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Chapter 11
Usually when Mrs. Liu goes out to do work, Chen Nianguan usually stays in the room doing embroidery and doing housework, taking care of Xuan Xuan by the way.
After Chen Nianguan's accident, Mrs. Liu could not take care of Xuan Xuan by herself, and kept entrusting her to Mrs. Wang, even after the two went out of the stall together.
Recently, it was rare to leave the stall, and continued to follow the dental assistant to look at the house, so Chen Nianguan took Xuan Xuan with him by the way.
Xuan Xuan seldom went out, and was so excited that she chattered all the way. She felt strange when she saw everything. It was also rare for Chen Nianguan to have a cute younger sister. Xuan Xuan tried her best to satisfy everything she wanted along the way..
After a while, Xuan Xuan had a lot of things in her hands, grasshoppers made of grass, kites made of paper, clay figurines made of pottery, and candied haws were eaten in her mouth.
"Is it fun to go out?" Chen Nianguan asked.
Xuan Xuan ate candied haws in her mouth, and answered vaguely, her small face turned into a flower with a smile.
Seeing Chen Nianguan spending money without hesitation, Liu's heart felt a little distressed, but thinking that Xuan Xuan was only two years old when her husband left, and the child had not had a good life since he was a child, so he finally endured it.
Don't be afraid, anyway, they have twenty-five taels of silver on hand, and now it's just a small change.
They looked at three houses that day, and the one they were most satisfied with was in Yanlai Lane.
The wharf in Funing County is located in the southeast. The southwest side of the wharf is the place where traffickers and pawns settle down. They are all flat brick and mud tile houses, and there are many pedestrians., so law and order can be considered.
The area to the northeast of the wharf is considered the bustling area of Funing County. The county government, academies, and commercial areas are all on this side. The buildings are more impressive, and the streets are flatter and wider than Shitou Lane. Yanlai Lane is not consideredIt is the best location here, and it is generally the living area where rich or poor farmers and craftsmen live.
The house that Chen Nianguan likes looks like an independent courtyard house, but it is actually a courtyard separated from a large mansion.
This rich family, surnamed Zeng, was originally from a farming family. After the ancestor gave birth to a Juren and became a high-ranking official in the court, he was very wealthy for several generations. At the most prosperous time, the whole family moved to Capital City.
The world has changed several times. After the ancestors fell down, the descendants retreated from Capital City and returned to Funing County to live in this dilapidated ancestral house in Yanlai Lane.
This ancestral house was originally built by the big Zeng family after they got rich. They bought the front, back, left and right houses and expanded them. It was handed down to the nearest Zeng family, and then divided the ancestral house. Some sold it, and some rented it out to make a living.currency.
The house is a bit dilapidated, similar to the layout of the courtyard in Shitou Lane.
A main room, next to the main room is the main room and a side room, to the west is a second room with side rooms, two rooms in the east and west rooms, and the east room near the door is the stove room, there is no inverted room, so a small room is left.The small courtyard is overgrown with weeds because no one has taken care of it for many years. A jujube tree planted against the wall is full of vitality. In addition, there is a well, which looks like a farmhouse courtyard as a whole.
Looking at it this way, apart from the main house and the beds in a few wing rooms, the whole house is nothing but an empty shell. If you really want to live in it, you have to buy a lot of things yourself.
But because the layout is reasonable and the area is spacious enough, Chen Nianguan is very satisfied.She works so hard on weekdays, she should treat herself better and live in a good house.
What is dissatisfied is the back of the house, where there is an extra open space after entering the main room.
It is said that there was no such open space behind the house in the old days. Times changed, and when the city and county were re-planned, the place that was originally a street was abandoned and just included in the expanded house of the Zeng family, so part of the pavilions and pavilions of the mansion were built.
Recently, when the Zeng family re-divided the house, the pavilions and pavilions on the mansion were also included in the planning, divided into several parts, and part of it became what Chen Nianguan sees today.
