Chapter 88 Chapter 88 Settling down alone...
The next day, the snow stopped, and the ground was covered with a thick blanket, as if covering the capital. Tangyuan was stunned by the scene. "Mom, look, it's so beautiful outside!"
Lin Qiuran asked Lin Ming to take him out to play for a while. After breakfast, he took the grandfather and grandson out to see the house. They went out in the Xiao family's green-roofed carriage, and their clothes were still simple.
Ya Ji was stunned for a moment upon seeing Lin Qiuran and his group, but quickly recovered. He had assumed that a mansion like this belonged to a wealthy family, as a servant had been there yesterday. He had not expected the owner to be dressed so simply.
But being able to look good means you're rich. Beijing is a crowded city, full of people of all kinds. You can't just judge a person by appearance. There's a saying that goes, "Don't judge a book by its cover." The most taboo in this business is judging people by their appearance. Even if you don't buy anything, you can still make a good connection.
Ya Ji led a group of people to look at the houses. Yesterday, Lin Ming and the others looked at eight houses before choosing four. Today, they only needed to look at these four. The first house was relatively small. Although the capital is located in the north, the expensive houses here are often built in the style of Jiangnan gardens.
A house is not just a house, and a mansion is not just a mansion. Rich families take care of everything. They need a back garden, pavilions and waterside terraces, so that they can enjoy the scenery and relax. Wealthy families even have living quarters for maids and servants, and they will also hire servants who are good at taking care of flowers and plants to take care of and clean the mansion.
Of course, those who have no money still have to struggle to make a living. There are many people in the south of the city, and houses with only three rooms are crowded together. In the west and east of the city, the houses are far apart. Further north, that is where the princes and nobles live. Each house is extremely beautiful, and every brick and tile is built with silver. However, those places are priced out of stock. Even if you have hundreds of millions of taels of silver, you can't buy them.
That was for the wealthy families to live in. In a place like the capital, there were countless wealthy merchants and aristocratic families. Compared with the powerful and wealthy, merchants were nothing.
Although Ya Ji doesn't have that much money, he has met many rich people.
He smiled and said to Lin Qiuran, "Madam, what do you think of this place? There are forty-three rooms in the courtyard, which is not small. There is a reception area in the front, a large kitchen, and an elegant garden. The price is also reasonable."
Nine hundred taels should be enough.
Lin Qiuran felt that it was better than Yu An's house. There were four small courtyards in it, separated by walls and stone archways. Each courtyard had three houses, facing north and south. Some also had side rooms. The courtyards were large and small, and there was also a small garden.
There used to be a lot of trees there, but now all the leaves have fallen off and you can’t really tell what trees are there.
Lin Qiuran asked Sun, "Mom, what do you think of this one?"
Sun looked left and right, and finally said hesitantly: "I can't see anything, you make the decision."
If it were Sun who made the decision, she would definitely choose a small one, just enough to live in, and the rest would be decided after Xiao Xun returned. But Lin Qiuran didn't want that, so she gave up.
Lin Qiuran asked Tangyuan again, and Tangyuan nodded seriously, "Mom, I think this is pretty good."
Tangyuan thought this place was so big, much bigger than his old home. If he could live in a place like this, he would have more places to play and play, and he wouldn't have enough fun at home.
Lin Qiuran nodded and said to Ya Ji, "Let's look somewhere else."
Judging from her expression, Ya Ji probably thought it was okay, but not absolutely necessary. Since they wanted to see a bigger place, they must have money, but it was hard to say how much, after all, this family didn't look very wealthy.
We went to the second place, but it was a bit far from the first place and it took a quarter of an hour to get there by carriage.
Lin Qiuran could now feel the size of the capital. If he was in Yu'an, he could just walk wherever he wanted and would be able to visit the small county town very quickly. But the capital was so vast that it seemed as if there was no end in sight. The eaves of the tall buildings in the distance were just a shadow, and he had no idea how far they were from where he was now.
The imperial palace was nowhere to be seen. The capital was really huge, and there were many mansions.
The second room was almost twice as large as the first one, and the higher price certainly had its advantages. It contained five or six small courtyards, each with a kitchenette, and even better, a greenhouse.
It was the first time Sun had seen a greenhouse. She asked Yaji, "What is this for?"
The tiles outside were bright and translucent.
Ya Ji said, "This is a greenhouse. The roof is covered with glazed tiles. There are many charcoal stoves inside. When the stoves are lit, it feels like spring even in winter. There is land inside, so you can grow things."
Sun nodded, "That's great, we can grow some vegetables or something."
