The cart jolted along as Lu Gu, holding the child, chatted and laughed with Wei Lanxiang all the way to Jixing Town.
After unloading the rabbits and seeing it was almost noon, they decided to eat first at the noodle shop next door.
Turning the corner east of Xixing Street, they walked a stretch along Nanji Street before Shen Xuanqing pointed ahead and said with a smile, "This is Zhenzhu (Pearl) Alley."
As they walked, he added, "The brokerage is at the other end. Wait here, I’ll go fetch the broker. He has the keys."
Shen Yaoqing nodded. "Go ahead. We’ll wait at the alley entrance."
Shen Xuanqing quickened his pace. Lu Gu shifted Lingjun to his other arm, and the three of them walked more slowly, observing the shops along the street.
At the alley entrance, Wei Lanxiang peered inside. Zhenzhu Alley was slightly wider than Liuzhi (Willow Branch) Alley behind the butcher shop. She mused silently, this definitely wouldn’t be cheap.
Before long, Shen Xuanqing returned with the broker, a man named Shao, and they entered the alley, stopping at the sixth gate.
Broker Shao unlocked the door and gestured for them to enter before stepping inside with Shen Xuanqing.
This was a modest single-courtyard house - neither too big nor too small, but enough for a family. In the front courtyard, a stone table with four stools stood to the east, a persimmon tree grew to the west, and the kitchen occupied the southwest corner.
Lu Gu, holding the child, scanned the courtyard. By now, he had some experience, the layout was simple, with few rooms, something country folk like them could afford.
"Don’t let the single east and west wing rooms fool you, they’re spacious. If you have more people, you could even partition them into two," Broker Shao said, pushing open the east wing door for them to see. Naturally, a small house like this couldn’t compare to larger multi-courtyard mansions.
Wei Lanxiang glanced inside the east wing, then checked the west wing, they were indeed sizable.
The main northern building had three rooms: a central hall flanked by two side chambers. Lu Gu and Wei Lanxiang inspected everything.
What had caught Shen Xuanqing’s eye about this house was its backyard, complete with a woodshed, livestock pen, and a well. They didn't need to go out for water.
Upon reaching the backyard, Shen Yaoqing walked to the well, peered down, and lowered the bucket to draw half a pail of water. He scooped some up with his hand and smiled. "The well water’s ice-cold. I’ve heard that in summer, families with wells can lower melons and fruit into it to chill them."
"That’s what we do at home," Broker Shao said with a grin. "With this well, you won’t need to haul water from outside or deal with water sellers. Over ten or twenty years, that’ll save a fair bit of money."
It was precisely because of this well that the price was ten taels higher. Ordinary families buying a house would surely live there for a long time.
With a well, front and back courtyards, and enough rooms even if relatives visited, and just one street away from the butcher shop, this house was the best Shen Xuanqing could find. There was another on Xixing Street, but it was a larger double-courtyard mansion, naturally far more expensive.
Broker Shao, adept at reading expressions, excused himself to the front when he saw they needed to discuss, saying he’d wait there and they could call if they had questions.
"Mother, what do you think?" Shen Xuanqing naturally sought his mother’s opinion first.
Wei Lanxiang looked around. "It’s good, but I wonder about the price."
He paused, then decided honesty was best. "This is a street-facing property, not some remote spot on the town’s outskirts. The house is small, with beds and kangs but no tables or chairs, no extras. The well adds to the cost. The total is eighty taels."
Wei Lanxiang’s jaw dropped. Even Lu Gu’s mouth fell open.
Eighty taels!
Seeing their reactions, Shen Xuanqing took Lingjun from Lu Gu’s arms and said with a smile, "Eighty taels seems like a lot, but it’s close to the shop, easy to manage. Coming back for meals will be convenient. There are cheaper houses in remote alleys, some as low as thirty-five taels for five or six rooms, but they’re far. If I’m at the shop and you’re home alone with the child, how could I rest easy?"
Lingjun, held facing Lu Gu, stretched out his arms to return to him, perhaps feeling uneasy in the unfamiliar place.
"Broker Shao and I have already settled on the eighty taels, no extra fees. He’ll handle the deed and official seal." Shen Xuanqing handed the child back to Lu Gu. He’d spent over half a month searching Jixing Town and was satisfied with this house—otherwise, he wouldn’t have brought his family to see it.
Wei Lanxiang glanced at her eldest son. Seeing Shen Yaoqing’s slight nod, and remembering she wasn’t the one paying, she gritted her teeth and agreed. Eighty taels of silver!
When Shen Xuanqing looked at him, Lu Gu hesitated but eventually nodded too, though he was also thinking, Eighty taels of silver!
With everyone in agreement, the matter was settled. They even opened the woodshed and the back gate to inspect the rear alley, where livestock and firewood carts passed - a considerate design.
Returning to the front courtyard, they found Broker Shao waiting eagerly. Upon hearing they would buy, his smile widened, and he grew even more attentive.
"Once we move here, Mother, you’ll have a place to stay whenever you visit," Shen Xuanqing said happily.
At these words, Lu Gu looked around, a faint smile touching his eyes, his mood entirely different from before. This would be their home now, close to Shen Xuanqing.
Since they were already here, they decided to finalize the deed today rather than delay. Broker Shao asked them to wait while he fetched the property deeds, contracts, and writing tools from the brokerage.
With four stone stools in the courtyard, Lu Gu sat down and gazed at the persimmon tree to the west. Just like at home, they could enjoy persimmons here too. Thinking of the name "Zhenzhu Alley," his eyes curved in a smile, what a lovely name.
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