Chapter 101

Chapter 101

The entrance opened into two rooms facing each other, intended for gatekeepers or servants, and also serving as a simple reception area for casual guests.

Passing through the ornate gate, they entered the main courtyard. Eight large ceramic jars stood neatly arranged, likely once holding lotus plants, but long neglected, their leaves had withered and yellowed.

Once they rented the yard, they would clean it thoroughly. These eight jars, however, were not to be moved. Judging by the merchant’s move to the capital, the feng shui here must be excellent—perhaps even a harbinger of future business prosperity.

One shouldn't dismiss feng shui as mere superstition. In his previous life, Wang Ying had delved into books on the subject, which touched upon concepts like magnetic fields. Though seemingly mystical, the traditions passed down by ancestors held their own inherent wisdom.

On either side of the courtyard were three side rooms, traditionally reserved for descendants—sons on the left, daughters on the right.

Further inside were three spacious main rooms. The central hall contained a set of wooden tables and chairs, covered in a thick layer of dust.

Uncle Chen wiped a finger across the surface—it was rosewood. This set alone was worth several hundred taels.

The rooms on either side were bedrooms, currently empty. Adjacent to these were two smaller annex rooms, intended for maids and older female servants.

Walking along the covered walkway towards the back led to the rear kitchen, a shed for livestock, and two storage rooms for miscellaneous items.

The only peculiar thing about the yard was the absence of a latrine. How could such a large courtyard lack one? After a moment of hesitation, Wang Ying voiced his question.

The agent covered his mouth, chuckling. "Wealthy families use chamber pots. There are specialized collectors for night soil—the waste is naturally disposed of."

Wang Ying’s mouth twitched slightly. The thought of keeping a chamber pot indoors and storing human waste until someone came to collect it felt rather unpleasant. He decided that once they moved in, they would build a latrine in the backyard.

Overall, the courtyard was unremarkable, significantly smaller than their home in Qingshui County. However, land in the prefectural city was extremely valuable. Renting a house as large as their old one would likely cost over a thousand taels of silver.

After lengthy negotiations with the agent, they couldn't get the price reduced by a single coin.

Noticing their provincial accents, the agent replied with a hint of superiority, "Official brokers are different from private ones. The prefectural city is not like the countryside. Prices are set by the authorities—I have no say. If you wish to rent, come to the agency to sign the lease. Otherwise, I’ll be on my way."

Wang Ying genuinely wanted to rent, as he didn't want the children and elderly to endure hardship.

However, they had just arrived in Jizhou Prefecture with only six hundred taels of silver. Spending more than half on rent would leave them with little capital to open a shop.

"Excuse me, are there any cheaper houses available?"

The agent grew impatient. "If you couldn’t afford it, you should have said so earlier. You’ve wasted my time."

Wang Ying quickly apologized. "I am truly sorry. I didn't think it through when viewing the house. Making you come all this way under the hot sun for nothing—please accept this for some tea, and I hope you won't take offense."

The agent accepted the money and stopped complaining, pointing ahead. "Further down this alley, there's a two-courtyard house. The rent is one hundred eighty taels a year. If you're interested, go take a look. If not, forget it."

"Let's go see it. Thank you for your trouble."

The agent, keys in hand, led the three deeper into the alley, stopping before a weathered gate which he unlocked.

This courtyard was significantly smaller and much more dilapidated than the previous one.

Having been uninhabited for years, the yard was overgrown with waist-high weeds, and the windows of the main rooms were warped—everything would require repairs before they could move in.

The layout was largely similar to the previous house, but the courtyard was half the size, and there was no rear kitchen.

However, the price was considerably cheaper. The money saved would be enough to cover their living expenses and necessities for a year.

Wang Ying sought the opinions of his two companions. Uncle Chen said, "When living away from home, it's better to be frugal. If an emergency arises, we'd have nowhere to borrow money…"

Ma Qianzi dared not say much, only adding, "This courtyard isn't bad either. It will be fine once it's cleaned up."

They ultimately decided to rent this courtyard for one hundred eighty taels, with a fifty-tael deposit.

Back at the agency, Wang Ying handed over the silver he had prepared in advance. The accountant weighed the silver and began drafting the lease. The total, including rent and deposit, came to two hundred thirty taels. Once signed and fingerprinted, it was non-refundable.

