Chapter 045: Traitorous Minister 45
As Xiao Yan expected, the family finally agreed to the deal at 666 taels and 6 qian, but they still needed to see the house before that.
Perhaps because they felt it was bad luck, the family did not show up and let their servants handle the matter.
This house is the third one in the second lane of West Street. Everyone who comes and goes, whether they are the owner or the servants, deliberately avoids it, as if it were a flood or a beast.
The steward opened the door and thick dust fell. Fortunately, Xiao Yan and Xiao Chen were standing farther away, but the human trafficker was caught off guard and choked on the dust.
The manager was also a little embarrassed. "It's just a little dusty, but everything else is fine..."
As soon as he finished saying the word "OK", the door fell down. If the manager had not reacted in time, he would probably have been injured by the door.
Everyone: “…”
Manager: “…”
The steward recovered from the shock and said, "It's just an accident. It's all an accident. I can fix it and it's still usable!"
As the gate fell, a weed-covered yard was revealed.
"These weeds just need to be pulled out. This shows that this place is full of yang energy and vitality!"
Xiao Yan silently looked towards the wall on the left where a corner had collapsed, "This..."
The manager lied with his eyes wide open, "How great is that? If something urgent happens, we can just get out from there!"
Xiao Yan: “…”
Xiao Yan hesitated, "Is there another possibility that the bad guys could have come in directly from there?"
The steward said vaguely: "Forget about the bad guys here, there's not even a mouse!"
As soon as the words fell, several children came out from inside, holding a majestic big yellow dog in their hands.
Xiao Yan: “…”
Xiao Yan looked at the steward dimly, his meaning simple and clear - wasn't it said that there were no people, not even a mouse? Now there are people, although not mice, but there are also big yellow dogs.
Manager: “…”
The manager also felt that he was particularly unlucky today. Whatever he said would always be contradicted in the face.
He glared at the children, "How did you get in here? You're not allowed to come in here casually, you know? If anything happens, what will happen to your parents? Go back now!"
The children scattered and ran out of the yard.
He seemed to think that what he said might bring bad luck to the buyer, so he quickly made amends: "The child is not careful, if he bumps into a rock, it will be bad."
Xiao Yan nodded without much concern.
The layout of the houses here is similar to that in their hometown, except that they cover a larger area, have landscapes in some places, and have more corridors and arches.
Perhaps because children often come in to play when adults aren't paying attention, the place doesn't seem particularly deserted, but it's a bit too run-down and desolate.
The hall and the rest of the house were intact. Just as the human trafficker had said before, all the furniture and ornaments inside had been moved out, leaving only some worthless miscellaneous items.
Seeing that there were no mistakes, the steward finally felt relieved. "Sir, please look, the doors and windows here are all intact. You only need to clean them and you can move in..."
The voice suddenly stopped.
There was indeed no problem with the doors and windows, but there were several leaks on the roof, and the light projected from above formed some mottled spots.
Xiao Yan: “…”
Manager: “…”
The steward coughed lightly and spoke seriously, "It's good to have a hole. It allows for ventilation. It's not as stuffy as it used to be! It's also good to get some fresh air!"
Speaking of this, he himself felt it was outrageous.
Xiao Yan was too tired to complain about this, but he still had to say: "It may be breathable, but if it rains, it will leak!"
"I've taken a look. The door and the roof need to be repaired, and the wall needs to be rebuilt. Otherwise, if it collapses, people will die. And the stone walls of the house can collapse, let alone the house itself."
He looked at the steward with disapproval, "Steward, you're not being kind! We've only provided a plot of land, and you want us to rebuild the house. Aren't you kidding us?"
Although the manager knew about it, his position did not allow him to agree because it would lead to price pressure.
"Why do we need to rebuild it? Isn't this house still in good condition?"
Xiao Yan: "Since you said so, I won't argue with you. We will buy the house and not rebuild it as you said. As long as you can live here for a month, we will trust you. How about it?"
Manager: “…”
Don’t say it, he really doesn’t dare!
It's not a question of whether to rebuild or not, but rather that he thinks this place is unlucky! But he can't say this out loud, because otherwise, no one would want to buy there. Wouldn't that just drive customers away?
He really wanted to help the owner sell the yard, mainly because the owner had been having bad luck recently and he always felt that this house affected the owner's feng shui, so when he heard the price was more than 600 silver coins, he also planned to sell it.
It's not that it has to be less, but he has to make some profit. If the price is lowered, he will get less, so he will lie so blatantly and try to say something good.
Now seeing that they looked like they were blackmailing him, he was worried that they would give up again. If so, he would not get any benefit at all and would also be scolded by the master.
Although this was the truth, he couldn't show it.
The steward said pitifully, "Sir, please don't make things difficult for me. I'm just a servant, how can I make the decision?"
Unexpectedly, Xiao Yan looked at him in surprise, "What! You can't make the decision? Then why did you bring us here?"
