Three days later at dusk, the boat Qin Zhao and his companions were on docked at the pier outside the city of Jiangling Prefecture.
The pier was bustling with merchants, and many carriages carrying goods and passengers were waiting at the pier. Qin Zhao got off the boat first, rented a carriage, and worked with the coachman and boatman to unload the luggage.
Jing Li sat on the shore holding a backpack and waiting.
"Okay, I'll let you out when we get home." Jing Li patted the edge of the wooden barrel. The small fish eggs bounced on the water surface in dissatisfaction, as if trying to jump out but failed.
During the past few days on the boat, the little cub had become more and more restless. Fortunately, the fish egg had no point of force and could not jump out of the barrel.
Jing Li pressed the fish eggs back to the bottom of the wooden barrel and covered the backpack.
Qin Zhao walked towards him and said, "Get in the car, we're going into the city."
Prices in the capital were high, and Qin Zhao had already spent twenty coins just to rent a carriage. Jing Li paid the fare, and the driver happily accepted it, cracking his whip and sending the carriage slowly forward.
Qin Zhao hugged his furrowed brows and gently advised, "The cost of living in the capital is not as high as in the village. Haven't you seen that before?"
"I know, it's just..."
Or they are too poor.
Qin Zhao had used all the three hundred taels he had earned in the county to buy a house, leaving him with a two hundred tael debt. Before leaving, Jing Li counted their small treasury, finding only eleven strings of cash, three hundred and fifty-six coins left.
This amount of money can barely last for more than three months in the capital city if they are frugal, not to mention the debt repayment and the cost of buying furniture and supplies.
Jing Li sighed sadly.
Things had finally gotten a little better, but now everything is back to square one overnight.
He didn't want Qin Zhao to worry with him, so he changed the subject: "Should we go home directly, or go to the inn first?"
"Go home." Qin Zhao said, "I have already made arrangements."
Jing Li: "Arrange?"
Qin Zhao didn't explain, but Jing Li quickly understood what he meant.
The carriage passed the interrogation and body search at the city gate, entered the inner city, and stopped outside a mansion.
The house was just one block away from the main street of the prefectural city. Residential houses lined both sides of the road, while shops were located on another adjacent street, making it relatively quiet. One side of the house was close to the lakeshore, and across from it lay Jiangling's bustling night market. It was deserted during the day, but even at night, the noise was muted by the lake.
It is quiet in a busy city and has an excellent geographical location.
The house itself is in good condition.
The gate to the mansion was open, and someone was polishing the vermilion door. Qin Zhao took the backpack, put it on his back, and helped Jing Li down from the carriage. The steward saw them and hurried over to greet them, "Mr. Qin, you're here! Our young master is waiting inside. We'll take care of the luggage, you can go in and rest."
Jing Li felt that the person who was speaking looked familiar. Before he could remember, Qin Zhao had already led him inside.
There is a stone-carved screen wall at the entrance of the mansion. Walking around the screen wall, you will reach the front yard.
This front yard was larger than Ayi's, and someone was moving potted plants in the yard. The two people moving the potted plants also looked familiar. Jing Li tilted his head and thought for a moment, and someone strode out from the main hall.
"Brother Qin, you are finally here."
It’s Fang Tianying.
When he saw him, Jing Li suddenly remembered that those were the group of people who went to Linxi Village to look for koi.
Fang Tianying walked up to them and said, "It's a good thing you arrived today. I will be back to town early tomorrow morning."
Jing Li didn't understand: "Why are you here?"
"Mr. Fang came to the capital half a month ago to discuss business with a timber merchant, and he helped us buy the mansion." Qin Zhao frowned, "But these..."
"Isn't this just something I did when I was bored?"
Fang Tianying said, "These flowers were left by the previous owner. I've arranged them for you. The servants have cleaned the whole house. The wall in the back kitchen is a little peeling, but it was just repaired two days ago. I haven't bought the furniture yet. I was afraid that you wouldn't like it if I made my own decision, so I didn't prepare it for you."
Qin Zhao: "Thank you..."
Fang Tianying didn't take it seriously: "It's just a small favor, Brother Qin. We are so familiar with each other, why are you being so polite to me?"
"Let's go into the inner courtyard first. There are a lot of people here. Be careful not to bump into my sister-in-law."
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