Chapter 142 [VIP]
Early in the morning, just as dawn broke, Ma Zhandong and Tian Ju drove their horse-drawn carriage toward the ice cellar on the outskirts of the city.
The ice cellar was bought by Wang Ying for thirty strings of cash, and it was also related to Wei Linshui.
The previous owner was the same person who had been defeated by Wei Linshui. When their business failed, the whole family left the city and sold the ice cellar cheaply.
After changing hands several times, it unexpectedly ended up in Wang Ying's hands. Coincidentally, Wang Ying also brought down Wei Linshui, which can be considered as karma.
The ice cellar is semi-underground, with a large interior space. There is a simple little hut on top, which was built specifically for viewing the ice.
Wang Ying hired an old man who lived nearby to help watch over the ice, paying him one string of cash a month. The old man happily moved in. People of their age couldn't do heavy work, so earning some money to supplement their household income was truly a happy thing.
The day after the ice cellar was purchased, Wang Ying secretly went in and put more than a thousand blocks of ice inside.
If the wheat planted in the experimental field hadn't already sprouted ears, Wang Ying would have marked out an area and frozen some more ice.
The old man inside came out as soon as the carriage stopped at the entrance of the ice cellar.
Upon closer inspection, it was the master's carriage. He lit an oil lamp and greeted them with a smile, "You've come over."
"Hey, here comes the ice." Ma Qianzi took out his key and unlocked the ice cellar. The two of them went into the cellar, which was cold and damp. After a while, they brought out twelve blocks of ice.
These were all ordered in advance by the employer. The two of them would deliver them to each household, one batch in the morning and another in the afternoon, and a few households also needed ice in the evening.
Now, Lin Sui spends most of her time in the shop serving customers, while Ma Qianzi and Tian Ju are responsible for delivering ice, leaving Wang Ying with more free time.
But the money is still substantial. These days, customers are coming in droves to order ice, and on average, I can earn about sixteen or seventeen strings of cash a day, which is not much different from the business of selling popsicles in the past.
During the day, Wang Ying went to the shop and saw that Lin Sui was managing all the work by herself, so she decided to go to the brokerage firm herself.
With more money in hand, Wang Ying wanted to change houses. The lease on her current rental expired in three months. A few days ago, the broker came to ask her whether she planned to continue renting or move to another house.
Living in someone else's house is not a good idea, as it's inconvenient to move around. Wang Ying plans to buy a courtyard house in the city, where she can officially settle down.
I went to the dental clinic and looked around. Most of the houses were ones I had seen before, and they were expensive and in bad locations.
A well-located two-courtyard house costs 1,700 taels of silver, while a poorly located three-courtyard house on Zhenghe Street costs only a little over 700 guan.
Zhenghe Street is, frankly speaking, a low-class area, a melting pot of all sorts of people, and respectable families wouldn't easily buy houses there. Besides, with elderly people, children, and both sons and daughters in her family, Wang Ying dared not settle down there.
After looking around, I saw the courtyard I wanted to rent when I first arrived. It was originally listed for 2,600 guan, but after almost a year it hadn't sold and the price had dropped to 2,300 guan.
Wang Ying really liked this big courtyard, especially the large stone screen at the entrance that symbolized wealth and prosperity; it was a feast for the eyes.
"Excuse me, is it possible to lower the price for this courtyard house? What's the lowest price?"
Ya Lang glanced at the blueprints and said, "Please wait a moment, I'll go check for you." There are records for every house for sale, and the buyer will leave a reserve price. As long as it's not lower than that price, it can be sold.
Before long, the broker, holding the booklet, said, "The price offered by the master is at least 2,200 strings of cash, and it can't be lower than that."
Two thousand two hundred strings of cash is still a bit expensive. After buying the house, I won't have a penny left. It would be troublesome if I needed money urgently.
Wang Ying shook her head regretfully, "Never mind, I'll look at other things."