Ya Ji smiled, but didn't mock Sun for being naive. Instead, he explained carefully, "Growing vegetables is fine, but few people do here. The glazed tiles on top are worth hundreds of taels. They were left by the previous owner to grow flowers and plants for the owner to enjoy. He moved away, and this one is difficult to remove, so it's left here."
If it is vegetables, every household living in such a house has a farm, wouldn't it be more convenient to grow vegetables in the farm?
Lin Qiuran thought the greenhouse looked nice, but Sun said, "What's the use of flowers and grass?"
Ya Ji said, "Old lady, this is indeed useful. If you have just arrived in the capital and want to make friends, you can get some flowers and plants to hold a banquet. Families with greenhouses can hold flower viewing banquets in winter, otherwise they can only enjoy the snow."
No matter what the seasons and habits are, as long as you are willing to spend money, you can make any flower bloom.
Lin Qiuran took the opportunity to ask about the banquet. Ya Ji perked up and said a few more words to Lin Qiuran, "There are many banquets in the capital. Every spring, summer, autumn and winter, the ladies and girls of each family hold one after another."
There are many officials, wives and young ladies, and they have to do whatever they want, and they also have to manage interpersonal relationships.
Lin Qiuran nodded, thinking this was an opportunity. There were many restaurants and hotels in the capital, and even if they bought a shop, they still had to decorate it. They could take advantage of this opportunity to host banquets and attract customers to the Jinding Building. Throwing a banquet wasn't just about watching; there had to be something to eat and drink. And anyone who could afford a banquet definitely had a chef at home.
Of course, it’s a bit early to think about these things now. I should first decide on a place to live, have a good rest for a few days, and then think about the shop.
Lin Qiuran thought this place was nice, and then he looked at a nearby house of about the same size. However, there was no greenhouse here, so Lin Qiuran looked around and left.
Ya Ji was very sensible and led the group north to see the last house.
You get what you pay for. The last one is three or four acres larger than the previous two, has three more small courtyards and a lake.
Ya Ji: "Don't look at it as frozen now, but this is living water, different from the stagnant water in the first two places. The one that's melting is the spring."
Lin Qiuran nodded. The decoration here was more elegant. There were Taishan stones by the lake and a rockery in the garden. However, the lake was frozen, and only a few lotus leaves remained on the ice.
The small pavilion by the lake is also very beautiful. There are seventy-six small courtyards and an ancestral hall. One of the courtyards is for the elderly to live in. There is a small Buddhist temple inside, but it is of no use to the Xiao family. After all, the Sun family does not worship Buddha.
After looking at this one after looking at it elsewhere, Lin Qiuran naturally thought it was good.
It was getting late, and they had already spent the entire morning looking around the house. Tang Yuan was getting a little impatient, so Lin Qiuran asked Lin Ming to take them out to play in the snow.
Lin Qiuran asked the owner why he was selling the house. She was afraid of getting into trouble. After confirming that the house was clean, she said to Ya Ji, "You go and negotiate the price. Three thousand two hundred taels is a bit too much for us."
The tax alone is sixty-four taels, and the profit to the pawnbroker here is one cent. Of course, the price can be negotiated, but it will definitely be more than ten taels.
The money was spent, and it added up to a considerable amount. Lin Qiuran was rich, but he was not so generous as to agree to something right away. He would save as much as he could.
Lin Qiuran liked this place very much. There was a greenhouse, and it was big, and there were seven small courtyards to choose from. It would be nice to live here for a few decades. Even if Xiao Xun received the reward and moved somewhere else in the future, it would be nice to have a house like this in his hands.
Ya Ji gritted his teeth secretly and asked, "What price does Madam Lin feel is most satisfactory?"
This is the listed price, there is definitely some room for negotiation.
Lin Qiuran smiled and said, "If it was a house worth several hundred taels, and you could give me ten or twenty taels, I would think you were capable. But the price of this house is already here, and you're still offering so much less, it doesn't seem sincere."
Ya Ji nodded and said, "I'll give it a try. Madam Lin, just wait for my news."
Lin Qiuran said, "If it works, please keep an eye on the shop for me."
When it didn't work out, Lin Qiuran went to other brokerages to look. The capital was so big, and there were more than just places to buy things. She was a little anxious about buying and selling, but she also had a place to stay.
Lin Qiuran called out to Tangyuan who was still playing in the snow, "Tangyuan, let's go back."
Tangyuan lifted up his hand, ran towards Lin Qiuran, and showed him the little snowman he had made.
Lin Qiuran looked at the puppy in his hands, then at his red, frozen palms, and said, "Lin Ming, take care of him."
Although it is useless to bring it with you, as the snowman will melt when you get into the house, it can at least make Tangyuan happy for a while.
His hands were a little cold, so Lin Qiuran warmed them. Then they got in the carriage and returned to the inn. Tang Yuan asked, "Mom, are we going to live in the big house?"
