Once he was sure he could check Bai Ze, he went to the bottom of the pit, bent down, grabbed a handful of soil to look at it, and even lay down to listen for sounds. He then found a stick and dug around a bit. After working for half an hour, he finally came up. When he came up, the seller asked Bai Ze with a smile, "Brother Bai, how are you feeling?"
"Hey, I'm not sure, brother, why don't you show us the house first?"
The seller didn't ask many questions and just started leading the way, brainwashing them along the way about how good the land was. Jiang's father and Chen's mother, who were walking behind, looked at Bai Ze, who nodded with a smile to indicate that there was no problem. After walking for a while, they arrived at the house. It was a well-preserved house with blue bricks and tiles, but it hadn't been lived in for a long time, and there was a lot of dust and weeds inside.
The house had two courtyards, and the seller said that the cost of just the two courtyards alone was more than five hundred taels of silver. After looking at the two courtyards, they looked at the well and the peach grove. After that, the seller left the Jiang and Bai families some time to discuss things. He went outside for a walk, and after the seller had gone far away, the two families found a place to sit down.
"Brother Bai, this place is nice, and the houses are good too, but are you sure you can solve the water problem? Is it easy to solve? Do you think we can get a good deal here? Before I came, I was a little confident, but after seeing this, I can hardly believe it."
"Brother Jiang, don't worry, I already know the reason. I looked at the wells he dug in the lake. They're not deep enough because there are rocks blocking the way. I have a way to get rid of the rocks. According to my estimate, as long as the rocks are removed, the water will come out after digging down one or two meters, and the lake will be restored."
"As for the wells, it's pretty much the same. Once the lake is restored, the wells will likely have water again."
Bai Ze's explanation convinced Jiang's father and Chen Shi. In fact, Bai Ze was just making things up. He said the earthquake had changed the waterway, and they could just send the puppet down to dig it out. (PS: This part is completely made up, but it's for the sake of the plot.) After confirming that Bai Ze could solve the problem, Jiang's father was relieved, since five hundred taels of silver was not a small amount of money.
After agreeing on the terms, they negotiated the price with the seller. The seller insisted on 1,000 taels of silver, claiming that he had spent 3,000 taels when he bought it and was now losing two-thirds of his money, so he couldn't lower the price any further. In the end, Jiang Yue's whole family negotiated down to 900 taels. Once the price was confirmed, the group went back to the yamen to transfer the ownership.
When they arrived, the yamen runner in charge of registration looked at Jiang Yue's family with strange eyes, probably thinking that they had been taken advantage of. He guessed that the seller of the chubby hamster had given him the money. The formalities were completed in less than half an hour. After it was over, the seller of the chubby hamster couldn't stop smiling. He didn't pretend anymore and said directly to Bai Ze, "Brother Bai, when you sell it, you probably won't even get eight hundred taels of silver. You should think about how to sell it in advance."
After mocking Bai Ze, he laughed heartily and walked out of the yamen to go home. The yamen runner in charge of registration patted Bai Ze on the shoulder and said, "Brother, remember to look for me next time you need to sell!"
"Haha, no need for that, officer. I need to trouble you with something. We bought the property together as a joint venture and need to register it with you so that the farmland and the house can be allocated fairly."
"Are you sure you want to waste this money?" the constable asked Bai Ze curiously. Bai Ze nodded and the constable didn't say much. After paying, the constable helped divide the money into two parts. In the end, Jiang's father and Bai Ze each took one of the land deeds and walked out. When they came out, the people in the yamen looked at them with the eyes of someone looking at a sucker, which made Jiang's father feel insecure.
After finishing their business, they returned to the inn. They needed to stay there for the time being, as the rooms and courtyard there were uncleaned and uninhabitable. Just as they were about to eat after picking up the guests, someone came over. The person was a puppet controlled by Bai Ze. He walked to the table and said to Jiang's father and Bai Ze, "Gentlemen, would you like someone to clean the courtyard? We brothers are professionals. The previous owners also hired us to clean. We guarantee it will be spotless and honest. You can check the goods before you pay."
Jiang's father and the others exchanged glances. Bai Ze was really into acting; he was quite convincing, and it was impossible to tell that he wasn't human. After glancing at the puppet, he said, "Please sit down and let's talk!"
After everyone sat down, they ordered a pot of tea from the waiter. While drinking the tea, they asked about the previous events at the manor. They were quite engrossed in their own performance, while Jiang Yue rolled her eyes to the heavens. Finally, they asked about the most important question: the price. The puppet took a sip of tea and said, "We can clean both courtyards in just two days, making them ready for immediate move-in. It will only cost 20 taels of silver."
"Besides, you should hire us instead of someone else. We've been cleaning this house since the second owner, and it's happened several times already. We're experienced, and we'll clean every nook and cranny for you. If you don't believe me, you can ask the previous owner."
"Of course, if you have enough servants to clean it yourself, that's fine, but I've heard you're from out of town. It's better to hire us than others, at least we have enough experience."
Father Jiang took a sip of tea. This guy's family would charge 10 taels even if they split the cost. Although hiring someone wouldn't cost 10 taels, it would take time, and staying at an inn would cost money every day. It was better to spend a little more money. Father Jiang and Chen discussed it and agreed. After a while, the puppet took its leave. Cleaning the room was too simple. Just use a few cleaning talismans. If it weren't for the fear of scaring Father Jiang, it would have been said that it could be done in five minutes.
After dinner, Jiang's father went to buy daily necessities, while Bai Ze went to solve the water problem. In the evening, both Jiang's father and Bai Ze returned with a lot of things. Jiang's father bought necessities such as grain, oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar, while Bai Ze bought a bunch of random minerals and medicinal herbs. Then they secretly tinkered with them all night.
The next morning at breakfast, Bai Ze looked exhausted yet excited, which made Jiang Yue admire him. She hadn't expected Bai Ze to be such a drama queen. After finishing his meal, he left with a large bundle on his back, telling Jiang's father to wait for his good news. After he left, Jiang's father, Chen, began to wait anxiously. In the middle of the night, Bai Ze returned covered in dust, with mud still clinging to his hem.
"Brother Jiang, it's done! The lake has recovered! I checked the well and there's water in it too, although it's a bit murky now. After a few days, it will settle and the well will be usable after a cleaning."
"Really? Hahaha, Brother Bai is really amazing!" Father Jiang excitedly patted Bai Ze's shoulder, praising him endlessly. Madam Chen also smiled broadly and quickly served tea and water.
"I told you to trust me, right? I checked the house and it's almost cleaned up. There are still some things left to clean in the yard. We can set off for home tomorrow at noon. In the morning, we should buy everything we need, otherwise we'll have to pay the city entry fee again next time we come back."
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