After looking around and finding nothing suitable, Wang Ying went to Sun's Brokerage Firm. Coincidentally, Sun Peng was there when she arrived. "Manager Wang, you've come at the perfect time. I was just about to look for you."
"What's wrong?"
"Didn't you say you wanted to rent a shop last time? It just so happens that there's a shop available for rent these days. The price and location are quite reasonable. Take a look and see if you like it."
Wang Ying said apologetically, "I'll not rent the shop for now, and I'll stop the popsicle business."
Sun Peng had also heard about what happened recently and said with some regret, "It's such a pity. My son was still asking to eat your shaved ice. Ever since you stopped selling it, none of the other shops have been able to satisfy his taste."
However, after such an incident, business is indeed difficult to continue. "Did you come today to look at houses?"
"Yes, I'd like to see if there's a suitable house with a yard to buy. The one we live in now is a bit small, and it's inconvenient for a large family."
"We have several three-courtyard houses for sale. Take a look and see if you have any suitable ones." Sun Peng took out a stack of house listings, on which the location, size, and price of each house were carefully written down.
Wang Ying spotted the wealthy merchant's courtyard at a glance; it was the same one she had seen at the official brokerage, but the price was more than three hundred strings of cash cheaper!
Is this house for sale?
"Manager Wang has a good eye. This courtyard is located near Zhengyang Street. It has a good location and a spacious courtyard. It can easily accommodate four or five carriages! Last month it was priced at two thousand strings of cash, but this month the price has dropped to one thousand nine hundred strings of cash."
Wang Ying said, "To be honest, I just saw this house at the official market. The lowest price there is 2,200 guan. How come there's such a big difference?"
"Manager Wang, you may not know this, but the official broker takes a 30% cut, so the seller only gets 1,500 strings of cash. Our private brokers are cheaper, taking only a 10% cut, so our prices are naturally much lower than theirs."
"No wonder. Can this house be discounted even further?"
"The price I quoted you is the lowest. Our brokerage has been in business for so many years and has the best reputation in the city. We never do anything to cheat people."
Wang Ying nodded, "I came here because I know your brokerage is reliable."
Sun Peng said, "In that case, if someone else were to buy it, the price wouldn't be lower than a penny. But since we know each other, I'll give you a discount of twenty strings of cash as a token of our friendship. I'll also handle the property transfer for you at the same time."
Wang Yingqiang suppressed her excitement, "Buying a house is a big deal. I need to go back and discuss it with my family. I'll give you an answer by tomorrow at the latest."
"Okay, then I'll reserve this house for you."
When Wang Ying returned home at noon, she told her family about looking at houses. Chen Qingyan and the others were not home, and Li Shi could not make a decision, only saying that Wang Ying should choose whatever she thought was suitable.
Fang Ling offered some advice: "It's best to inquire around the neighborhood first to see if anything has happened in this courtyard before. You don't want to buy a dirty courtyard and end up living there uncomfortably."
"Okay, I'll go ask around after I finish eating."
Li opened the trunk and stuffed all her savings into Wang Ying's hands, saying, "This house was originally meant for you to live in, but now we're all relying on you."
Wang Ying refused, saying, "As the eldest brother and sister-in-law, Qingyan and I should take care of everyone."
"Good child, thank you, Mother..."
"We don't talk about this as family."
*
After lunch, Wang Ying called her sister to go out and inquire about houses. Qingyun hadn't been out much lately because she was preparing her dowry at home, so she took her out for a stroll since they had nothing else to do.
The new courtyard was not far from where they lived; it only took about half an incense stick's time to walk there.
There were four or five households nearby, mostly local merchants. Wang Ying randomly chose one and knocked on the door.
Before long, the door opened, and coincidentally, it was the owner of the sesame oil shop next door.
"Manager Song?"
"Manager Wang, is there something you need?"
"Nothing much, nothing much, I just wanted to ask about the house in front of yours."
Manager Song opened the door and said, "Come in and have a cup of tea."
