on.The second day was a fine day. When the sun rose over the eastern mountain, there were still crowds of cars and people at the entrance of the valley.All the previously booked guests had arrived. It...It has to be said, people who climb to the position of housekeeper are much more lively and intelligent than ordinary people.
The steward quickly settled the gardener's matter in a few words.
Then, he talked about the courtyard, saying, "The kind of courtyard that Master and the County Princess have their eyes on are usually kept in the Ministry of Revenue's archives. They are all recorded together after a certain number of years, and then sold. Of course, if you want to buy it in advance, it's not impossible."
"In that case, Master Uncle and the County Princess, along with this old servant, shall go to the Ministry of Household together. This old servant has the Marquis's name card, so we can inquire about the price of that courtyard. If it's affordable, we shall buy it directly, how does that sound"
"Okay, thank you, Master."
Jia Yin was naturally delighted. The florist had agreed, and if the yard was purchased as well, the preliminary preparations would be essentially complete.
As for the celebrated beauties...
Her space was already too full, she needed to move things out quickly so it could feel a little more spacious.
Soon, the head steward gave a few instructions to the household staff and, carrying the basket of grapes, followed Li's carriage.
In half an hour, the Ministry of Finance will be done for lunch, and every department is very lazy.
The small clerks would chat and drink tea at random, gossiping until it was time to disperse.
The steward took the marquis's name card inside and soon led out two clerks.
Two small officials were very polite, standing under the carriage window and bowing to Li Laoer and Jia Yin. Then, the head butler hired a carriage for them on the street side and drove straight to a small courtyard in the southeast of Xin Du.
The seal on the front of the courtyard was hard to remove, but the back door could be used to come and go.
Everyone entered through the back door. Lao Er Li and Jia Yin only took a quick look around front and back before deciding on this place.
The small courtyard was laid out in a two-and-a-half section design. The front gate opened into half the courtyard, which could accommodate both carriages and sedan chairs.
Upon entering the second gate, one is greeted by a spacious courtyard. There is ample room for both flowerbeds and stands to display flowers.
There are three main rooms and three west wing rooms.
To entertain ordinary guests, one could stay with the gardener's family. On windy or rainy days, it would be convenient to move potted plants for shelter as well.
The last courtyard has three rooms on the west wing for temporary residence, and three main rooms reserved for occasional banquets of distinguished guests.
The most pleasing thing was that there was also a moon gate on the eastern wall. Passing through the moon gate, you would enter a small garden, about an acre in size.
Jia Yin's first reaction was, this is simply perfect for making a warm shed!
Think about winter, when plants wither, snowflakes flutter. If there were a warm spring-like greenhouse filled with flowers.
Guests seated among the flowers, enjoying the blossoms while sipping tea and chatting - who could resist such indulgence and temptation!
Two junior officials, having received instructions from their superior, were particularly courteous to Mr. Li and the county princess.
They said that once they've decided on this yard, they can immediately process the paperwork.
The price is very cheap, only 800 taels. This is practically a bargain.
This area is very close to the East City. Officials who need to attend court or younger sons from wealthy families prefer this location.
Such a courtyard costs 2,000 taels and can be sold in the blink of an eye.
Li Laosi is an earl and needs to attend court. According to etiquette, he cannot personally engage in commerce and compete with the people for profit.
Jia Yin was a princess, young and not someone people would usually hold accountable for anything. But it was still necessary to be cautious, so this courtyard was registered under Tao Hongying's name.
As everyone returned to the Ministry of Finance, Jia Yin used the space under the carriage seat as cover. In reality, she took out silver bills and a bag of loose silver from her spatial storage. She then instructed Zheng Feng and the head steward to handle the paperwork.
Besides, Li Laoer also asked Zheng He to run errands to Xianke Lai and order a table of wine and food.
Just then, Zheng Feng and the head steward brought out the deed. The little helper from Xiankelai also arrived carrying a large food box.
