When searching the body, Shen Cui certainly couldn't open the light curtain to see their little man.
But she still noticed the changes in her luck value.
The only thing that made her feel fortunate was that Mei Ruochu's mood was still very stable.
The salute at the back sealed the door. Shen Cui calculated the time and opened the light curtain to take a look. Seeing that the three of them had already sat down steadily in their examination seats, she breathed a sigh of relief.
When the time agreed with the owner of the house was almost up, Chen Cui went to the dental clinic as planned.
When going out, Mu Erpang still didn't let her go alone and had already promised to go with her.
Chen Cui was still somewhat worried about Mei Ruochu, so she told Lao Buyu not to follow them and to stay at the tea stall to provide support.
When she came in the morning, Wei Shu knew that she would be busy today, so he asked the driver to harness the carriage and come over.
But the weather suddenly changed, it was extremely hot and humid, and the carriage had been parked on the side of the road for the whole morning, and sitting in it was like sitting in a steamer. Zuoyou Yahang was only a quarter of an hour's walk from the examination hall, so Chen Cui decided to walk there.
Mu Erpang asked her to wait, then quickly got into the carriage and took out a paper umbrella.
"I brought it especially for my mother. The sun is strong, so I'm holding an umbrella for her." Mu Erpang said very obediently.
At this moment, Shen Cui suddenly realized that Mu Erpang was only a little shorter than her.
Actually, that's true. His thirteenth birthday is just a few months away. Children of this age grow the fastest.
The mother and son walked side by side to the dental clinic. Behind them, Chen Cui saw that he was holding the umbrella, so she went to hold it for a while. After all, there is still a big difference in height between the two, so it would be more energy-saving if Shen Cui were to fight.
Mu Erpang didn't give in. He just leaned his head to the side and said, "I'll do the fighting. Mom, don't snatch it from me. Just wipe my sweat off my face."
You didn't notice it until he came out, but once he came out, the fat son who used to rely on her for everything started to act more and more like an adult.
Chen Cui felt soft-hearted and didn't fight with him. She used a handkerchief to wipe the sweat off his face in a joking manner.
At noon in the hot summer, there were not many pedestrians on the road. It was not until more than a quarter of an hour later, when the mother and son walked near the pawnshop, that they met a carriage.
Hearing the sound of horse hooves behind him, without waiting for the other driver to signal, Mu Erpang pulled Shen Cui to the side, making way, and also switched their positions - he walked on the outside and let Shen Cui walk on the inside.
The carriage passed in front of them and finally stopped in front of the pawnshop. A maid jumped out of the carriage and directed the driver to stop the carriage to the side. Then she asked someone to bring down an ice basin, and others to move the footrests and hold an umbrella. It was quite a big scene.
When Mu Erpang saw this, he turned around and saw the sweat on Shen Cuiyi's forehead, and said, "If we had known earlier, we would have bought some ice, so that we could have borrowed the carriage from Brother Wei's family, and mother wouldn't have to work so hard."
Shen Cui laughed, "It's just a matter of walking a few steps to sign a contract, how can it be hard?"
Mu Erpang said, "I know you are trying to save money. After all, you have to spend fifty taels of silver to rent a house, so you have to save money from other places. Wait a little longer, mother. I will never let you work so hard in the future."
He was right. Chen Cui had saved only about seventy or eighty taels of silver by now. Adding the ten taels of private money given by Zheng, the total amount was less than ninety taels.
The annual rent of the house consumed most of her savings.
So there was actually someone selling ice cream near the exam venue today, but she was reluctant to buy any.
The fat son looked serious, and Shen Cui stopped laughing. "Okay, I know. When you grow up, I will sit at home and do nothing. Not to mention going out on a hot day, I won't even help if the oil bottle falls over!"
She said it jokingly, and Mu Erpang agreed, "I'll also give mother a few maids, so you don't need to help with anything."
The mother and son walked into the dental clinic while talking. Actually, they arrived earlier than the family who rode in the carriage.
The pawnshop has two floors. The lower floor is a lobby for receiving guests, while the second floor has private rooms for discussing matters and signing contracts.
The broker had been waiting for them for a long time. When he saw the mother and son coming over, he immediately stepped forward to greet them, "Madam and Master, you must be too hot, right? Come in and sit down."
Chen Cui and Mu Erpang were taken to the second floor by the broker and entered a cool place. They sighed comfortably at the same time.
The man behind him served him a cup of foamy tea, and then explained apologetically, "Normally, we wouldn't choose a time like this to send you on a special trip, but the owner of the house is busy, so he's only free right now."
Shen Cui nodded in understanding.
She had already asked the broker before, and found out that the owner's surname was Cui, and the Cui family was a well-known family in the capital.
On the way to the city, Wei Xi mentioned that the bookstore near Wenchang Street was hers.
The broker didn't provide much information, just this little bit. He probably thought that after pointing out the Cui family, it would be enough to make Chen Cui and the others believe that the other party was reliable, and he didn't need to waste his words on the rest.
During the few days in between, Chen Cui did not forget to send someone to inquire about the Cui family. Just as the broker said, the Cui family has been doing business locally for generations and their reputation has always been very good.
