Li had also been in the north for some time, and had an impression of the East Road, West Road, and Middle Road. Upon hearing this, she couldn't help but exclaimed, "The Liu family is really rich! Such a big house, occupying most of the alley, it must be one of the best in the capital, right?"
Biyu smiled and stood aside to answer, saying, "How could that be possible! It's just that the house on the west road belongs to Mr. Liu, the house on the middle road belongs to Mr. Li, the former Guanglu Temple, and the house on the east road belongs to Mr. Zeng, a retired lecturer in the Hanlin Academy. Mr. Zeng is from Anxi, Fujian, and is the largest tea merchant in Fujian. It is said that four or five out of ten tea gardens in Fujian belong to him."
Explain why Mr. Zeng, a retired lecturer, has such a large house.
Li took a deep breath when she heard this.
The Zeng family only has a house of similar size here, but Master Chi Si bought three houses of similar size and adjacent to each other at one time. This is not something that can be achieved by just being rich!
As if she saw her astonishment, Biyu continued with a smile, "It took a lot of effort for our fourth master to buy this house. He wanted to buy a house next to Xinglin Hutong before, but later he felt that it was too close to the first and second masters, and was afraid of being restrained by the first and second masters, so he bought the house in Yuqian Hutong. He thought he could go and see the second master in his spare time. Who knew that the neighbors on both sides of the house in Yuqian Hutong were unwilling to sell. You have also been to Jiuru Lane. The whole lane belongs to the Cheng family. How can the fourth master get used to it!
"It just so happened that Lord Liu had lived in Huai'an for some time and didn't want to go back to his hometown in Jiangxi, so he decided to settle down in Yangzhou. There were mostly salt merchants in Yangzhou, and it was not easy to buy a satisfactory house, so he wanted to sell the house in the capital. But the price was too high, and he couldn't find a suitable buyer. Our fourth master had dealt with Lord Liu before. He knew that our fourth master wanted to find a better house in the capital, so he sent his steward to visit us. Our fourth master was satisfied with it, but still thought it was too small. Lord Liu has lived here for more than ten years, and he is in the same class as Lord Li next door, so he persuaded Lord Li to sell the house to the fourth master.
"It just happened by chance. When Lord Zeng retired, the house became vacant. With the financial resources of the Zeng family, they didn't mind keeping an empty house. But Lord Zeng's nephew was going to study at the Imperial Academy, so the Zeng family prepared to give him the house. Who knew that the young master of the Zeng family was a weirdo. When he saw that Lord Zeng had planted a peach tree outside his academy, and the peach blossoms were blooming brightly, he was very unhappy. When he moved in, he asked people to cut down the peach tree and plant Xiangfei bamboo instead. Little did he know that the peach tree was planted when Lord Zeng went to Beijing to study at the Imperial Academy. It is said that it didn't bloom for three years, and the year it bloomed, Lord Zeng passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi. Lord Zeng has always regarded it as a good omen. If Young Master Zeng wanted to cut down his peach tree, wouldn't that be asking for his life
"In a rage, he drove Mr. Zeng out and invited a flower grower from Fengtai to move the peach tree back to his hometown in Fujian.
“Flower farmers in Fengtai come and go, but no one dares to take over this business.
“Master Zeng has no choice.
"He was afraid that the Zeng family members who moved in after his death would cut down the tree without his advice. He was also afraid that the tree would be linked to the rise and fall of the Zeng family, and someone would covet the tree and harm his descendants.
"When our fourth master was doing business, he had dealt with the Zeng family before. Lord Zeng accidentally heard that the fourth master wanted to buy a big house. Moreover, our fourth master was also a Jinshi from the two lists, not yet thirty years old, and was the eldest master's younger brother. So he took the initiative to find him and asked the fourth master to promise that he would never cut down the peach tree in his lifetime, and he would sell the house to the fourth master at a low price.
"This is really like someone delivering a pillow when you are dozing off. Our fourth master was just thinking that the houses of these two families were still a little small, and then Lord Zeng came to visit.
“The fourth master promised on the spot that not only would he not cut down the peach tree, but he would also send someone to take good care of it.
"Master Zeng was very happy and sold the house to the fourth master at 20% lower than the market price."
"The fourth master is so lucky!" Li listened with great interest and asked, "Is the peach tree still on the east road? Can I take a look?"
Biyu's duty was to entertain Li well. Hearing this, she hurriedly said, "As long as Madam wants to see it! So do you want to go see the peach blossom first or go boating first?"
"Let's go boating after we see the peach blossoms." Li smiled, "Peach blossoms are drifting things, and people think they are frivolous. This is the first time I've heard of using peach blossoms to protect a house."
Zhou Shaojin was thinking about Cheng Chi's money, so she asked, "Uncle Chi must have spent a lot of money to buy the houses of the Li and Liu families, right?"
Jade's eyes flickered.
She didn't expect Zhou Shaojin to be obedient and actually discovered that it cost a lot of money to buy the Li and Liu's houses.
It was just that it was hard to say, so he said vaguely, "It didn't cost too much money. You can see that the flowers and trees on the Liu family's side are lush, and the pool of fresh water in the garden was diverted from here. The main hall of the Li family is very grand, with pillars made of centuries-old trees, so it will be fine for several generations to live there. It's quite a good deal!"
"But this house is too big. If we sell it, I'm afraid few people can afford it." Zhou Shaojin sighed.