The two junior officials and their superior, having received thirty taels of silver as a hush money, were already quite surprised.
I didn't expect there would be a banquet with fairies' wine. Having a good meal at noon is even more joyful, of course.
They had done favors for people like you before, but most of them were arrogant and demanding. They didn't offer any thanks, and it was a good day if they didn't get scolded.
People like the Li family, who are so generous and thoughtful, are not common. It's a good thing, because they will probably hope that the Li family will visit them more often in the future...
Li Laotai felt unsettled all day. To be honest, her granddaughter had grown so large and rarely left her side for this long.
She was worried one moment that her granddaughter might get hot or thirsty, and the next that her son might lose her.
There are many bad people on the street, and granddaughters are beautiful and cute. What if she is kidnapped What should we do!
Tao Hongying wasn't reassured leaving her mother-in-law alone at home, worried that she wouldn't eat a proper meal. So she returned from the cafeteria early in the afternoon and indeed found her mother-in-law had only eaten half a bowl of porridge.
She couldn't help but tell the truth when her mother-in-law mentioned her worries about her daughter being kidnapped.
"Mother, as the old saying goes, every crooked cucumber and blemished melon from one's own garden is a treasure. In your eyes, Funiang is perfect, but perhaps if someone else saw her, they might even find her wanting."
"After all, she's so fat, trying to pick her up and run would be impossible! Besides, even if we took her back, it would just waste food. The amount of food it takes to feed her could feed three skinny children!"
This is really like a mother, every sentence is "disdainful"!
ShuYun and WenJuan and several others covered their mouths, unable to stop themselves from laughing.
Li Laotai also chuckled and pinched her daughter-in-law, scolding, "My granddaughter is good everywhere except that she's a little chubby. Why hasn't anyone kidnapped her! You're so picky, if you don't want to be Fu Niu'er's mother, give her up for adoption to Yu Ru, she would dream with a smile!"
Tao Hong pretended to be pinched and hugged her mother-in-law's arm, refusing to let go. She complained that her mother-in-law was biased, only favoring her granddaughter and not her daughter-in-law.
Old Mrs. Li nearly had her hairpins knocked loose and scolded with a laugh, “You and Fu Niuer are truly mother and daughter, just look at how you disapprove of my hair.”
Tao Hongying giggled and took a silver comb from her head. She sat behind her grandmother and restyled her hair.
Just as things were getting lively, the carriages returning to the city arrived.
Jiayin rushed in from outside, clutching the snacks from Jiulian Vegetarian Restaurant and with beads of sweat dripping from her forehead. "Grandma, I'm back! I brought you some delicious food!"
Perhaps not seeing the threshold, she tripped and rolled in with a clatter.
Everyone was startled. Tao Hongying darted forward in three strides and lifted her daughter up.
This is when the advantage of thick meat becomes apparent.
Jia Yin did a somersault, her dress was dirty but she didn't have any bruises or scratches on her body.
Li Laoer carried the grapes, trailing behind by two steps, watched his niece's "performance" with wide eyes, and didn't stop her.
Needless to say, he got another beating from his mother.
"I told you, you don't take good care of the child, always worried about losing your Funiu. And now, right at your doorstep, you still let her fall!"
Li Lao Er was wrongly accused and dared not argue with his mother. He could only hold up his grape basket as a shield, "Mother, I'm washing grapes for you!"
Upon saying that, he vanished like smoke.
The sound was so intense, her outer garment got dirty too, so she took it off directly and clung to grandma's legs, acting coquettish.
"Grandma, let me tell you, I and my second uncle bought a yard, it's especially good! It even has a garden, we can build a greenhouse! In winter, I will bring Grandma to see the flowers, it will definitely be warm and beautiful, just like heaven!"'t wait until later! For such a big matter, let's discuss it together today" the headman of Dahuaitree Village quickly stopped him.The chief officers of the Great King's Manor and the Little King's Ma...