Unlimited estates for rural beauty-Chapter 155: The Origin of Zhangzhou Prefecture (4)
"Miss, your washing water is here," Baihe brought the basin over to the stand and came over to help her mistress with her clothes.
"Good, call Yingsu over, and let’s go take a look." She felt much more refreshed after washing up.
Upon leaving the inn, following the address given by the shopkeeper, they found the broker from Wu.
"Young Master, I do have a property, but it’s not as large as you described—only a bit more than three hundred acres. It’s priced at three thousand taels of silver, and it’s not far from the Prefecture Government, just a half-hour carriage ride away." The broker from Wu flipped through his ledger for a long time but couldn’t find an estate over a thousand acres as the young master had described.
"Are you worried we won’t give you the silver?" Yingsu’s impatience got the better of her and she confronted the broker from Wu. "Doesn’t this large prefecture have a single large estate?"
"Oh no, of course not, estates over a thousand acres belong to the wealthy gentry of Zhangzhou Prefecture or the large family clans. They don’t usually sell their estates, and even if you want to buy, it’s still very difficult. This one, a bit more than three hundred acres, was just registered this morning," the broker from Wu waved his hands frantically, trying to explain to Feng Xuxu.
"Alright, then let’s go see this estate you mentioned," Feng Xuxu said, finding the broker’s words reasonable.
"Sure, let’s go then!" Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he led them to rent a cart from the Prefecture Government and headed for the estate.
As they traveled, Feng Xuxu observed the crops in the fields, most of which were wheat already in ear, looking like they would be ready to harvest in a month’s time.
"Broker Wu, is all the land here planted with wheat?" After inspecting the crops, she turned to ask the broker from Wu who stood nearby.
"Yes, the fields are currently planted with winter wheat, which will soon be harvested, and then they’ll be replanted with corn. The land only yields these two crops per year, which is just enough for the farmers’ own needs."
"Brother Wu, we’ve arrived," Feng Xuxu and the others alighted from the carriage and told the coachman to wait for them again.
The broker from Wu stepped forward to call for the gates to be opened: "We’ve come to view the estate."
An old man left in charge of the gates opened them and let the group inside.
After taking a full tour, Feng Xuxu and her companions found the estate satisfactory, aside from somewhat barren land which resulted in lower crop yields—a likely reason for the sale.
"Broker Wu, I find this estate quite satisfactory. I’ll take it. Please contact the owner for me. We’ll deal with the deeds and other formalities later, and then I’ll settle the rest of the silver." Taking out a silver note worth one thousand taels, she handed it to the shopkeeper and made an appointment to complete the transfer. Only then would the estate be truly hers.
"Okay, I’ll contact them as soon as I get back. After everything is taken care of, where should I find you? Whose name should I put on the deed?" After talking for so long, he still didn’t know the buyer’s identity.
"Just write Feng Xuxu’s name on it. We’re currently staying at the top-grade rooms of the Yingfu Inn."
"Alright, I’ll bring it to you once everything is processed." After taking the silver note and confirming the address, he prepared to manage the transfer of the deed.
The group returned to the Prefecture Government, and by that time it was dinner. They found a restaurant called Yaxuan Pavilion nearby to have a meal before returning.
Just as the dishes were served and they were about to begin eating, a young man in a crescent white robe joined the table. Upon closer inspection, it was the charming scholar they had met at noon.
"Hehe, to meet again is fate. I’ve found you once more. This time, I’ll treat you. Let’s go upstairs to dine together," said Zhang Junyi, not expecting to run into the person who had paid for his meal earlier just as he entered the restaurant.
Feng Xuxu looked speechlessly at the sunny boy before her, wondering how eating a meal could lead to such a chance encounter. Was the Prefecture just too small, or was it really a matter of fate?
