Chapter 104 Chapter 104 Buying a House in the County
After resting for a while in the butcher's shop and meeting everyone there, Yu Li and Fu Wenxiao left.
Then they went to Jucai Lane.
Jucai Lane is close to the pier and this area is usually the most lively with a constant flow of people, especially during the Chinese New Year, when people from near the county town all rush to the county town, and when they get hungry after shopping, they will come here to buy some food.
The main thing is that there are many snacks sold here, and the price is not expensive, which is very suitable for ordinary people. You can fill your stomach by spending a few cents, which is still very cost-effective.
Starting from the third day of the Lunar New Year, shops in Jucai Lane began to open for business one after another.
Yu Jin and her friends came to the county town to open a shop on the fifth day of the New Year, and have been so busy that they have no time to return to the village.
The main reason is that the business is so good during the Chinese New Year, because multi-grain rice balls are not expensive and can make you feel very full, which is very suitable for those frugal people. Most of the people who come to the county to play will come here to buy a rice ball to fill their stomachs.
When the two came over, they saw Yu Jin, Liu and Sun Fangniang were all busy in the store.
To Yu Li's surprise, Sun Zheng was also there. Seeing him helping to make rice balls, not only did he look very professional, but his movements were also very skillful, and he was even faster than Liu and Sun Fangniang.
Even the size of each package is exactly the same, it is measured very precisely.
Seeing them, Yu Jin was very surprised, "Sister, brother-in-law, why are you here?"
As she spoke, she looked at Fu Wenxiao a few more times. The more she looked, the more she felt that he was in good spirits and did not look like a sickly person.
Is her body really healed? She shouldn't be a burden to her sister anymore, right?
Others also greeted them with surprise.
Yu Li brought Fu Wenxiao into the store. In order not to affect their business, the two went directly to the backyard.
Soon, Yu Jin came in with a few rice balls made of various grains and made them a pot of tea. She asked, "Sister, when did you come to the county town? Are you here to buy things with your brother-in-law?"
She didn't expect to see Fu Wenxiao in the county town, which really surprised her.
Last year they never thought that Fu Wenxiao, a notoriously sickly person, would be able to go out freely this year.
Yu Li took a rice ball and ate it first, then turned around and asked Fu Wenxiao if he wanted to eat it. Seeing that he shook his head, he ignored him.
Fu Wenxiao picked up the teapot and poured her a cup of tea to moisten her throat.
Seeing this scene, Yu Jin felt something was wrong.
Her sister sat there eating like a grown man, and her brother-in-law served her tea and water virtuously...
But when she saw the faint smile on Fu Wenxiao's face, she knew that he was quite willing. There was no need to worry about such a consensual thing.
And her sister is worthy. No matter which man comes to her sister, he can only be her younger brother.
Yu Li said, "I came to the county town for something today, and came to see you by the way." Then he asked why Sun Zheng was in the store.
Yu Jin was very happy to hear this. It seemed that her elder sister valued her so much that she thought of coming to see her.
"Since the business in the store got on track, it has become increasingly busy. We are short of staff, so we asked Zheng Ge'er to come and help." At this point, she sighed, "My aunt said that Zheng Ge'er has a lame leg and is young, so he can't really help with the work in the fields. In addition, it is the slack season in the farming season, so there is nothing to do. It just so happens that my store is short of staff, so I called him over and let him do it first..."
It's easy to hire someone these days, but it's difficult to hire someone you can trust.
Plus, they are in the food business, so they have to be extremely careful and cautious, and they wouldn't dare to invite anyone who isn't an acquaintance.
On the second day of the Chinese New Year, the two aunts returned to their parents' home. When Yu Jin heard Aunt Yu casually mention Sun Zheng's situation, she had an idea. Although Sun Zheng couldn't do the work in the fields, he could do the work in the store.
Unlike ordinary families, although Sun Zheng is a boy, he can do everything from washing clothes to cooking, feeding chickens and pigs, and he is in charge of everything inside and outside the house.
After all, Sun Datian was not at home, and the family's fields were worked by Yu Dagu and Sun Fangniang. Because Sun Zheng was lame and young and could not do farm work, he could only help at home.
He also felt sorry for his mother and sister, and tried hard to do the housework so that they wouldn't have to work so hard.
