Chapter 74: Buying a House and Transferring the Deed

Chapter 74: Purchasing the House and Transferring the Deed

After returning home to fetch the silver, the two went to the Lu residence the next day as previously arranged.

When they arrived at the Lu estate, Master Lin was already there. Master Lu had prepared tea in the flower hall and smiled as he invited them to sit down.

There was also a middle-aged man in a grey cloth long gown in the hall. When he saw Yan Fengan, he stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and introduced himself.

He was from the city's brokerage house, specializing in the buying, selling, and transfer of property and land deeds.

Master Lu said, "Broker Sun's been in this line of work for over twenty years. He knows all the ins and outs. With him handling it, you've got nothing to worry about."

Although there was a personal connection in this property transaction, the proper procedures had to be followed to avoid any future disputes.

Master Lu had handled this kind of thing plenty of times and was nothing if not thorough.

The broker pulled two scrolls out of his cloth bag and spread them out on the table. He first went over a few marked spots with Master Lu to double-check, then turned the papers toward Yan Fengan: "Master Lu has confirmed everything is correct. Juren Yan, take a look—anything you want to add?"

Yan Fengan took the papers and read through every word. The deed was clear and to the point, no vague language, so he nodded and said, "Looks good."

With both sides in agreement, the broker wrote his name in the witness column, stamped it with the brokerage seal, then had Master Lu and Yan Fengan sign and press their fingerprints as seller and buyer.

The broker tucked away the signed papers and laid out another one. When it was Yan Fengan's turn to sign after Master Lin, he paused, brush in hand, turned to Wen Xi beside him, and said, "This house—you sign."

Wen Xi froze. With everyone in the room staring at him, he felt oddly embarrassed and shook his head. "You sign it—that's enough."

"I already signed for the academy house. This one's for you to sign. Put your name down here, and from now on this house is yours. Without your say-so, nobody can take it from you."

Master Lin chuckled from the side, teasing: "Juren Yan sure knows how to take care of his husband. Master Yan's Husband, don't waste his good intentions."

Wen Xi understood what Yan Fengan was doing. When he took the brush, his hand shook a little.

Given how he felt about Yan Fengan, it didn't matter whose name went on the deed. But when his own name actually went down on the paper, he felt like crying.

He didn't want to break down in front of everyone, so after signing and pressing his fingerprint, he quickly went back to Yan Fengan's side.

Yan Fengan didn't say anything, just reached over and patted his shoulder to calm the swell of emotion inside him.

Broker Sun gathered the deeds and said, "Alright. Take these two deeds to the county office to get them stamped, and both properties are officially yours."

The two handed over the silver they'd prepared to Master Lu and Master Lin, then followed Broker Sun to the county office.

The broker led them straight into the registry office, nodded to a clerk sitting behind a desk, and handed over the deeds.

The clerk flipped through them, saw it was Juren Yan doing the transfer, and didn't hesitate. After stamping each deed with a red seal, he said, "Tax on both properties comes to three taels of silver."

Wen Xi paid the tax without a second thought. As the clerk handed the deeds back, he added, "Come back in a couple days for the new land registry—both properties will be registered under your names."

Wen Xi stared at the fresh red seals on the deeds, happier than when he'd earned the money himself.

The white deeds had turned into red deeds—from now on, he was the real owner of that house.

After they left the county office, the broker said goodbye and headed back. Wen Xi and Yan Fengan held the red-stamped deeds and stared at them for a long time, both grinning ear to ear.

Wen Xi carefully folded the two deeds and tucked them into his pouch, thinking he'd sew a bigger cloth bag to keep them safe once they got home.

Earlier, when they'd left the Lu residence, Master Lu and Master Lin had invited them to lunch. With the paperwork done, the two headed back to the Lu estate.

Yesterday's banquet had too many guests for Master Lu to speak openly with Yan Fengan. Today was a private gathering, so everyone was more relaxed.

As far as Master Lu and Master Lin were concerned, Lu Xiuyuan and Lin Hongwen were both disappointments. Now that the two families had this tie to Yan Fengan, they naturally hoped he'd put some work into straightening out these two young men.

They probably couldn't get Yan Fengan to be a live-in tutor, but they could send their sons to study under him.

The family businesses would eventually go to these boys. The two masters didn't expect their sons to turn out as accomplished as Yan Fengan, but if they could just fix their lazy, good-for-nothing ways, that'd be enough.

Otherwise, this big family fortune would end up squandered by those two rascals.

The request sounded simple enough, and the two masters put it tactfully, but Yan Fengan knew that actually getting these two young masters on the right path would take a lot of work.

Lu Xiuyuan had been slowly turning over a new leaf, so he might be manageable. But Lin Hongwen, though simple-hearted, had no sense of discipline at all. If he actually came to study here, he'd probably cause some trouble.

