Heavenly Blessed Baby: Fleeing Famine, Busy to Prosper!-Chapter 157: Is a Courtyard Like That Unlucky or Not?
Qi Ercai looked at this two-entrance courtyard and pondered that if they had chosen this courtyard from the start, their whole group could definitely fit.
A two-story building, with side rooms on both sides, and additional houses in the backyard.
Not to mention, each family could have two rooms; there’s no need to live stretched out between the front and back courtyards like they do now, all cramped together.
Mr. Qian had an awkward expression, wiped the frost off his mustache, and said helplessly, "Brother, it’s not that I don’t want to tell you about this courtyard. The fact is, its history makes people feel unlucky. I’ve introduced it to people before, but as soon as they hear about its past, several of them nearly refused to let me introduce them to any other property."
Speaking of this, Mr. Qian felt a bit disheartened.
Qi Ercai scratched his head inside his hat, finally understanding Mr. Qian’s difficulty.
But such a difficulty wasn’t really anything for them.
"Brother Qian, if we want to rent this courtyard, how much is it?"
Compared to the history of the courtyard, Qi Ercai was more concerned about the rent.
Mr. Qian was taken aback, and blurted, "You don’t mind this courtyard?"
"Mind what?"
Qi Ercai laughed heartily, "It’s not like this is a house where someone died tragically. Besides, even though the previous family was exiled, it’s got nothing to do with our family! Even if we wanted to be exiled, we’d at least need a relative who’s a big official, right? My family has been farmers for generations, we couldn’t even pass as junior scholars."
The Qi family children all attended school, but just to open their minds a bit.
According to his mother, the Qi Family simply didn’t have the aptitude to pass the imperial exams.
Mr. Qian was taken aback, he really didn’t expect someone to say something like that.
But soon he was amused, "You’re really funny when you talk."
"Hehe."
Qi Ercai chuckled and didn’t say anything else.
Seeing that he really didn’t mind, Mr. Qian then said, "This courtyard has been empty for quite a while. Just leaving it empty means arranging someone to come and maintain it, which is troublesome for the government too. How about this, if you really intend to rent it, I won’t charge a broker fee, I’ll directly give you the lowest price: five taels of silver a month."
"Five taels?"
Qi Ercai felt a jolt.
That’s not cheap at all.
Mr. Qian also knew this price wasn’t low, so he said, "I really didn’t ask for more. The courtyard has front and back houses and a well. The roofs and walls are well maintained, and the furniture inside is still there."
As he spoke, Mr. Qian pointed to a nearby room, "That’s the original dining room. The big table inside can seat more than a dozen people."
Qi Ercai followed him inside to have a look, and sure enough, it was a spacious room with a huge round table in it.
No joke, the entire Qi Family can fit here for meals.
"When that family had trouble, it was too sudden, so a lot of things weren’t cleaned up; there’s still quite a lot of firewood in the woodshed. Do you want to have a look?"
Seeing that Qi Ercai was genuinely interested in renting, Mr. Qian was eager to make it happen.
The courtyard belonged to the government, and the government wouldn’t give it to just one broker to introduce. They also said whoever could rent out the courtyard would get a month’s rent as a commission.
Getting five taels of silver all at once, Mr. Qian’s claim of not wanting Qi Ercai’s commission was true enough.
Not earning a double, it was still a good amount.
Qi Ercai thought for a moment and said, "Brother Qian, this is in the alley where my family currently lives. How about this, give me a moment, I’ll call my family over to see it. If nothing’s wrong with it, we can settle on it, okay?"
Five taels of silver a month is quite pricey, Qi Ercai was a bit hesitant.
Mr. Qian waved his hand, "Go ahead! I’ll just sweep the snow at the door."
Qi Ercai responded and turned to walk toward the gate.
Once he was out of the gate and saw no one in the alley, he sprinted toward his house.
Entering the courtyard, the men working there were startled.
Seeing it was Qi Ercai, everyone looked at him with surprise.
Qi Quanli asked, "Second Brother, what are you doing? Are you being chased by a dog?"
"Get lost!"
Qi Ercai glared at him and continued running toward the main room.
At this time, Qi Zheng was sleeping on the kang. He hadn’t slept the whole night, and if it weren’t for the new tobacco leaves he’d bought, he probably would have already collapsed from exhaustion.
"Dad, Mom!"
Qi Ercai, as soon as he entered the kitchen, started shouting.
Even though Qi Zheng was asleep, he was still uneasy because some people hadn’t fully recovered from their fever, so upon hearing the noise, he sat up immediately.
Mrs. Qi was sitting on the kang watching her grandsons and granddaughters play, and she was also startled by the noise. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖
Qi Shilang was so shocked by the sudden noise that he froze, then suddenly burst into tears.
Qi Manman quickly went up to touch Brother Xiao Shi’s head, "Brother Shi, don’t cry! There’s nothing to be scared of."
The little girl had a way of comforting people, which amused both the startled Qi Zheng and Mrs. Qi.
But Mrs. Qi still picked up her little grandson and gently rocked him.
At this moment, Qi Ercai had already rushed into the room and said, "Dad, Mom, I found a great courtyard! How about you go take a look, and if it’s okay, we can settle it?"
"Settle what?"
Mrs. Qi cradled her grandson and scolded, "Why are you so loud! You’re a father of two and still can’t stay calm!"
Qi Zheng collected himself and didn’t scold, instead asking, "What courtyard?"
"A two-entrance courtyard, right at the end of the alley. I checked it out, it has lots of rooms in the front and back, and it still has furniture and such. It’s owned by the government, and though the rent is a bit high, there’s no broker fee."
Right now, Qi Ercai wasn’t worried about being scolded by his old mother, he was only thinking about locking down the courtyard.
A two-entrance courtyard, that kind of place, wow, he had never lived in such a nice courtyard in his life.
Qi Zheng frowned, just about to speak when Qi Manman piped up, "Mom! Mom!"
Yi Meng, busy in the kitchen, heard her and quickly came in, "What’s wrong, Manbao?"
"Mom, a big courtyard! A big courtyard to live in!"
Qi Manman scrambled up from the kang, waving her little hands, wanting Yi Meng to pick her up.
Yi Meng wiped her hands on her apron, stepped forward to pick up the child, and then asked, "What big courtyard?"
Although Qi Ercai’s voice was loud, Yi Meng, busy in the kitchen rendering fat from the newly bought pork, heard only bits.
Mrs. Qi shot a glare at Qi Ercai, scolding, "Didn’t you hear Meng Niang asking? Quickly spill, what’s going on!"
Qi Ercai quickly recounted the courtyard situation, but this time he explained the origin of the place.
"Exiled?"
Yi Meng couldn’t believe what she was hearing, suddenly at a loss.
Qi Zheng, however, turned grim and scolded, "You idiot, Old Second! Isn’t such a place considered unlucky?"