Even when their clothes were torn, he was the one who sewed them. He even learned how to tailor clothes from Aunt Yu, and he made clothes for everyone in the family.
The skirt that Sun Fangniang was wearing was sewn stitch by stitch by Sun Zheng.
Yu Jin also learned about this by chance when chatting with Sun Fangniang.
She didn't expect her cousin to be so virtuous. It was the busy New Year and the store was short of staff, so she thought of asking him to help with the work.
Yu Li didn't say anything after hearing this. This was Yu Jin's business, so naturally she was the one who made the decision. She was responsible for listening.
After saying this, Yu Jin asked, "Sister, when are you going to find a house?"
She was very concerned about this and wished her elder sister and her family would move to the county town as soon as possible so that it would be convenient for her to see her elder sister.
Yu Li said: "Let's look for it after the Lantern Festival. It's the New Year now."
Yu Jin nodded and said, "It's rare for you to come today, do you want to have dinner here before going back?"
Because of their business and the fact that they rented a house in the county town, Yu Jin and his team have settled down in the county town. They eat and live in the store and only return to the village every few days.
Yu Li shook his head, "No, we'll go to my aunt's house to wish her a happy new year, and then we'll go back."
Yu Jin was a little disappointed, but she didn't force it. Anyway, when her elder sister and her family moved to the county town, it would be easy to invite her over for dinner.
After eating the rice balls and drinking some water, the two left.
Then they went to Shuangrong Lane to wish Yu Xiaogu a happy new year. Yu Xiaogu also enthusiastically wanted to invite them to dinner, but Yu Li refused, saying that Fu Wenxiao was not well yet and could not stay outside for too long.
Yu Xiaogu had to give up with regret and asked them to visit more often when they moved to the county town.
When passing by Huichun Hall, Yu Li suddenly thought of something and turned around to ask, "Do you want to go find Doctor Xu and ask him to check your health and get some medicine for you?"
Fu Wenxiao: “…”
Without waiting for his response, Yu Li pulled him into the clinic.
During the New Year, the clinic's business was very quiet. Doctor Xu was sitting in the pharmacy flipping through a book, looking somewhat content.
For doctors, slow business is a good thing, as it proves that everyone is in good health.
When he saw the two, Doctor Xu was shocked. "Mr. Fu, you can go out now?" How long has it been? He can even come to the county town.
Fu Wenxiao said: "In fact, you can go out before the New Year."
Doctor Xu was still shocked. He felt his pulse and looked at him as if he was seeing a miracle.
Although he knew that Fu Wenxiao would not die when he noticed that Fu Wenxiao's pulse had improved, his recovery speed still shocked him.
Shocked, Dr. Xu couldn't help but ask, "Did you really not meet any miracle doctor or take any magic medicine?"
He asked this question entirely as a doctor.
Fu Wenxiao paused and said, "I have been taking the medicine you prescribed, and nothing else."
Yu Li sat aside, blinking his eyes with an innocent look on his face.
Doctor Xu looked at them and finally decided not to ask any more questions. It was a good thing that the patient's health was improving, and there was no need to delve too much into some things.
He prescribed a warming and nourishing prescription and asked his apprentice to get the medicine. He said to them, "Medicine is three-quarters toxic. When Mr. Fu gets better, you don't need to take the medicine. Just take good care of yourself and eat the nourishing food."
Nothing is healthier than food supplements. Being able to eat is a blessing.
Upon hearing this, Yu Li looked at Fu Wenxiao and thought that he should be very happy since he didn't have to drink those terrible medicines anymore, right?
As for the saying that some medicines are poisonous, in the face of life powers, no poison is a problem.
The life power can cure all poisons in the world and be immune to all diseases, but unfortunately it is too little. She herself does not have enough, and it is difficult to use it to save people.
The two men took the medicine packages they had gotten at the clinic, went to a nearby store to buy some food, and then took a boat back to the village.
It was already afternoon when we returned to the village.
After running around outside for most of the day, Fu Wenxiao inevitably showed fatigue on his face. Seeing this, Zhou quickly asked him to go back to his room to rest. His body was not fully recovered yet, and he couldn't fall ill again.
Yu Li gave the two children some food he bought in the county town today as compensation for them not being able to go to the county town to play.
The two children were indeed very happy, and felt that their uncle and aunt were thinking about them when they were out.