"No need, no need, that's too much trouble."
Shopkeeper Song didn't insist, after all, it wouldn't be appropriate to invite a young man and a young woman into his home, so he stood at the door and said, "I know the previous owner of that house. He lived here for more than ten years. A few years ago, he hit the jackpot and made a lot of money in the tea business, and his family moved to the capital."
"How's their house? Has anything happened there?"
"No, the houses in this area are all quite clean. Do you want to buy one?"
Wang Ying nodded, "It's not a good idea to keep renting. I'm thinking of buying a house to settle down."
"That house is fine; it's half the size of my yard, but the price is too high. Otherwise, I would have already taken a liking to it." After saying this, Manager Song thought with a hint of sourness, "The Wang family's shop has really made a lot of money; they can afford a house worth over a thousand strings of cash."
Having received confirmation, Wang Ying felt more at ease and took Chen Qingyun directly to Sun's brokerage firm. They obtained the key and then went inside the courtyard for a walk.
Compared to last year, it's much more desolate. The yard is overgrown with weeds, and the lotus flowers in the several sea tanks have withered.
It is indeed spacious, with two large courtyards in the front and back. Although it is not as big as the courtyard in town, there are more rooms and we no longer have to squeeze together.
Wang Ying said, "We'll clean up these rooms in the west courtyard and keep them as your and Lin Sui's bedrooms. They won't be moved after you get married, and you can come back to live here whenever you want."
Chen Qingyun felt a lump in her throat and pulled on Wang Ying's arm, saying, "Sister-in-law, you're so kind."
After finding a suitable courtyard, Wang Ying went to pay the money. Once the payment was made, she didn't need to worry about anything else. Sun Peng had connections in the government office, and the property deed was transferred in three days. The house was officially renamed and became the Chen family's residence.
However, the new courtyard still needs some tidying up. The house needs to be repainted, the roof needs to be patched where there are leaks, the doors and windows need to be repaired if they are warped, and the window paper needs to be replaced. It will take at least one or two months to finish tidying up.
I've just finished cleaning up the new house and moved in, so I don't need to renew the lease on this old courtyard house.
*
The three students from the prefectural school were unaware that their family had bought a new house.
The quiz is coming soon; it will be the first exam for the three of them since they enrolled.
The academy holds monthly quizzes and a major exam annually. These quizzes determine class placement; students who fall out of the top forty will be removed from Class A, while those who rank highly in Class B or Class C can be promoted to Class A.
The major examination involved the selection of students to receive government stipends; only those who passed the examination could receive the government stipend for the following year.
Last month, Chen Qingyan and Chen Qinghuai both received three hundred cash and three bushels of grain. The money wasn't much, but it was an honor. Being a subsidized student at the prefectural school was something that would earn them respect.
This minor examination was even more prestigious than the provincial examination, as it brought together scholars who had passed the county-level examination within the past six years. (The imperial court stipulated that students could only study at the prefectural school for a maximum of six years.)
It can be said that there are many hidden talents among them. As the top scorer in the prefectural examination this year, Chen Qingyan is under great pressure. He is afraid that he will not perform well and will be ridiculed if he gets an average ranking.
These past few days, Qingyan and Qinghuai have been working extremely hard, which has made Liu Changyi nervous as well. Previously, he was always ranked around 20th, and occasionally he would be at the bottom if he underperformed.
Seeing how hard his older brother and Qinghuai were working, he also became motivated. He couldn't fail the exam, or he would be extremely embarrassed if he fell out of the top class.
At the same time, Fang Wenke, who was the top scorer two years ago, is also under considerable pressure. He was overshadowed by the Chen brothers at the poetry gathering before, and now that they are both top scorers, they are inevitably being compared.
I am older than him and have studied for two more years. If I rank lower than him in this exam, wouldn't that prove that I am inferior to him?
Fang Wenke studied diligently for this reason, never daring to slack off for a single day.
Time flew by and the day of the exam arrived.
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