Chapter 204 Returning to Yi County

Chapter 204 Returning to Yi County

Early the next morning, Xie Wanniang and the others, having eaten and drunk their fill, arrived at the south gate of Qingyuan County.

They arrived about 15 minutes earlier than agreed, but the man with the gold teeth arrived even earlier than them.

He came with his second son. The father and son traveled in a horse-drawn carriage, which was even more plain than Xie Wanniang's and the others'. The horses were also far less robust and powerful than the retired military horses that Xie Wanniang and the others had bought.

But Xie Wanniang and the others knew that even such ordinary horses were highly sought after in the common people's world. Without a certain amount of money and connections, ordinary people couldn't even dream of owning one.

Led by the father and son of the man with the golden teeth, Xie Wanniang and her companions spent most of the day visiting a total of seven villages.

Each of the seven estates had its own advantages and disadvantages, and to be honest, Xie Wanniang was not very satisfied with any of them. However, having already inquired about the market for estates in Qingyuan County, Xie Wanniang ultimately chose three of them.

These three estates have no problems in terms of soil quality, water source, geographical location, and internal planning. The only drawback is that they are slightly expensive.

Compared to Tang County, farmhouses of the same quality and size in Qingyuan County are generally priced about 10% to 15% higher.

The three estates that Xie Wanniang had her eye on, which had no shortcomings, cost her a total of more than 6,800 taels of silver, almost emptying all of her and Jiang Yuan's savings.

Jiang Yuan's rewards for her military achievements were completely wiped out, as were the silver she had received from Xie Daoheng and Madam Hu. Only the chest of gold leaves that Lady Hou had given her as a reward for the two little tricks she had offered were fortunate enough to remain in her hands, with ten leaves still in her possession.

Haitang, who compared land prices in Qingyuan County and Tang County, was so heartbroken that she completely lost the ability to control her facial expressions.

If Xie Wanniang hadn't already told her why she went to Qingyuan County to buy a farm, she would have definitely jumped out and suggested that Xie Wanniang spend the money in their Tang County instead of becoming a sucker in this unfamiliar place.

"Alright, stop making that pained look on your face." Clutching the three red deeds she'd exchanged from the yamen, Xie Wanniang smiled and pinched Haitang's cheek. "Although the estates in Qingyuan County are more expensive than those in Tang County, they're still much cheaper than those in the prefectural city."

She gazed wistfully at the sky dyed red by the sunset, "And even if we wanted to buy something in the prefectural city, we still didn't have the connections to do so, or even if we did, it would be difficult to keep it for long."

She paused for a moment and then said, "The high-ranking officials, nobles, and wealthy gentry in the prefectural city aren't stupid. If the property wasn't worth the price, they wouldn't be scrambling to buy estates in the prefectural city and Qingyuan County."

Haitang also looked up at the beautiful sky with its gorgeous colors. "I understand what you're saying. I'm just... used to being poor, and I can't accept this land price right now."

Xie Wanniang couldn't help but chuckle. Indeed, people like them, who come from small towns and are used to the affordable prices of goods, housing, and land, would easily have the subconscious thought of going back to the countryside when they saw the outrageous housing and land prices in the prefectural city and Qingyuan County.

She patted Haitang's head and said, "The land price in Qingyuan County is not outrageous. The most outrageous are the prosperous and wealthy places like Jiangnan and the capital, as well as those remote places with very little fertile land and many mountains and dense forests."

One reason is that there are too many people, and the other is that there is too little land; in short, both present a serious imbalance between supply and demand.

The group returned to the inn and rested for another night before Xie Wanniang began to visit and take over the three newly purchased estates.

Incidentally, she also made minor adjustments or replanned some things about Zhuangzi.

After another busy period of about half a month, Xie Wanniang and her group finally returned to her and Jiang Yuan's home in Yi County in mid-December.

Hao Yu, guessing that she would be back soon, had been keeping watch at the south gate of Yi County for some time.

At this moment, the man who had been lying in wait finally saw many familiar faces, and he jumped up from the teahouse where he had been warming himself and resting with a happy expression.

Grabbing a handful of copper coins without even counting them, he shoved them into the hands of the teahouse owner, who was dozing off against the counter, as he rushed out. "Keep the change!"

The teahouse owner immediately perked up and hurriedly called over the waiter to ask what kind of snacks and tea the customers who had just run away had ordered.

The waiter quickly replied, "Don't worry, sir. That person only orders the cheapest tea every day, and he also chooses two of the cheapest snacks each time."

To put it bluntly, people just spend some copper coins to come to their teahouse and use the charcoal fire.

After all, it's really cold at the city gate. If you don't find a warm place where you can see the city gate and stay put, those who are responsible for waiting here will probably all freeze to death.

Upon hearing this, the innkeeper immediately understood what was going on.

He counted the coins carefully, then took two from the extra pile and gave them to the waiter who had answered so quickly and decisively, saying, "You're quite clever."

The waiter chuckled as he took the coin and then went back to his work.

After the teahouse owner saw him leave, he gently swiped his right hand to transfer the remaining extra copper coins into his money bag.

As for the money for the tea and snacks that the other party should pay, the shopkeeper yawned and obediently put it into the money box inside the counter.

The man who had thrown the money and run away was completely unaware that he had almost been mistaken by the shopkeeper for a shameless scoundrel trying to take advantage of him. He stepped on the hard, cold ground, puffs of white breath coming out of his mouth and nose, and ran as fast as he could towards Xie Wanniang and the others who were about to turn onto the road they had to take home.

"Atai! Atai! Lao Hong! Qian Tong!" He called out the names of people he knew as he ran.

Hearing the noise, Atai and the others turned their heads to look in the direction of the sound.

"Uncle Bing?" Atai was the first to recognize the person. "What are you doing here?"

"The boss...the boss called me...to pick you up!" After saying this, panting heavily, the uncle who had been waiting asked Atai again, "Where's the girl? Is she in the car?"

"I'm here." Xie Wanniang opened the car window and waved to Ah Bing. "Are Uncle Hao, Aunt Hao, and Yinzhu all alright? Did something happen at home that he asked you to pick me up?"

Ah Bing shook his head, "It's all fine. Nothing happened. The boss just figured you guys would be back soon and was worried you might run into some trouble on the way, so he sent me here every day to keep watch."

Xie Wanniang breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, "Thank you for your hard work. Have you been waiting for many days?"

Ah Bing shook his head, "Not many days."

He counted on his fingers, "Including today, it's been four days in total."

Xie Wanniang: ...Four days isn't considered a lot of days? This is the northernmost part of the coldest winter.