Zhou saw the two children lying on the table, happily dividing the things Yu Li brought back, and asked, "Is the matter done? Will the Wang family agree to help?"
Although she felt that there was nothing Xiao Ge'er couldn't do if he came in person, she was still a little worried.
"I agree." Yu Li said, "Mr. Wang is quite enthusiastic. He would not let go when he met me... By the way, we also met Old Madam Yao at the Wang family. I heard that she is the wife of the current emperor's tutor and the ancestor of the Yao family..."
Zhou was stunned.
"Yao, the ancestor of the Yao family?" She was stunned, as if she had not expected to meet such a big shot in such a remote little town.
She had met Old Lady Yao before and knew how important she was. Others had no chance of currying favor with her. The Yao family was a noble family, and Jian was in the emperor's favor, so there were many people who wanted to curry favor with them.
Yu Li mentioned to her that he had saved Old Madam Yao, "Old Madam Yao even invited me to be her guest."
Hearing this, Zhou couldn't help but look at the girl in front of her.
She really couldn't imagine that she had actually saved Old Madam Yao. This life-saving grace was better than anything else...
No, it should be said that Yu Li is stronger than anything else. What's the big deal about saving an old lady Yao? She has saved General Xuan's grandson, so it's normal for her to save another old lady Yao.
Zhou quickly calmed down.
Li Niang is a lucky star. Even if she saves a saint in the future, it is only natural. Don't take it too seriously.
**
After the Lantern Festival, Yu Li went to work in the butcher shop.
She went to see Ge the yamen runner and told him that she wanted to rent a house in the county town and move her family to the county town.
Ge Yayi didn't expect that she would come to him for help. He was flattered and immediately patted his chest and said that he would do it properly, and then asked her if she had any requirements.
"The price is easy to negotiate. The environment needs to be good and the neighbors shouldn't be troublesome." Yu Li said.
Both my mother-in-law and Xiao Ge'er seem to be very respectable people. Since they are not short of money anyway, they can just rent a better house.
"Only renting?" Ge Yayi asked, "Do you want to buy the house?"
Li Lao Da is so capable, but it feels unfair for her to live in the village all the time. She should move to the county town to live in line with her status.
Yu Li shook his head, "I have no plans to buy a house for now, so I'll just rent one."
When Ge Yayi heard her request, he immediately thought of the area in the north of the city. People living there were all scholars, and the environment was quiet, so ordinary scoundrels didn't dare to cause trouble there.
People have a natural awe of scholars, and even scoundrels dare not steal in places where scholars live.
Yu Li thought about the area where the Wang family lived. The environment was indeed very good and it should be what her mother-in-law and others liked.
"That's fine. Please help me look around over there. If I find something suitable, I'll go and have a look."
Ge Yayi agreed.
A few days later, Ge Yayi gave her a message, saying that there were three suitable houses and asked her if she had time to go and have a look.
Yu Li finished his work in the morning and usually had nothing to do at noon, so he said, "Then let's go take a look."
When Yu Jin learned that they were going to see a house today, he also took time out to go with them.
The main reason was that she felt her sister was simple-minded and was afraid that someone would think she was easy to bully and give her a random quote, so she wanted to help out.
Having been doing business in the county for more than half a year, she has seen a lot, encountered a lot, and suffered a few losses, which made her more and more cunning. Yu Jin felt that her sister was an upright person, so she should play the villain.
Fortunately, Ge the yamen runner didn’t know what she was thinking. If he had known, he would have definitely protested his injustice.
Who dares to bully Boss Li? Unless you can make sure that she will never find out, otherwise if she finds out, she will beat you up, and the man will even be...
Along with Ge Yayi came a broker. When renting a house in the county town, people usually look for a broker.
However, many of these brokers will cheat you. If you meet some with bad intentions, you may not be able to rent a house, and you may even be involved in a lawsuit. It is very important to find a reliable broker.
Of course, with Ge Yayi around, the broker naturally wouldn't dare to do anything evil.
The broker is responsible for taking them to see houses.
The first house they looked at was located in a quiet alley.
The environment of the alley is very good. It is said that all the people living there are scholars from the county. There is a strong reading atmosphere and the neighbors are harmonious. Everyone is a cultured person and speaks politely. There are rarely any disputes.
