Chapter 112 Chapter 112 Buying a House
Kang He and Fan Jing went there and first met the owner of the house, Luo Xiucai. The man was dressed in a long blue robe, with broad shoulders and a straight back. He had a calm and gentle expression, and had the elegant temperament of a scholar.
I heard that this scholar is over forty years old, but when I look at his face, he looks very young. If I didn't know his age in advance, I was afraid that I would mistake him for being only in his thirties.
Both sides were very polite, and Mr. Luo welcomed the couple to visit the house.
"After construction and subsequent expansion, this family compound now has a total of sixteen rooms, including the main house, wing rooms, ear rooms, kitchen, ancestral hall, stables, and carriage rooms...
Although the elders above me wanted to build a more spacious house, there was no more land in the alley for expansion. Moreover, a man's ambition is to travel around the world and he is unwilling to stay in a corner all year round. So he went to other places to see the vast world. Over the years, I am the only one guarding this house.
Although the house is not spacious and the house is small, it has all the necessary organs."
Kang He heard that Mr. Luo spoke in a rather literary manner, so he just responded politely.
In fact, this house is not small. It has more than a dozen rooms and is also equipped with gardens and small lakes. It is very spacious, but it is indeed smaller than their house in the countryside.
But how can the land in the countryside compare with that in the county, especially on Chaoxi Lane in the west city?
Regardless of its size, the house was indeed carefully and elegantly built. Even though Kang He was not an expert in Feng Shui decoration, he could still see a lot of the layout.
There are many doors and windows in the house, and every step brings a different scene. The courtyard walls are painted with deer, fish, bats and other animals, which symbolize wealth, surplus and happiness.
In the courtyard, there are also magnolias, which symbolize a house full of gold and jade, green bamboos, which represent integrity, and pomegranates, which are full of seeds...
Kang He also visited several houses in the city where people of good financial status lived, such as the Xu family's house, the Luo family's newly purchased house, and even Xu Dundian's home, none of which were as good as the Luo family's house.
After taking a look, Mr. Luo asked the servants at home to prepare tea and invited Kang and Fan Jing to drink it.
Privately, Kang He asked Fan Jing what he thought: "Are you still satisfied?"
Fan Jing had never seen many good ones, but just from the look of the house in front of him, he knew it was a good one.
And when he walked around and looked around, he didn't see anything wrong. Except for a dog hole covered by the pomegranate tree in the backyard garden, there was nothing else.
After Kang He got his confirmation, he had a clear idea in his mind.
"I heard that Mr. Luo was leaving Luan County at the beginning of the new year. I guess he was planning to arrange his house and residence as soon as possible. As a country farmer, I don't know how to speak tactfully, so I'll just speak frankly. I hope Mr. Luo won't mind."
"Now my husband and I want to find a suitable house, settle down properly, and bring our son, who is fostered with his uncle, back home so that our family can be reunited.
"Thanks to Xu Judian's kindness and generosity, I was able to come and see Mr. Luo's house. To be honest, Mr. Luo's house is exquisitely furnished and elegant, and it's also very peaceful, making it a perfect place for my son to study and live. If Mr. Luo finds my husband and I worthy, we can negotiate the price."
Mr. Luo did hear what Xu Juedian said, that the Fan family bought the house for their children's education.
Many scholars have a pretentious streak and love to gain fame. Whether buying or selling something, or doing something else, they always like to come up with a high-sounding excuse to make it sound good.
Now the Fan family wants to buy a house to support their young son's education. It is a good thing for Mr. Luo to sell his house to such a family. On the one hand, it shows his sympathy for the father, and on the other hand, it shows his pity for the difficulty of scholars in pursuing education.
"It is difficult for any parent to express their feelings. Since you are willing, how can I not be willing?"
The two sides started to discuss the price, and Mr. Luo offered a price of 680 strings of cash.
