The stone table and stone bench were pulled by two ox carts. A total of four stonemasons carried them into the gate and placed them in the appropriate position under the jujube tree according to Ji Yuan's instructions.
Including the tables, chairs and labor, Ji Yuan spent one tael of silver, which could be said to be the most expensive item in this expense. After the four stonemasons put the things away and collected the remaining payment, they left Ju'an Pavilion without saying a word. Ji Yuan wanted to be polite and even offered to drink some water, but he didn't even have the chance to do so.
Now that Ji Yuan had a place to rest, he sat on the stone bench in the yard, watching the people busying around in the main house and the side rooms, and from time to time he would go over to give instructions on where something should be put.
"These ancient street vendors actually have quite a bit of professional ethics, their hands and feet are so quick!"
And look at the women and men who are cleaning, they are really working so hard. Originally they said it would take half a day to clean, but now Ji Yuan estimates that with the way they are working so hard and sweating, they will be done in just over an hour at most!
What’s interesting is that some shops come to deliver things but don’t come in, for example, the shop that sells bedding. Some shop assistants move the things in, take the remaining payment and leave without saying much or even glancing around, as if they have something urgent to do.
Only the people hired to clean were relatively normal. They were cleaning enthusiastically and did their job very conscientiously. Even if someone wanted to chat, the manager would stop them. I don't know if the working conditions were so strict throughout the whole process.
'The ancients were hardworking!'
Ji Yuan sighed in his heart and continued to stare blankly with his chin supported.
The cleaning work is basically a dust removal process. Clean the dust in each room, then wipe it with a wet towel and mop, and some people are specifically responsible for re-pasting the paper on the windows.
Ji Yuan was so curious that he rolled it with his hands and found that the paper used to paste windows was very tough, almost like the oil paper used to make umbrellas. It was not like what was shown on TV that could be punctured by a little saliva, and it could withstand wind and rain without any problem.
. . .
I don't know how much time had passed. Listening to the people in the rooms busying about, Ji Yuan, who was yawning, suddenly felt a chill in his heart. He subconsciously turned his head towards the well, frowning and looking at it for a long time.
Since water is needed for cleaning, the cover on the top of the well has been removed. He felt a little chilly in this direction just now, and now looking at it, the whole well surface is dark. He doesn't know if it is because of the shade of the trees.
As Ji Yuan opened his eyes slightly, he seemed to see that the shadow under the well surface looked weird no matter how he looked at it. It had a creepy feeling.
For some reason, Ji Yuan couldn't help but recall some horror movies he had watched in his previous life, which gave him goosebumps.
"You're really scaring yourself! !"
Rubbing his arms, Ji Yuan forced himself not to make random associations.
"Mr. Ji, Mr. Ji?"
At this moment, a deafening sound seemed to come from the sky, which directly scared Ji Yuan.
Ji Yuan woke up with a start and realized that he had fallen asleep on the stone table.
When he turned around, he saw that the helpers hired to clean the house had already arrived in the yard with buckets and tools. There were a total of eight people standing next to him.
"Mr. Ji, we've finished cleaning, would you like to take a look?"
"Finished cleaning? So soon?"
"Hehe, yes, you can take a look. If you are not satisfied, we can clean it up again."
Since that was said, Ji Yuan also stood up from the stone bench.
"Okay, let me see!"
He walked around several rooms, wiping the gaps between the windowsills from time to time, and looking under the beds and in every corner. Basically, they were all clean.
When I went to hire people today, many people refused to come as soon as they heard that they were in the corner of Tianniufang, saying it was too far to come. This team only came after Ji Yuan doubled the price, but now it seems that it was worth it.
When I went out into the yard, the group of people were standing there waiting.
"Good, thank you for your hard work."
Ji Yuan took out his purse, arranged a pile of five-tongbao coins, counted forty of them in front of them, and then added two more on top.
"This is your wages. The extra 10 cents can be used as tea for everyone!"
"Thank you, Mr. Ji!" "Thank you, Mr. Ji!"
"Then shall we leave first?"
As everyone thanked him, the leading man hurriedly picked up the money and said goodbye.
"Okay, take care!"
Ji Yuan put on a gentle and elegant look, smiled and nodded. After all, he had never tried out his new outfit before, so he had to practice.
However, the reactions of this group of helpers were similar, and they were all very enthusiastic. It was hard to tell whether it was because of the money or Ji Yuan's demeanor.
It was not until the footsteps of the group of people moved a little further away that Ji Yuan could vaguely hear some unclear and fragmented discussions.
“This house is really nice!!”
"Hey, Mr. Ji is a nice guy, and seems to be quite knowledgeable!"
"The name of this house always sounds familiar..."
The leader just urged him when he heard this.
"Stop talking, walk faster!"
"It's hard to tell how old that gentleman is, but he looks so handsome!"
"And you still say, hurry up and leave, what's the point of looking good?"
…
Yes, after hearing these last few sentences, Ji Yuan was satisfied, but I couldn't tell what age meant. Could it make me look old? What's the point of looking good? It's better than not looking good!
The sun was setting and it was still approaching dusk.
Although the layout of the rooms was relatively simple, they were fully equipped. Ji Yuan sat in the yard in a daze.
It’s a pity that there is no internet or mobile phone, and no innocent young men who come to visit Mr. Ji from time to time.
"Hey, I feel a little lonely...hiss..."
Ji Yuan sighed and suddenly turned his head to look at the well neurotically. He stood up and walked to the side, grabbed the wooden cover and covered the well mouth again with a "bang".
"Huh... I feel much better now. I should have watched fewer horror movies in my previous life and scared myself!"
. . .
In the middle of the night, the night watchman's voice traveled far in the silent night and reached Ji Yuan's ears.
"Boom...Boom..."
"All is well~~~~"
"Boom...Boom..."
"All is well~~~~"
…
For some reason, Ji Yuan couldn't fall asleep tonight, tossing and turning. He tried various tricks, such as counting sheep as exercise, but nothing worked.
When the night watchman struck the gong, Ji Yuan, who had his eyes closed, realized that it was already the third watch. He knew that the gong had to be struck three times.
Although it is actually equivalent to around 11 o'clock in the evening, it gets dark early and there are not many entertainment activities, so early to bed and early to rise is the right thing to do here.
'Could it be that I, Ji, am still particular about my bed? Or am I just too excited to have a house?'
As he was thinking this, Ji Yuan suddenly felt that the temperature had cooled down a lot without him noticing.
"Crack...Crack...Crack...Crack..."
A creaking sound of old wooden boards came from the yard outside the door. It was very light, but it definitely did not escape Ji Yuan's ears.
Ji Yuan stopped moving, kept absolutely quiet and listened carefully, hoping that what he heard just now was just hallucination.
"Crunch..."
The wooden board at the well mouth that was pressing down on the stone was lifted up little by little, making a sound as if the wood could not bear the weight.
Ji Yuan, who was lying on the bed, suddenly opened his eyes. All the associations of the day flashed through his mind. Waves of chills on his back rushed straight to his head, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead like magic.
"Crunch..."
"boom…"
The stone that was pressing on the wooden board fell to the ground, and Ji Yuan's heart beat violently as the stone fell to the ground.
The wooden cover was pushed aside, and dense hair overflowed from the wellhead...
"Gurgle..."
As the coldness grew stronger, Ji Yuan swallowed a mouthful of water, pulled the quilt on the bed, and quietly covered his head with it with extremely slow movements.
"Damn it... I, Ji Yuan, can't be so unlucky!!! Damn broker, I'll fuck your mother's ancestors!"