They looked at the first house at the entrance of the alley.
When the broker opened the door with the key, a young wife next door came back from washing clothes. Seeing them, she asked curiously, "Are you here to rent a house?"
Ge Yayi was not wearing the uniform of a constable today, and others did not know his identity.
When I saw the broker using the key to open the door, I knew that someone was here to rent the house, but I didn't know who was renting the house.
The broker responded without saying anything more to her and went in with his men.
There is a screen wall as you enter the door, and around the screen wall is a square courtyard. The courtyard is quite ordinary, but there are several plum trees planted in the corner. It is the season when plum blossoms bloom, adding some color.
The courtyard used to be the east and west wing rooms, and there was also a small hall for the host to entertain guests. The space was very narrow, completely different from the spacious main rooms in the countryside.
Land in the countryside is not valuable, so you can build any size house you want.
Of course, there are also families as stingy as the Yu family, who let the second branch live in a small and cramped house.
This is the front yard, and there is a door leading to the back yard.
Of course, the backyard space is not very large, but in this area, this house is considered large.
Yu Li was looking at the rooms in the backyard when suddenly a high-pitched voice rang out like thunder.
"Song Daqiang, where have you been fooling around again? You haven't come back all night. Are you going to see that vixen again? Come back here, don't run away. If you run again, I'll break your legs—"
Then came a somewhat weak male voice: "If I don't run, you will break my legs...Also, my name is not Song Daqiang, my name is Song Yi..."
"Song Daqiang, stop right there!"
When Yu Jin suddenly heard that high-pitched female voice, his heart started beating wildly.
This alley was originally quite quiet, but suddenly there was a loud bang, which was really scary.
Ge Yayi's face changed slightly, and he glared at the broker. Didn't they say that the environment here is good? Are the neighbors harmonious?
But when you hear that shrew-like female voice, she is about to hit someone with a stick, and she doesn't know whether she is hitting her husband or her son.
It should be my husband. If he were my son, how could he dare to run away if I beat him?
The broker looked embarrassed and said hurriedly: "All the people living in this alley are scholars. It is really quiet on weekdays, but it is a little lively occasionally. After all, life always has some frictions..."
Ge Yayi glared at him fiercely again, but it was difficult to say anything because the Yu Li sisters were still there.
After looking at the house, Yu Li didn’t say whether it was good or not. He decided to compare them after looking at several houses.
When the agent found out that she was the one who made the decision, he was very attentive to her and took her to see other houses without any hesitation.
Yu Jin was more concerned about the rent and asked about the rent here.
"The rent is not expensive, about twenty-five taels a year..."
"What?!" Yu Jin exclaimed, "Twenty-five taels?"
She rented a house near the dock, and she thought ten taels a year was expensive, and it was only because something happened to the house that the rent was so low.
Most of the houses near the dock cost fifteen taels of silver a year, but I didn't expect the rent in the north of the city to be so terrible, at twenty-five taels a year.
The broker said quickly, "Sister, this is really not expensive. The north of the city has always been a noble place, with many people working as farmers and studying. The Wang family is also here, so there is a strong reading atmosphere here. Many people want to rent houses here so that their children can study well. There are also many scholars living around here..."
Yu Jin only cared about the price. It was too expensive, costing twenty-five taels a year. Her heart skipped a beat when she heard it.
Yu Li calculated that with twenty-five taels a year and five years of rent, he could buy a house in the south of the city, which is relatively cheap. The houses in the south of the city are the cheapest in the county town, where there are many peddlers and hawkers. The north of the city is quiet and the house prices are the most expensive.
Maybe buying a house is actually more cost-effective?
But if she buys a house, she won't have much savings, and she will have no money or food to eat, so she knows what to do.
After looking at all the houses, Yu Li said to the agent: "I will go back and discuss with my family before deciding whether to rent it. I will let you know when the time comes."
The broker quickly agreed with a smile.
With Ge the yamen runner around, he naturally didn't dare to say anything. Even if the young lady didn't rent anything and made him make a wasted trip, he wouldn't dare to complain.
During dinner, Yu Li told them the results of today’s house viewing.
They visited three places today. She described the conditions of the three houses in detail and told them that the rents were all about the same, ranging from twenty to thirty taels a year, with a minimum lease term of one year. If the lease term was less than one year, the rent would not be paid, and the full rent for one year had to be paid at a time.
