Even though Zheng Ruqian was used to business and thought he had seen it all, he was still a little stunned when he was pushed down.
Fengjing is a land of outstanding people and beautiful scenery, right under the emperor's nose, but we all have two arms, two legs, two eyes, and one mouth, so why are we being bullied like this?
If the fire were real, Zheng Ruqian would surely be burning from head to toe.
But even angrier than him were his younger brother and sister behind him.
"Why did you push me!" Jiang Sheng was furious, wishing she could rush up and bite him. "So what if it's expensive? If you dare to ask for a price, then we have the right to complain about it being expensive!"
Wen Zhiyun clutched the bottles and jars in his sleeve, feeling a little apprehensive, but quickly resolved to protect his second brother.
Chang Yan narrowed his eyes, concealing the sarcasm in his pupils. These native Fengjing people had the same strong sense of superiority as always.
Only Xu Mo remained relatively calm. He held the flailing Jiang Sheng in one arm and stopped his two restless younger brothers with the other. Then he gave Zheng Ruqian an encouraging look, "Second brother, get up!"
Although they had no parents, no powerful background, no extraordinary wealth, and no extraordinary means, they went through too much hardship and weathered too many storms to build something from nothing.
What's so scary about these mere proud Fengjing people?
Influenced by Xu Mo, Zheng Ruqian gradually calmed down. He nimbly got up from the ground, clapped his hands, and sneered, "You're just a broker, yet you're so arrogant. I can spend a hundred taels of silver to rent a house. Can you earn a hundred taels of silver a year?"
The man who hadn't gone far froze in his tracks.
"It's not that I can't afford a house with a hundred taels of silver, it's just that I won't rent yours," Zheng Ruqian sneered. "Do you really think you're the only broker in the entire Fengjing?"
After saying that, he took one of his younger brothers in each hand and left first.
Xu Mo held Jiang Sheng's hand and followed closely behind.
No matter how angrily the brokers mocked them, or how they indirectly called them outsiders and country bumpkins, they never turned around.
Fengjing was the capital of the Dayu Dynasty and the core of the entire country. During the imperial examinations, students from all directions flocked there, and countless people from afar came to work.
They worked diligently. They were not natives, but they occupied half of Fengjing and gradually squeezed the rights of the natives.
The more the natives of Fengjing dislike outsiders, the more outsiders there are in Fengjing.
Only people from other places will not discriminate against people from other places.
After Zheng Ruqian's analysis and his shameless inquiries, he finally found a new brokerage firm.
It is said that the owner of this brokerage firm is not only from out of town, but also a fellow townsman from the Central Plains region.
Zheng Ruqian deliberately spoke in the Anshui dialect and stepped forward to ask, "Are there any small courtyards with two courtyards near the Imperial College?"
The broker looked up, somewhat surprised, but without any disdain. "How much tael is the highest you can accept, young master? Are there any requirements regarding the age of the house? Or the furnishings?"
"A place to stay is fine." Zheng Ruqian thought for a moment, "but it can't cost more than a hundred taels."
The broker flipped through the house records in his hand and found three that met the criteria. "I'll take you to see them, young master."
The Imperial College has a good location, close to the most prosperous area of Fengjing, so the price of houses there will inevitably remain high.
Conversely, the slightly cheaper ones are definitely farther away.
The broker gave us three houses. The first one was in a very remote area. The house was in good condition and the price of sixty taels of silver was not expensive. However, it took an hour to get from the house to the Imperial College by carriage, which was about the same distance as from Shili Town to Xiyang County.
The second house was much closer, only a short journey of half a cup of tea, but the house was smaller, with only two rooms, which was not enough for the brothers to live in, and it cost a hundred taels of silver.
The third set was a coincidence; it turned out to be the two-courtyard house that Zheng Ruqian had previously set his sights on.
He pretended to look around the courtyard with curiosity, while tentatively asking, "Whose courtyard is this? Is it only for your brokerage firm to rent out?"
The broker shook his head. "Of course, it can't be handed over to just one brokerage firm. The owner of the courtyard is a secret, but brokerage firms in Fengjing can rent out this courtyard. It just depends on who closes the deal first."
Zheng Ruqian nodded, having already made up his mind.
At this moment, the broker leaned closer and whispered, "But I can tell you something: this courtyard is the property of the Jiang family. I'm not afraid that you can bypass me and go directly to the main family. The Jiang family is not something that you or I can touch."
After saying that, he looked eastward with reverence.
The Great Yu Dynasty held the eastern region as its most prestigious, while the western region was slightly less so.
For example, in Anshui County, wealthy families usually lived in the east of the city, while ordinary people lived in the west.
The fact that the Jiang family could live in the eastern part of Fengjing was enough to prove their family's strength and status.
Zheng Ruqian nodded slightly, finally getting to the point, "How much does this courtyard house cost?"
The broker did not hesitate, "Eighty taels a year."
!!
Zheng Ruqian was shocked. The broker was not only arrogant but also deliberately inflated the price. He was simply despicable.
He almost signed the agreement and gave the money.
Thinking about it later, it would be against Master Zheng's nature not to bargain, so he used his unparalleled eloquence and persuasive tongue to haggle the price down from eighty taels to seventy taels.
The broker sighed, "Brother, you're more suited to be a broker than I am. Just look at your mouth; you could rent out a lot of courtyards."
Zheng Ruqian chuckled, signed the document, and handed over seventy taels of silver and a ten-tael deposit.
Although they only rented the place for a short year, it was still the siblings' home and their place of stay in Fengjing.
That's how people are; when they have a place to live, their hearts settle down.
After saying goodbye to the broker, they officially stepped into this two-courtyard house.
Zheng Ruqian has excellent judgment.
Although this small courtyard only has two sections, the layout is reasonable. There are two side rooms near the main gate, which should be for the servants. There are two main rooms in the first section, and the second section, which also has two main rooms, is beyond the archway.
Jiang Sheng was already happily starting to assign rooms: "Jiang San and Jiang Si will live in the side rooms, eldest brother and second brother will live in the first courtyard, fourth brother and fifth brother will live in the second courtyard with me and Aunt Xiaozhu, and when third brother comes back, he will live with second brother."
Jiang San and Jiang Si were originally supposed to protect the young lady and gentleman, but Zheng Ruqian wanted to bring more sausages, so he asked them to postpone for two days and bring a whole cart full of sausages, cured meat and cured fish.
Jiang Sheng felt that she had done a good job of allocating the land, that it was excellent, and that it made perfect sense.
To my surprise, my brothers all voiced their opposition in unison, saying, "No way."
Jiang Sheng's eyes widened.
Chang Yan cleared his throat, his expression somewhat unnatural. "We're getting old, we can't live too close to you."
Wen Zhiyun's expression was conflicted. She knew in her heart that her younger brother was right, but she also really wanted to do as her sister said.
"Let Aunt and Jiang Sheng take Xiao Zhu to live in the second house," Xu Mo said. "I will share one of the two main rooms with the second son, and the fourth and fifth sons will share the other."
Jiang Sheng looked aggrieved. "Where will Third Brother stay when he comes back?"
Zheng Ruqian pointed to the somewhat dilapidated doghouse in the yard and said, "I think that's fine."
Far away in the northern border region, Fang Heng sneezed again, feeling as if someone was cursing him.
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