It has to be said that people who can climb to the position of butler are much more quick-witted and intelligent than ordinary people.
The head housekeeper arranged the gardener's affairs with just a few simple words.
Then, he brought up the matter of the courtyard, "The kind of courtyards that the Earl and the Princess like are usually kept in the Ministry of Revenue's archives. After the records are copied down, they are then handed over for sale. Of course, it's not impossible to buy them in advance if you want to."
"Alright then, Lord Marquis and Princess, please take this old servant with you. Let's go to the Ministry of Revenue together. I'll take the Marquis's visiting card and go in to ask how much that courtyard is priced. If it's available, we'll buy it directly, shall we?"
"Okay, thank you very much, butler."
Jiayin was naturally delighted. With the gardener settled, and the yard purchased, the preliminary preparations would be essentially complete.
As for famous flowers...
Her space is already crammed with too much stuff; she needs to make some room so she can have some space.
Soon, the head steward gave a few instructions to the stewards in the manor, picked up the basket of grapes, and followed the Li family's carriage away.
With half an hour to go, the Ministry of Revenue was about to take a lunch break, and everyone in the guardhouses was quite relaxed.
The minor officials would casually drink a cup of tea, chat idly, and then disperse.
The head steward took the Marquis's visiting card inside, and soon returned with two minor officials.
The two minor officials were very polite, standing under the carriage window to bow to Li Lao Er and Jia Yin. Then the head steward led them to hire a carriage on the street and headed straight for the small courtyard in the southeast of Xindu.
The seal on the front of the courtyard was difficult to remove, but the back door allowed entry and exit.
The group entered through the back door. Li Lao Er and Jia Yin looked around once before deciding on this place.
The courtyard is a two-and-a-half-courtyard layout, with half a courtyard in front, which can be used to park horse-drawn carriages or sedan chairs.
Entering through the second gate, the courtyard is quite spacious, enough for both flower beds and flower racks.
There are three main rooms and three west wing rooms.
It's convenient to entertain ordinary guests, let them stay at the gardener's house, or move a potted plant to shelter from the wind and rain.
The last courtyard has three rooms in the west wing that can be used for short stays, and three main rooms that are reserved for occasional banquets for distinguished guests.
What I like most is that there is a moon gate on the east wall. Passing through the moon gate, there is a small garden, about an acre in size.
Jiayin's first thought was that this was perfect for building a greenhouse!
Imagine winter, when the grass and trees are withered and snow is falling heavily. If there were a warm, spring-like greenhouse, full of blooming flowers...
Guests sat among the flowers, enjoying tea and conversation—no one could resist such enjoyment and temptation!
The two minor officials, having received instructions from their superiors, treated Lord Li and the princess with exceptional courtesy.
I heard they reserved this courtyard house, so I said we could complete the formalities immediately.
The price was very cheap, only 800 taels, which is practically a rock-bottom price.
It should be noted that this area is very close to the East City, and officials who need to attend court, or the second sons or illegitimate sons of wealthy families, all favor this location.
Such a courtyard is priced at two thousand taels and can be sold in the blink of an eye.
Li Lao Er was an earl, and was required to attend court. According to the rules, he could not personally engage in business or compete with the people for profit.
Jiayin is a princess, and she is young, so it's unlikely that anyone will hold it against her. However, it's still necessary to be on guard, so the courtyard was registered under Tao Hongying's name.
When everyone returned to the Ministry of Revenue, Jiayin used a hidden compartment in the carriage as a cover to actually take out silver notes and a bag of loose silver from her spatial storage, and had Zheng Feng and the head steward complete the formalities.
In addition, Li Lao Er also asked Zheng He to run errands to Xiankelai Restaurant to order a table of food and drinks.
Just then, Zheng Feng and the head steward came out with the house deed, and the young waiter from Cyclamen also arrived carrying a large food box.
The two minor officials and their superiors were already quite pleased to receive thirty taels of silver as a small reward.
I didn't expect there would be a cyclamen banquet. I can have a nice lunch, which makes me even happier.
They had done many favors for important people before, but most of them were arrogant and domineering. They were lucky if they didn't get scolded, let alone receive any benefits.
There aren't many families as generous and considerate as the Li family. They might even be hoping for more visits from the Li family in the future...
Grandma Li was somewhat absent-minded all day. To be honest, her granddaughter had rarely been away from her side for so long in all her years.
She was worried that her granddaughter was hot and thirsty, and then she worried that her son might lose her.
There are so many kidnappers and bad people on the streets. My granddaughter is so beautiful and cute. What if she gets abducted?!
Tao Hongying was worried about leaving her mother-in-law alone at home, fearing she wouldn't eat properly. So she returned from the canteen early in the afternoon and found that her mother-in-law had only eaten half a bowl of porridge.
When she heard her mother-in-law say she was worried about her daughter being abducted, she couldn't help but tell the truth.
“Mother, there’s an old saying that even a crooked or ugly child in your own family is a treasure. In your eyes, Fu Niu’er is perfect in every way, but maybe the kidnapper would find her repulsive.”
"After all, she's so fat, you couldn't even lift her up and run away! Besides, taking her back would be a waste of food. The food you'd use to feed one of hers could feed three skinny kids!"
This is truly a mother's words; every sentence is filled with "disdain"!
Shuiyun and Wenjuan covered their mouths, unable to stop laughing as they listened.
Grandma Li laughed as she pinched her daughter-in-law, scolding, "My granddaughter is perfect except for being a little chubby, so why hasn't anyone kidnapped her! If you're so disgusted with her, you shouldn't be Fu Niu'er's mother. Give her to Yu Ru instead, and she'll be laughing in her sleep!"
Tao Hongying pretended to be pinched in pain, grabbed her mother-in-law's arm and complained that her mother-in-law was biased, only loving her granddaughter and not her daughter-in-law.
Old Mrs. Li almost had her hair disheveled from the shaking, and she laughed and scolded, "You and Fu Niu'er are really mother and daughter, you just can't stand my hair."
Tao Hongying chuckled, took the silver comb off her head, sat behind her mother-in-law, and combed her hair again.
Just as things were getting lively, the carriages that had gone into town returned.
Jiayin, carrying Jiulianzhai pastries in her hands and with beads of sweat on her forehead, ran in from outside, shouting, "Grandma, I'm back! I brought you some delicious food!"
Perhaps she didn't see the threshold, because she tripped and tumbled inside.
Everyone was startled. Tao Hongying rushed over in a few seconds and picked up her daughter.
This is where the advantage of having thick flesh becomes apparent.
Jiayin rolled on the ground once, and apart from her clothes getting dirty, she didn't have a single bruise or abrasion on her body.
Li Lao Er, carrying grapes, followed behind, but was a couple of steps behind. He watched helplessly as his niece "performed" without being able to stop her.
Needless to say, he got another beating from his mother.
"I told you you couldn't take good care of the child. I was worried you'd lose Fu Niu'er, but when we got to the doorstep, you still let her fall!"
Li Lao Er was wronged to death, but he didn't dare to argue with his mother. He could only raise the grape basket as a shield and say, "Mother, I'll go wash the grapes for you!"
After saying that, he ran off in a flash.
Jiayin was terribly hot, and her outer shirt was dirty, so she simply took it off and hugged her grandmother's leg, acting spoiled.
"Grandma, let me tell you, my second uncle and I bought a yard, it's really nice! It even comes with a garden, we can build a greenhouse! In winter, I'll take you to see the flowers, it'll be warm and beautiful, like a heavenly palace!"
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