Chapter 486: Rich in the East and Noble in the West, Poor in the North and Lowly in the South
Song Yuntang looked up at her and said, "He is a little hungry. I just fed him a few sips of water with a spoon."
The nurse held out her hand.
"I'd better feed the little master first, don't let him starve."
Song Yuntang noticed that her face looked a little pale.
"Has He Ran eaten?"
Xu's husband's surname was Zhou, and they asked Song Yuntang to give their child a name, Zhou Heran.
Song Yuntang has made plans for this child. In the future, Zhou Heran will grow up with Hao Ting. The feelings they have since childhood should be more solid than those bought halfway.
Hearing Song Yuntang asking He Ran first, Xu was touched. She smiled and said, "I asked the child's father to go to the kitchen to make rice porridge. He Ran is now more than four months old and can eat some liquid food. The little master is only more than one month old, so the milk must be fed to the little master."
Song Yuntang handed the child to her.
"I just asked Xia Ning to go look for sheep. If they find any, they can give the baby some goat milk, which will make things easier for you."
The Xu family had been slaves for many years, and their masters had never thought about them like this.
"Madam, you are so kind. I don't know how to express my gratitude to you."
"If you can help me take good care of Hao Ting, that will be the greatest reward." Song Yuntang raised his hand and pointed, "There is an annex next to it. Go and feed Hao Ting first."
"yes."
The wet nurse responded and carried the child to the ear room.
This room was previously occupied by Xu Qingye alone. He had never had high requirements for his residence, and mainly focused on comfort and simplicity. Now that Song Yuntang and the child were here, he naturally had more things.
She put the things she brought in order and looked at Xu Qingye.
"I don't know much about the capital. Where do you think we should look for a suitable courtyard?"
Xu Qingye pulled Song Yuntang to the desk and drew a simple picture of the capital on paper.
"The Imperial Palace is located in the center of the capital. The four directions of east, south, west, and north are East City, South City, West City, and North City respectively."
"There has always been a saying in the capital that 'the east is rich and the west is noble, the north is poor and the south is humble'."
"The moat flows through the eastern part of the capital, where the economy is relatively prosperous. Rich merchants, imperial merchants, and some officials gather in the East City. The West City is closest to the imperial palace and is home to many important officials, princes, and marquises. The North City is home to many down-and-out royal children, as well as some small merchants and officials from poor families. As for the South City, it is where the people of the capital call the lower nine classes of people live."
Song Yuntang had heard of the term "lower nine classes", which referred to some lowly occupations in the Great Xia Dynasty.
Such occupations as legal advisors, yamen runners, coroners, matchmakers, errand boys, circus performers, prostitutes, pedicures, barbers, and actors are all lowly occupations.
She thought about it.
Since Xicheng is where the nobles live, I think this place is not only very expensive, but also impossible to get in without a certain status.
Besides, there are high-ranking officials all around, so it is inevitable that the living place will be cramped.
If there are some minor conflicts between neighbors, or if you accidentally hear something you shouldn't hear, the other party may cause trouble in official circles in the future, or even cause you to lose your head. It is always a troublesome matter.
Xu Qingye is about to serve as an official in the court, but his rank is not high, so it is better for him not to force his way in.
She didn't want to consider the two places, South City and North City. Now that she had a child, it would be easy for something to go wrong because of the mixed crowds.
After thinking about it, it would be better to start from Dongcheng.
"What's the approximate price of a three-story house in East City?"
Xu Qingye pointed at the drawing.
"The courtyards in the east city are also divided into areas. The courtyards in the middle are closer to the imperial palace. The courtyards with three entrances cost about three to five thousand taels of silver. The courtyards on the north and south sides cost one thousand taels or more."
Song Yuntang nodded. In the past two years, the shop had made good profits, so she had enough money.
Even if you buy a yard for three or five thousand taels of silver, the impact will not be that big.
"We just got here today, let's take a day off first. Tomorrow I'll take Xia Ning to the dental clinic to ask."
Xu Qingye held her hand.
"I have to go to the palace tomorrow. Tang'er just gave birth more than a month ago, and her eyes are still recovering. There is no rush to find a courtyard. You can ask the people below to look after it first and find some to come to our house for reference. When we find a suitable one, we can go together."
He was worried about letting her go alone.
Prince Heng must have spies all over the capital. If his people find out that Tang'er is alone, no one knows what will happen.
He couldn't let her take that risk.
Song Yuntang didn't try to show off.
"Then I'll do as you say."
Seeing his wife being so well-behaved, Xu Qingye smiled with relief and hugged her in his arms.
…
After the two of them discussed and decided on the matter, Xu Qingye asked Guiping to deliver the rent of the three back rooms to Xie Yingwei.
Song Yuntang looked at him curiously.
"Who is that Mr. Xie?"
Xu Qingye said calmly, "He came from Jiangnan. His family is mainly engaged in the tea business. He said that his family has more than 100 acres of tea plantations. His family is quite wealthy."
Song Yuntang had heard that Jiangnan was rich in tea and silk.
With more than one hundred acres of tea plantations, after deducting the annual expenditure, the tea farmers' annual income ranges from two to five hundred taels, depending on the climate.
It is indeed a wealthy family.
"How much money do you want to rent this west wing per month?"
"Two ounces and two cents of silver."
"What about the east wing?"
"Two taels of silver."
Song Yuntang understood.
"It seems that Brother Lu on the other side is also quite powerful."
Two taels of silver a month would cost more than twenty taels a year. It would be difficult to afford it without some financial resources.
Xu Qingye nodded and patiently responded to each of her questions.
"Brother Lu's parents used to run an inn, so they saved some money. However, the land price in the capital is high. It's already cheap to rent a wing room and an ear room for two taels. The five rooms on the left side of the door with poor lighting cost eight hundred coins a month."
Song Yuntang was calculating in his heart.
"Five rooms in the back house, eight hundred coins a month, a total of four taels, two taels and two cents for the west wing, two taels for the east wing, a total of eight taels and two cents. How much is the rent for Mr. Xie to rent this yard?"
"Twelve taels." Xu Qingye blurted out.
"That is to say, he only spent three taels and eight cents of silver to occupy the main house, the two side rooms in the east and west, and the five back rooms in the backyard?" Song Yuntang smiled, "As expected of the son of a Jiangnan tea merchant, he is quite good at budgeting. If he rents out three more back rooms, he won't have to spend much money himself."
Hearing her praising Xie Yingwei, Xu Qingye looked up at her.
"Tang'er."
Song Yuntang tilted his head.
"Um?"
Xu Qingye moved his whole body towards her, his tall figure almost covering her entire body. Just when Song Yuntang was stunned, Xu Qingye lowered his head and pecked her lightly on the lips.
Song Yuntang was so shocked by his sudden action that her mind went blank. Ever since he found her, the most intimate thing they had done was to sleep in each other's arms.
Even in the past, I would only kiss her when I couldn't help myself, or when we were having sex.
Such behavior at the moment really surprised her.
Looking at the surprise in his wife's eyes, Xu Qingye pursed his lips and smiled, finally diverting her attention away.
…
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