Chapter 156 Why did Hongxiu and Fang Shijie come together?
“In the first half of the year, Ping’an County suffered such a big flood, but our village, which is halfway up the mountain, was completely unaffected. Recently, there has been a locust plague in various places, but our village is surrounded by forests, so not many locusts have entered, and the autumn harvest has not been affected. When people from other places heard about it, they thought our village had good feng shui and was a good place to live, so they wanted to settle down here.”
After Grandpa Zhao said that, Jiang Ling finally realized what was going on.
Jishui Village is indeed in a good location, close to Ping'an County, with convenient access to Beijing, and also avoiding floods.
As for the locust plague, perhaps this year has indeed been relatively fortunate.
But as her gaze swept over the officials who were measuring, and then looked at the relatively open space in front of her shop, a sense of unease began to rise in her heart.
Previously, the area was deserted, and the villagers didn't pay much attention to her occasional closing of the door to visitors or the noise of her moving things late at night or early in the morning.
But if a house is built next door and new neighbors move in, they will inevitably notice the unusual things about her shop.
Thinking of this, Jiang Ling felt a strong sense of worry.
She leaned closer to Grandpa Zhao and asked in a low voice, "Grandpa Zhao, do you think... this area in front of my house, all the way to the main road, is within the measurement range? If someone were to buy it, how much would it cost approximately?"
Grandpa Zhao was taken aback, clearly not expecting her to want to buy land: "Miss Jiang, you also want to buy land? Your shop is big enough. Why do you need so much land?"
Jiang Ling made up an excuse, "I just think it's better to have a wider entrance. It would be convenient if I wanted to expand the shop in the future, or even fence off a yard to grow some vegetables. Besides, you know I'm in business, so it's good to have a place where people can build houses and block the way to the shop."
Grandpa Zhao squinted at the land and estimated, "If the young lady really wants to buy it, the county magistrate said that local residents can get a discount on land purchases, only fifty taels of silver per mu. The land in front of your shop is only a little over two mu, so you can get it for around one hundred and thirty taels."
Grandpa Zhao didn't really want outsiders to build houses on this land. This road was the shortest route to the fields, and if houses were built there, it would be harder to travel.
These days, because Jiang Ling often treats everyone to tea and snacks, the villagers have gotten used to stopping here to rest and chat.
If Jiang Ling can buy it, that would be good.
Jiang Ling did the math in her mind. One hundred and thirty taels wasn't much; it was enough to cover the money Madam Song had spent on orders during this period.
She nodded, her tone firm: "Then I'd like to reserve this land first. Could you please help me register it, sir? I'll go get the money right away."
Seeing her serious expression, Grandpa Zhao stopped trying to persuade her and said with a smile, "Alright! You're a decisive child. With you buying land here, our village will be more lively in the future, which is great."
Jiang Ling turned back into the shop, counted out one hundred and thirty taels of silver from the money box, wrapped it in cloth, and handed it over.
The constables quickly registered her information and gave her a slip of paper with the land details written on it, saying that she could pick it up once the government office had processed the land deed.
Grandpa Zhao patted his chest and said, "I'll get the land deed for you and bring it to you later, so you don't have to make a trip."
Not long after, Xiao Ran returned with Xiao Qi.
"Sister Jiang, we're back!" Xiao Qi jumped off the carriage and ran over as soon as he saw Jiang Ling.
"Sister Jiang, we delivered the goods to the Song residence. My brother took me into town for lunch. The soup noodles at Zhang's Noodle Shop in town were delicious, and my brother also bought me meat buns." Xiao Qi chattered on about his experiences today.
Jiang Ling smiled and touched his face: "So happy? Then let Xiao Ran take you to deliver goods again next time."
"Okay!" Xiao Qi jumped up happily.
The melancholy on Xiao Ran's face disappeared, replaced by impatience, clearly annoyed by Xiao Qi's nagging.
He tied up the carriage, walked over, and handed the delivery slip to Jiang Ling.
"Sister Jiang, the goods have been delivered. Here is the receipt."
Jiang Ling smiled slightly: "Okay, thank you for your hard work."
Jiang Ling put the receipt back in the drawer.
She woke up too early this morning and is already feeling sleepy.
Taking advantage of the fact that there weren't many customers at noon, Jiang Ling gave Xiao Ran a few instructions and then went upstairs to sleep.
The afternoon sun slanted into the shop.
Jiang Ling had just woken up from her nap when the bell in the hallway started ringing.
Xiao Ran is pulling the rope, indicating that a customer has arrived at the shop.
She had specially installed the rope beforehand, with one end tied to the first floor and the other end hanging with a bell on the second floor.
If she's resting upstairs and someone is looking for her downstairs, she'll know as soon as she pulls the rope.
Jiang Ling straightened her clothes and went downstairs, only to see two familiar figures walking in together.
It was Hongxiu and Fang Shijie.
Upon seeing Jiang Ling, Hongxiu's eyes lit up with a genuine smile, and she quickly stepped forward to take Jiang Ling's hand:
"Sister! I'm so glad to see you! I've come so many times but your shop has always been closed. I've missed you so much!"
Since becoming the top courtesan, Hongxiu's daily schedule has been packed with activities. She usually receives dignitaries under the peony blossoms, and when she has free time, she goes to the capital to perform on stage.
I rarely have the chance to come to Jiangling's place, and the shops have been closed the last few times. This time, I finally found the shops open.
Today she was wearing a light green ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), with delicate orchids embroidered on the hem, making her look more refined than the last time I saw her.
Following behind Hongxiu was Fang Shijie, whom she had met a few times.
Today he was dressed in an indigo blue casual suit, looking less shrewd like a merchant and more relaxed.
His gaze swept across the shop discreetly, taking in everything from the shelves to the corners, before finally settling on Jiang Ling.
He cupped his hands and smiled, saying, "Miss Jiang, how have you been?"
Jiang Ling was a little surprised and looked at the two of them: "What a coincidence, how come you came together? Did you meet on the way?"
Hongxiu's eyes flickered almost imperceptibly. She lowered her head slightly and spoke softly, "Sister... I came with Young Master Fang."
Jiang Ling was surprised. When did the two of them become so familiar?
She didn't ask any further questions, but simply smiled and led the two to the table where guests were seated.
Xiao Ran cleverly brought over the tea.
Hongxiu took a sip of tea and spoke first, her tone warm: "Sister, the rouge and face powder you had Xiaoran send over last time were so good! They were so delicate and had such great color payoff. All the sisters in our building loved them! I came to see you this time because I wanted to order some more from you."
Jiang Ling smiled and said, "We happen to have some stock in the shop. If you don't need much, you can take it now."
"Really? That's wonderful!" Hongxiu exclaimed happily.
Compared to Hongxiu's familiarity with the shop, this was Fang Shijie's first visit to Jixiang Grocery Store.
He sipped his tea casually, but his gaze had already swept around the shop.
The shop was much smaller than he had imagined, and the decorations were simple, but the items displayed on the shelves were all kinds of things. He had never seen the materials and styles of many of them before, which gave them an indescribable sense of strangeness.
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