Although Kang He and Fan Jing had been mentally prepared that the price of the house here would not be low, they still took a deep breath when they heard the offer.
Most of their houses in the countryside are spacious, and it only cost more than two hundred strings of cash to build them. Although I know it is not comparable, this house is still really expensive.
Kang He also wanted to inquire about the house prices here beforehand, but the houses in Chaoxi Lane were rarely put up for sale, and there were not many external transactions, so the prices were not easy to find out.
However, Third Brother Bao was very resourceful and knew a few inside stories. He told him that houses with less than ten rooms usually cost between three hundred and four hundred strings of cash, while houses with less than fifteen rooms cost between four hundred and five hundred strings of cash, and houses with fifteen to twenty rooms cost between five hundred and six hundred strings of cash.
But it is just a market price, and the actual transaction still needs to be discussed. After all, the houses here are often priced but not sold, and the price is uncertain.
If it were based on the market price, Mr. Luo would have asked for a high price, and his house had exactly sixteen rooms, which was a little less than that of a house with fifteen or fewer rooms.
Although it is a good house, it is worth hundreds of strings of cash. You have to fight for it if you want to. A few dozen strings of cash is already the annual profit of a shop.
Kang He paid back five hundred and sixty strings of cash.
Upon hearing this, Luo Xiucai smiled slightly but said nothing.
Obviously he did not accept Kanghe's counteroffer.
Seeing this, Brother Bao San said, "As the saying goes, there's no order without rules. Even a big deal like this needs to be negotiated three times. In the first round, the seller offers the highest price, and the buyer offers the lowest. There's no getting angry, and only after the second and third rounds can we really negotiate the price."
"Since you two are sincere in buying and selling, I believe you will be willing to make some concessions."
Mr. Luo was silent for a moment. He wanted to make more money. The trip to the capital would definitely cost a lot of money, so it would be beneficial if he could make more money.
If I go to Kyoto with nothing, how can I make friends with great scholars and learn freely?
In fact, if you want to sell it at a high price, you can definitely get a better price by submitting it to Fangya Agent.
But he couldn't bring himself to do so. If people knew that he, a scholar, was selling his house to make money, wouldn't he lose his integrity in front of the scholars in Luan County?
For this reason, he talked to Xu Judian about the unattended house. Xu Judian was very understanding and immediately persuaded him to sell the house, and quickly found a suitable buyer for him.
Luo Xiucai said, "In that case, I will also give in. Six hundred and sixty strings of cash, and then we can become acquaintances."
Kang He did not agree with this offer, but he smiled slightly. He did not try to lower the price by devaluing other people's houses. He said politely, "Mr. Luo's house is spacious and beautiful. I am willing to increase the price to 600 strings of cash."
But as a commoner like me, with limited funds, it is impossible for me to go any higher. If I cannot reach the price that Mr. Luo has in mind, I will only regret it."
When Luo Xiucai heard Kang He's price, he was delighted. "It's not that I don't want to give you this price. I have carefully cared for this house. I have put a lot of effort into every detail. I can't give you such a high price."
After that, Brother Bao San, as the middleman, tried to persuade them again, but Kang He refused to raise the price, and Luo Xiucai was also unwilling to lower the price.
The two sides could not reach an agreement and each took a cup of tea. However, it was useless to maintain a stalemate for a long time. Mr. Luo put down his teacup and thanked the guests. Kang, Fan Jing and Bao San Ge had to take their leave.
"This house is indeed nice, but the price is really high."
Third Brother Bao sighed and said, "The purchase price is quite high. Even if it were a wealthy merchant like that, we would still have to be cautious. After all, no one's money comes from the wind."
Kang He couldn't help but shake his head: "I also understand these reasons. I think it's just not my destiny with this house. This house is Mr. Luo's favorite house. It's normal for people to be unwilling to lower the price."
"It's just a waste of time for you and me to make this trip."
