Chapter 274 Fried Meat
Lin Yuesha glanced at the sky. The Jiang family needed manpower, and if she went with Huang Ya to see the estate now, it would take two or three hours to go there and back, and she was afraid it would be too late.
Moreover, she wasn't short of money; she didn't have that much silver on hand.
“Miss Lin, if you have the financial means, you should buy the estate that I recommended to you. It will definitely be worth the price.”
Huang Yaren held up a booklet and gave Lin Yuesha a brief introduction: the village was located in the countryside, about 20 miles from the prefectural city, and had a total of 100 acres of farmland, all of which were excellent fertile fields.
"You should also know the prices in the prefectural city. The best fertile land costs thirty taels per mu, so one hundred mu would cost three thousand taels of silver."
Apart from the fields, the original owner built a manor. The houses inside were all recently built, and a lot of effort was put into them. Chimneys were buried underground, and the furniture was all brand new and hadn't been used yet.
The fields on the estate are managed by tenant farmers, so you can simply take over the land after buying it. Moreover, the tenant farmers are all from nearby villages and are generally honest.
"How much silver are they willing to pay for this estate?"
As Huang Yaren said, it was a small estate with a hundred acres of fertile land, and he didn't know why the other party was selling it.
"Three thousand five hundred taels, that's the lowest price. They won't make a move if it's lower than that."
The man with the yellow teeth gave a fair price. The land's value is there, and there's no shortage of buyers. This estate was only entrusted to him yesterday, so it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
The house was completely new, and the renovation alone would cost several hundred taels of silver, so the man only asked for the cost price, as he was in a hurry to sell it because it cost money.
“Huangya Ren, Zhuangzi has reserved a day for me. I will come to see you tomorrow.”
Lin Yuesha calculated that if Doctor Yan won the medical duel tomorrow morning, she would receive 500 taels of silver. Adding the gambling house's tenfold odds, that would amount to 2,000 taels, for a total of 2,500 taels. She could then take a portion from the private savings her godfather and godmother had left her, which would be enough.
When their own business needed working capital, they could only ask their mother, Chen, for money.
Lin Yuesha wanted to buy it, but she still needed to ask Jiang Baozhu's opinion.
Moreover, Lin Yuesha realized that what Huang Yaren said made sense. She didn't know exactly how much money the Jiang family had, but they must have a solid foundation. However, as Huang Yaren said, it was not a wise path to live off one's wealth. If Jiang Baozhu took a liking to this small estate, everything would be for Jiang Baozhu's benefit.
"I can still make decisions for a day, but not for too long."
Huang Yaren reminded him repeatedly and saw Lin Yuesha out the door.
She can't take the servants with her today; she has to go to the yamen to transfer their files tomorrow morning.
"Miss, shall we return to the manor or go to the Jiang family?"
Liu Quan's family waited at the door in their horse-drawn carriage.
"Let's go to the Jiang family's house first."
Having just bought the servants, Lin Yuesha needed to inform Jiang Baozhu. Although the servants belonged to her, she still wanted to ask Jiang Baozhu's opinion and also mention the estate.
When they arrived at the Jiang family's residence, they were short-handed, so all of their servants came to help, including Xiao Qi.
“Sister Baozhu, I think what Huangyaren said makes sense.”
Lin Yuesha mentioned the estate that Huang Yaren had mentioned. If it was as Huang Yaren said, three thousand five hundred taels of silver was not expensive at all.
“Sister Yue Sha, I know you’re doing this all for my sake.”
Lin Yuesha had her eye on the estate, but hadn't made a decision yet, coming to ask for Jiang Baozhu's opinion first. Jiang Baozhu understood; the two hadn't known each other for long, but they both knew each other's character. She had no other relatives now and already considered Lin Yuesha like a younger sister.
“My mother secretly prepared a dowry for me, which included two farms.”
Jiang Baozhu opened the small box, inside which were house deeds and land deeds. Coincidentally, the estate and the location that Lin Yuesha had her eye on were only a few miles apart.
"Since you've taken a liking to it, just buy it. I'll cover the cost if you don't have enough money."
Jiang Baozhu brought up the matter of the farm, so that when she lived in the countryside, the two families could take care of each other.
I heard that Lin Yuesha needs to help her family of three research greenhouse vegetable cultivation. Jiang Baozhu is very interested. If it works, they won't have to eat pickled vegetables every day in winter.
After the two agreed, Lin Yuesha stayed until dark before returning to the mansion with her stepbrother Xiao Qi.
Except for Uncle Liu, who guarded the gate, all the servants of the family had gone to help at the Jiang family's house, leaving the house cold and quiet.
The huge mansion was pitch black.
Xiao Qi lit the lantern under the eaves and looked at his younger sister; he was hungry.
They will return to the academy early tomorrow morning, and this will be their only chance to be alone together for one night.
"Brother, what do you want to eat tonight?"
Lin Yuesha tidied herself up. With her parents away, only she and her brother would be cooking tonight.
Uncle Liu was old and not in good health. By the time the two returned home, he had already gone to bed.
"I see there's fresh meat in the kitchen, how about we have some pan-fried meat?"
Xiao Qi looked at Lin Yuesha and, seeing that she was still wondering what "frying meat" meant, explained, "You mentioned it last time. It's about putting the meat on the stove to fry and grill, and then brushing on a layer of sauce."
"Brother, did I say that?"
Lin Yuesha was a little confused. She remembered that she had said it, but the person she was referring to was not her stepbrother, but the pockmarked man who lived in the same cabin.
Xiao Qi paused for a moment. He had been pretending to have a pockmarked face for so long that he had gotten some details mixed up. Besides, the little girl was shrewd, and he could easily give himself away.
"It was Brother Yun who mentioned it; I didn't know you had such skills, little sister."
Xiao Qi quickly tried to cover up his words, secretly reminding himself that everything would rely on hints from now on. He only needed to give enough hints for his little sister to say it herself, rather than saying it directly, thus reducing the risk.
"That's what Brother Yun said."
Lin Yuesha thought of the pockmarked face and missed that person a little. There was a misunderstanding last time, and she hadn't had a chance to apologize yet.
The two never saw each other again after parting ways in the barbarian territory.
"Then I'll go prepare it, we'll have pan-fried meat."
Lin Yuesha entered the kitchen and quickly chopped and marinated the meat. She then instructed her eldest brother to place the small stove in the yard.
Not far from the second-entrance hanging flower gate, there is a small pavilion with several lanterns hanging above it.
Lin Yuesha boiled some spiced peanuts with the skin on, and also prepared some appetizing pickled vegetables and deep-fried spicy soybeans, which were served separately. These were all excellent snacks to accompany drinks.
She thought that her elder brother had a tough time at the academy, studying until late every night. It would be good for him to relax with a little wine now and then.
"Little sister, is this beef?"
Xiao Qi noticed that one of the plates of meat was a very dark color and immediately recognized it.
"Yes, brother, you arrived at the right time."
In the morning, Liu Quan's wife went out to buy groceries and happened to run into a slaughterhouse, so she grabbed a piece of meat.
That piece of beef, with its perfect balance of fat and lean meat, is best when thinly sliced, marinated, and grilled.
She made a secret sauce and dry ingredients, which Xiao Qi could choose from.
There was also pork belly and chicken thigh meat. Unfortunately, there were no vegetables available at this time of year. Lin Yuesha prepared some onions and cabbage. If you find it too greasy, you can wrap it in cabbage and eat it instead of lettuce.
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