After the fingerprinting, the agent handed Wang Ying the keys to the courtyard. "Come to renew one month before the lease expires next year. Otherwise, if you don't vacate on time, rent will be deducted from the deposit. Once the deposit is depleted, officials will be sent to evict you."

Wang Ying politely accepted the keys and nodded. Upon returning, he called Tian Daniu and the others to help clean up the courtyard.

The rooms were completely empty, so they needed to purchase basic necessities. While shopping, Wang Ying took the opportunity to explore the entire prefectural city, gaining a general understanding of its geography and commodity prices.

Jizhou Prefecture had three main thoroughfares: Zhengyang Street, Zhengtong Street, and Zhenghe Street.

Zhengyang Street was the main road in front of them, also the commercial hub of the prefectural city. Almost the entire street was lined with shops. Those on the east and west sides mostly sold sundries, while the middle section featured eateries, cloth stores, silversmiths, and other finer establishments.

The residential area extending behind Zhengyang Street was primarily inhabited by merchants, wealthy families, and scholarly households.

Zhengtong Street was to the north, home to government offices. The courier station was located here, along with the prefectural office, the six administrative departments, and the military headquarters.

Of course, there were residential areas here too, but only high officials and nobles could afford to live here—ordinary people couldn't buy property in this area, even with money.

As for Zhenghe Street, it was in the southernmost part, bustling with vendors and laborers—a place for the lower social classes.

Theaters, brothels, and gambling dens were ubiquitous. Respectable people rarely set foot here.

As the saying goes, "It's hard to live in a big city"—the ancients were indeed wise.

The same feather duster that cost fifteen coppers in town sold for fifty coppers in the prefectural city. After haggling for a long time, they only managed to knock off five coppers—the price was three times higher.

Cloth wasn't cheap either. A bolt of fine cotton cloth cost one string and three hundred coppers, compared to over seven hundred coppers in town.

Food was even more expensive, likely due to the flood. A peck of millet cost one hundred fifty coppers, and a peck of flour two hundred coppers. In town, flour had been only eighty coppers per peck. Still, it was better than in the county—in Longquan County, millet had risen to three hundred coppers per peck.

The wheat stored in the experimental fields would fetch at most one hundred fifty taels. They still needed to find a way to start a business and earn money.

After three days of effort, everyone had simply cleaned up the rented house. They bought the cheapest furniture available—money was tight now, so they could replace it later when conditions improved.

For the two main bedrooms, they bought elm wood frame beds, each costing over ten taels. In the countryside, a carpenter could make such a bed for at most three strings of coppers.

The beds for the servants were much simpler—basic plank beds, sturdy and durable. Seven or eight of them together cost only two strings.

Next came repairs. They hired two carpenters to fix the doors and windows, spending another three strings.

The remaining miscellaneous items—pots, pans, bowls, and ladles—cost over one string. Finally, the house was ready.

On a clear, sunny day, the family moved from the courier station to their new home.

As soon as they entered the courtyard, Little Yuanbao joyfully ran back and forth. At the courier station, his father had always restricted his movements, but now he finally had space to play.

"Slow down, don’t fall," Li Shi and Qing Yun followed behind.

"Sister-in-law, this courtyard is really nice."

"Yes, it’s neat and tidy with plenty of rooms. Even when Qing Yan returns, there will be enough space."

Wang Ying said, "At first, I saw a three-courtyard house—much more spacious than this. But the rent was too high, so I couldn’t justify it."

Li Shi patted his hand. "This is already very good. When living away from home, we can’t be too picky. If you’re short on money, just tell me—I still have some silver."

Qing Yun seemed to want to say something but held back, following her mother into the house.

The east room is where Li Shi and Qing Yun live, furnished with a large canopy bed. Originally, Qing Yun was supposed to stay in the west wing, but the wing has one drawback—it gets quite cold in winter, unlike the south-facing main rooms that get plenty of sunlight.

Li Shi decided her daughter would share the room with her.

The central room is the main hall, with a table and several chairs set up for future meals.

The west room is Wang Ying and Yuan Bao’s bedroom, also with a canopy bed. Beside it are several trunks brought from their hometown of Qingshui Town, containing their clothes.

