He Zifeng successfully became the deputy head constable, and people at the yamen actively sought to curry favor with him.
Those who left his team blushed with embarrassment whenever they saw He Zifeng again; they felt they had been too disrespectful to him when they left. Even the most magnanimous person would find it hard to forgive and forget, fearing that He Zifeng would hold a grudge against them.
Everyone was trying to win over Bingzi and Xie Rui, wanting to say something nice to them.
But they didn't even lift an eyelid, saying, "Why didn't you think about it earlier!" Just for one tael of silver—and not just one tael a month, but one tael a year—they were swayed. It's clear that all the kindness we've shown them has been wasted.
After hearing this, He Zifeng took the initiative to approach them and said, "I didn't take that matter to heart." Only after hearing this did they feel slightly relieved.
He Zifeng became the fourth-ranking official in the county government. Not only them, but even the merchants who frequently visited the county government were eager to cultivate a good relationship with him!
This includes Wan Hai.
He Zifeng hadn't seen him for a long time, and upon closer inspection, he almost didn't recognize him. He was so thin he was almost unrecognizable. Anyone who didn't know better would think the Gong family wasn't feeding him.
Seeing He Zifeng, dressed in bright clothes, moving through the crowd, Wan Hai even felt a little ashamed. He used to look down on He Zifeng, but now that He Zifeng had actually climbed above him, this feeling was driving him crazy.
When the Gong family heard that He Zifeng used to be Wan Hai's brother, they immediately asked him to come and try to build a relationship. He refused, and was even scolded by the third brother, the head of the family, who said that the whole family was just freeloaders.
Wan Hai, being such a proud person, was unwilling to be spoken to like that, and he became angry.
Upon seeing Wan Hai, He Zifeng said to Xie Rui and the other constables beside him, "You guys go eat first today, I'm not going."
Xie Rui and his group were quick-witted. Seeing Wan Hai and then He Zifeng, they knew they had something to say, so they left first.
He Zifeng asked, "What is it?" Although Wan Hai had never bullied him before, he had silently condoned his mother's bullying. He thought he would hate him, but after he rose in status, he suddenly felt that Wan Hai was not important at all and became an indifferent person.
Wan Hai forced a smile that looked more like a grimace and said, "Congratulations." Who would have thought that a man from a remote corner of the countryside would one day be receiving a government salary?
Why can't he have such good fortune?
He Zifeng said, "Thank you. How have you been lately?"
Ever since Wan Hai arrived in the county, he felt intensely out of place. He had gone from an arrogant peasant boy to a despised illegitimate child. Even the servants of the Gong family looked down on him, and he had to beg and plead for a pittance. His business hadn't been doing well either, and his wife didn't understand him. He wanted to talk to He Zifeng about these troubles.
He had been holding these words in for too long, and he felt that He Zifeng would understand if he said them. But when the words reached his lips, he swallowed them back down, afraid of being laughed at: "I'm fine." His mouth was full of bitterness as he finished speaking, but he still forced himself to say: "I have no worries about food and clothing over there. I can eat half a basket of palm-sized crabs in one meal, and there are also bear paws and bird's nest on the table."
He Zifeng said, "Hmm."
Wan Hai said, "We are brothers after all, and we can't forget the bond we formed when we were young."
He Zifeng said, "You, He Fan, and He Tongcai are blood brothers. If you're doing well, you should go back and visit them." After all, they had admired Wan Hai, their older brother, since they were young.
As for them, they've been adversaries since childhood. Their relationship has never been good, neither in the past nor now. The fact that they're even standing here and saying a few words is already a sign of old friendship.
Wan Hai frowned and said, "Sigh, I have my own difficulties too. Alright, I have other things to do." After saying that, he fled in a hurry, even forgetting to give He Zifeng the four boxes of gifts he was carrying.
