Chapter 23: Successfully Buying a House Hua Ling walked to the place where Yunxiu lived. As soon as she entered, she saw Yunxiu waiting for her. The moment Yunxiu saw her arrive, she hurried forward and said, “Madam, you’re finally here. The landlady has been waiting for you for ages and kept saying she wanted to leave. I’ve already managed to keep her here several times.”
“Well done. Come, I’ll go in and have a look.” Hua Ling smiled and strode into the room. She saw a woman dressed in blue checkered clothes waiting there impatiently. As soon as the woman saw her come in, she hurriedly said, “Are you the one buying the house?”
Hua Ling hadn’t expected her to be so direct, and quickly nodded. “Yes.”
“I have urgent business and have to leave in a hurry. One fixed price: fifteen taels. Though my houses aren’t very large, each one is a separate courtyard with its own entrance. It’ll be very convenient for you to rent them out too,” the middle-aged woman said anxiously. She truly did look very rushed.
“Elder sister, can’t we sit down and talk? What urgent matter do you have?” Hua Ling found it rather strange and thought she had better make sure she wasn’t being tricked, so she wanted to ask around a little.
“To tell you the truth, I’m in a hurry to return to my hometown. My parents-in-law are both there, and my mother-in-law has fallen ill with no one to look after her. My husband passed away early, and fortunately he left me these few houses, so I’ve been able to live off the rent. But now that my mother-in-law is ill, I have to rush back. Otherwise, I would never be willing to sell the houses.” The middle-aged woman rattled off a long explanation, then said impatiently, “Madam, if you want to buy, then hurry. There are others who want to buy too. This price is already low enough. If I weren’t in such a hurry to leave, I absolutely wouldn’t sell at this price.”
After hearing her say so much, Hua Ling glanced at Yunxiu. Seeing Yunxiu nod, Hua Ling knew the woman was telling the truth and no longer hesitated. She said, “All right, I’ll buy them. But not for fifteen taels—twenty taels. Since you’re so filial, take the extra five taels as a small token of my goodwill.”
The landlady was startled and hurriedly bent at the waist to thank her. “Thank you, Madam, thank you, Madam. With such a kind heart, you will surely be blessed by the lucky star and have everything go smoothly.” As she spoke, she took out the deed and handed it to Hua Ling. “This is the deed. Please take a look first.”
“It’s fine. I trust you.” Hua Ling took the deed with a smile, then took out twenty taels of silver and handed it to her. The landlady accepted the silver and left after expressing her endless thanks.
“Madam, you truly have a good heart. You should know that five taels of silver is enough here to cover two years’ worth of expenses for an ordinary family,” Yunxiu said with a smile.
“She’s a pitiful person too. If I can help a little, then I will. How is your mother?” Hua Ling asked with concern.
“She’s already much better. Thank you for your concern, Madam. The doctor said that as long as she rests properly for a few more days, she’ll be able to get out of bed and move around. This is all thanks to Madam’s kindness. If it weren’t for you, I don’t know what state my mother would be in now!” Yunxiu said gratefully.
“Silly girl, don’t say that. I only helped a little; it was you who took good care of her. By the way, do you have enough money?” Hua Ling asked with concern.
“Enough, enough. Madam, I didn’t pawn all the jewelry you gave me. There are still several pieces left. My mother’s illness is almost better now, so we no longer need too much money. I was just thinking of returning the remaining jewelry to you. As for what has already been spent, I’ll slowly pay you back,” Yunxiu said very seriously.
“What a silly girl. Did I ever ask you to pay me back? Since I gave them to you, they’re yours. I won’t make you return anything. Keep the remaining pieces too. In any case, I don’t need them.”
“But those are Madam’s belongings. This servant does not dare accept them.”
“If you keep babbling, I won’t want you anymore. It’s only a few pieces of jewelry—why keep pushing them back and forth? All right, I should be heading back now. Take good care of your mother, and buy the elder some nourishing food to help her recover,” Hua Ling instructed.
“Yes, this servant understands. Thank you, Madam. Take care, Madam!” Yunxiu said as she followed behind her, her face full of gratitude.
With this deed in hand, Hua Ling now had something to fall back on, so naturally she was in an excellent mood. If her cooperation with Jin Junxi could succeed, then things would truly be perfect. What did a four-piece bedding set count for? It was only a small test of her abilities—the truly brilliant things were still to come. She was going to let this backward era witness the wisdom of modern people! Just thinking about it made her so happy she wanted to jump for joy!!!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear readers, if you like this, please be sure to add it to your favorites!!! Xiangxiang bows to you here!!!