It wasn’t that Manman was stingy; the reality was that she herself was poor. She was determined that these eighty taels of silver could not be cunningly snatched away by anyone else. Her purpose in making money was to buy land. Once they had bought the land, even if others eyed their property, the Lian Family still owned more than twenty mu of land, which ant that no one could easily encroach upon this newly purchased plot.
Because of this reasoning, Manman had just discussed with Lian Shouxin about using all of the eighty taels of silver to buy land, and the sooner, the better; it would be best if they could make the purchase today.
"All three plots of land sound good," Lian Shouxin said.
"If we’re really going to buy, we should go see them first and then decide," Wu Yugui said.
"Let’s go see them now then," Manman said.
"That sounds good," Lian Shouxin nodded, being a straightforward person; he was extrely delighted at the prospect of buying land.
Carrying eighty taels of silver was risky, so they left it at Yue Lai Tavern. Shopkeeper Wu was a very proper businessman. He even wrote a note and stamped it before taking their silver for safekeeping. They all agreed that once they had bought the land, they would return to the tavern for Shopkeeper Wu to arrange a celebratory al.
Wu Yugui stepped out and called for a horse-drawn carriage; Lian Shouxin, Manman, Wu Lang, and Xiao Qi all boarded, heading directly to Zhao Family Village.
Zhao Family Village and Thirty Mile Camp were adjacent villages. The parcel of land for sale was right next to the land of Thirty Mile Camp, and it was less than a mile away, separated only by a narrow path from the northern plot of land belonging to the Lian Family.
Everyone alighted from the carriage as the rain continued, although it had lessened considerably and was now a fine drizzle. Wu Yugui pointed out the parcel of land to Lian Shouxin, who looked over the terrain. Seeing that it was so close to ho, he was already very keen; he stooped to scoop up so soil in his palm and rubbed it between his fingers to examine it.
"Young brother, you have a knack for farming; you know the quality of the surrounding land even without seeing it. This land is said to be diocre, but it is actually more than enough to be considered above average. It’s only because Zhao Jin’s family urgently needs money that they want to sell," Wu Yugui explained. "He intends to sell the entire plot and wants cash paynt."
Twenty-five mu of land at four taels of silver per mu ca to a total of one hundred taels of silver. Manman and her party had eighty taels. Wu Yugui didn’t ask where the silver ca from, assuming it had sothing to do with Shopkeeper Wu. They needed an additional twenty taels of silver, which he knew would not be easy for the Lian Family to gather. That’s why he reminded Lian Shouxin again.
"Third Brother Wu, is this well also included in the land?" Lian Shouxin pointed to the well at the edge of the field and asked.
Manman also ran to the well. It was large with a diater of about four ters, but not deep, lacking groundwater and serving only to store rainwater and ltwater. Despite this, it was incredibly useful during droughts.
"Yes, this well belongs to his family and cos with the land, no extra charge," Wu Yugui affird.
Manman looked around—the land had the convenience of a creek about half a mile to the west. It seed that water access for this plot was quite practical. As for the quality of the soil itself, she understood little, but she trusted Lian Shouxin’s judgnt.
Seeing Lian Shouxin’s satisfaction with the land, Wu Yugui led them to Zhao Jin’s ho to negotiate. Zhao Jin’s family was small, just an elderly couple. Their son was doing business in Prefecture City, and once the land was sold, they planned to move there, using the money to fund their son’s business.
Wu Yugui discussed with Zhao Jin whether the price for the land could be lowered.
"Dad, can we buy this plot of land?" Manman whispered to Lian Shouxin.
Lian Shouxin nodded slightly.
"But the eighty taels of silver is not enough," Lian Shouxin said, noting that the Zhao Family did not seem willing to split the land for sale or to lower the price to eighty taels, which left them in a predicant.
Manman kept silent. They currently had eighty taels of silver; gathering a total of one hundred taels ant they could consider using the twenty taels given to them last ti by Shen Liu. However, if Wu Yugui could help lower the price a bit, that would be even better. Now that she was poor, she had to cut corners wherever possible, looking for savings wherever she could.
After negotiating for a while, Zhao Jin only agreed to reduce the price by five taels of silver.
Wu Yugui ca over to tell Lian Shouxin that they could afford the land at that price.
"There’s no rush, the land isn’t going anywhere. Why don’t we take a look at the other two plots first?" seeing that the Lian Family mbers weren’t speaking, Wu Yugui suggested.
"That’s a good idea," Manman agreed.
"We don’t need to look at the plot in our village," said Lian Shouxin once they were back in the carriage.
Wu Yugui smiled and nodded.
"Dad, why not take a look?" Manman asked curiously. Although that plot of land was priced higher, it was a superior tract and belonged to their own village. If suitable, they should certainly consider buying it.
"Wang Ren is from Scholar Wang’s family," Lian Shouxin explained.
"That plot of land is right next to Thirty Mile Camp, Lian Si, and I have to say, I knew you were a wise man," Wu Yugui laughed.
Manman was still puzzled.
"That plot of land isn’t far from Scholar Wang’s Family land," Lian Shouxin whispered to Manman and to their two sons.
Manman began to understand without Lian Shouxin saying more.
The carriage soon arrived at West Village. The land there was also diocre, but the soil quality was much inferior to that of Zhao Jin’s plot. Additionally, there was no nearby water source, which could pose a serious problem in tis of drought.
"If it’s a one-ti cash paynt, I’ll talk to the owner. Eighty taels should be about right," Wu Yugui muttered to Lian Shouxin.
Before Lian Shouxin could reply, two people were seen staggering over from the village.
"Oh, Third Brother Wu, Old Fourth, what brings you here... to buy land?" (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welco to vote for it with recomndations and monthly tickets at Qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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