show my goodwill to the future female master in advance, so I'm asking you about the master's attitude, right?"
Xu Zhi hurriedly laughed and said, "Alas, Brother Zhou, what are you thinking? You followed the master all the way from Luoyang to Songjiang City, and you endured so much hardship and suffering. We all know that you are loyal to the master."
Zhou Chen stared at Xu Zhi, snorted coldly, threw off his robe and walked away, not wanting to pay any attention to this kid at all.
Xu Zhi hurriedly caught up and said, "Brother Zhou, please wait for me!"
At the west gate of the city, there is a three-courtyard house in Minren Lane. The house is spacious with large openings. It is close to the city gate for convenient entry and exit. Gu Youan was satisfied with the house as soon as he saw it.
"Gu Youan thought to himself: This is the one.
The homeowner came over with a smile and said, "I'm sorry, you two. I originally wanted to rent this house, but my family will be returning to the interior of China next spring and won't be coming back, so we're planning to sell it and won't rent it out."
He was living a good life in Songjiang City with a house and land, but suddenly he said he wanted to go back to the interior. Guo Yuanchun and Gu Youan knew the reason right away.
Gu Youan looked at the house and asked, "How do you want to sell this house?"
The landlord looked at Gu Youan, then at Guo Yuanchun, and was very hesitant.
Guo Yuanchun said, "Shopkeeper Gu is related to my family. If you're serious about selling, just name your price. If you're just waiting for a better price, then don't ask. Just ask someone else."
The owner hesitated. Gu Youan didn't seem too interested in the house. He took a quick look and said to Guo Yuanchun, "I think the house in the north of the city is good. I'll go back and think about it."
"Okay."
Guo Yuanchun followed Gu Youan away. The landlord called out to him three times to stay but refused to make an offer.
Guo Yuanchun and Gu Youan also really left. After returning to the Ping An Escort Agency, Guo Yuanchun asked, "Do you want to rent a house in the north of the city?"
"No, I want to buy the house in Minren Lane."
Songjiang City was a bit remote, and people like Gu Youan who made a fortune through business were rare. The vast majority of Songjiang City's residents were ordinary people who could barely save a few taels of silver a year.
The housing prices in Songjiang City are already low. If the owner of that large house with three courtyards is sincere in selling it, Gu Youan guessed that the selling price would not exceed three hundred taels.
"I think the owner hasn't decided whether to leave or not. If they really want to leave, they will definitely sell the house." Gu Youan said, "Please keep an eye on it for me."
"That's easy to say."
It was getting late when they finished looking at the house, so Gu Youan said goodbye, called Wang Quan, and took thirty guards back to the neighboring mountain village.
Gu Youan had just reached the village entrance when Ah Xuan came running over with her arms outstretched, throwing herself into Gu Youan's arms. The little girl was both anxious and happy: "Sister, why did you come back just now? I've been waiting for you for a long time."
Gu Youan picked her up and said with a smile, "Why don't you wait for me at home? It's so cold outside."
"Mom gave me leather boots and a sheepskin coat, so I'm not cold at all." Axuan proudly stood on tiptoe and asked her sister to look at her new boots.
"nice."
A Xuan hugged her sister's neck and giggled, like a little yellow chicken with fur.
"Sister, there are a lot of people coming to our house. Mom saw them crying and laughing, it was so noisy." A Xuan looked at the group of people following her sister curiously.
Wang Quan smiled at her, and A Xuan also grinned. This guy looked quite pleasing to the eye.
The chubby little girl was so heavy that Gu Youan couldn't hold her anymore after walking for a while. He put her on the ground and led her by the hand.
"Are mom and dad home?"
"They're all gone. Dad went to Uncle Tian's house, and Mom took someone out. There's no one home right now."
Gu Youan guessed that his mother had taken the person to the newly rented house.
When he got home, Gu Youan used his key to open the door and pushed it open. He saw two large cart frames in the yard, and the goods on the cart frames had been unloaded.
Gu Youan said to Gao Jin, "You will all live in the neighboring mountain village this winter. My mother will come back and take you there to live. You don't need to do anything. Eat well, sleep well and take care of your health. I won't use you to work until next spring."
Gao Jin lowered his head and said, "I obey the master's orders."
Ah Xuan leaned against her sister, stared at Gao Jin, and asked loudly, "Sister, who is he?"
"His name is Gao Jin, and he will be part of our family from now on."
"Wow, there are so many people in our family!"
Gu Youan smiled and said, "Our family is thriving, and there will be more people in the future."
A Xuan tilted her head and thought, she vaguely remembered that a long time ago, there seemed to be many people in their family.
A Xuan suddenly asked, "Sister, do we still have a home?"
"We only have one home, and that's where our parents are."
"oh."
Ah Xuan nodded, not quite understanding, and then she smiled and pulled her sister to the kitchen: "Mom has hidden some delicious food, including oranges and crabs. I've never eaten them before."
"That's not a crab, that's a bald bastard."
"Oh, Mom was talking about crabs."
A Xuan wanted to steal some food, but unfortunately all the delicious food was hidden in the cabinet. She couldn't open the cabinet, so she cleverly pulled her sister over.
The little girl was really greedy and kept pestering her sister to spin in circles, refusing to leave.
Seeing that there were still warm and fluffy steamed buns in the pot, Gu Youan took a bun and tore it in half. The two sisters each took half and ate them together with butter. It was so delicious.
Gu Wenjia arrived and as soon as he entered the house, he heard his two daughters laughing in the kitchen, and he also started laughing.
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