Lin Qiuran said, "Maybe we can live here, maybe not. It depends on whether they are willing to sell it or not. If they sell it, we can live here. If they don't sell it, then we can't live here."
Tang Yuan: "We are not unwilling to pay, why not sell it?"
Lin Qiuran told him, "Because we can't force a sale, we have to compare prices. Maybe they're unwilling to compromise just because of a few taels or even a dozen taels."
Tang Yuan nodded, seeming to understand. Sun Shi didn't respond. She still thought it was expensive. In the village, a dozen acres of land only cost a few dollars, but a house like this cost over three thousand taels. How much land could you buy? If you could grow crops, you wouldn't have to worry about food and drink.
But then again, farming doesn't make money, and there's no point in keeping the money unspent, so just buy it. There are so many courtyards, each one is like a small home, and Sun is also a little looking forward to it. She doesn't have to live with Lin Qiuran Tangyuan.
She had already looked at the houses, so she just had to wait for news at the inn. Lin Qiuran calculated that houses here were expensive, and shops were probably not cheap either. She brought more than 6,000 taels of silver, and she would have to spend half on buying the house. The rest would be enough to find a shop and decorate it, and she didn't know if it would be enough.
She had just asked about the shops in the capital, but they weren't as expensive as the house. After all, the house was so big, and the shop was small, but it would still cost several hundred taels, and some even cost over a thousand taels. Although renting one would be fine, Lin Qiuran still wanted to buy some real estate.
What you have in your hands is yours. Although there are so many restaurants and hotels in Beijing, the chance of being kicked out is small, but it is still better to have peace of mind in your own hands.
Now they are just waiting for news. With nothing to do, Lin Qiuran takes Tangyuan and Sun to eat this and that in the capital.
There were many delicious dishes. On the first day, Tangyuan insisted on having a hot pot meal, but he forgot about it after eating other things.
Lin Qiuran didn't mention it, and said that he could go there whenever he wanted to eat. However, Lu Zheng had waited for him at Lao Jin Shabu Shabu several times. Last time, Tangyuan and Lin Qiuran didn't need to thank him, so he didn't come to the restaurant.
However, after asking around, I learned that Lin Qiuran and his mother were from out of town, newly arrived in the capital, and it looked like they were going to stay for a while. Madam Qin even came out to see them once, but the moment she saw Tangyuan, she lost her mind.
It’s just that the child’s family is doing well and doesn’t need help for the time being, so Lu Zheng doesn’t want to disturb him.
*
As for the house, Ya Ji didn't let Lin Qiuran wait too long. Three days later, he came to tell her that he had news. "The boss is willing to give a discount of 200 taels of silver to make it an even number. What do you think, Madam Lin?"
To be honest, those who can afford a house worth three thousand taels don’t care about the two hundred taels. If the owner wants to sell it, they will be willing to give it two hundred taels less.
It was the price Lin Qiuran had in mind. She nodded, signed the paperwork, and then went to the government office to transfer the ownership. She paid the government 60 taels in tax, and the brokerage firm negotiated down the price to 20 taels, bringing the total cost of the house to 3,080 taels.
It is unknown how many times the house has been owned, but it can be lived in immediately and only needs to be cleaned up. After arriving in the capital, Lin Qiuran stayed in the inn for several days and was looking forward to moving.
Lin Qiuran plans to move at the end of the month. He will use a horse-drawn carriage to move other things over in the next two days, and then just do a simple move in the morning at the end of the month.
Having moved so many times before, Lin Qiuran didn't mind it anymore. However, this was Tangyuan's first time moving, and he couldn't sleep the night before.
Tangyuan lay on the bed, his legs opening and closing like a folding fan, his tone full of joy, "Mom, we're moving tomorrow!"
Lin Qiuran was feeling a bit sleepy. Tangyuan hadn't slept for a quarter of an hour since he went to bed. "Yeah."
Tang Yuan: "I used to think moving meant moving your home somewhere else. I even wondered how to move a house if it grew on the ground. Now I know it's just moving your body somewhere else!"
Lin Qiuran: "Well, Tangyuan, aren't you going to sleep yet?"
Sun didn't say anything. In the past, she might have said, why force the child to sleep if he doesn't want to sleep? But now, Sun thought, why does a child of this age keep talking at night instead of sleeping?
Tang Yuan opened his eyes wide and looked at Lin Qiuran, then at Sun Shi, "But we're moving tomorrow, and we won't be staying in an inn anymore. I can't bear to sleep here."
Lin Qiuran couldn't help but smile, "If you don't sleep now, you won't have the energy later. Go to sleep."
