The carriage traveled through the streets and alleys until it reached Ping'an Alley in the south of the city, where there was a small teahouse at the entrance of the alley.
A boy of about thirteen or fourteen was peeking out of the teahouse when he saw Jiaren jump down from the carriage. He grinned and patted him on the shoulder.
"I thought I'd only see you at the academy, but you've come looking for me first. Why didn't you come to my house? You left in such a hurry that day, was something wrong at home?"
This boy, Lei Bolin, is Jiaren's roommate and good friend. He is naturally optimistic and cheerful, and often eats and drinks with Jiaren. They are very close.
But Jiaren couldn't say that his mother had passed away, as it involved too many things and couldn't be explained in a short time.
He laughed and said, "School starts soon, then we can catch up. I need your help today!"
Jiaren smiled and agreed. Before Lei Bolin could ask any more questions, Li Lao Er and Mr. Wen also got off the carriage.
Jiaren quickly introduced them. Upon learning that one of the two men was Jiaren's father and the other was Jiaren's teacher, Lei Bolin immediately bowed respectfully.
Li Lao Er patted his shoulder with a smile, "Young sir, Jia Ren said that your uncle is a mediator and owns quite a few good courtyards. We've taken the liberty of coming to bother you today!"
“Uncle, you’re too kind. Jiaren and I are classmates and good friends. You can just call me Bolin.” Lei Bolin bowed again, and when he mentioned his uncle, a hint of pride appeared on his face. “My uncle is indeed the best mediator in our southern part of the city. Neighbors in the surrounding area are willing to ask him for help when they have problems.”
In short, "middlemen" are intermediaries who buy and sell houses. The term sounds better than "human traffickers," but they still belong to the lowest class of people.
Lei Bolin was studying at the academy and was of noble birth, yet he showed no disdain for his uncle, who was from a lowly family. He was truly a rare and sensible person.
Li Lao Er and Mr. Wen exchanged a glance, both quite satisfied with their friend Jia Ren.
Soon, Lei Bolin led them to a small alley behind the teahouse.
The alley was very clean, with three houses on each side of the bluestone road. Each house had a stone slab placed in front of it, which was worn smooth, indicating that many people usually sat here chatting.
At the very end of the alley, in a small courtyard facing south, lived the family of Lei Bolin's uncle, Sun Fu.
Upon hearing that Li Lao Er and the others were his nephew's classmates and family members, Sun Fu was very hospitable and quickly invited everyone into the house for tea and snacks, his face beaming with joy.
He's been around for decades longer than his nephew, so his perspective is naturally much more "sharp."
Although Li Lao Er and Mr. Wen were not wearing silk, the fabric was of excellent quality and the workmanship was exquisite, indicating that they were definitely not ordinary people.
He secretly resolved to help his nephew properly today, so as not to embarrass him. Perhaps he could even make connections with influential people, which would be convenient for him in the future.
Hearing that Li Lao Er wanted to find a small courtyard, not too big but with many houses, friendly neighbors, and preferably close to the east of the city, he became even more determined in his mind.
The main reason why Kyoto chose Weizhou Prefecture as its new capital was that Weizhou Prefecture had a temporary palace.
During the reign of the late emperor, he came to Jiangnan for an inspection tour and stayed here for a long time. The palace was built very exquisitely, completely in the style of a Jiangnan water town, and occupied the entire eastern part of the city.
Or, to be precise, Weizhou Prefecture was only the size of the north side of the city back then. It was only because an imperial palace was built in the southeast that people gradually settled there, which led to the south and west sides of the city, eventually evolving into its present form.
The Li family wanted to buy a courtyard house, and it had to be close to the east of the city, meaning that someone in the Li family would frequently visit the palace, or at least the Six Ministries.
Such a powerful patron is extremely rare; forget everything else and just embrace him first.
