Chapter 223 New House Settled
"Madam, is something troubling you? Why do you look so worried?"
Wei Jia smiled and stepped forward, handing over a stack of papers. Then, she naturally walked behind Min Qiao and reached out to massage her eyebrows, temples, and several acupoints on her head.
Min Qiao closed her eyes, paused for a moment, and felt more alert before patting Wei Jia's hand. "Your skills are still the best. Ayi tried to learn but ended up with a mess. Aqi is clever, but she hadn't even massaged me twice before you sent her next door."
When Ah Qi was mentioned, Madam Min became somewhat sad.
She was initially convinced that Aqi wouldn't agree to serve Su Rongrong. But somehow, Weijia talked to her about it, and she went happily.
Before she left, she told her to come back and visit her whenever she was free, and to not miss her too much.
Su Rongrong suggested that Aqi go and serve her on the day of her return visit to her parents' home after three days. Wei Jia also talked to Aqi on the same day. As a result, Aqi packed his bags and went to the neighbor's house the next day.
"Hmph, let's not talk about that heartless girl anymore."
Although she knew it was Wei Jia who sent her, Min Qiao still felt a pang of heartache seeing her leave so readily.
Just then, Ah Shuang smiled and said, "Madam, I've almost learned it too. I'll massage you later."
Then, she added in a flattering tone, "Don't worry, I won't leave you easily. Even if you try to get rid of me, I won't go."
After Aqi left, A Shuang took Aqi's place and partnered with Ayi to serve Min Qiaoshi closely.
“Me too.” Ayi quickly pledged her loyalty, “As long as Madam doesn’t think I’m stupid, I will serve Madam for the rest of my life.”
“Me too,” Wenxiu chimed in.
Even Zhen, who was nowhere to be found, responded, "Me too."
Well, the slight melancholy that Min Qiao Shi felt because of A Qi's departure was instantly cured.
"Okay, okay, you're all good kids."
Madam Min Qiao smiled and unfolded the several sheets of paper that Wei Jia had brought. "What are these?"
"These are the blueprints for three houses, along with detailed descriptions."
Wei Jia squatted down next to Madam Min Qiao and explained to her one by one, "This house is in the east of the city, only a quarter of an hour's drive from our Marquis's residence. It is considered to be the best location among the three houses."
The north city is prestigious, the east city is noble, the south city is wealthy, and the west city is poor.
The northern part of the city was mostly inhabited by princes, princesses, and members of the imperial family.
The eastern part of the city was inhabited by noble families and important officials of the imperial court.
The southern part of the city was a bustling commercial area, and most of its residents were wealthy merchants.
The western part of the city was a poor neighborhood.
As everyone knows, houses in the northern part of the city cannot be bought with money.
Houses in Dongcheng are very difficult to buy even if you have the money.
Therefore, Min Qiaoshi was quite surprised that Wei Jia was able to find a house in Dongcheng.
"However, the biggest problem with this house is that it's a bit small."
Wei Jia truthfully replied, "That house only has two courtyards, and the total space is not as spacious as Songhe Hall."
"At that time, with the Grand Madam, Aunt, and Miss Cousin all living together, it will be difficult to even turn around."
Upon hearing this, Madam Min waved her hand, "Then let's move on to the next one."
"The second house is located at the junction of the east and south of the city. The location is not very good, but the advantage is that the courtyard has three sections and is quite spacious. Moreover, it is not too far to attend banquets, or to go to the south of the city to watch operas or go shopping."
After mentioning the advantages, Wei Jia then pointed out the disadvantages of the house: "The only drawback is that the house is not large enough, the layout is just average, and it is located at the junction of two cities in the southeast, where there are many different residents. I'm afraid that people won't feel very comfortable living there."
Madam Min shook her head again, then glared at Wei Jia with annoyance, "Why don't you just say you've chosen the third house?"
Wei Jia didn't feel embarrassed at all, and smiled as she placed the paper with the information about the third house in front of Min Qiao Shi.
"This house is located in the southern part of the city. It has four courtyards and is quite large. Both the architecture and layout are exquisite. What's most wonderful is that, despite the bustling commercial area of the southern city, it manages to be quiet and peaceful amidst the noise."
Madam Min Qiao was now genuinely intrigued. "Why does this house sound so familiar?"
Wei Jia smiled and said, "To be honest, Madam, this house and that estate in the suburbs of Beijing were originally owned by the same person."
"What a coincidence!" Madam Min was overjoyed. "So, this house is also in the style of a Jiangnan garden?"
“Exactly.” Wei Jia said with a smile, “This house has changed hands twice. If I hadn’t looked familiar and inquired carefully, I wouldn’t have known that it originally belonged to the same owner as the Grand Madam’s estate.”
"This is quite a coincidence," Madam Min Qiao said with a smile. "Have you taken a good look at this house? Is there anything wrong with it?"
"There was nothing wrong with the house itself. Both times it changed hands, the owners wanted to move away from the capital and return to their hometown, so they reluctantly sold it."
"The main reason is that the house was too expensive to build. If it's left unoccupied, it would cost money to hire someone to look after it, and a large sum of money would be spent on maintenance every year. That's why the owner had to sell it with a heavy heart."
"As long as the house itself is fine," Madam Min Qiao said with a smile, "then let's settle on this house."
"Yes. I'll buy this house as soon as possible."
After thinking for a moment, Madam Min Qiao asked, "The house must be expensive, right? Do you have enough money?"
With money still pouring into the hot spring resort and now a large sum needed to buy a house, Madam Min Qiao couldn't help but worry.
"If you need money, just tell me."
Madam Min said generously, "I may not have much else, but I do have a few valuable items in my storeroom."
"If you need it, feel free to sell it for money."
Wei Jia looked at Madam Min with amusement, "With me here, would I really let the Grand Madam sell off her most treasured possessions?"
"Madam, you can rest assured, I may not know how to do anything else, but I know how to make money!"
"Madam, you don't need to worry about money."
"Alright, then I really won't care about anything else." Min Qiao looked at Wei Jia with a smile and said in a seemingly joking manner, "Anyway, I'm entrusting myself to you for the rest of my life."
"You earn money for me, and I'll spend it. You provide for my retirement, and I'll enjoy it."
"If you sell me out someday, I'll accept it."
Wei Jia's heart was churning with emotions, but on the surface she was calm and joking with Madam Min Qiao: "Don't worry, Madam. Someone would buy an ancestor like you and have to worship you. Who would want to buy you?"
"To be honest, Ah Shuang and the others are the most valuable. They're capable and good-looking. If I had to sell them, I'd sell Ah Shuang and the others first."
Hearing this, A Shuang was displeased and immediately retorted, "Hey, Sister Wei Jia, why don't you just sell yourself? Don't forget, you're the best-looking one among us!"
Even the usually honest Ayi couldn't help but chime in, "That's right. If you ask me, the most valuable one is Sister Weijia! One Sister Weijia is worth ten of me and Ashuang."
Min Qiao's joke was quickly forgotten amidst the teasing of the maids.
Only Wei Jia knew that the Grand Madam had a vague suspicion about her recent actions.
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