Chapter 11
Ning Qingxi, a strong and capable woman, said "Please" without any hesitation, which made Huo Yanci lose his sense of accomplishment.
She said it again: "Please, you can also do the foreman's work for me, and I'll give you half the money."
Huo Yanci: "..."
How did he end up working for someone else?
Huo Yanci tapped her cheek with her tongue, carefully considering her words for a while before saying tactfully, "This little bit of silver won't be enough to get me to do anything."
Ning Qingxi was furious: "Huo Yanci! Don't go too far. If I give you any more, I might as well go beg for food!"
They were already poor, how dare this person take advantage of their misfortune?
This is intolerable!
Ning Qingxi stormed off in a fit of anger, leaving Huo Yanci looking completely innocent.
As soon as they stepped outside, they ran into Zhang Fu, who had come to eavesdrop. Both of them were startled. Ning Qingxi, being straightforward, patted her chest and exclaimed, "Oh, Mr. Zhang, look what you're doing lying here! You almost scared me to death..."
Zhang Fu was so anxious he almost reached out to cover her mouth: "Shh! Keep your voice down, my dear!"
Upon seeing him, Ning Qingxi casually asked, "Do I still need to go to the site to supervise the construction?"
Zhang Fuhu said, "Of course, otherwise if someone else came, they probably wouldn't understand the drawing and would make things look bad for me. Of course, whoever draws the drawing is responsible for it."
Seeing that she was starting to freeze, Zhang Fu quickly tried to smooth things over: "But don't worry! The wages are separate. Name your price, as long as it doesn't bankrupt me, I'll give you whatever you ask!"
Ning Qingxi's petrified heart pounded back to life: "Then what about my bonus for drawing the diagram..."
"Here you go! I'll set up a stage tomorrow and give it to you in front of everyone!"
Ning Qingxi thought about that scene. Even though she had lost face and dignity, she still felt a chill run down her spine. Luckily, she was wearing shoes, otherwise she would have dug the garden out on the spot.
She said coldly, her face expressionless, "Does it have to be such a grand affair?"
"Of course! Miss Ning's abilities are extraordinary, so naturally everyone should know about them! I've already planned it all out. I'll start spreading the word a day in advance with drums and gongs, and on that day, not only the whole city, but at least everyone in this neighborhood will have to come and see her..."
Zhang Fuhu was already indulging in self-congratulation, discussing whether he should bring two couplets with him: the first line praising Ning Xiaoniangzi's extraordinary abilities, the second line describing her unique garden design style, and the horizontal inscription—"Terrifyingly So!"
Ning Qingxi was too ashamed to face him. She patted Zhang Fuhu on the shoulder and said, "Whatever makes you happy, but I think it's best not to be extravagant."
Zhang Fu waved his hand dismissively: "No need to worry, I have plenty of money!"
Ning Qingxi: "..."
Those damn rich people.
She turned and left, leaving Zhang Fuhu bewildered. He turned to Huo Yanci, who was leisurely walking out, and asked, "Where did she go?"
Huo Yanci looked at the retreating figure, which was as angry as a pufferfish: "Who knows? Maybe your idea was too rosy, and she went back to dream about the future."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Fuhu was immediately smug, when he suddenly heard Huo Yanci ask, "When will your garden start construction?"
"Who knows? I haven't decided yet, maybe after spring."
—
Ning Qingxi lost face, but she got the money. Zhang Fuhu kept his word and actually sent people to beat drums and gongs when he said he would. On the day the money was distributed, the audience was packed with people. Zhang Fuhu, dressed in a particularly festive red outfit, solemnly handed the money to her.
Huo Yanci, sitting in the audience, clapped as if she were blind, seemingly quite appreciative of the scene.
Ning Qingxi on the stage also closed her eyes as if she were blind.
It's okay, making money is nothing to be ashamed of.
After receiving the money, she turned to Huo Yanci and asked, "Speaking of which, do you know any families who are planning to sell their houses? Not too big, and not too expensive."
Huo Yanci glanced at her sideways. This person was tall and didn't usually look down when looking at people, so she always seemed a bit condescending: "You want to buy a house?"
Ning Qingxi's purse was bulging at the waist, and her sleeves drooped because they were filled with too much silver, making her look exceptionally happy.
She nodded: "The house is too dilapidated. I finally managed to earn some money, can't I enjoy it a little?"
Once she's settled on a place, she plans to find a tavern and have people play music and dance in front of her!
"Besides not being too big or too expensive, do you have any other requirements?" Huo Yanci asked.
Upon hearing that there was hope, Ning Qingxi immediately said, "Closer to the market, the cheaper the better!"
Huo Yanci pondered for a moment: "There really is."
"where!"
"Keep it a secret. Remember to treat me to a meal after it's done."
After saying this, Huo Yanci turned and left, giving the impression that he had accomplished his task and left without a trace, concealing his merits and fame [1].
Ning Qingxi was left standing there, lost in thought.
Why keep her buying a house a secret?
Ning Qingxi returned to the Zhang family with the silver. After showing it to her younger brother and sister-in-law, she received unanimous praise from the two children. She said, "Keep it low-key," but she was actually very pleased. She immediately took her younger brother and sister-in-law out for a nice meal!
What kind of small restaurant is it? Does it match her current net worth?
With a wave of her hand, she led her younger siblings into the Drunken Immortal Pavilion.
She's going to splurge today!
Ning Qingxi randomly named a few items from the menu, and after asking the price, she hesitated for a moment before telling the waiter, "You go ahead and get busy. We'll call you if we need anything."
