Chapter 509 Ghost Stories
Lin Yuesha's mission was complete. She went to Wantong Money Shop to withdraw 30,000 taels of silver and gave it to Prince Luo, who acted as the middleman. Prince Luo then directly brought the house and land deeds from the special office of the Ministry of Revenue.
For ordinary houses in the outer city, the deed had to be processed at the Jingzhao Yin Yamen (the government office of the Prefect of the Capital). However, houses in the inner city were different; they required the approval of the Ministry of Revenue in order to be transferred smoothly.
Lin Yuesha then realized the trickery involved. No wonder the officials from the Ministry of Revenue could open rooms in the outer city for their meetings and charge several hundred taels of silver upon entry. So that's how it worked.
With Prince Luo acting as an intermediary, the people in the Ministry of Revenue were very efficient.
"Miss, are we moving?"
Bai Cha held the house deed and examined it carefully, her hands trembling with excitement. The journey from the north to the capital felt like a dream. Although it didn't belong to her, even a servant hoped her master would have a stable place to live.
"I originally thought that I could move to a new place so that my father could have a few more medical checkups, but I don't know how long that would take. We have a house now, so let's move as soon as possible."
The furniture at the wood shop wasn't finished yet; they also needed mattresses, window screens, bed curtains, and decorative items. Lin Yuesha generously paid up, letting the others decorate the house themselves and choose according to their own preferences.
Having a place to stay is great news; we should celebrate!
“Miss, Longjing and I are not picky about the fabric, but we prefer brighter patterns.”
Bai Cha was delighted. The shops in the inner city were too expensive; how could a maidservant afford such luxuries? She had heard from Qing Xing that there were some small shops in the outer city where she could find some ornaments and other items.
Some porcelain and jade items are very cheap because they have flaws; you can choose several items for only a hundred or so coins.
“Alright, we haven’t visited any shops in the outer city since we arrived in the capital. I’ll go to the blacksmith’s shop and have some slicing and cutting tools made for Madam Xu.”
Lin Yuesha remembered her promise to Madam Xu to teach her cooking skills. With the move to the new house imminent, she should put this matter on the agenda.
The master and servant headed straight for the outer city. Following Qingxing's directions, Baicha easily found all the small shops along the street.
The outer city was more lively than the inner city, with people carrying small baskets, shopping everywhere, creating a vibrant atmosphere.
Bai Cha chose a shop specializing in women's items, similar to a modern home furnishing store. It had beds, small tables, dressing tables, bed curtains, window screens, screens, and a range of decorative items, all at reasonable prices.
"Sir, everything in our shop is a finished product. If you see anything you like, our staff will deliver it to your door for free."
Seeing that Lin Yuesha was dressed in a wealthy manner, the shopkeeper guessed that she might be a young lady from a rich family who was out for a stroll with her maid. He immediately told the shop assistant to step back and came forward to greet her himself.
"Shopkeeper, it's not our young lady who wants to buy it, it's me."
Bai Cha immediately stepped forward and, seeing the shopkeeper's eager expression, explained that she wanted some affordable items.
The shopkeeper's fawning smile immediately froze on his face. A maidservant doesn't have much money per month; he probably came to look at the purses and handkerchiefs.
"White tea, do you have any you like? Your young lady is in a good mood today."
Lin Yuesha waved her hand. She had just gotten a hairpin from Qin Nanyan a few days ago, and Qingxing had helped her pawn it for two hundred taels of silver. She would use the money to buy clothes and decorate the house for the maids. The journey from the north to the capital, especially for Bai Cha, was far from her homeland and it was really not easy.
“Miss, even though you are so generous, I cannot forget my duty.”
Lin Yuesha sat down to wait while carefully selecting white tea.
The shopkeeper blinked, leaned forward to serve tea and water, and whispered, "Miss, you look like you haven't reached marriageable age yet. Are you engaged?"
"not yet."
Lin Yuesha looked up in confusion, wondering why the shopkeeper was suddenly asking about this.
"Then...maybe you have someone you like?"
Since the shopkeeper was a woman, Lin Yuesha didn't find it too abrupt. She noticed the shopkeeper's overly eager gaze and assumed she was interested in her. To avoid trouble, she touched her face and said, "Yes."
Alright, I'll say so, but don't be interested in her as a daughter-in-law. She's going to marry a nobleman.
"I see. Then Miss must need the perfume."
The shopkeeper went into the small room mysteriously, and after a moment she came out with an exquisitely packaged box. She placed the box on a small table and opened it.
Inside was a small, exquisitely crafted porcelain bottle. Upon opening it, a fragrance could be smelled, but the scent was too strong, with a pungent, modern, cheap perfume-like odor.
"Miss, this is not ordinary perfume."
The shopkeeper leaned closer to Lin Yuesha and excitedly introduced, "This perfume has a unique fragrance. It was blessed by a master. Just a drop in front of your sweetheart will make him fall head over heels in love."
Lin Yuesha: ? ? So infatuated, are you sure it's not a sleeping potion?
"Miss, don't be skeptical, this perfume is truly extraordinary. It's not just used by young ladies from wealthy families, but also by wives of rich men. I heard that after a certain official's wife used it, all the concubines in her household were dismissed."
These days, men with some ability often have three wives and four concubines, while women, as they age and lose their beauty, have to find ways to keep their husbands' hearts.
"Does your husband have any concubines?"
Lin Yuesha stared intently at the bottle of fragrant dew, but she couldn't tell at all that it had been blessed by a master.
"Of course, my family is a large and successful business..."
The shopkeeper, quick to speak, immediately replied. Lin Yuesha, who had been waiting for this response, retorted, "It seems the effect isn't that obvious. Your husband also has a concubine."
What a simple name, "Fragrant Dew." It would be better to give it a catchy name like "Concubine Killer."
The shopkeeper was momentarily speechless at Lin Yuesha's retort, but she quickly replied, "We didn't get rid of her because she was also using this perfume."
Lin Yuesha: ...
Before leaving the shop, Lin Yuesha specifically asked about the price. Twenty taels of silver was considered very expensive in the outer city.
As Lin Yuesha was leaving, she encountered a disheveled woman holding twenty taels of silver. The woman approached the shopkeeper and said, "Shopkeeper, I've gathered the silver. Please sell me a bottle quickly. I don't want to be divorced by my husband!"
"Miss, is that perfume really effective? Can it win back a man's heart?"
Bai Cha slowly turned around and saw the beaming shopkeeper and the excited woman. Twenty taels of silver must have been a lot of hard work for the woman to scrape together.
"White Tea, do you believe such nonsense?"
Lin Yuesha was both angry and helpless. In Daqi, women were subordinate to men. If a man disliked a woman, she really had no way out.
Judging from the woman's attire, she was clearly not from a wealthy family. She had scraped together twenty taels of silver to buy the perfume, but she could not escape being cheated.
Not only will the money be wasted without any benefit, but it might also cause her husband to despise her for not knowing how to manage a household.
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