"That's just polite talk. Even though the house hasn't been settled yet, I still feel like I'm here to broaden my horizons."
Third Brother Bao said, "Don't worry, you and Brother Fan. I'll keep an eye on you. Besides, it's rare for a house like this to be sold through a single deal. There's always room for mansions to be settled. There's always room for mansions to be settled."
Kang He thanked Brother Bao San and realized that his words were meant to comfort him. The situation might be the same for other houses in the city, but it would be difficult in Chaoxi Lane.
But everything is a matter of fate. If it is his, maybe it will end up in his hands after many twists and turns. If it is not his, he will not be able to hold on to it even if it is in his hands.
After seeing off Third Brother Bao, Kang He went back with Fan Jing. They discussed that when they had some free time later in the year, they would select a few well-located lanes in the city and go there to inquire if there were any suitable houses for sale.
By contacting the household owner directly in this way, the price is lower than getting it from Fangya, and you can also find some houses that Fangya does not have.
Fan Jing responded, saying, "After all, Dafu, the younger generation, also needs to take a rest."
About ten days later, Kang He and Fan Jing went to bring the boy from Xie Zheng's family.
Father Xie has always wanted to teach his son how to do things in Kanghe, but in the past few years, he didn't make any arrangements with him because he was still young.
Now the city is planning to open a new shop, so they need some help. This child is already thirteen years old this year, and he can read and count. If he trains well, he can help with a lot of things in the future.
Kang He wanted to let him live in the new shop first, look after one or two shops during the day, and practice at the pork shop before opening it, so that he could get familiar with some business matters, which would also help him get brave.
People have different personalities. Many people who look generous may not be suitable for running a business. Showing up in public and dealing with people may seem simple, but it is actually not easy.
If it's suitable based on your early experience, then that's good too. If it's not suitable, then you can make other arrangements as soon as possible.
"Uncle Kang, this shop is so big! Spacious and bright!"
Thirteen-year-old Xie Xiaoliu was quite tall, but a little thin, like a bamboo pole.
When he heard that he was going to be assigned a job in the city, he was overjoyed. He had always thought that the Fan family would arrange for him to work in the village barn when he grew up.
Kang He said, "The shop is indeed quite spacious. You are happy with its size now, but you might find it annoying when you have to clean it tomorrow."
Xie Xiaoliu said with a smile: "I don't know how to do it. Even if you teach me to clean three or five times a day, I will be happy to do it."
Kang He smiled and led Xie Xiaoliu to stay in a house in the backyard, and pointed out the kitchen and other places to him.
When the people came with the two of them today, they had already packed their bedding, clothes, and some daily necessities into boxes and brought them all in a cart.
After letting him go shopping, he was asked to tidy up the bedroom.
Forget it, Kang He and Fan Jing went to watch the master dig a cellar.
At this time, Brother Bao San came in a hurry. When he entered the shop, his forehead was covered with rain. It seemed that he hadn't noticed the rain outside since some time, but he was still unaware of it in the shop.
"It was easy for me to find you. I thought you were over at the pork shop, but when I went over there, I heard you were coming over here. It rained on the way over, and I didn't have an umbrella, so I got soaked to the skin."
When Xie Xiaozi heard voices outside, he put down what he was doing and went out to see that it was a stranger who came to the door. He was very observant and brought a stool over and took out a dry towel to wipe Bao San Ge's face and hair.
Tong Kanghe said, "I see the kitchen is well-equipped. I'll light a fire and boil a pot of hot soup for the gentleman to eat to ward off the cold."
Kang He nodded and quickly got to work.
Seeing that the young man looked unfamiliar, Bao Sange wiped his face and asked Kang He curiously, "Where is this boy from? He's so smart."
Kang He laughed and said, "The children of the familiar people in the village are prepared to be called to the city to help with work."
Brother Bao San nodded and said, "You need manpower to set up your new shop. Look at this young man, he has a keen eye. He can be used."
