389 Settling Down (Part 2)
“You have a lot of things to take care of. We can get Madam Qin to help out in your courtyard.”
“Jiaojiao, take Madam Qin and Zhao Nian back to the courtyard. Leave the rest to me.”
Zhao Zhan’s heart ached for Yue Jiaojiao, who had been standing in the same spot for too long. He took over the conversation and asked her to bring Zhao Nian back to the courtyard.
After Fang Tianliu found out where he was staying, he brought Li Xiangjun and Luoning over to settle down.
As soon as they finished speaking, they all started moving.
“Zhao Zhan, on the way here, I saw people lining up in front of some restaurants with food containers.” Yue Jiaojiao looked at the sky outside. “It’s Madam Qin’s first time in Shangjing, and she’s unfamiliar with the place. You can go to the restaurant and bring back some food later so she won’t have to cook. The dining room is clean. Everyone can eat early and rest early. Then, we can go to the wine shop together when everyone is well rested.”
“Alright, I’ll go out and take a look later.”
Zhao Zhan would grant all requests made by his lover. After he had tidied up all the big items in the courtyard, he only left a few loose items for Madam Qin. Then, he called Fang Tianliu out to look for a restaurant.
“Zhao Zhan, where do you think that Lin guy is hiding now that he’s in Shangjing?”
Fang Tianliu’s heart felt heavy knowing they were so close yet so far.
If the stubborn stone was not removed, he would not be at ease at night.
“There’s no need to be so anxious.” Zhao Zhan had been paying attention to the situation along the street, and he maintained constant vigilance. “The most important thing now is for us to first gain a firm foothold.”
“Lin and Shangyu are both hiding in Shangjing. Instead of trying our best to find them, it’s better to stabilize our business first and then wait for them to come to us. By then, we’ll be more than prepared. When they come to our door, we’ll beat them at their own game.”
“You’re right, I’m just being overly anxious.” Fang Tianliu was a lot more stable than before after becoming a father. He had settled down and no longer looked depressed. “It’s my first time in Shangjing. Zhao Zhan, you should accompany your wife and look around first.”
“I’m going to find Qingnian and ask him about the shop.”
Qingnian was a trusted aide Zhao Zhan had sent to Shangjing. He had signed a contract with the government. Zhao Zhan had taught him personally for a long time before he was finally at ease enough to let him come to the capital to get a feel of the situation.
“Then I’ll leave this matter to you. First, you’ll need to come up with a cost plan with Qingnian, and then ask him how the search for the house is going. If you have enough silver on hand, buy a house and move away as soon as possible. I’ll have to ask Qingnian to find two houses. I’m not that thick-skinned to live with you all.”
…
Most of the silver in Fang Tianliu’s hands came from the family property that had been sold back then.
He carefully calculated the silver notes in his hand and measured them against the house prices in Shangjing. “Every inch of land in Shangjing is worth its weight in gold. I can’t afford a two-entry house, but I can buy a one-entry small courtyard. I’m going to follow you well, Zhao Zhan. I only have one daughter in my life, so I have to earn more money for her.”
As they spoke, they had already arrived at the restaurant.
Zhao Zhan raised his head and looked around. The restaurant had a door and a half-window, and in front of the half-window, food boxes were being handed out from time to time and then quickly taken away.
“Hello sir, do you want to order the food in this restaurant?”
The person who was squatting next to the restaurant came forward. “We also do deliveries to your doorstep if you do not wish to wait. Why don’t you tell me where your house is and I’ll send it to you later? You just need to give us ten coins for the errand.”
“Ten coins right off the bat?! Is running an errand that expensive?”
Fang Tianliu wished he could split the silver in his hands into two to spend and save it all for Fang Luoning.
In Wangshan Town, ten coins could buy five big meat buns, but in Shangjing, it was only the cost of running errands.
“Is this your first time in Shangjing?”
“This is the price for all the errand boys in Shangjing. Do you see this?” The man took off the wooden token on his waist and showed it to them. “This wooden token was issued by the administrative office. If you want to find an errand boy, you must find the wooden token, so as not to be cheated of your silver.”
“If you don’t want to come out, you can hang a sign at the door. Our errand boys will be patrolling the streets. When they see the sign, they’ll ask you what they need to do and help you with it.”
Zhao Zhan was deep in thought. He took out ten coins and handed them to him. “Are all the restaurants in Shangjing doing this business?”
“Not really. I won’t hide it from you two. Every time we run an errand, these restaurants have to pay us copper coins as well. Some restaurants feel that it’s too expensive and are not willing to do this.”
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