If there is anything that is surprising, it is probably that the current head of the Cui family is a woman named Cui Wuniang.
Cui Wuniang was raised as a boy since she was young, and her teeth were arranged not with her sisters but with her cousins.
In this era, she, a woman, could stand out among her cousins and become the head of the Cui family. Although the reason could not be told to outsiders, it showed how outstanding she was.
And that "haunted house" is her personal property, so she needs to be there in person.
Women are in a difficult situation nowadays, and Chen Cui can relate to them. She is more tolerant of women, so she just said, "It's okay, I don't have much to do anyway, just come at a time that's convenient for the owner."
As the two were talking, the broker's apprentice came up. After entering the room, his expression flickered. He asked the broker to step aside and whispered something to him.
After hearing this, the tooth man's expression became a little strange. Chen Cui naturally noticed it and looked at him to ask what happened.
The broker said, "It was just a coincidence. The master and his wife came here at the same time, but she just told my apprentice that she would not rent it to you. My apprentices are not very useful and could not find out anything. But Madam Cui has not left yet. Madam, wait a moment, I will go and ask again."
The broker said that the two parties came one after the other, and Shen Cui thought of the carriage they met at the door.
After making a special trip to such a hot place, only to be stood up before signing the contract, anyone would be unhappy.
Especially Chen Cui was really satisfied with the house. She missed this village, but there was no other "haunted house" for her to get a bargain.
She was not the type to sit and wait for death, and if the contract could not be signed, there was no need for her to stay in the brokerage office any longer, as she had to rush back to the examination room. So she said that she would go down with them so that they could talk about it face to face, so as to avoid the broker having to pass messages back and forth.
At the entrance of the pawnshop, another young apprentice of the pawnbroker was talking anxiously with a woman, "It's so hot, you've come anyway. Even if you don't come in to rest, at least wait for my master, he will be here soon."
The woman in the lead looked to be about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with a heroic appearance. She wore a Suzhou embroidered Yuehua brocade shirt. Her hair was not tied into a bun like a woman's bun, but a side bun that only unmarried girls would wear.
Chen Cui guessed that it must be Cui Wuniang.
"There's no reason, I just don't want to rent it anymore." Cui Wu Niang fanned herself with a round fan, her forehead was covered with beads of sweat, and it was obvious that she was too hot, but she still said, "I know I was wrong in this matter, but I regretted it before signing the contract. Go ask the lady for compensation. Come back to my house and let me know."
Chen Cuiren had already arrived, so she said, "I don't want any compensation, I just want to ask you why you changed your mind at the last minute? Did you find a seller or other tenant? Just give me a definite answer."
Cui Wuniang was not surprised to see her, as she must have seen her through the car window when she was at the door earlier.
She said with a slightly unnatural look on her face, "Where are the other sellers and tenants? It's too late for people to hide in that house. Anyway, that place is not a good place. You are an outsider and you may not know. Not only did something happen before, but I also let someone live in it after I bought it... In short, it's not good. It's not easy for you as a woman to raise a son... Don't get involved in this muddy water. I will definitely give you compensation. Think about it carefully and see if you need anything else. Or I have other private houses under my name. I will have someone take you to have a look. The price will certainly not be as low as this one, but it can be 10% or 20% cheaper than the market price."
Chen Cui could tell that Cui Wu Niang had made this trip in person on such a hot day, and it was obvious that she had the intention of facilitating this deal.
But Cui Wuniang saw her, a woman, coming with her half-grown son to sign the contract at the door - this kind of thing is usually handled by the man in the family. And when she heard them say how frugal they were, not even willing to buy ice, she felt embarrassed to "cheat" her.
Chen Cui felt relieved, and then continued to answer calmly: "It's not what you think. I rented this house not for my own use, but to open a school... Didn't the broker tell you?"
The broker finally had a chance to speak, and he explained, "Of course I told Madam Cui's servants everything. I guess it was the servants who didn't tell you?"
This is true. The Cui family is a wealthy family. As the head of the family, Cui Wuniang has a lot of private property under her name. She doesn't have to follow up on every detail of a haunted house that has been left in her hands. It was not easy for her to come in person when signing the contract.
"You opened your own academy? How big is it?" Cui Wuniang had a gloomy look on her face just now, but she perked up after hearing this and took a step forward.
She was tall and had long legs, so she reached Shen Cui in one step.
Mu Erpang immediately took half a step forward and blocked Shen Cui behind him.
"This young man is really filial." Cui Wuniang reacted, took a half step back, and explained: "I have no ill intentions, I just think it's a little novel."
Chen Cui patted Mu Erpang on the back to show that it was okay, and nodded and replied, "Yes, it is the academy I opened myself. It is not large, but there is a teacher and several students. It is a serious academy that participated in the academy competition earlier. So I said that my house is not what you think... and we really like that house, and it is really suitable for us. If you don't regret it because you have found another tenant or seller, you might as well consider renting it to my house."
After hearing this, Cui Wuniang became even more interested. She turned around and told the servants, "I want to chat with this lady for a while. You can just wait for me in the car."
As she said that, she made a 'please' gesture and went to the second-floor room with Shen Cui to talk.
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