Chapter 103 Buying a House
To house so many beggars, a large house was essential. Lin Haoming Baozhu opened the boxes and counted the pocket money she had saved over the years.
The general's mansion was wealthy, and the old lady and Mrs. Lin were particularly generous to the Lin Hao sisters, so the pocket money that Lin Hao saved was very considerable.
"Miss, if we only count the gold and silver, the total is 11,020 taels of silver." Baozhu moved the abacus beads awkwardly.
The old lady and the wife gave the girl a steady supply of gold and silver jewelry, but the girl did not value them and just put most of them away.
"Eleven thousand taels." Lin Hao looked at the white silver ingots and the box full of banknotes, and had an idea in his mind.
The jewelry given by her grandmother and mother naturally could not be touched, so the money was all she could arrange. Eleven thousand taels was undoubtedly a huge sum of money, but she didn't want to make this charity a one-time deal on a whim, so she had to plan it carefully.
At this time in the morning, it was time for Ah Xing to practice martial arts with Liu Bo. Lin Hao changed into men's clothes and took a manager from the general's mansion to the pawnshop.
"The bigger the house, the better. It doesn't matter if it's old or in a remote location. The price cannot exceed one thousand taels."
The steward nodded and said, "Don't worry, Second Miss, I'll remember it."
A voice came from the side: "Miss Lin Er?"
Lin Hao was stunned and looked in the direction where the sound came from.
Not far away, Qi Shuo smiled and asked, "Second Miss Lin, are you alone today?"
The manager standing beside Lin Hao lowered his head silently.
Seeing that he looked relaxed, Lin Hao subconsciously raised his hand and touched his cheek.
Did she forget to change her clothes?
"Sorry, wait a moment." Lin Hao turned his back to Qi Shuo and took out a small mirror from his sleeve to look at himself.
The skin color is darkened, the eyebrows and eyes are drawn thickly, and the hard lines are modified with makeup. Although the person in the mirror is still too pretty, it is difficult to tell at a glance that she is a woman.
It is normal for a handsome boy of this age to have some androgynous aura.
Lin Hao quickly glanced at the small mirror, and when she was sure that there was a handsome young man in the mirror, she turned around, confident that Qi Shuo would not see her looking in the mirror.
"I didn't expect the prince to recognize me at first sight."
Qi Shuo thought of the fleeting reflection and found it funny. However, he was afraid that the girl would get angry and embarrassed, so he said calmly, "I know the manager of your house."
"I see." Lin Hao nodded.
"Where is Miss Lin going?" Qi Shuo asked casually as he walked beside her.
"I'm planning to go to the dental clinic."
"Want to buy a house or shop?"
The steward tactfully fell behind and did not interrupt their conversation.
Lin Hao told his plan: "I want to buy a house that can accommodate many people..."
Qi Shuo listened quietly, his expression somewhat moved: "Miss Lin Er is really kind-hearted."
Lin Hao waved his hand: "I'll do what I can and do my best. One person's plan is short, but two people's plan is long. Do you think my arrangement is appropriate, Your Highness?"
"It's a good arrangement to take in beggars under twelve and over fifty. But what if a beggar who doesn't meet the age requirements but is sick comes to seek help?"
There is always a limit to what one person can do to help, and limitations are inevitable.
"Beggars in this condition should be taken in until they recover."
"What if he refuses to leave after recovering from his illness?"
Lin Hao frowned: "Then we can only drive them away. The General's Mansion has no shortage of thugs."
Qi Shuo pointed out a hidden concern: "These beggars might become resentful and spread your bad reputation."
Lin Hao didn't care about this. "I'm not doing this for fame. I'm not afraid of beggars who are always grateful for a little bit of rice and then resent it. I believe such people are a minority after all. Besides, if you are always afraid of what others say, then you don't need to do anything. Just be a lady from a noble family."
Qi Shuo smiled. "Miss Lin is very clear-headed. I hope you won't cause more trouble for us. You suggested asking a teacher to teach the young beggars how to read and count, and teach them some crafts. Then, you could send them to the various shops and farms in the General's Mansion to work. That would be like teaching them how to fish, but I have a small suggestion."
"Please speak, my lord."
"People's hearts will change after eating free food for too long," Qi Shuo said in a calm tone. "Learning to read, count, and learn a craft can be ignored. Think about how much it costs to feed a child until he or she is twelve years old. When they go to work in the shop, you can deduct this amount from their wages on a monthly basis, provided it does not affect their livelihood. In this way, Miss Lin Er will have both income and expenditure, and the charity can continue to be a steady stream, instead of just eating up all the money she has. These beggars who receive support will also be more responsible, knowing that the money they repay monthly is to help more children like them survive..."
The young man talked eloquently and Lin Hao was fascinated by what he said.
As expected, the two of them were more thoughtful.
Qi Shuo paused and looked up.
Lin Hao came back to his senses and found that he had arrived at the dental clinic without realizing it.
"Thank you for your advice, Prince. Then--"
Before Lin Hao said his goodbyes, Qi Shuo said naturally, "Since we're here, let's go in and take a look together."
Lin really wanted to refuse, but he couldn't bring himself to say no after hearing such practical advice from someone else.
The broker was a middle-aged man with a smart look. When he heard that we wanted to buy a big house, he immediately became very enthusiastic.
"This house is in Qingliu Lane, West City. It was originally the residence of a third-rank official..."
The steward interrupted the man who broke the tooth and asked, "How much?"
The broker held up two fingers and said, "For this size of land, two thousand taels is the lowest."
The steward immediately shook his head: "It's too expensive."
"It's not expensive. Look at this location, where every inch of land is worth a lot of money—"
"Those over a thousand taels will not be considered, and those covering less than one and a half acres will not be considered..."
The broker's eyes twitched, thinking to himself, "You want something big and cheap at the same time? Why don't you just go to bed early? You can dream of anything." He had seen the two young men with such impressive demeanor that he thought they were the God of Wealth.
"One big one, one cheap one, the others can be made do." said the manager.
The broker suddenly slapped his forehead and said, "There is one."
He spread out a blueprint and pointed, "Right here, there's a large house with three entrances. It's been empty for a few years, but with a little renovation it's ready for habitation. The price is also very cheap, only three hundred taels of silver."
"Three hundred taels?" The manager was a little skeptical. "Although this location isn't as good as the one just now, how could it be so cheap?"
The broker hesitated for a moment, then realized he couldn't hide the truth, so he told the truth: "A house like this would be worth at least eight hundred taels according to the market value. The owner of this house was a wealthy businessman. One night, a villain broke into his house and murdered him. The businessman's son sold the house at a low price and moved back to his hometown with his mother. Soon after, rumors of the house being haunted spread, so the new owner had no choice but to put it up for sale, but it never sold."
After hearing this, the manager looked at Lin Hao.
Lin Hao thought about it and asked the broker, "Can you take us to see the house?"
When the broker heard there was a chance, he nodded hurriedly and said, "Of course, please follow me."
A quarter of an hour later, Lin Hao stood in front of the house that was rumored to be haunted.
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