Zhulan stared at her claws intently. Not only did she run to Zhou Shuren's bed, but she also hugged Zhou Shuren's waist? She was completely pressed against Zhou Shuren, and her face instantly became red and sweaty. She didn't dare to move at all. She had told Zhou Shuren not to hit on her at first, but now she threw herself into his arms. Her face felt swollen from being hit. No, she couldn't wash it off even if she jumped into the Yellow River.
Zhou Shuren woke up a long time ago. Ahem, the only bad thing about the inn was that it was quite cold at night. Even with the stove burning in the room, it was not warm. The bed was not as good as the kang. Zhulan was used to sleeping on the kang, so she would naturally look for a heat source at night. It was really not his doing. Zhulan came over by herself, so of course he took her in his arms!
Zhulan calmed down quickly. She couldn't wait for Zhou Shuren to wake up, so she carefully let go of her hand and moved back into the bed little by little. Zhulan hugged her daughter tightly before she breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Zhou Shuren didn't wake up!
Zhulan was nervous because she didn't have to get up early to go out, but she was so careful that she was exhausted and fell asleep in a daze.
Zhou Shuren opened his eyes with a smile. If he wasn't afraid that Zhulan would feel uncomfortable in the future and the timing was not right, he would have struggled in his heart for a long time before not scaring Zhulan!
Zhulan woke up and Zhou Shuren had finished washing up. Zhulan felt a little uncomfortable, but when she saw that Zhou Shuren didn't react, she breathed a sigh of relief and helped her daughter wash up.
I also had breakfast in the room, and my bag was full of silver and money so I didn't dare go out.
Zhou Shuren said, "Today I will go to visit Brother Zhao first. There is no woman in Brother Zhao's family, so I can go there by myself. I can ask him to ask the broker about the house and the shop."
Zhulan: "Okay, I'll look after the baggage then."
Brother Zhao, whom Zhou Shuren made friends with, was a scholar he met on his way back. Because of his family background, he went to the south to study, and on his way back he found a escort company to come back with him. He got along well with Zhou Shuren and exchanged addresses with him, so it was not a lie that he came to visit Pingzhou.
Zhou Shuren had just returned from lunch. Zhulan asked hurriedly, "What did Mr. Zhao say?"
Zhou Shuren thanked his daughter for the tea, took a sip and spoke slowly, "The Zhao family is a big family in Pingzhou. Even if Brother Zhao Bo is from a branch family, as long as he is in Pingzhou, no one dares to make things difficult for him. He will come over and tell the shopkeeper to prepare a table of delicious food for lunch tomorrow."
Zhulan thought that Zhou Shuren must have taken the initiative to befriend Zhao Bo. He did it for the Zhao family, who helped him buy shops and houses. He didn't have to worry about being embarrassed by others when he got information from the pawnbroker. This man had planned everything. She wanted to help but couldn't. The restrictions on women in ancient times were too fatal. She twisted the handkerchief and gave it to Zhou Shuren, "It's all thanks to you for your trouble."
Zhou Shuren stole a glance at Zhulan, feeling sorry for him. His heart beat faster. He wiped his face and thought that appropriate fatigue was necessary. His eyes suddenly lit up, "I should do everything for us."
Zhulan felt uncomfortable, her ears were a little red, she thought about getting into bed in the morning, "I'll go tell the shopkeeper, you take a rest first."
Zhou Shuren was very happy. He met the little girl's blinking eyes, coughed, and forgot that the child was there.
On the second day, Zhulan did not cross the line. She held her daughter in her arms all night long, which made Zhou Shuren regret bringing Xuehan here. He insisted on getting himself a light bulb, a very high-watt one at that.
Zhao Bo brought his agent with him. With Zhao Bo's presence at the table, the agent was very polite to Zhou Shuren. It was not convenient for Zhu Lan to follow him when he went to buy a shop and a house, so Zhou Shuren called a carriage and went to see the scene alone.
Zhulan wanted to go and take a look, but it was inconvenient because Zhao Bo was there, so she could only wait at home.
At noon, Zhou Shuren and others came back. Yazi went back to wait for news, and Zhou Shuren entertained Zhao Bo alone.
Zhulan was full of resentment. Even though the dynasty was imaginary and women could establish their own households and divorce, women still would not show their faces in public in front of families of status. Zhulan didn't eat a single bite of the food on the table.
It was probably around two in the afternoon when Zhou Shuren sent Zhao Bo away. Fortunately, they didn't drink much and spent most of their time talking about studying literature.
Zhulan had been waiting for the whole morning and asked hurriedly, "You have looked at the shops and houses. Do you like any of them?"
Zhou Shuren knew that Zhulan had been feeling aggrieved all day, so he told her what he saw. "There are many wealthy merchants in South City, so we mainly look at shops in South City. West City is expensive, and we dare not buy without background. Because of Zhao Bo's relationship, the shops introduced by the brokers are all good. The locations are not so good, and they can barely be considered second-class shops. I have seen two shops that can be easily sold in the future, one is 200 taels, and the other is 180 taels."
Zhou Shuren took a deep breath and drank another cup of tea before continuing, "The house was introduced by Zhao Bo. Zhao Bo's relatives were going to Beijing to live with their relatives and asked the family to sell the house. The house with two entrances is at the junction of West City and South City. All the large furniture has been sold, leaving only one empty room. It's quite expensive, five hundred taels."
Zhulan hissed. Five hundred taels was too high for the house in Pingzhou. But then she thought that the price was not for the house, but for the location and the reputation of the Zhao family. If she bought the Zhao family's house, there would be a hint of incense. In the future, the ruffians would not come to bully her. In ancient times, it was said that it was good to lean against a big tree for shade. "A total of eight hundred and eighty taels, the money is enough."
Zhou Shuren, "There are still taxes to be calculated. You have to go to the government to get a red deed. If there is a problem, the government will intervene. You also have to give Brother Zhao a thank-you fee, the broker's fee, and the money for the official duties. Nine hundred and fifty taels is good enough."
Zhu Lan was silent. If Zhou Shuren hadn't known Zhao Bo, he would have to spend at least one hundred taels more, and he wouldn't be able to buy a good place. In ancient times, status and background were too important. After thinking about something happy, she asked, "How much is the rent for the shop per year?"