After Wan Hai left, Xie Rui suddenly appeared out of nowhere. He was more curious than most people and loved to inquire about these kinds of things. He heard about He Zifeng's past relationship with Wan Hai from one of the constables: "Doesn't he know any manners? Who takes back something they gave away?"
After saying that, she looked down on him: "No wonder their fourth son made him kneel down to wipe his shoes last time."
He Zifeng asked, "Where did you hear all this from?" He always had more of these kinds of rumors than others.
Xie Rui said, "It was all said by their servants." The Gong family has eight sons. Although the Gong family is large and wealthy, there are too many offspring, so the amount of property divided among them is small. Now that someone has come to compete with them for their possessions, they are naturally being targeted.
Although Wan Hai was incompetent, he refused to be humiliated, so he beat up Gong Laosi. This really stirred up a hornet's nest. The Gong family used their family discipline, and Wan Hai was punished in front of the servants; he was truly ashamed to face anyone.
He Zifeng said, "If you're not happy living here, why can't you leave?" He didn't quite understand either. If it were him, he would rather live a hard life than put up with this nonsense.
Xie Rui said, "Their three children have already been recognized by their ancestors, so no one can stop them from leaving. However, the children have gone to live with the Gong family. The Gong family heard that they are doing well in their studies and have high hopes for them. After all, there are not many scholars in their family, and they can't leave for the sake of their children. Otherwise, if they leave, there will be no one to protect the children."
He Zifeng was speechless upon hearing this. Sure enough, there was a price to pay for getting Wan Hai out of prison. The price was that his child would have to pass the imperial examinations to secure their place in the Gong family. Just thinking about it, all their hopes resting on the child's shoulders was suffocating.
He Zifeng didn't go drinking with them anymore; he went back to find Qiu Yu. Now he was the fourth-in-command of the county government, and his sources of income had increased. Adding in the gifts and bribes from the merchants, the profits from Lingshan Village, and the money the county magistrate had given him through the accountant, he had accumulated a good two hundred taels of silver. He wanted to buy a house in the county government compound.
Qiu Yu was waiting for them in their rented backyard after finishing her morning market business.
He Zifeng went over and looked at Qiu Yu. He used to think this small backyard was quite nice, but after a while, it wasn't enough. Qinghua seemed rather resentful. He Zifeng said, "Let's buy a bigger courtyard. We can use it to rest in the county town on weekdays."
The county government office was a place with limited land and a large population. Ordinary poor people lived in rows of small houses without courtyards. Those with courtyards were either living in remote areas or in extremely expensive houses next to the wealthy.
Qiu Yu said, "Okay." Then the two of them went to the child dealership together. As soon as they entered, they saw their manager smiling broadly, saying, "Where did this wind come from, blowing Master He here?"
He Zifeng said, "I just came here to take a look around."
The manager personally came out to greet him, saying, "Master He, do you need a room or people? I'll have them bring out the best ones for you to inspect." The labor service also sold some manual laborers or servants. It wasn't uncommon for well-off families to hire a few people to work in the county.
Then he saw Qiu Yu and said, "Your wife is truly beautiful. I've long heard that Master He has a stunning beauty, but seeing her today is like seeing a celestial being."
Qiu Yu had never heard such praise before and didn't know how to respond.
He Zifeng interrupted the steward's flattery and said, "I'm looking for a house with a large courtyard. Do you have any suitable options?"
Upon hearing that He Zifeng was getting down to business, the steward quickly abandoned his sycophantic thoughts and repeatedly said, "Yes, there are." Since he was introducing properties to He Zifeng, he didn't dare recommend anything too inferior. "I'll mainly introduce two houses."
He said, "The house on the left belongs to the Zhang family. All three brothers passed the imperial examinations at a young age. They had to sell their ancestral home because they had to go away to study. This house has a good aura, good for nurturing people! Three scholars from the family, come and absorb the scholarly atmosphere in the house, who knows, maybe one of them will also become a scholar." They bought this house, just waiting to sell it at a high price and make a fortune.