It is said that the backyard is too small, and there is not enough space to build it into the house, and it will not be fertile to grow anything. It is really useless to do anything.
Because of the extra open space with a half-drawn rockery on the left side of the wall, the rent of this house will be one tael more.
So this house is not only difficult to sell, but also has not been able to rent out.
Originally, six taels of silver a year for this empty yard far exceeded Chen Nianguan’s budget of four taels, but now they have to pay an extra tael. In the past, Chen Nianguan and Liu’s family could not earn one tael a year.
Whose money is not blown by the wind, who is willing to spend a tael of silver for nothing to rent a place that is equivalent to useless?
Liu Shi is also unwilling.
When she looked at the house yesterday, she didn't know where to put her hands and feet.
Even when Chen Ming was here, she could only live in a wing room in a corner of the Chen family with her husband and family, not to mention that she didn't have her own independent boudoir when she was a daughter.
Now all I see with my daughter are courtyards with seven or eight wing rooms. After renting it out, I, an elder, can get one of my own. The excitement in my heart is beyond words.
But just like that, she was still worried that the rent would be too expensive. Now that she heard that this useless space would cost money, how could she comply?
Mrs. Liu has already seen a few houses. Unlike yesterday, she is a bit knowledgeable. The dental staff seemed to regard them as spendthrift and foolish, and shook his head while grabbing Chen Nianguan's hand.
"Don't talk about it, I think my wife and sister are very particular people. This place can be used as a small backyard. You can move a wooden table and stool here, and then plant some small flowers and grasses on the rockery. SeeHow beautiful it is." The shop assistant sells it.
Chen Nianguan walked around the open space. After all, it is an open space of one tael of silver a year, and he measured that the open space is actually not small.
The width is also nearly four or five meters. For modern, the layout even has a huge balcony space at the back of the house.
Although this place looks tasteless, if the rockery is removed, no, no, the rockery is ready-made, and it can be used reasonably.
In modern times, Chen Nianguan knew about some house renovations, and was a little moved.
"Wan Wan, let's go to another house to have a look."
Chen Nianguan glanced at Liu's, and said to the shop assistant, "Can you talk to the owner? If the price can be reduced to 621, then I will rent it out." Anyway, the house is vacant and cannot be rented out., maybe the master is willing?
"Wan Wan?" Liu couldn't believe it.
"Aniang, we're going to live here for a long time anyway. This house is quiet and easy to get in and out of. Even if we stay for a few more years, we won't be afraid." Chen Nianguan said.
In fact, the most important thing is that apart from the Zeng family, all the people living in Yanlai Lane are renters like them.
A neighbor who can afford six or seven taels of silver to rent a house a year is not a shallow-sighted person like Aunt Hua, is he?
Living here, as soon as the gate is closed, you can live your life regardless of anyone, and no one will hinder you from getting rich, which is in Chen Nianguan's arms.
As for the house being too old, it would be good to find a mason to repair it, and the open space behind it can just be used.
So when Mrs. Liu yelled at her that it was too expensive and complained that the open space was useless, Chen Nianguan simply told her, "Mother, that open space is actually useful...."
"What's the use?" Liu didn't believe it.
"You will know when you rent the house." Chen Nianguan smiled mysteriously.
"But it's too expensive."
Even if Chen Ming was here, according to his income, that would be half of his annual income.
"Aniang, don't worry, when the house is rented out, we will not only sell fish curd, but I will think about making a living, okay?" Chen Nianguan comforted.
What is the ultimate purpose of exhaustion?Naturally, they live in a mansion, have a car in and out, have money in hand, eat whatever they want, and go wherever they want.
Now that have finally settled on favorite house, have made a plan in heart. If don’t rent it, it’s like seeing a new bag from last season.
Two days later, Chen Nianguan was notified by the dental staff, saying that the owner had inquired about their mother and daughter and agreed to rent the house to them in June 21.
Mrs. Liu was still apprehensive, and couldn't believe that things really happened like this, but Chen Nianguan was overjoyed, he hugged Xuan Xuan around the spot, and then greeted Mrs. Liu to go out.
