It was not until the fog drifting from the Yangtze River lazily dissipated that the warm sunshine shone on the city of Jinling again.

Nanjing is a metropolis and a place of luxury, with the Six Dynasties, the Imperial Examination Hall in the south of the Yangtze River, the mansions in the clouds, and the romantic scenery of Qinhuai. Its splendor and prosperity are the best in the southeast, and its literary talent and elegance are the best in the country.

But those are somewhat far away from ordinary people. The place that is truly bustling and full of market atmosphere is the area around the Bell and Drum Tower in the north city.

Every decent city in the Ming Dynasty had a bell and drum tower. In order for the people of the city to clearly hear the morning bell and evening drum, the bell and drum tower was naturally built in the center of the city, and Nanjing was no exception.

At this moment, Zhao Hao was standing between the two tall buildings standing side by side, with a look of trance and shock on his face.

In his previous life, he had studied in Nanjing and passed by here countless times. Now, after traveling through four hundred years, he came here again, looking at the familiar tall red city walls, how could he not feel as if he were in another world?

Four hundred years later, there is only a lonely drum tower left, and the bell tower next to it has disappeared. Moreover, the drum tower of the Qing Dynasty, which was rebuilt on the Ming Dynasty city wall, is far from being comparable to this magnificent and majestic building.

At that time, he felt that the small pavilion on the platform was not in harmony with the huge city-like base under its feet. It was not until now that he saw the drum tower, which was more than ten feet high, seven bays wide, and occupied the entire base, standing in front of him like a palace, and the twin-tower-like bell tower next to it, that he suddenly realized.

"It should be so, it should be so..."

Zhao Hao repeated this silently countless times before reluctantly looking away at Zhao Shouzheng's urging.

~~

When he turned around, a wide square paved with bluestone came into view. Although it was only February and the spring chill had not yet ended, there were already many scholars and tourists in the square who came to admire the majestic and magnificent Bell and Drum Tower.

There were many vendors carrying poles on their shoulders, hawking all kinds of food and toys in the square. The father and son hadn't had breakfast yet, so they each bought two crispy sesame cakes and ate them as they walked.

At the end of the Drum Tower Square are several bustling streets about six or seven feet wide, leading to all directions of Nanjing City.

Zhao Shouzheng was chewing a sesame-covered sesame cake and yawning continuously.

After the father and son separated from their family yesterday, they found an inn to stay in. As they were short of money, they could not afford a single room, so they had to make do with a large bunk bed for the night.

But this pampered father and son had obviously overestimated their ability to bear it. In the airtight bunk bed, there were 20 people sleeping, and the thunderous snoring and the blinding smell of feet kept the father and son awake all night.

Before dawn, the two fled the inn and decided to find a place to stay and settle down today.

The south of the city where they originally lived was where the rich and powerful lived, and the cost of renting a house was too high. So the father and son walked through the streets and alleys, heading north, and walked for nearly two hours, until their legs were weak and their stomachs were rumbling, before they finally arrived at the Bell and Drum Tower.

"Nanjing city is too big..." Zhao Shouzheng felt as if his legs were filled with lead, and every step he took was a torture.

"How many years has my father lived in Nanjing?" Zhao Hao looked at Zhao Shouzheng strangely and thought, shouldn't this be my line?

He was now a 15-year-old boy, so he should have good physical strength. Unfortunately, little Zhao Hao had nothing to do but to eat and wear. He was seriously lacking in exercise, so he was also exhausted.

"Since the 38th year of Jiajing, seven years has passed." Zhao Shouzheng counted with his fingers and couldn't help but sigh: "Remembering the time when I calmly went to the capital, seven years have passed like a dream..."

Zhao Hao rolled his eyes secretly and said, "It's been seven years, and you don't even know how big Nanjing is?"