The house wasn't anything special, but the people in the county were superstitious, and they bought it for 120 taels of silver. It was a small, two-courtyard house, and they'd already seen it elsewhere, offering 240 taels—more than double the original price. But they were still not satisfied. They planned to hold out a little longer and easily sell it for 300 taels.
A residential property sold for the price of a shop. The original owner was truly remarkable.
He Zifeng's influence in the county has waned. He now has some insiders. He asked, "Is this house something the Gong family has their eye on?" The Gong family is a prominent family in the county, owning half the street. If they've taken a liking to this place, they probably like its feng shui and hope to produce a scholar in their family.
Although the shopkeeper's house hadn't been sold yet, and he could sell it to anyone, it wasn't worth going against the Gong family over it. Besides, he was clearly going to raise the price. He Zifeng just wanted a place to stay in the county town, and spending a lot of money didn't seem worthwhile to him.
Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper said, "Why don't you look at something else?"
He then introduced a few more houses next to the county magistrate's, in areas where wealthy families from the county congregated. He didn't like the idea of too many people gossiping and gossiping.
He Zifeng refused two offers in a row. The person in charge was sweating a little. Anyone who didn't know better would think he wasn't doing his job well enough. He racked his brains trying to think of any other good houses that would meet his requirements. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration made him think of one.
After thinking for a moment, he said, "I don't know if Mr. He has any reservations about this, but I do have another house, it's just..." He hesitated to say it.
He Zifeng was intrigued by his appearance and said, "Let's go take a look." They then went to a house that was very close to the morning market where they set up stalls on the street. It was a very spacious house with a stable inside.
He Zifeng took a look and saw that the house was built with the finest gold bricks. The round logs were very elaborate, and there were main rooms, side rooms, and even a stable in the backyard.
The house is large, in a good location, and even has a three-story cellar. It was originally intended to be a wine cellar, as the homeowner is said to enjoy drinking.
But shortly after the house was completed, the owner was killed by bandits outside, and his son and wife were subsequently evicted. The house was sold for two hundred taels of silver while the woman was still alive. They had spent nearly three hundred taels of silver on the house itself. The bricks and tiles were all transported from other places, and a famous designer was hired; they had put a lot of thought into every detail.
They bought it back hoping to make a fortune. But the wealthy landowners in the county shook their heads as soon as they heard the news, saying that the previous owner's family had been ruined and that they must have chosen an unlucky day when they started building the house. These words came from who knows where, and from then on, the house could never be sold again.
Even the children felt it was bad luck.
The houses are really well-built, but rich people don't care to buy them. They have money, so they can buy houses anywhere.
Some were bolder, but simply didn't have the money to buy. Even if they sold the house at a loss, it would still fetch at least 150 taels. Caught between a rock and a hard place, a new house was wasted in their hands.
Ya Xing didn't want to introduce any properties to He Zifeng, as he was now the newly appointed fourth-in-command of the county government, and the officials in charge were afraid he would overthink things. But seeing that He Zifeng really didn't like any of them, he brought out this house.
I took He Zifeng to see it once.
He Zifeng was indeed quite satisfied. But he couldn't make a decision right away. He said to the person in charge, "Why don't you leave the key here? I'll have a few friends take a look at this place and give you an answer within two days."
The manager of the house shop readily agreed, since he couldn't sell the house anyway. He said, "Alright, then you can take a good look at it. If you buy this house, I won't charge you a commission."
Then the person in charge left.
He Zifeng asked Qiu Yu, "How is it?"
Qiu Yu liked it very much; it was the first time he had ever seen such an elaborately decorated house with carved beams and painted rafters. He didn't care at all about the taboo aspect of the house's owner's death.
In the village, birth, aging, illness, and death are all normal. Besides, the person died outside, not inside the house. This is a new house. It's almost half the price. The house they built in the village cost twenty taels, which was already considered very good, but it can't compare to this at all.