If Uncle Chi really wants to set up his own business, most people cannot afford such a big house. It is not only difficult to cash in, but also requires employing many maids and servants to clean the house, which is very expensive.
The house in Yuqian Hutong is still the best!
"Since I've bought it, I won't sell it!" Biyu said with a smile, "Jiuru Lane is definitely not short of this little money."
Only then did Li realize that the Cheng family was really rich!
Even the Zeng family, which owns 40% to 50% of the tea business in Fujian, cannot be compared with the Cheng family.
No wonder people in Jinling call the Cheng family in Jiuru Lane the best family in Jinling!
Li smiled and praised Biyu, "I didn't expect that you have just arrived in the capital for a short time, but you already know all the noble families in the capital."
Biyu smiled and said, "I have heard a lot of this from Madam Guo. With a little guidance from Steward Qin, I know which family is which."
She accompanied Li and Zhou Shaojin to the east road to see the peach blossoms, but she was not idle. She smiled and said, "The alley we live in is called Si Tiao Hutong, which is the best location near Chaoyangmen. The house of the Gu family in Haining is in Liu Tiao Hutong, which is two alleys away from us, very close. The house of the Yuan family in Tongxiang is in an alley, which is a little farther than the Gu family, but it only takes a quarter of an hour to get there. But the Peng family where the third aunt married is a little far from us. It takes a quarter of an hour to take a carriage there, but they are all nearby... The Fang family in Shucheng is also in an alley, but the Yuan family is at the head of the alley and the Fang family is at the end of the alley; the Li family in Lujiang lives in San Tiao Hutong, just in front of our house, but it is not as big as ours, it is a house with five courtyards..."
She spoke in a clear and concise manner.
After hearing this, Li was filled with admiration for Madam Guo who was far away in Jinling!
She is just a maidservant by her side. After receiving guidance from her for several years, she has such vision and experience. Even the wife in charge of household chores in ordinary families may not have such talent as Biyu.
It’s no wonder that many wealthy men like to marry maids released from wealthy families.
Zhou Shaojin felt the same as Li when he heard this.
Biyu said that Uncle Chi asked them to come here because of her. If Biyu didn't have such talent, even if she liked him, Uncle Chi probably wouldn't have asked them to come here... However, Feicui, who was with Madam Guo, was also very powerful... Thinking about it this way, it seemed that this matter really had something to do with her.
While Li was holding Zhou Youjin and looking at the peach tree, Zhou Shaojin quietly asked Biyu, "What is Uncle Chi doing?"
Biyu also whispered back to her: "The second master is coming!"
"Second Master?!" Zhou Shaojin opened his eyes wide.
Her mind went blank.
Biyu reminded her: "It's the Second Master Wei. The Fourth Master's brother!"
Of course Zhou Shaojin knew this person, but having lived two lives, she had no impression of him!
Biyu thought for a moment and said, "It seems that he came here for something that happened in Jinling."
It’s such a serious matter!
Zhou Shaojin frowned, and seeing Cheng Chi's desire became even stronger.
However, this is not a good time.
She said to Biyu, "I want to see Uncle Chi, is that okay?"
Biyu smiled and said, "I'll go to the study later!"
Zhou Shaojin felt relieved, and walked towards Li with Biyu, smiling.
The peach tree, which Lord Zeng regarded as a symbol of good fortune, was only as thick as a wine cup and was surrounded by a knee-high fence. Its branches and leaves were extremely lush, and although the flowering season had passed, one could still imagine the magnificent scene when the flowers bloomed.
Everyone thought that there was nothing special about the tree. After looking at it for a while, they lost interest and went to the lake to go boating.
Zhou Shaojin had never been interested in these things, and as he was worried about Biyu's news, he sat in the waterside pavilion and watched Li and Youjin playing in the lake with the boat girl who was good at swimming.
Xiao Tan was fanning Zhou Shaojin and said with a smile, "It would be even better if there were more lotus flowers in the lake."
The small lake on the west road and the big lake on this side are connected. The small lake is full of lotus leaves, and the lotus flowers have already revealed their pointed corners. However, the big lake on this side is only filled with silver water, which looks a bit hot.
Zhou Shaojin smiled and said, “I guess that’s the old view of the Liu family, and this is the newly opened lake!”
Xiao Tan smiled and said, "These two lakes, one large and one small, are quite interesting. I wonder what they are called?"
The little maid next to her smiled and said, "We haven't picked a name yet! Steward Qin said we have to wait for some time before deciding."
Xiao Tan said, "When we come back next year, the pond will definitely be full of lotus flowers."
The little maid smiled and said, "Steward Qin said that the small lake will be planted with water lilies, and the big lake will be planted with lotus flowers later. But whether it is true or not, we need to ask Steward Qin to know."
Who is the manager Qin who said these things to the little maid
Looks like Qin Ziping...
Didn't Uncle Chi say that Jiying would come to the capital? Why is there still no news
Zhou Shaojin smiled and asked, "What's Manager Qin's name?"
The little maid shook her head and said, "I don't know."
Zhou Shaojin laughed.
Biyu hurried in and said, "Second cousin, Second Master Wei has left. Fourth Master is alone in the study... and he has no one to serve him!"
Are you unhappy
Zhou Shaojin's heart was hanging in the air. He stood up and said, "Let's go and take a look!"
※
Sisters and brothers, today’s update.
PS: Corrected the typo.
O(∩_∩)O~
※(To be continued)