When the Xia family entered the capital, they were nervous at first and did not have much leisure time. But now that they had a place to live, they were able to relax. In this way, they felt that two eyes were not enough - this capital really is good in every way, ten times more prosperous than Jixiang County. No wonder Daohua was determined to move her whole family here.
After settling down, the Xia family members became busy.
The old couple and the Xia brothers all wanted to buy land.
Farmers feel at ease only when they have land to farm.
Not only is the land price in the capital much higher than that in Jixiang County, but hundreds or thousands of hectares of land are often concentrated in one place and belong to the same owner. The owners either don't sell them or sell them all together in large bundles.
It is particularly difficult to buy the kind of land of dozens of acres that a small family like the Xia family wants.
The only bad thing about the capital is that everything is expensive.
The Xia family was used to being hardworking, and they had just bought a property, so the old couple had spent almost all of their money, and each branch of the Xia family had also contributed some. Now almost everyone felt that money was tight, and naturally they couldn't just sit back and enjoy all the money.
Xia Youxi and Xia Youliang wanted to go out and find some odd jobs so that they could at least have some income.
However, he found that all kinds of trades in the capital were strictly regulated. Except for the pure labor of dock workers, even working as a waiter or a cook in a restaurant required a middleman and a guarantor, neither of which could be dispensable.
Erlang felt that he had to open a shop, or at least rent a store. Even if he was just selling pickles, he couldn't do without a place!
He discussed it with Zhou Yunniang and asked Xia Daohua's opinion. Seeing that both of them supported him, Zhou Yunniang was afraid that he would get anxious and angry, so she took out her own private money and gave it to him to use as he pleased. Xia Erlang felt warm inside, moved and happy. He felt so proud that he happily stuffed Zhou Yunniang's money into her again and happily followed the broker to look for a suitable shop all over the street.
In just a few days, Xia Erlang went to several places and walked through almost all the commercial streets in the capital. Finally, he found a street-facing shop that suited his taste in Taipingfang, three streets away from the imperial city.
It has a two-entry layout, with a two-story storefront in the front, a residence in the back, and two fairly spacious courtyards, which are very convenient for storage or processing, and there are also residences for the shopkeeper and the clerks.
The entire street here is lined with shops, but the things they sell are unique and there is no conflict between them.
Although the place was nice and the price was very attractive, Xia Erlang couldn't afford so much money.
While Xia Erlang was bargaining with the broker, Xia Daohua had already quietly made his move and bought several houses in different urban areas that he had previously taken a fancy to. He also went directly to the government office to complete the formalities and exchanged the red deeds in a simple and efficient manner.
Although there is no real estate these days, buying a house and land is still a safe investment as long as you are not living in a turbulent time.
Of course, Xia Daohua’s purpose is not actually to invest, but to place those who are willing to follow her.
Since they were so sincere to her, putting everything aside and following her at her request, how could she just ignore them and let them struggle to survive in this strange place?
After settling all the people who came with her, Xia Daohua took Gu Shanrou's invitation and went to visit Gu Mingzhen.
In fact, after falling out with Wang, Xia Daohua had begun to keep her distance from the powerful and wealthy and was not very willing to deal with them - but this trip to the Gu Mansion was due to Gu Shanrou's repeated warnings and instructions.
Xia Daohua didn't want to disappoint the little princess, so she had to do it reluctantly.
Fortunately, Gu Mingzhen's attitude was pretty good. When he saw Xia Daohua, his face was full of surprise. He set a table full of fresh tea and fruits and personally made tea to entertain her.
After reading Gu Shanrou's letter, he was even more enthusiastic, but this enthusiasm was also restrained to the right degree, which made Xia Daohua feel that she was valued without making her feel uncomfortable.
After Gu Mingzhen chatted with her for a while, he personally accompanied her to the inner house.
Mrs. Gu and Mrs. Wang were both from prominent families, but the decoration of their rooms was simple and their clothes were homely, neither new nor old, unlike Mrs. Wang's bright and luxurious clothes.
Mrs. Gu Cheng had a gentle appearance and a kind personality. She was very kind and gentle to Xia Daohua. There was a genuine kindness in her eyes when she looked at Xia Daohua, just as if she was treating a junior in her own family.
As soon as they met, he took off the bracelet on his wrist and insisted on giving it to Xia Daohua. He also invited several of his children at home to come out and talk to her so that they could get to know each other.
She had a very pleasant time at the Gu family, but Xia Daohua did not let her guard down, she just didn't show it on her face.
She knew that the young princess Gu Shanrou must have asked Gu Mingzhen to take good care of her in her letter, but the Gu family treated her too well. Ever since her experience with Wang, she couldn't help but think too much.
Seeing that she was about to leave, Gu Mingzhen readily sent his own carriage and two maids and four servants to send Xia Daohua and a cart of gifts back home.
The journey was smooth all the way.
The two maids warmly and politely visited the confused old couple, said some polite words, and left after staying in the Xia family for less than a cup of tea.
But the Xia family soon discovered that those things that were originally difficult became as smooth as fine silk.
Xia Youxi, Xia Youtian, and Xia Youliang all found satisfactory jobs, all of which paid well, were easy to do, and were close to home.
Xia Erlang finally found a suitable shop, but he didn't have enough money. As a result, the seller took the initiative to lower the price, just to make a quick deal.
Xia Dalang successfully entered Jinghua Academy, a prestigious school in Kyoto that was on par with the Imperial Academy.
Even matchmakers started to come to Xia Xuejiao's house to propose marriage...
Xia Daohua knew very well that this success was definitely related to Gu Mingzhen.
However, there are so many powerful people in Beijing, how much face does Gu Mingzhen have? Is Gu Mingzhen helping me simply for Gu Shanrou's sake, or is there some other reason?
Xia Daohua intends to find out the reason.
When everyone in the Xia family was busying themselves and starting a fulfilling new life, Xia Daohua suddenly became sleepy.
Every morning when everyone else is up she is the only one who doesn't get up. If she is not called, she can sleep until dark. If she is called to eat, she will go back to her room and continue sleeping after eating, not caring at all whether she will gain weight.
The second wife complained about this, and the fourth wife and her husband were also a little worried, but they invited a doctor, who took the baby's pulse and found that the baby was in good health and had no serious problems.
The couple in the fourth room boiled two doses of the Taifang prescription prescribed by the doctor, and Xia Daohua drank it all in one gulp (actually it was smuggled into the trash can in the storage area of the space). However, the symptoms of drowsiness did not improve much.
In fact, it was because Xia Daohua was touring the capital every night.
Naturally, there is a curfew in the capital.
The night conceals many secrets and also provides the best protection for night walkers like Xia Daohua.
Happy New Year! Happy New Year to everyone!
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