Originally, Lin Qiuran planned to separate the yard, but it is winter now, and Tangyuan is still young. It is still a child, and it is still a little too young for him to sleep alone now. It is better to wait until he is three years old, when he will be warm enough.
Moreover, there were too few maids. Only Lin Xia and a few others were brought here. Lin Chun and Lin Ying were supposed to cook, so it would not be enough if they were assigned to several courtyards.
Lin Qiuran was worried because in winter they had to light a stove with charcoal fire. Even if someone was on guard, it would not be safe to leave Tangyuan to sleep alone.
Tang Yuan chuckled, closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again. He crawled deeper into the quilt and said, "Oh, by the way, Mom, I saw some rooms have flat beds, how come they are so big?"
Sun had never seen it before, so she pricked up her ears to listen.
Lin Qiuran had seen it before. She said, "That's the kang commonly used by people in the north. When you light a stove, the kang will be very warm."
The ability to move was also related to this. The new house had many courtyards and rooms, but no beds. Making a bed would take time, so I slept on the kang for a few days before I could move on to the bed.
Tang Yuan couldn't help but think, such a big bed, it must be so comfortable. He really couldn't fall asleep at this moment, "Mom, is the kang next to the stove warmer? Can I sleep there? It's higher than the bed, what if I roll down? And... "
Tangyuan slept in his own quilt, which was small, and he was not well behaved. He would sometimes go to Sun's side, and sometimes come to Lin Qiuran's side from under the quilt.
Lin Qiuran likes Tangyuan very much most of the time, but there are times when he is annoyed by it.
She said, "It's warm, but not too hot. If you don't want to sleep, get up and stand. Don't bother us."
Sun remained silent. What is this kid doing instead of sleeping at night?
Tang Yuan was quiet this time, "Mom, I'm going to sleep. Remember to think of me in your dreams."
Lin Qiuran pushed Tangyuan onto the bed and said, "Go to sleep."
The next day, the capital city was terribly cold in winter.
Early in the morning, before daybreak, Lin Ming told the innkeeper he was checking out. The clerk checked everything and readily returned the deposit. Lin Qiuran and Sun Tangyuan boarded the carriage, while the others followed, slowly driving towards their new home.
This move was a bit rushed, and the furniture for the house has not been purchased yet. Although the entrance is spacious, there is no plaque, and Lin Qiuran has no plans to install one.
The cold wind was howling, and a group of people hurried into the house.
Lin Ming bought some necessary things in the past two days, including firewood, charcoal, rice, flour, food, pots and pans, meat and vegetables.
Some were brought from Yu An, some were not, and the rest were bought slowly after they settled down.
Lin Qiuran picked a courtyard, and Tangyuan looked at it and chose one for himself. Sun chose the one with the Buddhist shrine; it was quiet and close to everything, and she planned to move there in the spring.
It’s cold now and we don’t have everything, so we just live together.
Lin Qiuran took a pot and simply lit a fire in the kitchen. He made some food and ate it before moving.
The house was big, so she arranged accommodation for Lin Xia and others.
Lin Chun and Lin Ying will go to work in the shop in the future, so they will not be assigned the job of night watch. Yunniang, Liuniang and Lin Xia will take turns to watch the night and take care of Tangyuan during the day.
The courtyard Lin Qiuran chose was the largest, with three main rooms, a kang on the east side, a room for beds on the west side, the middle room for entertaining guests, and a small side room where maids could keep watch at night.
Several maids lived in the back yard. They worked during the day and went back to sleep at night except for the one who was on night watch. Three people lived in a room. The same would apply to other maids bought in the future.
Now Lin Chun and Lin Ying are working in the kitchen, Lin Ming is in charge of running errands and purchasing, and Lin Qiuran also has an apprentice, who is not considered a servant, but he can't do nothing.
She practiced cooking during the day and helped out at noon. She lived in the front yard with Lin Ming. When a servant came into the family in the future, he would also live there, still three of them in one room.
Even if we live like this, there are still three empty yards.
Lin Qiuran felt that the room was very spacious, unlike before when the house was full of people. When Sun came in, she felt good and even put her things in her own yard.
She saw three more characters on the gate and asked Lin Qiuran what they were. Tang Yuan came up and said, "Grandma, it says 'Shou'an Hall,' which means a place of longevity and peace. Living here will bring you good fortune."
Sun nodded happily, "Okay, okay, Qiuran, write a letter to your father and tell him the good news."
Lin Qiuran nodded. Ya Ji said that they were looking for a shop and it would take a few days. She, Lin Qiuran, calculated that if they could successfully find a shop, the decoration would take one month, and during that time they could hire a clerk. Then Jindinglou should be able to open before the New Year.
There are so many restaurants and hotels in Beijing, I hope Jindinglou can have a place.
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