But Yan Fengan had handled both of them back when they were classmates. He refused to believe that now that he was their teacher, he couldn't whip these two young masters into shape.

He said to the two masters, "Helping the two young masters improve isn't hard. I just ask that no matter what methods I use, neither of you interferes."

Master Lin was the first to promise: "Whether it's punishment or discipline, we won't get involved."

"That's right, no interference."

Madam Lu, sitting nearby, waited for them to finish, then served Wen Xi some food and asked, "Now that the houses are settled, when do you plan to open the academy?"

Wen Xi glanced at Yan Fengan, who said, "The desks and benches aren't all ready yet. I plan to put up enrollment signs at the alley entrance and the front door in the next few days. Once we have enough students, classes will officially start on the twentieth of the first month next year."

Master Lu nodded. "I'll spread the word to my friends in the city and have anyone interested sign up."

Madam Lu asked, "When you move over there, who's going to cook and clean? Who's going to handle the chores?"

Yan Fengan and Wen Xi had thought about these questions but hadn't talked them through. Hearing Madam Lu ask, Wen Xi hesitated before answering, "I plan to try managing things myself at first. There aren't many of us—I should be able to handle it."

Madam Lu disagreed: "Two properties—how can you manage that by yourself? What about your embroidery? If you try to do everything on your own, you'll wear yourself out sooner or later. Why not buy a servant to wait on you first?"

Wen Xi's status had just changed, and the thought of immediately buying someone to serve him felt weird. He said to Madam Lu, "Thank you for your kindness, madam. The academy just got settled, and we don't know what our expenses will be yet. I'd like to try managing on my own first."

Madam Lu didn't push it, just smiled: "Alright, try it out yourself first. Once you get a better sense of things, you can add help later. This is your first time running a household—if there's anything you don't understand, feel free to ask me. I know reliable people, so just say the word if you need help."

"I was just about to ask you about that," Yan Fengan cut in. "Both properties have been empty for a few years. Your families have sent people to clean now and then, but they haven't been lived in for a long time. The doors, windows, tables, and chairs all need another wipe-down, and the pond needs to be redone. I'd like to hire a few reliable day laborers to help—pay by the day. Do you have anyone to recommend, madam?"

Madam Lu said, "That's not hard. I'll have my steward find you a few capable workers, and you can settle their pay directly with them."

With that, she called out, and the Lu family steward came in. After getting her instructions, Steward Zhu nodded. Over the next few days, he brought several day laborers to work on the two properties south of the city.

With him keeping an eye on things, Wen Xi and Yan Fengan didn't need to be at the houses every day. They stayed in the city one night, and when the cleaners said it'd take about four or five days to finish, they decided to head back to the village first.

In five days, they'd hire porters to help move their stuff from the village.

Steward Zhu asked them to leave their address and promised to take care of everything.

Before leaving, Wen Xi hesitated, then fished a piece of loose silver out of his pouch and handed it to the steward: "Steward Zhu, thanks for your trouble. Here's a little something for a drink."

Steward Zhu made a show of declining before happily taking it.

Once they were out of the alley, seeing Wen Xi's face all scrunched up, Yan Fengan said, "If you're that upset about it, why'd you give him such a big tip?"

"I've got less than a hundred copper coins in my pouch. If I gave too little, I was afraid he'd think less of me." Wen Xi sighed and explained: "A steward for a wealthy family must make a good monthly wage. If I only tipped a few copper coins, wouldn't that be an insult? Give a bigger tip, and people put more heart into their work."

He was a bit reluctant to part with the silver, but he knew some money could be saved and some couldn't.

Yan Fengan smiled and cupped his hands in a bow: "My husband is truly wise. Your husband has been taught a lesson."

Such a simple truth was hardly lost on Yan Fengan, and Wen Xi knew he was deliberately trying to cheer him up. Wen Xi's furrowed brow relaxed, and he reached out to take Yan Fengan's arm, smiling as they walked back to the village together.

Five days later, the porters' guild sent three mule carts to help move their belongings—clothes, bedding, porcelain, and fabric, loaded up piece by piece. Yan Fuqiu and Yan Wangchun each carried a chicken, while Chen Lanfang and the others loaded up vegetables from their garden, a stash of eggs, and two bundles of firewood for cooking. The whole family followed the mule carts into the city, buzzing with excitement.

In the past, going into the city always felt stifling and uneasy, but now, stepping onto this ground in fine clothes, the family felt a new sense of confidence under their feet.

At the entrance to their residence, just the sight of the tall gate was enough to leave the whole family in awe, let alone the fact that Steward Zhu had a whole crew of workers lined up to greet them.

He Jin and Li Wan's hearts pounded as they sidled up to Wen Xi and whispered, "Are all these people servants you and Third Brother hired?"

Wen Xi shook his head and replied softly, "No, they're just workers helping with the cleaning."

