Chapter 431: Chapter 166: Settling Down in the Prefecture (Part 3)
Chen Wanqing and Zhao Jing were both decisive. Once they’d taken a liking to the house, they didn’t drag their feet and decided to buy it immediately.
The original owner of the house wasn’t there; only an old butler was left to watch over it. He was also the one who handled the rentals.
Fortunately, Xie Ming had obtained the original owner’s seal. The government office hadn’t closed for the day yet, so they hurried over to transfer the deed.
The whole affair took no more time than an incense stick takes to burn. By the time they emerged from the government office, the 4,200 liang in silver notes that had barely warmed Chen Wanqing’s hand had dwindled to just seven thin bills.
But she didn’t feel the sting of the expense, for in her other hand, she clutched the brand-new deeds to the house and land.
With these deeds, they had established a home in the Prefecture. It would be much more convenient for them to live here long-term now.
The only downside, if one had to be named, was that the house was a bit far from the prefectural academy.
But that couldn’t be helped.
"The prefectural academy has many students and occupies a large area. There isn’t enough space in the Prefecture to allocate for it, so it was built outside the city walls."
All things considered, the academy was still relatively close to their new house.
Their house was in the western part of the city, and the academy was just three li outside the west gate.
If they had bought a house in the eastern or southern parts of the city, the distance would have been much greater.
In any case, the house was bought, and everyone was delighted.
Mr. Xie was in a hurry to return and write to his friend, and he also needed to find someone trustworthy to deliver the silver notes. Meanwhile, Zhao Jing and Chen Wanqing got busy buying household goods.
When Zhao Jing was in the Prefecture for the prefectural and college examinations, he had rented a small courtyard and fully furnished it with kitchenware.
When he left, he couldn’t take those things with him, so he sold them for a low price to his neighbors.
This time, their ox-cart was naturally carrying their belongings, but there wasn’t much—just a few thin quilts in total.
Therefore, they had a great many things to buy, and the Silver in Chen Wanqing’s hands was spent like water.
The two of them didn’t head back until it was completely dark.
"We’ll stay at Wangyue Inn tonight, and we can start moving in tomorrow at noon."
"We should hire someone to clean the house first, or it won’t be comfortable to live in."
The old butler had likely given the place a thorough cleaning after the last tenants left, but the house had been vacant for a long time. Plus, he was getting on in years, so there were many things he would have overlooked. Some roof tiles were cracked, there was moss in the corners, the doors and windows let out a harsh CREAK when opened, and the paint was peeling from the pillars and walls...
All of it needed repairs, but it certainly couldn’t all be done at once.
"Let’s just get the living quarters cleaned up first. The rest isn’t urgent."
"Staying at an inn is a waste of money. The Silver we’d save could pay for someone to completely fix up the place."
"You make a good point. When it comes to running a household, I should listen to you."
"Now you’re just teasing me. But we’ll have to stop by the brokerage later. We asked them to look for a place for us, so even though we don’t need it anymore, we should still go and inform them."
"That’s true."
As they talked, they saw Wangyue Inn up ahead.
The scholars who had come for the examinations had all returned to their hometowns. A chill had crept into the night air, and the entrance to Wangyue Inn was deserted. Business looked rather bleak.
Of course, that was just how it appeared from the outside.
Inside Wangyue Inn, the hall was brightly lit, with several tables of guests seated in the main dining area.
Some were gorging themselves, shoveling food down as fast as they could, while others leisurely played finger-guessing games over their wine. The place was bustling with a lively, worldly energy.
The Shopkeeper stood behind the counter, sipping tea and flicking the beads of his abacus, looking utterly at ease.
Seeing them walk in, the Shopkeeper clasped his hands in greeting and said with a smile, "My honored guests, you’re finally back! Your family came looking for you several times. You should hurry on up. You wouldn’t want to make your elders worry."
Zhao Jing returned the gesture. "We were out on an errand and lost track of time. My apologies for troubling you."
The Shopkeeper waved his hand dismissively. "It was no trouble at all, I didn’t even do anything to help. Please, Master Scholar, go on up."
The Shopkeeper had only learned that afternoon that Zhao Jing was the renowned "Lesser Triple-First Scholar."
He finally recognized him. After all, Zhao Jing had lodged here before, and ever since, the room he had stayed in had become extremely popular.
It was just that he hadn’t recognized him at first glance. To start fawning over him now would be rather uncouth.
Fortunately, he was old and had lost that ambitious drive. Otherwise, he would have undoubtedly gone over to offer a few flattering words and curry favor, even if it meant enduring a cold shoulder.
Comments