Kang He was satisfied with General Xie Xiaoliu's actions and asked Brother Bao San: "You came to see me in such a hurry, but what's the urgent matter?"
"See, with this interruption, the conversation has shifted to other matters."
Brother Bao glanced at Fan Jing, who was leaning against a pillar with his hands folded, looking into the cellar, and called out to him, "Brother Fan, this is good news. Come and listen."
Upon hearing this, Fan Jing walked over. Normally, he would not go in and eavesdrop on the conversation between the two.
Brother Bao San said with great enthusiasm, "I mean, buying a house is such a big deal, it may not be settled in one go.
Guess what, Mr. Luo sent me a message, saying that if you add a little more to the price Brother Kang mentioned earlier, I'll sell the house to you two."
Kang He and Fan Jing were quite surprised when they heard this. They really didn't expect that the Luo family would contact them again after all these days.
Although there are cases where the negotiation fails at the time, and they go back to consider it carefully and then find someone to continue the negotiation, it only takes three to five days, which is a bit too long.
"How did you convince this scholar to change his mind? He won't have any trouble selling his house."
Third Brother Bao said with a smile, "You two may not know that, because we couldn't reach an agreement that day, the Luo family found a buyer privately through another introduction. I was afraid that you two would know the regret and sadness in your hearts, so I didn't tell you.
The new buyer was a merchant family. I don't know how he made a fortune in this generation, but he was very arrogant.
After visiting Luo's house and being satisfied, they sat down to negotiate the price. Mr. Luo made an offer, and the merchant bargained. Originally, the price was much higher than yours, but the merchant didn't understand the integrity of a scholar, so not only did the negotiation fail, but he also annoyed Mr. Luo.
When they were bargaining, he offered more than 600 strings of cash, which was higher than what Kang and the others had offered. After a few words, Mr. Luo sold it to him.
Unexpectedly, in order to get the price, the merchant was nitpicking and belittling Luo Xiucai's house, saying that the wood used to build the house was of poor quality, and that half a corner of the roof was damaged, and that it would cost money to repair it later.
Merchants often use this trick to suppress people and force them to sell at a low price.
This trick might work on ordinary people. Even if the other party is not happy, there is nothing they can do about it.
But what kind of family is this Luo family? They have been scholars for generations. Although they may not be flattered all the time, being polite and kind is the basic requirement. They would never hear a merchant belittle their own products like this.
Mr. Luo's expression changed immediately, he declined the invitation, and was so angry that he didn't go out for two days.
"On second thought, I still feel that you two are buying with sincerity, so I'll ask for less money, but also for your integrity.
Scholars, like ordinary people, cannot live without money, but sometimes, for the sake of a little bit of nobility, they are willing to spend money.
Bao Sange asked, "Have you two found a new place to buy? Are you still happy with that house?"
Kang He and Fan Jing looked at each other. How could they not be happy to accept it? Although they had not reached an agreement before, they parted ways amicably and no one said anything unpleasant to offend the other.
Seeing that they were still interested, Brother Bao said cheerfully, "Then how much are you two prepared to raise the price? I can go and tell him later."
Kang He looked at Fan Jing to see if he was interested.
Fan Jing said, "Since he was willing to give us twenty strings of cash earlier, we should give him an additional twenty strings of cash as well."
Kang He and Bao San Ge couldn't help but laugh when they heard this.
After a while, Xie Xiaoliu brought out some hot soup. Brother Bao San ate a bowl of hot soup and waited until the rain subsided before he took an umbrella from Kanghe and went home.
His hair and clothes were wet, so he couldn't go to Luo's house right away. He had to go home to clean up before reporting back to Luo's house.
Kang He and Fan Jing were both a little restless when they heard the news. If it came true, Dafu would be able to move into the new house after the New Year holiday, and they would no longer have to live in the Luo family.
If it doesn't work out, I'll have to stay there for a while.