"In the past, when we went out, we took a boat or a sedan chair. How could we measure the distance with our feet?" Zhao Shouzheng said with a wry smile: "The Imperial College is actually not far to the east. I feel like I can reach it by reading a few pages of a book."

"Okay..." Zhao Hao was too tired to complain about Master Zhao. He finished the pancake in his hand and sucked the residue on his fingertips before saying with a reluctant look, "Let's rent a house near the Imperial College."

"That's great." Zhao Shouzheng nodded and said, "If you walk like this every day, your father will die."

As they were talking, the two of them left the square and walked onto Baotai Street leading to the Imperial College.

~~

Baotai Street is bustling with people and vehicles, and there are all kinds of eye-catching signs and advertisements. In addition to countless teahouses and restaurants, there are also gold and silver shops, southern goods shops, pharmacies, bathhouses, silk shops, livestock shops, grain and oil shops, and so on.

Zhao Hao was squeezed here and there by the crowds of passers-by, and his ears were filled with the noisy sounds of hawking, shouting, and talking, which made him feel as if he was strolling in a bustling commercial street in later life.

Zhao Shouzheng told him that in terms of prosperity, Baotai Street was not even among the top ten in Nanjing...

Zhao Hao was stunned and made a decision in his heart. If the time was right, he would definitely travel around the city and appreciate the prosperity of Nanjing. What kind of situation has it reached?

But the most urgent thing is to find a place to live as soon as possible.

As they were talking, the father and son stopped in front of a shop with a sign that said "Jingji Real Estate Firm".

As soon as you stop, there will be enthusiastic workers coming out to greet you.

"Please come in, sir. Our shop has all kinds of properties. I guarantee you will be satisfied."

Zhao Shouzheng looked at his son. Zhao Hao was still not familiar with the situation, so naturally Zhao Shouzheng took the lead.

Zhao Shouzheng nodded, and the waiter welcomed the two into the store with a smile on his face.

The shop inside is not big, with only a few cabinets piled with documents and three or four long tables.

The waiter found an empty table and asked the two to sit down and served tea.

Then an old agent in his forties came over, bowed to Zhao Shouzheng, sat down and asked:

"Excuse me, sir, are you buying a property or renting a house?"

"Rent a house." Zhao Shouzheng replied. Although he was in trouble, he still habitually kept his words as precious as gold in front of the working people.

"Judging from your appearance and demeanor, you must be a student at the Imperial College, right?" The old agent could tell at a glance that Zhao Shouzheng was a bookworm. The nearby Nanjing Imperial College was where bookworms gathered.

However, in daily life, the people of Jinling do not specifically add the word "Nanjing" to the government office in Nanjing. Instead, they call the government office in the capital "Beijing".

"That's right." Zhao Shouzheng nodded.

"Then you must want to rent a place that is convenient for your imprisonment." The old agent picked up a stack of room lists, flipped through them and looked at the clothes of the father and son. He saw that they were wearing well-cut fine silk robes, but they were not clean and looked like they had not been washed for some time.

"Extremely."

"What do you think of this place, sir?" The old agent had a plan in mind. The father and son either came from a long distance or their family had suddenly encountered a major change. Of course, he would rather go for a higher price than a lower one, and recommended a three-story house on Chengxian Street, adjacent to the Imperial College, to Zhao Shouzheng.

"Not bad." Zhao Shouzheng looked at the detailed description of the house on the house list, as well as the broker's recommendation of "quiet in a busy area, new furniture", and nodded in satisfaction. "I'll decide on this one."

"Okay, my husband is really straightforward!" The old agent stood in awe.

"How much is the monthly rent?" Zhao Hao asked helplessly in a low voice.

"One hundred and twenty taels per year, plus an additional twenty taels as a deposit."

"Hiss..." After hearing the old agent's answer, the father and son took a deep breath. Even if they sold their houses, they couldn't afford to rent such an expensive house.

ps. The father and son finally started their new life, although it was a bit hard. Please give me recommendations and comments to help them rent a house~~~