Wealthy people are particular about everything, everything is new and unique. Even the roof tiles are made of glazed tiles, which amazes him.
But seeing this house made me realize that houses could be so extravagant.
Moreover, there was a well in the courtyard, an iron pot rack in the kitchen, a Western-style bed and a heated kang (a traditional Chinese bed-stove) in the house. All the books in the study were new, and even the writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstones were provided.
The previous owner of this house wanted to build a nice house and live there for a long time. Everything was built to the best standards. A small plot of land was even cultivated in the backyard. Land is not rare in the village, but in a county where land is scarce and people are numerous, having a piece of land is considered a touch of elegance.
He Zifeng then went to check the cellar, but there was nothing there. This still left him with some doubts. Would an ordinary person need such a large cellar? If, as Ya Xing said, he wanted to store wine, then even a thousand catties wouldn't be enough for him.
When He Zifeng walked to one spot, he noticed that the soil there was a different color than elsewhere. Luckily, he had grown up in a village and had a deep understanding of soil; most people wouldn't have noticed such a small detail. He Zifeng brushed away the soil, found a small shovel, and dug down about half a foot when he felt something buried underneath. He opened it and found a pickled vegetable jar inside, filled with gleaming gold.
He Zifeng immediately took out the gold and then told Qiu Yu about it. Qiu Yu was also somewhat shocked. She took out the gold, which was about fifty taels.
He Zifeng then went out to ask Xie Rui, as he was always aware of the private affairs of wealthy people.
The moment he mentioned the house, Xie Rui knew. He said, "Brother He, you want to buy this house? That house took a year and a half to build. It's just that the location isn't very good; I guess he wanted a quiet place amidst the hustle and bustle." It's too close to the street where people sell goods, and wealthy people usually find it too noisy.
He Zifeng said, "I heard them say that the feng shui of this house isn't very good. What's going on?"
Xie Rui said, "Don't listen to that, it's all just hearsay. The original owner was surnamed Zhang, a servant born out of favor to the He family. His whole family worked for the He family, who were salt traders. After he went to sell salt, he claimed that the huge sum of money he was carrying was robbed by bandits. He was the only one who returned. After the He family investigated, they found out that he had killed everyone. He wanted to keep the money. The He family, who were in the salt trade, were no saints. When they couldn't recover the money, they killed him. His wife and children were afraid of retaliation from their master, so they sold the new house and ran away."
Xie Rui found out so much because he had considered buying the house years ago, but something came up and he put it off.
That's just how it is with big properties like houses; the more sought-after they are, the easier they are to sell. This house, for example, hasn't sold for years. People's interest in buying it has waned. Xie Rui said to He Zifeng, "How much do the dealers ask for?"
“One hundred and fifty taels,” He Zifeng said.
Upon hearing the price, Xie Rui's eyes lit up. He said, "That's a good deal. Last time I asked, it was 180 taels." As a young master from a wealthy family, Xie Rui had a deeper understanding of houses.
He knew how much effort he had put into building it, and even talked to He Zifeng about the murdered Zhang Hu, saying, "That man was just insatiable. They had already freed him from slavery and paid for such a nice house for him. What more could he want?"
He Zifeng thought for a moment. He guessed that the man hadn't expected his scheme to be exposed so quickly; he hadn't told anyone about his money. Now that the man was dead and his soul had vanished, it was a windfall for him. The people from that business had shown the house so many times, yet none of them had ever looked at this empty cellar. Who would have thought there were good things hidden in the cellar?
Fifty taels of gold, which is roughly equivalent to five hundred taels of silver.
Upon hearing that the house had no other problems, He Zifeng went directly to the real estate agency and said he had bought it. The agency was also very happy and changed the name on the land deed. From now on, this place became their property, and He Zifeng immediately had all the locks on the doors replaced with new ones.
Only then did he hand the key to Qiu Yu.