But they didn't have to wait long. The next day, around noon, when snow was still falling outside, Third Brother Bao came back to say that the deal had been made and the Luo family had agreed to the price.
Kang He and Fan Jing were both delighted.
So they were busy trying to get this matter done before the Chinese New Year. The Luo family first drafted two documents, and Kang He and Fan Jingxian paid two hundred strings of cash as a deposit.
I thought the Luo family would not move out until at least the beginning of the new year, but I didn't expect that there was a buyer, so Mr. Luo planned to move this year. He would go to the provincial capital to celebrate the New Year, wait for the spring when the flowers are in full bloom, and then go north to Beijing.
Just hearing about this arrangement makes people feel excited.
Kang He was happy that he had vacated the house early. At the beginning of the twelfth lunar month, the couple took some gifts and the remaining payment for the house and went to Luo's house again.
This time when they went there, the Luo family had almost packed up and paid the full amount of the house. The two of them then got the title deed and the key to the front door from Mr. Luo.
Luo Xiucai was very pleased to see that the Fan family had brought gifts this time. It was not because he cared about the value of the gifts, but because he was completely touched by the thoughtfulness.
Before leaving, I asked a few questions about where Dafu studied and who the teacher was.
"I originally studied under Xu Xiucai, and my uncle is Luo Xiucai. It's fate. Xu Xiucai and I used to discuss books and philosophy, and we had a lot of fun. Although I rarely interact with the Luo family, I have heard that Luo Xiucai passed the imperial examination at such a young age. He is a rising star, which is very rare."
Luo Xiucai was even happier after hearing about the Fan family's teachings. He took out a stack of books, put them in a box, and gave them to Kang and Fan Jing as a return gift.
"It's a shame that I met my friend Kang so late, only meeting just as I was leaving for another place. If you had lived in the county for a long time, we would have visited each other frequently. You two are incredibly kind and generous."
Luo Xiucai said, "I would like to give you a few rubbings of family books as a gift. If you can achieve great things in the future, you will not let down the education you and your husband have given us."
Kang He knew that books were rare, so he thanked the scholar deeply and also said some words of blessing.
In order to properly arrange the house, Kang He prepared two gifts, two red envelopes, and sent one to Xu Dundian's home to thank him for his help in the matchmaking.
Another one was sent to Brother Bao San, thanking him for running around for the house. Although the two were good friends, even if they were friends, they still had to be grateful, otherwise no one would be willing to work hard for you.
Another twenty or thirty strings of cash had been spent, so how could Kang He and Fan Jing stop bargaining over the house? They could only get some of it back by lowering the price so that they could give gifts to the people who had helped to arrange the deal.
If I can't get around it, I'll have to pay for it myself. How will it work out when I calculate the two options?
No matter what, this matter that has been hanging in my mind for half a year has finally been settled.
In the following days, people from the family came to see the house, and they hired people to do some simple repairs and buy the missing household items for the house.
Mr. Luo had been living in the house before. He heard that the house would be renovated once a year, so there was not much to repair this time.
When people left, all the valuable furniture in the house was taken away. The house is now empty, and we need to buy some basic necessities for life.
The couple went around looking in various wood shops and decided to buy some furniture at a price they liked and move back home.
The purchase alone cost him nearly a hundred strings of cash. He knew that household items were very expensive. He had previously spent dozens of strings of cash on furniture for his country house.
It’s just that the furniture back then was not as expensive as it is now, and the wood used in the countryside was of lower quality. Although the furniture I bought this time was nearly half as much, the price was still not as high as this time.
Kang He was amazed. He had spent more than 700 strings of cash on this house. Fortunately, he had saved some money in the past two years, otherwise he would not have been able to afford it.
While he was busy with the affairs of the house in the city, he also did not forget to sell a few acres of land in the countryside with great fanfare, making a big fuss to show others that the Fan family was frugal even when it came to big things and was not that extravagant.
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