Chapter 182

Chapter 182

During his time back home, Wang Ying took Lin Sui to look at some shopfronts. Due to the war, not only had housing prices soared, but shop rents had also risen significantly.

In the past, the most expensive shop on Zhenghe Street cost no more than three to four hundred taels of silver a year, with cheaper ones going for only a few dozen. Business was difficult there, plagued by too many local gangs; without proper management, one would be overwhelmed by constant trouble.

Lately, however, more merchants from out of town had arrived, many renting shops on Zhenghe Street to start businesses, which drove up prices in the area.

Wang Ying inquired about several shops, with prices ranging from three hundred to four hundred taels of silver. This was quite expensive, so he decided to wait for Cao Kun to arrive and let Lin Sui negotiate further.

The lease for his small rented shop would expire in October. Before then, Wang Ying planned to sell ice for a while longer. He restocked the ice storage with several thousand blocks of ice so the shop could continue operating normally after he left.

Aside from the three of them, they would also need to bring several servants to the capital. Uncle Chen was too old for such a long journey. Though they had considered bringing Er Shun, his wife had just given birth, making it impractical to separate them.

In the end, they decided to bring Tian Ju and Ma Zhandong along, as well as Chun Sheng and Mu Tou, who took care of Yuanbao.

These two boys were older and could be quite helpful, especially Chun Sheng, who was now twelve—a big boy. He was very observant and hardworking, so having them around would make things easier.

The only thing missing was a cook. Aunt Chen was too old and would stay at home. They would hire a cook once they reached the capital.

With everything arranged, they departed for the capital on June 28th.

*

Before leaving, Yuanbao clung to Li Shi’s neck for a long time, reluctant to let go. "Grandmother, take good care of yourself while Yuanbao is away."

"Ah, Grandmother knows," Li Shi said, her eyes reddening. She turned away, afraid the child would see.

The little one kissed her cheek. "When I come back, I’ll buy you lots of delicious food and new clothes."

"Good, Grandmother will wait for you." The child was so thoughtful—no wonder Li Shi doted on him.

As it was getting late, Wang Ying took the child and carried him onto the carriage. Li Shi couldn’t hold back her tears, clutching Chen Qingyan’s hand and repeating, "Take good care of Yuanbao and A Ying when you’re away, and look after yourself too."

"I will, Mother. Don’t worry. Brother Sui, we leave this household in your hands while we’re gone."

"Don’t worry. If there’s any urgent matter I can’t handle, I’ll go to Qing Yun. If that’s not enough, there are still the guards left by the Marquis. Everything will be fine."

"Then we’ll be off."

"Go on, have a safe journey."

The family boarded the carriage. Tian Ju cracked the whip and shouted, and the clip-clop of horse hooves sounded. Their loved ones grew distant behind them. Wang Ying’s eyes stung, and he quickly lowered the carriage curtain, not daring to look back. He was afraid that if he kept watching, he wouldn’t be able to resist getting off the carriage with Yuanbao.

Yuanbao pouted with quiet tears as he rested his head on Wang Ying’s shoulder. His well-behaved little look was utterly pitiful.

Chen Qingyan, however, showed little emotion regarding the separation. He comforted them, saying, "When it’s time for the New Year, I’ll have a holiday, and we can come back then."

Wang Ying asked, "How long is the holiday?"

"I haven’t asked yet, but I heard Chang Yi mention before that officials usually get a month off each year for home leave. If the distance is particularly far, they might give a bit more leave."

"Only a month? It takes half a month just to get from the capital to Jizhou. With the round trip, there’s no time to stay."

Chen Qingyan fondly ruffled his hair. "Then in a few years, once Qing Song finishes the imperial exams, we’ll bring Mother and the others over."

"I’m afraid she won’t want to leave Jizhou by then. Once Third Aunt and the others move here, she and Aunt Chen will keep each other company—they probably won’t even think of us anymore."

"That would be for the best. Otherwise, I’d worry about her falling ill from stress."

The carriage rocked along the official road, lulling Yuanbao to sleep. Since there was no one else in the carriage, Wang Ying carried him directly into the experimental space.

Inside, there was quite a bit of luggage. Spread out on top of the trunks, the bedding made a small bed where the child could sleep peacefully.

They traveled like this for more than ten days, finally arriving in the capital on July 10th.

The inspection at the city gate was very thorough. The guards checked Chen Qingyan’s travel pass, official documents, and household registry before allowing them entry.

The carriage passed through a long, narrow passageway and entered the capital city. Wang Ying lifted the curtain to look outside, and the bustling scene in the distance was almost overwhelming.

Compared to Jizhou, the capital was far more lively and prosperous. The wide streets were filled with carriages coming and going endlessly. Vendors lined the streets selling food, miscellaneous goods, and some even solicited passengers for rides.

As soon as their carriage entered the city, four or five touts surrounded them, asking if they needed a place to stay.

Ma Zhandong quickly waved them off. "No, no, we’re here to visit family."

Once the crowd dispersed, the carriage continued into the city. This time, they had brought their entire household and didn’t want to trouble Lord Liu again. They found an inn to stay at temporarily, planning to look around the city and buy a small house once they were settled.

The inn was called Tongfu Inn, a name that reminded Wang Ying of a TV series from his previous life. Coincidentally, this inn also had a female owner, though she wasn't surnamed Tong.

A better room and two shared rooms cost over three strings of coins per day. Wang Ying couldn’t help but click his tongue in surprise—the prices in the capital were even higher than in the prefectural city. It truly was difficult to settle here.

After getting settled, Chen Qingyan took Wang Ying and Yuanbao to visit the Liu family. They had stayed at Lord Liu’s residence for quite some time before, so this time they brought many presents.

