"Haha," Xia Hua couldn't help but laugh. "Shushu, how can you be so stupid? All you think about is buying a manor, but have you ever thought about whether there are enough manors in Jinnan City for you to buy? And a single manor can cover hundreds or even thousands of acres. You'd be lucky if you could buy just one."
"Of course those are the big ones. There are also small ones, but the small ones are at most two hundred acres. It's impossible for anyone to sell those. You have to ask around to find out."
However, she thought that there might not be that many estates available, and they might have to buy them from other prefectures. But those estates could be used to grow fruit trees, and in addition to selling fruit, they could also make wine and sell their own produce.
An Shuyi thought so too. Even if she had money, there weren't that many estates in Jinnan City. But buying two would be about right. She could keep one and Huahua could keep the other. After they sold the goods, they could split the remaining amount.
This way, you can plant rice and corn in one plot, potatoes and sweet potatoes in another, and if there are any smaller plots available, you can buy one and plant morel mushrooms.
As for their village, besides growing some dryland rice, the rest of the land is used to grow tomatoes, peppers, and other crops such as peanuts and sesame.
She wants to open a hot pot restaurant in Beijing, and then hire a few people to run it. But that's for the future, not now. Restaurants are the most profitable businesses. Of course, she only wants to open one in Beijing and doesn't want to open one anywhere else.
She opened a brothel in the capital simply to stay informed about major events happening there, so she could get the latest news immediately. Unfortunately, brothels were run by members of the imperial family and nobility; she wasn't qualified. Otherwise, she really wanted to open a brothel in the capital.
It's easier to get information in brothels than in restaurants, but I think I'd better not do something like pushing a girl into a fire pit.
The day passed by as the two of them wandered around, looking here and there. In the morning, Xiao Zili was helped to the dining hall by the eldest brother. It was quiet there except when it was time to eat, and there were carriages parked outside, so he could no longer sleep.
Xiao Zili didn't sit quietly in the canteen. Instead, he moved a stool and sat outside to watch. Only then did he realize why everyone had to sleep outside even though there were houses. It turned out that those houses were workshops.
Watching the horse-drawn carriages come and go, without stopping all day, the village was especially lively, filled with chattering discussions.
At noon, he was helped into the cafeteria to eat. In the afternoon, it was too hot, so he was arranged to sleep in the cafeteria and did not go out. There were also ice blocks in the cafeteria.
It's already June, and the weather is scorching hot. He never expected that this small village would sell everything, including ice. In the palace, although he was a prince, his mother was no longer there, so even in the hottest weather, he could only get a little ice.
The next day, An Shuyi drove her carriage to Jinnan City alone to find the same broker as before. However, she learned that he didn't have any estates for sale, but he said that a friend of his had one that he could take her to see.
An Shuyi and Ya Hui went to find the friend he mentioned, and then went to check it out. However, after looking at it, she did not buy it. The estate was only a little over 100 acres, but it cost 4,000 taels, which was more expensive than a two-courtyard house.
Money was fine, but this place was not only far away, but also had little land, so they couldn't do anything with it. After leaving, An Shuyi told them to save any estates for her if they had any.
The day passed quickly, and the next day, she drove her carriage to Jinnan City again to continue looking for brokers. Today she was lucky and found a broker who owned a manor, but it could only be sold after the harvest. It was possible to sell it now, but the price was high.
An Shuyi was very satisfied after checking it out. Although it was only a little over 200 acres, it was more than enough to grow morel mushrooms. Although it was a bit far from Jinnan City, the location was good. She was not in a hurry to buy it. She just told the broker to let her know when the harvest was over, and she would definitely give him a reward.
The broker readily agreed, adding that he knew of a estate for sale and could take her there. If she was in a hurry, she could bring the money, and they could exchange the land title if she liked it, but it would have to be tomorrow.
Knowing there was news of the estate, she was willing to wait even one more night, and the next day she drove her carriage alone to find the broker.
When she saw the broker, he was already waiting. "Madam An, did you bring the money?"
An Shuyi nodded. Since the broker said he had a estate, she would definitely bring money to buy it.
"Of course, Zhao Yahui, are you sure that estate can be sold today?"
Zhao the broker nodded, “Don’t worry, Madam An, the land deed is with my friend. You can go and see it before deciding whether to buy it. Once you buy it, the land deed can be given to you, and you can go to the yamen to renew it.”
The broker beside him showed her the two land deeds, and found no problems. It seemed this man was quite capable, possessing deeds to two estates, and not small ones at that.
"Let's go then, let's go see Zhuangzi now!"
“Alright, then Madam An, you will follow behind our carriage.” To avoid suspicion, Zhao Ya Kuai and his friend drove a separate carriage, while An Shuyi followed behind.
When we arrived at our destination, we jumped off the carriage and discovered that the place was really big. The fields were full of crops, there was a road leading up the mountain, and there was a house, though it looked like it only had one courtyard.
“Madam An, isn’t this place nice? Right now, all those fields are planted with crops, and they’ll be ready for harvest in a few months. There’s also a large manor. There’s another estate that’s just like this one, but it’s even better, and it has hot springs.”
An Shuyi turned to look at him, "There are hot springs too? How much does your estate cost? I only brought 20,000 taels, it might not be enough."
“Hahaha,” another broker laughed, “We’re not selling these two estates, Madam An. I didn’t expect you to be so foolish. You came along just because you heard there were estates. I must say, you’re quite bold.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he clapped his hands a few times, and several people appeared, holding large knives, seemingly having been lying in ambush beforehand.
An Shuyi looked at the few people who had appeared—no, she should say the knives in their hands.
Seeing that she remained silent and stared blankly at the knives, the men assumed she was afraid. Zhao Yakuai said, "Madam An, as long as you give us the 20,000 taels of silver you brought, we can let you leave and won't harm you."
"Yes, you foolish woman, we'll let you go as long as you give us money?"
An Shuyi turned her head and asked, "I want to know, is your land deed real? And this estate, it's not just some random place you found!"
She quite liked this place; it had plenty of land, over 600 acres, and a good location. The broker had told her that another estate also had hot springs and more land, over 700 acres. This was a wonderful place.
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