The Zeng family member met when went to the tooth shop to sign the contract was a son, the fourth in the family and the youngest son of the Zeng family. Everyone called him Zeng Si son.
He is a gentle and shy young gentleman, he looks only fifteen or sixteen years old, and his face is still slightly red when he sees Chen Nianguan.
After the two parties greeted each other a few words, the Fourth Master Zeng signed the contract first. When it was Chen Nianguan's turn, she was caught in a difficult situation while holding the brush.
She has always written with a hard pen. She learned calligraphy when she was a child, but she hasn't written it for a long time, and almost forgot how to hold a pen.
Besides, how to write her name in ancient style?
Chen Nianguan took a peek at the signature of the Fourth Master Zeng, and saw that the strokes and strokes looked very good, like printed Song fonts, which were obviously traditional.
As a last resort, Chen Nianguan secretly looked at Mrs. Liu: "Mother, don't worry, you come to sign?"
Chen Ming is a scholar, and Liu Shi was originally illiterate after she got married, but she also learned to read and count under the influence of Chen Ming. After all, Chen Ming had to rely on his own wife to take care of the house, so Liu Shi was not completely illiterate.
Mrs. Liu quickly waved her hand, "You decide this matter. Didn't you learn to read from your father? Could it be that you didn't even learn the name?"
Oh, by the way, the original body also learned to read and write with Chen Ming.
After all, Chen Nianguan remembered the memory of writing his own name in the original body, followed the same pattern in his mind, and finally signed the deed.
After going through the formalities and taking the deed, Chen Nianguan and Mrs. Liu went back to Shitou Lane, and moved in a hurry.
The sister-in-law Wang next door knew they were going to move out when they were looking at the house, and she was reluctant to part with her.
Xuan Xuan was not willing to part with this little sister-in-law who often took care of her. While watching A-Niang and her sister pack things, she had endless conversations with Sister-in-law Wang.
Chen Nianguan also had a good impression of this sister-in-law who often helped Liu Shi and Yuan Shen, and told her where to stay so that she could be a guest when she had time.
As for the things they must take away, apart from the copper coins hidden under the bed and in the brick wall, the newly bought cooking utensils, and all the spices they looted from Master Ming Hai.
In the end, it was Mrs. Wang who helped move it and rented a mule cart to move everything away.
Because Chen Nianguan didn't announce that he was going to leave before, no one in the courtyard knew about it except Mrs. Wang's family. Now they are quite surprised to see Liu's mother and daughter moving out suddenly.
"Here, let's go?" Aunt Hua was also surprised, and then said angrily, "Where can they move? You can't tell, they will live worse than ours in the future, right? Granny Lu?"
"Hmph, those unlucky people are worthless wherever they live." Granny Lu said disdainfully.
Inside Yanlai Alley, Chen Nianguan and Liu Shi put all their belongings in, but it was still empty.
But the three mothers and daughters who moved in were very excited. They picked out the wing room they lived in, and began to clean it inside and out.
Naturally, Mrs. Liu divided the main house and brought Xuan Xuan to live with her.
Xuan Xuan saw that his sister had a whole room for himself, and he was unwilling to share with A Niang, so he wanted to choose one by himself. Liu and Chen Nianguan agreed.
As a result, Xuan Xuan chose a room in the west wing, but when she was sent to sleep alone at night, she was afraid that she would not want to, so she finally stayed with Liu Shi for the time being.
When Chen Nianguan was cleaning up, he found the paper, ink, pens and inkstones left by the original body. After moving them, he deliberately turned them out, learned how to grind ink, and dipped a brush to smear on the paper.
Mrs. Liu came over to tell her that the water was ready, and when she asked her to wash up, she saw something she had painted that was so unrecognizable that she couldn't help being curious: "What is this?"
"It's the open space." Chen Nianguan said shyly.
"Can you tell Mommy now? What do you want to do with that vacant lot?"
"fish culture."