"Mr. Li, Mr. Wen, your timing is perfect. We're planning to sell this courtyard house soon. The owner is getting old, has no children, and is planning to move in with his nephew. We've been neighbors for many years and get along well, so the owner is reluctant to leave. If you think our alley is nice, I'll go and inquire about it right away, what do you say?"
Before Li Lao Er could speak, Lei Bolin had already grabbed Jia Ren's arm and exclaimed happily, "Haha, Jia Ren, we'll be neighbors from now on! When the academy is on holiday, we can come back together!"
Jiaren smiled, but said, "My family bought the courtyard so that I could stay there when I take the exams. I'm afraid I won't be able to move in for the next two years."
Lei Bolin was somewhat disappointed, but fortunately Jiaren added, "But I will come here often in the next two years."
Lei Bolin then cheered up again and started talking about fun places nearby and which restaurants had good food.
Sun Fu sighed inwardly. He thought his nephew was already quite good, but compared to the young man from the Li family, he was still far behind.
At least I'm not as steady or as thorough as them.
Li Lao Er thought for a moment, then said that he had just picked up Mr. Wen and that the journey here by carriage took only a quarter of an hour.
Moreover, this alley is quiet amidst the hustle and bustle, easy to access, and the neighbors are nice. It would be hard to find a place like this again.
He made up his mind and asked Sun Fu to help him inquire.
As a result, in no time, Sun Fu returned with a smile and took them to see the courtyard.
The elderly couple selling the courtyard loved scholars the most, and when they heard that a young teacher from Luo'an Academy wanted to buy the courtyard, they immediately agreed.
At this moment, the two warmly invited everyone to stroll around the courtyard.
There are two storefronts in front of the courtyard, which are rented to a young couple who run a general store. However, the store is not connected to the backyard, which ensures their privacy.
There are three main rooms in the courtyard, two rooms each in the east and west wings, and side rooms that can be used as storerooms and kitchens.
To the left of the main house is a moon gate leading to a small garden at the back. A well was dug in the corner, some flowers and plants were planted, and a back door was opened for daily access.
Li Lao Er took a liking to it almost immediately.
There are enough rooms, so there's a place for family members to stay when they come over. We can take back the shop in front later and easily open a small business ourselves.
The elderly couple were familiar with Sun Fu, and after Li Lao Er promised to take good care of the courtyard where they had lived for half their lives, they quoted a price of 550 taels.
This price is much higher than before.
But now this is a new city, and suddenly too many people have flocked in, causing housing prices to rise, and these prices are quite reasonable.
Li Lao Er made the decision right away, and even took advantage of the fact that the yamen had not yet issued a deed to change the registration and put the house deed in Jia Ren's name.
Before dusk enveloped the entire city, this small courtyard already belonged to Jiaren.
Lei Bolin was so envious he clicked his tongue and insisted that Jiaren treat him to a delicious meal, which made everyone laugh.
The elderly couple still needed to pack their things, so they asked Li Jiarong and her family to stay another day.
Li Lao Er naturally agreed, instructing them to take their time tidying up and not to rush, but Mr. Wen needed to move in immediately so that he could attend court the next day.
The elderly couple were utterly astonished to discover that the quiet and easy-going Mr. Wen was actually a high-ranking censor. They were so apprehensive that they quickly tidied up the room and helped Mr. Wen settle in.
Mr. Wen did not refuse, and did not even exchange a few polite words with Li Lao Er.
Earlier, as soon as he got off the carriage, Li Lao Er said he wanted to buy a courtyard house in preparation for Jia Ren's future exams, and he guessed that this was just an excuse.
In reality, the Li family bought the courtyard so that he could have a place to stay.
If he were to refuse, wouldn't that destroy the Li family's goodwill towards him?
You have to understand, even his own parents didn't do this, but the Li family did. How precious that is to him!
A thousand words of thanks are not as good as keeping it in your heart. There's plenty of time in the future to repay your kindness.
From now on, the Li family home will be his second home...
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