Xiao Yan looked suspicious, "Could it be that you stole the master's house deed and are selling it?"
Manager: “…”
His original intention was to play the victim, okay?! If he couldn't make the decision, how could he hold the deed? And he even brought up theft...
The steward forced a smile and said, "I can still make some decisions."
Xiao Yan patted his chest and said, "That's good. I thought you were the kind of person who deceived your superiors and subordinates! I almost scared you into reporting you to the authorities!"
Manager: “…”
The steward could no longer maintain his smile, because he was indeed a servant who deceived his superiors and subordinates to gain benefits.
He always felt that this person already knew and was hinting at him!
But upon closer inspection, this man was still young and didn't seem to be such a cunning person. He must have been overthinking it.
The manager didn't want to argue with him anymore and asked directly, "How much do you want to give?"
Without thinking, Xiao Yan said, "Three hundred and sixty-nine taels!"
He explained, "The word 'three' is very auspicious, representing life, abundant yang energy, and vitality! 'Six' means everything will go smoothly! 'Long' means a long, lasting time!"
However, his explanation did not impress the steward. His expression cracked for a moment, and his voice suddenly rose: "How much!?"
Xiao Yan repeated it, with a look that said, "You're kidding me!" "No, this is too little! It really can't be! You're pressing too hard!"
It's a direct loss of two hundred and ninety-seven taels of silver, which is basically a loss!
Xiao Yan kindly reminded him, "When we do business, it's a give-and-take. I can lower the price, and you can raise it."
Manager: “…”
The steward thought about it and it seemed to be true. He asked tentatively, "Six hundred taels?"
Xiao Yan shook his head decisively, "You still have to rebuild the house! You only found a quick place! And you also had an accident here!"
The manager was also troubled by what he said, "Then how much do you want? Three hundred and sixty-nine taels is impossible!"
"I won't make things difficult for you." Xiao Yan said.
Manager: “…”
Oh! I believed you! Listen to what you said, is this human? You're not going to embarrass me? Then what are you doing now?
Xiao Yan didn't care about his criticism. "Let's take a step back. Five hundred taels! It's auspicious! Five is my idea. A whole number represents perfection. However, your family still has enough manpower. Can you help us tear down this wall? How about it?"
After this incident, the steward knew that Xiao Yan was not easy to deal with, so he asked cautiously, "Is it just about tearing down the wall?"
Xiao Yan thought for a moment and said, "Then remove the weeds in the yard."
The steward asked again: "Anything else?"
Xiao Yan: "That rockery blocks the light and is too dilapidated. It would be better to remove it."
Seeing that he had nothing else to do, the steward finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Then it's settled, five hundred taels! You can't use any other excuses to reduce the amount!"
Xiao Yan: “…”
Xiao Yan was also unhappy, "How am I deliberately suppressing you? I'm just trying to find the problem!"
The manager was too lazy to argue with Xiao Yan and couldn't win the argument, so he urged Xiao Yan to go to the yamen with him to sign the house deed.
After this matter was settled, the manager walked as fast as a dog being chased, fearing that Xiao Yan would say something bad to him again.
The trafficker bowed to Xiao Yan in shame and said, "I don't come here often, I really... I'm extremely sorry."
Xiao Yan waved his hand, "No, no, Brother He, you have helped us so much, and we two brothers should be grateful to you. If it weren't for you, Brother He, we two brothers wouldn't be able to find such a big yard."
The trafficker was a little confused, "But, but don't we have to rebuild it?"
Xiao Yan shook his head and said, "It's just to suppress the pressure."
"Brother He, you may not know. I just took a careful look and found that only the main hall needs to be rebuilt. The rest can be repaired and reinforced. However, this wall does need to be rebuilt."
Hearing this, the guilt in the trafficker's heart finally dissipated a little, "That's good."
"I know some craftsmen who are quite skilled and offer relatively low prices. However, as for the wood and other materials needed for the repairs, you, Brother Yan, will have to go and look at them yourself."
It is not impossible to outsource it to a craftsman, but it is not very cost-effective.
Xiao Yan nodded, but he felt a little troubled. "My brother and I have to take the imperial examination, so I'm afraid we won't have the time to look after you. I wonder if Brother He can help?"
This help is of course not free. Even if the human traffickers are willing, they don't want to owe too many favors.
Since the trafficker was determined to establish close ties with them, he naturally wouldn't refuse. He readily agreed, "Alright! Since you two trust me so much, I will definitely not let you down."
After sending the human traffickers away, the construction and renovation of the house were put on the agenda, and the heavy stone in Xiao Yan's heart finally eased a little.
Wait, why hasn’t Xiao Chen said much from now until now?
Xiao Yan turned his head and saw Xiao Chen squatting on the ground, writing and drawing something with a branch.
As I got closer, I could see some math on the ground.
Xiao Yan: “…”
It seems Xiao Chen is still immersed in calculating the household expenses...
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