When the Xia family entered the capital, they were nervous at first and didn't have much time to relax. But now that they had a place to live, they felt free to think about things. They felt that two eyes were not enough - the capital really has everything good, it is ten times more prosperous than Jixiang County. No wonder Daohua was so determined to move her whole family here.
After settling down, the Xia family members got busy.
The old couple and the Xia brothers all wanted to buy land.
Farmers feel at ease only when they have land to farm.
However, not only are the land prices in the capital much higher than those in Jixiang County, but hundreds or thousands of hectares of land are often contiguous and belong to the same owner. They are either not sold or sold 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. The old couple had spent almost all 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 those who only did manual labor like dock workers, even working as a waiter or kitchen helper in a restaurant required a middleman and a guarantor, and neither of them could be missing.
Erlang decided he had to open a shop, or at least rent a storefront. 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. This made Xia Erlang feel warm in his heart, moved and happy. He felt a surge of heroic spirit in his chest, and happily stuffed Zhou Yunniang's money back into hers. He happily followed the broker and went around the street looking for a suitable shop.
In just a few days, Xia Erlang traveled to several places, 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. It also has 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 that much money.
While Xia Erlang was haggling over the price with the broker, Xia Daohua had already quietly taken action 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, put everything aside and followed her at her beck and call, how could she just leave them alone 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 become somewhat wary of 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 instructions.
Xia Daohua didn't want to disappoint the little princess, so she had to agree 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 accompanied by a certain degree of restraint, 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 interior decoration was simple and the clothes they wore were homely attire, 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. Her eyes were filled with genuine love when she looked at Xia Daohua, just as if she was looking at a younger member of 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 talk to her so that they could get to know each other well.
Although she had a very happy time at the Gu family, Xia Daohua did not let down her guard, but she did not show it on her face.
She knew that the young princess Gu Shanrou must have asked Gu Mingzhen to take good care of herself 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 take Xia Daohua and a cart of gifts back home.
The journey was smooth all the way.
The two maids warmly and politely visited the old couple who looked confused the whole time, 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, required little work, and were close to home.
Xia Erlang finally found a suitable shop, but he was short on cash. The seller actually offered to lower the price, just to make a quick deal.
Xia Dalang successfully entered Jinghua Academy, an institution in Kyoto that was as famous as the Imperial Academy.
Even matchmakers started coming to propose marriage to Xia Xuejiao...
Xia Daohua knew very well that this success was definitely related to Gu Mingzhen.
However, with so many powerful people in the capital, how could Gu Mingzhen's reputation be so important? Was he helping him simply out of Gu Shanrou's favor, or was there some other reason?
Xia Daohua intends to find out the reason.
When everyone in the Xia family was busy and starting a fulfilling new life, Xia Daohua suddenly became sleepy.
Every morning when everyone else is up, she's the only one who doesn't get up. If she's not called, she'll sleep through the night. If she's called to eat, she'll eat and go back to her room to sleep, not caring if she gets fat.
The second wife complained about this, and the fourth wife and her husband were also a little worried, but they invited a doctor, and the result of taking the pulse was 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 she smuggled it 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 taking a night tour of the capital every night.
There is naturally a curfew in the capital.
The night conceals many secrets and also provides the best protective color for night walkers like Xia Daohua.
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