He went inside first to put away the money box, then paid the workers and porters a little more than the agreed wages.

Steward Zhu offered to stay and help get the place in order, but Yan Fengan politely sent him on his way.

Once everyone outside had left, Yan Fengan closed the front gate and, along with Yan Shichang and the others, carried the belongings into the house.

Meanwhile, Wen Xi gave Chen Lanfang and the others a tour of the front and back courtyards.

In the east-facing kitchen, Chen Lanfang opened the window to peek out and nodded approvingly: "Not bad—the kitchen faces east, so it's nice and bright for cooking."

Wen Xi added, "This house has plenty of side rooms too—six in all, more than enough for the whole family."

Chen Lanfang waved her hand with a smile: "We won't be coming into the city that often. You and Sanlang can just set things up however you like."

"That won't do," Wen Xi said. "How could the two of us live in such a big house alone? Once Feng'an's tutoring business is up and running, we're planning to bring everyone into the city to live with us."

Everyone knew that wasn't happening anytime soon, but Wen Xi's words still warmed their hearts. He Jin laughed from the side: "I'm not as reserved as Mother. You have to save a room for me—whenever I get the chance, I'll bring Tao'er over to stay a few days."

Li Wan, holding her little one, chimed in: "Right, we're not like Mother—we're not afraid of being a bother. Once we come, we won't want to leave."

As the women were chatting and laughing, Tiezhu came running over and tugged on Li Wan's sleeve: "Mother, there's a pond out back—come look!" Tao'er also pulled at He Jin, and the whole group headed to the back courtyard.

The open space in the back had been leveled, with a few vegetable beds laid out in neat rows, and the pond next to it had been cleaned out and refilled with fresh water.

Chen Lanfang couldn't tear her eyes away from the vegetable beds. She crouched down and squeezed the soil: "This patch can grow scallions, that one for loofah and beans. I'll go buy some seedlings this afternoon to plant."

Li Wan, while reminding the two children not to get too close to the pond, said to Wen Xi, "This courtyard is wonderful—even tidier and cleaner than our home in the village. Fifty taels was truly worth it."

Wen Xi was equally pleased with the house. He said, "We have Master Lin and the others to thank for being willing to sell."

"Third Brother is now a juren—these people have to show you respect." Li Wan wiped drool from her daughter's mouth with a bib and added, "My family back home was worried about whether transferring the land to Third Brother might cause trouble, but I gave them a good scolding, and only then did they see sense."

"Same with my family," He Jin picked up the thread. "Third Brother didn't even accept land donated by outsiders—would he covet their dozen or so mu? He only helped out for the sake of kinship, yet they still second-guess everything. Third Brother is upright in all he does; getting dragged into a mess over such trifles would be an insult to his status as a juren."

Since both sisters-in-law had already spoken up about their natal families, Wen Xi couldn't stay angry and instead reassured them: "We country folk depend on that land to eat, so their concerns are understandable. Just make things clear to them."

"Naturally, we'll make it clear." Mindful that her mother-in-law was nearby, He Jin kept her voice low: "I told my brother and sister-in-law directly—if they're scared, they can simply not sign the deed and pay their own taxes in the future. Don't say the in-laws didn't help."

He Jin was far less easygoing with her natal family than she was with the Yan family. It wasn't that she'd married out and turned her back on them; it was mainly that she knew their temperaments all too well. If you spoke gently, they'd get pushy, but a sharp scolding would set them straight.

She was worried that with Third Brother passing the imperial exam, her own household might stay grounded, but the relatives would get ahead of themselves. Li Wan and He Jin had already laid down the law when they visited their families: if anyone bullied them, Third Brother wouldn't stand idly by, but if anyone dared to abuse his name and run wild, neither he nor they would intervene.

Good times hadn't come easily, and no one took them for granted. If their natal families were struggling, they were willing to pitch in their own money to help, and their in-laws and husbands wouldn't object.

But if anyone in their families was muddle-headed enough to drag the Yan family down, they'd have to harden their hearts.

Better to speak plainly now than to let things turn ugly later.

Chen Lanfang, having finished inspecting the vegetable beds, walked over and noticed the three of them whispering, so she casually asked, "What are you all talking about?"

He Jin changed the subject: "Just saying this pond is so clear, it'd be perfect for raising fish."

Such talk was fine among the sisters-in-law in private, but in front of the elders, it was better not to be too explicit.

A little while later, Yan Shichang came to the back courtyard with his sons. Seeing the vegetable beds, he felt the same excitement as Chen Lanfang—if it weren't inconvenient in the city, he'd have already gone up the mountain to cut bamboo for a fence.

As evening approached, the family gathered in the main hall for their first meal since moving to the city.

With the stove lit and beds made, Wen Xi and Yan Fengan had truly settled into their new home in the city.