When they arrived, Lord Liu wasn’t home—only Mrs. Liu was there. Seeing them bring so many things, she couldn’t help but say, "We’re relatives—there’s no need to be so polite. Have you found a place to stay yet?"

Wang Ying replied, "We’re temporarily staying at an inn. We plan to look around the city in the next few days. We’re not sure about housing prices in the capital yet, but we intend to buy a small house."

"If you’re buying a house, I’ll have Liu Bo accompany you tomorrow. He’s familiar with the capital and knows some people—it’ll help you avoid being cheated."

Wang Ying said gratefully, "That would be wonderful!"

Mrs. Liu found little Yuanbao quite adorable and pulled him over to ask his age. "How old are you?"

"I’m four years old this year! I was born in the year of the dragon."

"My, how well-behaved! My grandson is the same age, but they’ve never met. When they return from his official post next year, they can play together."

Mrs. Liu also asked about Qing Yun. "Chang Yi’s wife must be quite far along now, right?"

"Almost eight months. She’s doing well—she eats and sleeps normally."

"She’s blessed. It’s a pity we couldn’t attend their wedding. For the first month celebration, my mother-in-law and I will definitely make the trip back."

After chatting for a while, it was getting late, and the two prepared to leave. Mrs. Liu tried to keep them for a meal, but Wang Ying declined. "We just arrived, and many of our things are still packed. We’ll definitely take you up on that another time."

"In that case, I won’t keep you. Liu’er, go call Liu Bo over."

Shortly after, the Liu family’s head steward arrived. Wang Ying and Chen Qingyan greeted him politely.

Mrs. Liu said, "Tomorrow, take them around the city to see if there are any suitable houses."

"Yes," Liu Bo replied. He escorted them to the gate, asked which inn they were staying at, and arranged to meet them at 7 AM the next morning.

It had to be said—having connections in the capital made things much easier. If Wang Ying had tried to figure things out on his own, it would have taken four or five days. But with Steward Liu’s help, he was taken to several well-established brokerages in the capital the very next day.

"These brokerages are among the most reputable in the capital. Whether you’re renting or buying, it’s convenient. The houses sold by official agencies are a bit more expensive, but their locations are excellent—very convenient for when Master Lin takes up his post. Private agencies offer cheaper houses, but they’re usually farther away. You can decide based on your needs."

Wang Ying first followed Steward Liu to an official agency. The agencies in the capital were similar to those in the prefectural city, with various wooden plaques hanging, indicating the location, size, layout, and other details of the houses.

The houses here were varied and numerous—ranging from former prince's mansions that took up half a street to small, compact courtyard houses. Prices varied from hundreds of thousands of taels of silver to a few thousand taels of silver. Capital housing prices have never been cheap, and finding a suitable one was quite challenging.

Thanks to Steward Liu's presence, the staff and managers at the property agency were extremely courteous. As the saying goes, "Even the gatekeeper of a prime minister holds seventh-rank status." Though Liu Bo was merely the steward of the Liu residence, he was someone many people couldn't even hope to curry favor with.

After looking around for a while, nothing caught Wang Ying's eye. Most of the prices exceeded his budget. He had planned to spend three thousand taels on a small single-courtyard house or five thousand taels on a two-courtyard one, but even the smallest single-courtyard house cost at least 4,700 taels. What's more, it didn’t even have a well, meaning water had to be fetched from outside.

How ridiculous is that? After all that effort, coming to the capital only to end up living a rough life.

Liu Bo suggested, "If nothing suits your taste, young master, we can check out the private property agencies. They have more ordinary houses, and the prices are relatively more affordable."

"Thank you for your trouble."

"You're too kind, young master." The two of them took a carriage to a larger private property agency in the city.

As soon as they entered, the manager hurried out to greet them. "Steward Liu, to what do we owe the pleasure?"

Liu Bo said, "This is a cousin's nephew-in-law of our master. He wants to buy a house in the capital, and Madam asked me to accompany him."

Upon hearing this, the manager immediately beamed and greeted them warmly. "Please come in, young master. What size courtyard are you looking for?"

Wang Ying thought for a moment and said, "A small two-courtyard house would do, preferably with its own gate and a well in the yard."

"Yes, yes, of course! Please wait a moment, I’ll fetch the property catalog." The manager scurried inside, his flabby body jiggling like waves.

Soon, he returned with a ledger. "All the listings here are for two-courtyard houses. The prices vary depending on the location. We have properties on every street except Xuanwu Street." Xuanwu Street was due north, where the imperial city stood. The area was mostly occupied by royal gardens, temples, princely mansions, and princess estates, so houses for sale were rare there.

Wang Ying took the ledger and began flipping through it. There were indeed many listings, each with a drawn layout that clearly showed the structure and arrangement of the courtyard.

After browsing a couple of pages, Wang Ying found one that caught his eye. The layout was similar to his house in the prefectural city, a small two-courtyard home, though not as spacious.

"What’s the price for this one?"

The property agency manager examined it carefully and said, "For others, this would be six thousand taels, non-negotiable. But since you’re a relative of Lord Liu, we’ll give you the best possible price—5,300 taels at the lowest."

Wang Ying turned to Liu Bo and asked, "What do you think?"

"The price seems fair, but we don’t know the condition of the house. If it’s a dilapidated and run-down courtyard, it wouldn’t be worth the price."

"Our agency would never deal in shoddy properties, young master. If you have time, I can take you to see it right away."

Wang Ying did have time, but he wasn’t sure about Liu Bo’s schedule. "Why don’t you attend to your duties? I can go with the manager to take a look."

"That works. But make sure you give our young master a good deal—he’s a close relative of our master!"

"Don’t worry, Steward Liu. I’ll make sure everything is properly arranged for the young master."