For her, who is currently enjoying smooth sailing, earning ten or twenty thousand yuan is something she will eventually achieve. However, when a person is in dire straits, they cannot even dream of earning a single tael of silver.
Pei Zhujin: "The Pei family is determined to return the ten thousand taels that Miss Qiao sent back last time. Isn't that enough?"
"That's not enough. Let's look at a smaller house. We don't live here all the time." At most, the Qiao family would come a few people, and a small house would be more than enough.
“Then we’ll have to go out and look around,” Pei Zhujin said. “The houses along the street are all occupied by wealthy families or rich merchants. Even if they’re just two streets away, they’re not cheap. Since Miss Qiao isn’t staying here for long, there’s no need to waste money like that.”
“Great! There’s a place called Changpingfang right behind the main street. It’s mostly owned by ordinary officials and wealthy people. Many of the houses there are quite well-planned. If Miss Qiao goes there to buy a house, she can find a good one,” Pei Shijiu said.
Miss Qiao didn't have enough money and refused to lend any, so this was the only option she could find.
“When you become a princess, the mansion bestowed upon you by the Emperor will be a grand mansion right on the street,” Pei Shijiu said encouragingly to Qiao Lian’er, raising an eyebrow.
Having just learned about the prices of houses in the capital, Qiao Lian'er now has a direct understanding of the value of houses facing the street.
A medium-sized courtyard with three courtyards costs 50,000 taels of silver, while a truly large-scale one would cost at least 100,000 taels. Those with gardens, ponds, and multiple pavilions and waterside terraces are even more priceless.
Fortunately, the houses in the neighborhood aren't too expensive; at least compared to those on the main street, they're acceptable.
Within a neighborhood, the size of the residences is planned out, all being ordinary three-courtyard houses, half the size of the siheyuan (traditional courtyard house) we just saw, with prices ranging from three thousand to six thousand taels of silver. The reason for such a large difference is due to the influence of the distance from the main street and the internal layout planning.
Every neighborhood in the capital was quite large, with several houses for sale. Qiao Lian'er chose one that was close to the main street, priced at five thousand taels.
From the No. 12 residence to the main street, it takes only a quarter of an hour by carriage. The roads between the residential areas of the capital are wide and convenient for carriages to travel.
She readily paid the banknotes and received the house deed, land deed, and keys.
Qiao Lian'er felt it was all a bit unreal to own a house in the capital so quickly.
After a long day, it's already dusk.
They returned to the Pei residence just in time for a hot dinner.
"Little girl, the house has been bought, but don't move in yet. I'll have someone set it up for you for a while," Pei Shijiu said.
"What else needs to be done?" Qiao Lian'er had a good impression of this house. It was a wealthy merchant who was in dire straits and urgently needed to sell his property. The house was very clean and tidy. The pots, pans, and bed frame were all there. Other furniture, such as cabinets and dressing tables, were given to the buyer. All that was needed was to buy some new bedding so that the buyer could move in.
"The courtyard is empty, it needs to be decorated. We need to plant some flowers and plants, and place antiques and calligraphy in the corresponding places inside the house, otherwise it will be so boring. Also, we'll build a small pond for you, raise fish and lotus flowers, and set up some artificial hills—in short, there's a lot to do." Pei Shijiu patted his chest.
"Little girl, leave it to me."
"But these things will probably incur a lot of expenses." Qiao Lian'er already felt she had been bothering them, and she felt bad about taking so many benefits from them.
“Where would there be any expenses? Everything is readily available. The Pei family has recently acquired many exotic flowers and trees, and I think the garden is too crowded. We can move some of them out and dig small ponds. There’s plenty of manpower available. Clearly, it won’t cost a single penny.”
Qiao Lian'er listened in silence; this must be the power of a large family.
“Miss Qiao, my brother can’t stay idle, so you can let him do whatever he wants,” Pei Zhujin said with a smile.
"Then I'll have to trouble you, Second Young Master."
Pei Shijiu was secretly delighted. Hmm, if the setup takes a little longer, the little girl can stay in the Pei family a little longer.
He knew that even if they lived closer in the future, there would be almost no more opportunities to spend such a long time together at the Pei residence.
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