After the waiter left, Ning Qingxi picked up Ning Qingyuan and Ning Qingshan and rushed into the small shop opposite Zuixianlou like a whirlwind. She ordered three bowls of beef noodles and specifically asked for extra meat, as well as a plate of cold-cut beef!
Ning Qingxi looked at her younger siblings and said lovingly, "See? Your older sister is very capable. We couldn't afford beef noodles before."
Ning Qingshan blinked her big eyes: "But sister, didn't you say we were going to eat at Zuixianlou today?"
"What good food does Zuixianlou have?" Ning Qingxi asked without batting an eye. "Can anything be as good as meat? Let's eat meat!"
When she entered Zuixianlou, she went into the building in front. Upon entering, the layout of the first floor was unremarkable, with a counter and many small black jars behind it, presumably containing wine. The entire shop was filled with neatly arranged tables and chairs.
The only difference between that place and the small noodle shop is that the tables and chairs there are cleaner, without the peeling paint, and look rather luxurious.
So Ning Qingxi wondered, how expensive could it be?
However, the number the waiter mentioned was enough for his whole family to eat ghee cakes for a year.
Ning Qingxi chickened out.
When the beef noodles arrived, the generous amount of meat made Ning Qingyuan's eyes widen: "Sister, is this whole bowl for me?"
Ning Qingxi was satisfied with her reaction and said with relief, "It's yours, it's all yours."
The three siblings had never eaten anything good before, so this beef noodle soup was considered a particularly good thing. Therefore, everyone ate with great satisfaction, and this feeling of happiness reached its peak when paying the bill.
The unpretentious price is very satisfying.
After indulging in a bit of extravagance, Ning Qingxi resumed her frugal lifestyle, spending all her daily expenses on Zhang Fuhu's food, drink, and lodging. She had long forgotten about buying a house, so much so that when Huo Yanci arrived with the land deed, Ning Qingxi blurted out, "What house?"
"..." Huo Yanci laughed in exasperation: "Ning Qingxi, are you making fun of me?"
Ning Qingxi tapped her forehead with her ebony fan: "Oh dear, look at my memory! There really was such a thing. So, you found it for me?"
"Of course!" Huo Yanci placed the land deed and house deed on the table and said, "This house is in an excellent location, right in the center of the city. There are all kinds of stalls right outside, and it's very close to the hustle and bustle during festivals."
Ning Qingxi looked at it for a long time but couldn't figure it out, so she asked, "Can we go take a look?"
"That's natural!"
Huo Yanci took her with him all the way there.
As it turns out, Huo Yanci's words were true.
The location of this house is absolutely superb. The high walls and facade with their blue bricks and tiles look exceptionally grand. There's a row of businesses along the base of the walls, selling cloth and food, creating a lively atmosphere that you can see right outside.
The only downside is...
This storefront is a bit too grand; it feels like it's missing a plaque, something like "Prefecture" or "Government Office."
Ning Qingxi stood outside the door, arms crossed, looking around for a long time before finally saying in a deep voice, "I feel like if I moved in, I wouldn't feel like the owner, but rather like someone hired by the owner to clean the yard."
Huo Yanci chuckled and said, "It's not that exaggerated. It's just a two-story courtyard. Actually, it's quite small inside. It just looks grand. Shall we go in and take a look?"
Ning Qingxi gritted her teeth, thinking that since she was already here, she nodded.
Huo Yanci took out a key, clicked it open the large lock hanging on the front door, and pushed the door open with a loud bang.
Ning Qingxi was naive and found everything fascinating, always having the illusion that she was a villager who had come to the city.
Huo Yanci was right. This was indeed a two-courtyard house, and the courtyard was very small. There was a screen wall right at the entrance, standing in the center, with access to the courtyard from both sides.
Only by going around the screen wall can you see the whole courtyard.
There are three rooms on each side of the courtyard, which look like they are used to store miscellaneous goods. Behind the screen wall, there are only seven or eight steps, about a dozen steps, leading to a room that is particularly grand. There are side rooms on both sides, which are the reception room. Next to the side rooms are the doors leading to the back courtyard, which is considered the bedroom.
Ning Qingxi looked around, strolled around the front and back yards, and asked, "How much does this yard cost?"
Huo Yanci said, "Not much, fifty taels."
Ning Qingxi: "Fifty taels?"
Huo Yanci: "Mm."
Ning Qingxi: "Not much?"
She hates rich people.
Fifty taels is not a lot.
She only has a hundred taels of silver in her hands right now! This courtyard would cost half of her entire fortune!
She has angina.
Huo Yanci was also quite surprised: "This location and these materials, fifty taels is more than enough?"
Ning Qingxi said with a pang of heartache, "Its high price isn't its flaw; it's my flaw—I haven't worked hard enough!"
But to be honest, she was really tempted, so she asked, "Are you very familiar with the seller of this house?"
Huo Yanci paused, her expression somewhat strange, and after a long while, she said as if she had a toothache, "Are you alright? What's wrong?"
Ning Qingxi said, "Tell him to save it for me first, and let me think about it for two days."
She had no money, but she had face. She just reserved a little bit, and the seller wouldn't lose a piece of meat anyway.
After giving Huo Yanci her instructions, she went for a stroll in the backyard.
Each bedroom was small and exquisite, connected to a living room. A screen separated the main room from the bed, so that people could not see the bed directly when they entered. Ning Qingxi stood in the room and could not see the bed. She walked around the screen and saw that the bed was covered with pink curtains. The light gauze curtains were particularly eye-catching when the wind blew.
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