The young man thought for a while, then turned and said, "Alright, I’ll take you to the inn."

Manbao and the others immediately took their horses and followed him. Bai Shan, however, called a guard and quietly instructed him, "Go and tell Assistant General Nie to stay at the intersection for a bit longer. We’ll first arrange our accommodation."

The guard agreed.

The young man led them deeper into the street. The houses here were quite different from those in the Central Plains, and the people’s appearances were also slightly different, not to mention the clothes and jewelry.

The people on both sides of the street saw that Zhou Man’s group was accompanied by the young man. They looked at the young man with both envy and pity, and did not crowd around to recommend their lodgings as they did at the street entrance.

The further they walked in, the taller the buildings and the larger the doors became, and there were also more shops on both sides.

Manbao noticed that many shops here displayed wolf pelts, melons and fruits, and brightly colored fabrics.

Seeing her curiosity, the young man enthusiastically said, "These are our fabrics, very beautiful. My family also has some. If you want to buy, I can sell them to you cheaper."

Manbao smiled and said, "We’ll take a look first. There are quite a few shops here. Do they sell to locals or passing business travelers?"

"Both locals buy, and passing business travelers buy. Our fabrics are especially good and breathable."

Manbao decided she might take a look later.

The young man led them into an alley, and crossing through it, they reached a larger road by the lake.

The lakeside was filled with abundant flowers and plants, butterflies flying around. A breeze blew away the afternoon heat.

Manbao raised an eyebrow slightly and asked him, "How many large inns are there here?"

The young man, knowing they wouldn’t stay at his own house, didn’t hide the truth, "Two, one here and one over there, not far apart, both in the best locations."

Manbao asked, "Is the accommodation expensive?"

The young man laughed, "Would a lady such as yourself care about money?"

Manbao nodded, "I’m afraid I might not be able to return home, and then I’ll have to stay and work for bun money."

This sentence seemed to hit his funny bone somehow, and the young man laughed heartily, then said to Manbao, "You won’t."

Then he added, "Since there are few guests now, the room rates are not high. Just tell the innkeeper to give you a discount. If he doesn’t, go stay somewhere else, and he will definitely be willing to lower the price."

The young man then said in a foreign language, "Ale, that greedy person won’t let any guest leave his shop unchecked."

This accented foreign language was not very clear to Manbao, but Zhou Liru understood it and whispered to her aunt.

Manbao raised an eyebrow, now having a good idea.

After walking for a while, the young man finally stopped in front of an inn with high lanterns hanging. Even before entering, he shouted loudly in a foreign language to the people inside, "Ale, I brought guests for you."

Manbao and the others knew he wanted to earn from both ends and didn’t mind this behavior.

A middle-aged man with a small mustache quickly came out, beaming as he looked at Bai Shan and Zhou Man, enthusiastically inviting them inside to sit, "Respectable guests, do you want to stay in a courtyard or stay upstairs?"

Bai Shan heard this and asked, "Do you have courtyards?"

"Yes, yes," Ale pointed behind him with a smile, "The row at the back and the courtyard on the left are all mine. Seeing you honorable guests, you might want to stay in a courtyard."

Bai Shan then looked at Manbao, "Do you want to stay in a courtyard?"

An independent courtyard is naturally much more comfortable.

Manbao asked, "How much is a courtyard per night?"

Ale looked at Zhou Man seriously and replied, "Are you planning to stay short-term or long-term? If it’s long-term, it’s only two taels of silver or one bolt of secondary silk per month."

This price is comparable to the capital.

Manbao asked, "And if it’s short-term?"

"Then it’s one hundred and twenty coins a day, but water and firewood are not provided by our restaurant. The young miss and young gentlemen must instruct their attendants to purchase these things."

Manbao asked, "What about upstairs?"

"Upstairs is sixty coins a day. Besides meals, you can have free tea or baths anytime," Ale laughed and said, "Honestly, it’s only because there are fewer people in town now that we have this price. When it’s crowded, our upstairs would be eighty coins a day, courtyards would not be rented unless long-term, and they would cost three taels of silver a month."

It’s cheaper than the first inn they stayed at when entering the desert, but...

Manbao and the others looked outside. Lining the street were various shops, and naturally, inns, not to mention many families eager to rent out rooms in the town.

The former is a unique business, but not here.

Manbao asked, "How many rooms are in one courtyard?"

Ale detailed for them, "Courtyards are all similar, one large room, a living room, two small rooms, and then there’s a stable and kitchen."

Manbao blinked, "That’s it?"

Ale shrugged, "That’s it."

Oh, then the rent is somewhat pricier than in the capital.

They proposed to view the rooms.

Ale, smiling, led them to take a look. After showing them around, he smiled, "For the young gentlemen and ladies, two courtyards would suffice. Your attendants can stay upstairs in our inn."

Referring to Daji and the guards.

However, when traveling, how could they stay separately, leaving the guards to stay elsewhere? Who knows if there might be a robbery at night?

The courtyard was behind the inn, down a long alley. A row of courtyards stretched along the alley.

The courtyard was not large, half the size of the one Manbao lived in herself. In the center were two rooms, one was a living room, extending to a small room, and on the other side was the main bedroom. Below were two rows of houses, two rooms per row. The left side was all guest rooms, not large, while the right housed the kitchen and bathhouse. In cold weather here, it’s very cold, so the bathhouse was specially built.

Both sides of the courtyard had space for parking carriages and a place for stables.

It’s small but had all the essentials.

But it was also too small.

After checking the rooms, Manbao asked the owner, "Is there nothing larger?"

Ale paused, then said, "There is, but it’s more expensive."

Bai Shan said, "Show us."

The larger courtyards were in better locations, in the same row as the inn, built facing the lake. This row of courtyards was comparatively larger, having three main rooms, a central living room, and two rows of rooms below. One side had three rooms, four of which could be lived in. The best part was, there was a second floor.

On the second floor above the main rooms, besides the attic, there were four more rooms, all livable.

Ale gauged their expressions with a smile, "These courtyards in this row are very valuable, requiring a rent of five taels of silver a month. Short-term rent is four hundred coins per night..."

Bai Shan waved to Daji at the back, "Go ahead and bargain with him."

Daji: ...

The guards felt a bit frustrated. Killing is one thing, why did they have to do managerial work too?

But even though they’d never slaughtered a pig, they’d seen pigs run. Bai Shan and the others stepped aside, and the guards encircled and began bargaining with the innkeeper.

The innkeeper: ...