Zhou said: "They seem to be similar..."
For her, who had seen the mansions of princes and nobles in the capital, there was no house in the county town that satisfied her. It was just a place to stay anyway, so she could rent any one.
However, seeing that Li Niang seemed to be very reluctant to spend the money, she did not express any opinion and let Li Niang make the decision.
Fu Wenxiao did the same, smiling and saying, "Which house do you think is better?"
"It's all about the same." Yu Li didn't care, "As long as it's habitable."
Hearing this, Zhou couldn't help but feel distressed. She thought that Li Niang must have been treated harshly by the Yu family since she was a child, so she had no requirements for living space and thought that anything was fine.
Fu Wenxiao, however, felt that this was probably because her previous living environment was too bad, so she had no requirements for where to live and could regard anywhere as her home.
I also felt heartbroken.
Seeing that both of them let her make the decision, Yu Li thought for a while, "I still think renting is not cost-effective, why not buy a house? The expensive houses in the north of the city are four or five hundred taels, and the cheap ones are two or three hundred taels."
Once you buy a house, it becomes yours and you can live in it for a long time.
She also talked about the family savings, "We have more than 300 taels of silver in our savings now, so we can still buy it."
At worst, she could go and suppress the bandits, and there would be a reward, and the money would come quickly.
"Listen to Li Niang!" Zhou said with a smile, "If Li Niang wants to buy a house, then buy it. I still have money. I'll give it to you."
Fu Wenxiao also smiled and nodded.
Yu Li said: "In that case, let's buy a house."
I originally said I wouldn't buy a house, but I found out that buying a house is more cost-effective. The rent for houses in the north of the city is too expensive. If I rent for four or five years, I can buy a cheap house.
Yu Li is a decisive person, mainly because he is too lazy to fuss over unnecessary things.
After deciding to buy a house, she went to find Ge Yayi and said that she wanted to buy a house in the north of the city. The first house she saw last time was good, so she decided to buy that one.
When Ge Yayi heard that she wanted to buy a house, he hurried to make arrangements.
Yu Jin hadn't expected her sister to act so quickly and decisively.
However, she also understood her sister's personality to some extent. She hated trouble and was most annoyed by all the nagging. Once she made a decision, she would take action. The sooner it was done, the less worry she would have to worry about.
She went to her sister and asked, "Sister, do you have enough money? I have saved fifty taels here, I'll give it to you."
Yu Li shook his head, "No, I still have money, enough."
These fifty taels should be the money my sister has earned in the past six months. She doesn't need to ask for her money.
Yu Jin stuffed the money into her hands and said, "Big sister, take it. I make money just to spend it on you! I will make a lot of money in the future. If you don't have money, come to me!"
She spoke with great passion and ambition.
Yu Li then realized that Yu Jin was not lending her money but giving it to her to spend.
She was a little surprised, as if she realized something for the first time and felt a little at a loss.
She could spend Fu Wenxiao's money with a clear conscience, because she saved Fu Wenxiao's life; she could also rob Wu Shouzi and his friends of more than fifty coins and spend them, because they wanted to rob her in the first place, and they did not do good things...
But Yu Jin was her sister, and she had a responsibility towards them and had never thought about getting anything in return from them.
As long as they can live their lives well, she will be satisfied.
But my sister said she wanted to make money for her...
This was not what she expected.
Yu Jin was a little shy, "Big sister, we are sisters. You have helped us so much, we can't do nothing in return. We don't have any skills and can't help you. We can only make money for you..."
Seeing that her sister remained silent, she felt a little uneasy.
In the end, Yu Li still confiscated her money, pushed the money back, and said, "Didn't you say you wanted to expand your business? Keep this money as capital. When your business grows bigger and you have more money, give it to me."
The prerequisite is that these sisters live a good life and give her extra money when they have it.
By then, she will be able to accept the filial piety from her sisters with peace of mind.
Yu Jin was a little disappointed when she heard this, but she felt that her sister was right.
She should give it to her after she earns more money. Fifty taels is really not enough.
Because of Ge Yayi's presence, when Yu Li bought a house, neither the homeowner nor the broker dared to set the commission too high.
Finally, he bought the house for three hundred taels.
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