The two tidied up the yard a bit. Then they cancelled their lease on the small backyard they had previously rented. From now on, they could use this yard as a place to rest.
He Zifeng then carried the jar of gold back to the carriage. He mingled it among the tools they were making, so no outsider could tell it was there.
On her way home, Qiu Yu felt a mix of nervousness and excitement. It was the first time she had ever seen gold; it was so bright and shiny that it almost dazzled her.
He Zifeng said, "This money will be left for our son's education in the future." Anyway, they have enough money for food, clothing and other necessities now.
Everyone says that education is expensive. This is just elementary school, and it already costs two taels of silver a year. Later on, we'll need to buy pens, ink, books, and attend good academies. All of this adds up to a lot more.
Qiu Yu nodded.
Once home, he handed all the items over to Qiuyu. Qiuyu hid them away in a safe place. Only then did he feel at ease.
He Zifeng spent only 150 taels of silver to buy the house, leaving him with 50 taels of silver.
They've been busy with the autumn harvest lately, and the weather is gradually getting colder. My hands are a bit icy when washing vegetables. He Zifeng said to Qiu Yu with concern, "Then don't do that small business for now." Before, they had to keep it because they were short of money. But now it's different; they really don't need the money. Qiu Yu and he only started to have a better life this year. In the past, Qiu Yu worked in the dead of winter and got chilblains on her hands. It would take several years to heal.
Qiu Yu grabbed He Zifeng's hand and said, "I know you're good to me, but I just can't stay idle. I've heard people say that if you unexpectedly make a fortune, you have to donate it to gods and Buddhas. I think the gods and Buddhas probably wouldn't care. It's better to do some good deeds, that way I'll have something to do."
He Zifeng asked, "What do you want to do?"
Qiu Yu said, "Let's open a porridge shop." His father wasn't a local before, and he had been starving several times when he came here. He survived only because the rich gave him porridge. He remembered this and thought it would be a good deed.
He Zifeng said, "I know you have a good heart. Okay, I'll get on with it right away."
Qiu Yu blushed, somewhat touched. Only He Zifeng would take out the money he had already spent. Qiu Yu gently leaned against He Zifeng's chest.
He Zifeng picked the person up with one arm and said, "Tomorrow I'll have Shuanzi go and collect the grain." All the villages have finished paying their taxes now. This year is a bumper harvest, and there's a surplus of grain.
The better the harvest, the cheaper the grain price. Usually, the grain buyers haven't even arrived yet. After a month or two, the price will continue to drop, and the grain will be even drier.
Shuanzi was energized upon hearing He Zifeng's words. Since he had been doing this job for He Zifeng, he had become a well-known figure in the surrounding villages. Grain collection was a major event, so he called his two brothers to go together to avoid being cheated on the scales. Not everyone in the village was honest and kind.
The price of grain is three copper coins, all of which is this year's newly harvested grain. Chen's coarse grain is two copper coins, and He Zifeng wants it all.
They can harvest a thousand catties a day. He Zifeng sorted the grain, only taking the finely milled kind.
After drying them in the sun, they can be placed in the carriage. Each time we come, we can transport two or three sacks and put them in the cellar. While we're at it, we should go to the trading company and buy a large shop. The location doesn't need to be great, but it needs to be spacious; we can't run a canteen without a place.
The manager found him a large place in the south of the city. It used to be a canteen, but it went bankrupt due to poor management. The canteen could fit forty tables upstairs and downstairs. Even the tables and chairs were already there. It was twice the size of the shop where the landlord had previously asked for an exorbitant price. However, the price was the same as the shop he had bought before, two hundred and forty taels.
He Zifeng first gave out fifty taels of silver he had on hand, and wrote an IOU for the remaining one hundred and ninety taels. He planned to exchange thirty taels of gold for gold, and after paying off the IOU, he would still have one hundred and ten taels left, enough to stockpile grain.
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