Chapter 013 Renting a House

The carriage was a bit shaky, and Ji Qingyue began to feel drowsy as soon as he got on. Yuan Ming put his arm around his shoulders and let him lean on him. Ji Qingyue

slept for a long time this time, and when he opened his eyes again, he was almost at Shifang Town. Yuan Ming didn't even use the plum ice water he prepared, but he was relieved, because he was afraid that Ji Qingyue would get sick again if they hurried back.

They stayed in the county for a few more days, and Ji Fulai specially asked someone to bring a message to Cao, so Cao was not too worried. She only looked up at the gate occasionally while sitting in the yard doing embroidery.

I don't know how many times I looked up today, and suddenly I heard a faint sound of horse hooves.

She quickly put down the wireframe in her hand, and when she went out, she saw a carriage that was painted very carefully and exquisitely. Yuan Ming had already got off and stood in front to help Ji Qingyue step on the pedals.

"Hey, you are finally back. Did everything go well along the way?" Cao took the bag from Yuan Ming's hand and asked anxiously.

Yuan Ming said, "Qingqing had a little heatstroke when she left, and she was sick, so she stayed at her father-in-law's house for two more days."

Cao was immediately nervous when she heard it: "Brother Yue is sick? How is he now? I should have rented a better carriage earlier. It's so bad that he got sick when he was going back to his parents' home!"

She knew that Ji Qingyue's family background was great, and her father was a county magistrate, and he was very dissatisfied with Yuan Ming, otherwise he would not have not even attended their wedding. Ji Qingyue was marrying down, and the journey back home was long, and she fell ill. Wouldn't this make her father even more dissatisfied with Yuan Ming as a son-in-law?

"I'm fine, mother." Ji Qingyue didn't hear the hidden meaning in her words, and was very moved by her concern: "Thank you for your concern, mother."

Cao sighed, looked at Ji Qingyue's still pale face, and said nothing more.

For lunch, they had the pickled cabbage dumpling soup made by Cao, which was light and delicious. Ji Qingyue ate two large bowls in one breath, and then went back to her room to rest.

After Yuan Ming helped Cao clean up the dishes, he heard Cao say mysteriously: "Did everything go well on this trip to the county? Did Master Ji like the things you brought?"

"Well, although my father-in-law is a bit strict, he is a good person. Except for the second wife, everything went well." Yuan Ming replied.

Cao had heard of the reputation of the two ladies for their beauty and intelligence, and she was a little curious. After

listening to Yuan Ming, her brows knitted: "It is true that you can know a person's face but not his heart. This is true for all wealthy families."

Yuan Ming knew that he was thinking of his scumbag father again, so he stopped talking and silently lowered his head to wash the dishes.

The summer vacation at the academy was only one month long, and it took more than half a month to prepare for the wedding. Seeing that the vacation was about to end, he got up earlier and stayed in the study from morning to night.

Ji Qingyue knew that he was busy, so she didn't bother him. She pestered Cao to teach her how to grow vegetables and make clothes.

Before they got married, they had agreed that Yuan Ming would rent a house in the town, and Ji Qingyue would live with him. When Yuan Ming went to the academy, he would be left alone at home during the day. If he did nothing, he would inevitably be bored, so he planned to grow some simple vegetables at home, which would save money and kill time.

Cao agreed with this very much. She enthusiastically went to the pottery maker next door to ask for a few broken jars, placed them on the windowsill, and taught Ji Qingyue step by step from choosing soil, sowing seeds, and applying fertilizers.

Sometimes when Yuan Ming was tired of writing, he could stand on the windowsill of the study and see the two of them standing next to each other, and he felt extremely satisfied. In fact, he already had the best things in life, but he was blinded by his own shortcomings in his previous life and didn't realize it at all.

Three days later, Yuan Ming finally finished writing the manuscript he promised to the bookstore owner. A thick stack of paper, densely and neatly filled with words, together with the previous part, a total of about 100,000 words, can be regarded as a medium-length storybook.

There were only five days left before the school started, and it was time for Yuan Ming to go to the town to look for houses.

The next day, Yuan Ming and Ji Qingyue went to the town on a bullock cart.