The male servants were divided into three rooms: Chen Fang and Tian Daniu share one, Uncle Chen and Ma Qianzi share another, and the four children share the third.

Aunt Chen, who does the cooking, and Qin Saozi, who takes care of Yuan Bao, sleep separately in two annex rooms.

Now that they’ve moved here, they can finally rest properly, and entering the Experimental Field no longer requires secrecy.

After dinner, Wang Ying took his son into the Experimental Field.

They had been busy settling into the house for the past few days and hadn’t entered for three or four days. Several notes had accumulated on the table.

Wang Ying picked them up and read them aloud to his son one by one.

"A Ying, how are you all doing in the prefectural city? I was happy to see you mention staying at the post house we stayed in before. By the way, there’s a servant at the post house with a black mole on his cheek—he’s quite helpful. You can ask him if you need anything."

Wang Ying recalled that the servant who took them to the brokerage that day seemed to have a black mole on his face—it must be the person Qing Yan mentioned.

"Today was the monthly exam at the prefectural school. I was really nervous and don’t know if I did well. Our teacher said if the three of us make it into Class A, he’ll take us to meet Cao Rong—the Mr. Cao who wrote 'Wei Shi’s Travels'! I must work hard to do well!" The note even ended with a small drawing of a fist, which made Wang Ying laugh. It might be one of the earliest emojis in ancient times.

The handwriting on the third note was slightly messier. "I have a lot to do today, so I’ll keep it short. I noticed the notes I left the past couple of days are still there, so I guess you haven’t seen them yet. I’m a bit worried about you all. A Ying, if anything happens, please don’t hide it from me..."

The last note was left yesterday. "The results of the minor exam are out. Qing Song and Qing Huai both made it into Class A, as they hoped! I’m really happy for them!"

Why did he only mention those two and not himself? Could it be that he didn’t do well in this exam?

Just as he was wondering, Chen Qingyan also entered. Seeing his husband and son, he happily ran over, picked up his son, and kissed his little face.

"You finally came in! I haven’t heard from you for days—I was so worried."

Wang Ying said, "The post house was too crowded, and it wasn’t convenient to enter the Experimental Field. I rented another courtyard outside and have been busy settling in."

"Is the house all set now?"

"Yes, we just moved in today. It’s not as big as our courtyard in town, but at least we don’t have to cram several people into one room anymore."

"That’s good."

Wang Ying hesitated before asking, "I saw in your note that Qing Song and Qing Huai both made it into Class A. What about you?"

"I... ran into some trouble and didn’t do as well, but I still made it into Class B."

Wang Ying frowned slightly. "What happened?"

Seeing his expression, Chen Qingyan knew he couldn’t hide it and explained what had happened a few days earlier.

"On the day of the exam, I suddenly had a stomachache for some reason. I forced myself to finish the exam and then rushed to the restroom. Because I was in such a hurry, my handwriting was messy. The teacher thought I was taking the exam lightly and graded my paper as Class B..."

"How could you suddenly get a stomachache for no reason?"

"I’m not sure. Maybe I ate something bad."

Chen Qingyan didn’t dare tell him the truth—that someone had secretly put laxatives in his water.

The person who drugged him was a student from Class C named Peng Huan. Jealous of Chen Qingyan’s access to a renowned teacher and frustrated that his attempts to befriend him were ignored, Peng Huan resorted to this despicable method out of spite.

He became overconfident and accidentally revealed what he had done, which eventually reached the dean. Due to the severity of the misconduct, Peng Huan was expelled.

Afterward, the dean approached Chen Qingyan and asked if he wanted to retake the exam to move up to Class A, but Chen Qingyan declined.

He hadn’t done well, and that was that. Although external factors were involved, he had also been careless. The incident served as a reminder to be more cautious with food and drink in the future to avoid giving malicious people an opportunity.

After talking for a while, Yuan Bao had fallen asleep with his head on his father’s leg.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door outside. Wang Ying said, "Someone’s knocking. We should head back now. Let’s talk again when we have time." With that, he picked up Yuan Bao and hurried out of the Experimental Field.

Outside, Chen Qingyun knocked on the door again. "Sister-in-law, are you asleep?"