Because of his brine recipe, Yang Chao's noodle stall was doing very well, and he said that he could rent a shop in a few more months. Yang Chao and his wife were very grateful to Yuan Ming, and they enthusiastically took them home for dinner.

Yuan Ming did not refuse, because looking for a house was a big project, and it might not be possible to find a suitable house in a short time, so it would be good to have a place to rest.

Letting Ji Qingyue and Yang Ersao wait at home, Yuan Ming planned to go to the dental clinic in the town alone.

The pawnshop was located in a remote area, so before going there, he first submitted his manuscript to Qingshan Bookstore. The shopkeeper took a quick look and was quite satisfied with the content. Knowing that he needed money, he advanced him five taels of silver.

Yuan Ming was a little surprised, but he did not refuse.

With the money, Yuan Ming found the only pawnshop in Shifang Town. It was located at the westernmost part of the town, with more than a dozen rooms connected together, and it was not small in scale. Here you can buy servants, houses, livestock, and various large items for rent.

Yuan Ming came to rent a house, which had the lowest profit. The pawnshop owner who was responsible for entertaining him was not very enthusiastic. After asking about his needs, he flipped through the paper and then yawned lazily.

"There are yards for rent in the wealthy area in the east, the busy area in the west, and the quiet area in the middle. However, the prices are different. Please take a look first." As he said this, he turned the book over and placed it in front of Yuan Ming.

Yuan Ming looked at the residences circled by charcoal pencils, and without hesitation, he pointed to the west: "Can we go and have a look at the yard here?"

The broker took a quick look and nodded. He took out a bunch of keys from the drawer of the table, found one of them, and shouted to the person behind him: "Dongzi, take this guest there."

"Okay! Brother Liu."

As the words fell, a young man dressed very smartly and not very old ran out from behind, took the key from the broker, looked at Yuan Ming, opened his mouth, revealing two fangs, which made people easily like him.

"Sir, please follow me. The house you are looking at is not far from here. We can walk there. By the way, I will talk to you about the house."

Yuan Ming naturally agreed and followed Dongzi out of the brokerage office.

Dongzi was young, but he was very eloquent and could talk about anything. Of course, the most important thing was to talk about the information about the house.

The owner of the house was a scholar. After his son passed the imperial examination, he moved to the provincial capital with his son. The old house was empty, but he was reluctant to sell it, so he entrusted it to a brokerage office, which would clean it after a period of time. If there was a suitable tenant, it would be rented out.

Because the old scholar had some requirements for the tenant, the house had been idle for several years.

Yuan Ming listened quietly, nodded occasionally, and did not express any opinions.

Dongzi glanced at him secretly and couldn't help feeling a little disappointed. Could it be that he looked down on this house?

When they arrived at the place, Dongzi opened the door with the key. Yuan Ming walked into the yard and looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar scene around him, with a hint of nostalgia in his eyes.

He and Ji Qingyue lived here in their previous life, until he passed the imperial examination and moved to the capital. This was their home, carrying many beautiful, sad or regretful memories.

"Sir, please come with me. Although this house is a bit old, it is very clean. Moreover, it is the first time to rent it out. There is absolutely nothing dirty in it..." Dongzi took him to look around the rooms and tried hard to sell it, not knowing that Yuan Ming had already made up his mind to rent it.

Both parties wanted to make a deal, so the following things became much simpler. After two rounds of negotiations, the price was settled.

Dongzi was overjoyed and immediately took Yuan Ming back to the pawnshop to sign the deed. After that, he went to the government office to stamp it with a red seal, and the deal was completely settled.

Coming out of the government office, Yuan Ming held a thin deed in his hand, with the key already in his purse.

Yuan Ming rented a yard with two bedrooms, a kitchen, a study, and a small vegetable garden. It cost two taels of silver a month, which was neither expensive nor cheap.

Ji Qingyue liked it as soon as she arrived, and arranged the use of each place by holding the door frame.

"Sunlight can shine into this room. My mother has bad back and legs, so give it to her. There is also a vegetable garden! I have just learned how to grow vegetables, and I can show my skills after I tidy up. Unfortunately, I still can't cook, so I have to ask my mother to teach me as soon as possible after I go back."

Yuan Ming let him look around, and when he was tired and sat in the yard to rest, he told her his plan.

"Aniang won't live with us, so the guest room will be used as your workshop."