Chapter 460: Chapter 449: The Top Scorer of the Farming Family
With a temporary residence secured, Ye Qiu and his companions soon settled down, and Wang Zhaoxing and Xiuya did not look for another place but stayed with Ye Qiu.
Since the courtyard was rented for a year, there was no rush to buy another property. However, the roses they brought with them could be planted in the rented courtyard. It wouldn’t work once Ye Qiu’s butler brought over the larger rose plants, so the priority was to find a manor or farmland in the suburbs.
But in Shangjing, with numerous Imperial Relatives and powerful officials, demand for manors in the suburbs certainly exceeded supply. Not only did one need money, but also luck.
In fact, Ye Qiu’s funds were not ample as property prices in Shangjing were high, and he had already used up half of his family’s wealth as Xiuya’s dowry. Although they sold some roses on the way to Shangjing, affording a courtyard and a manor in one go was a bit of a stretch.
"Let’s buy a manor first," Ye Qiu decided firmly. "Having a manor means having an income. If necessary, we can rent this courtyard for another year."
Xiuya, helpless with the unused silver, knew that she and Wang Zhaoxing didn’t really need any money at present, but her elder brother absolutely refused it. At night, she discussed the property purchase with Wang Zhaoxing. Since her elder brother did not want her silver, they might as well sell off a property and move out.
Unless one is a live-in son-in-law, in this era, it was unheard of for a married woman to live with her husband long-term in her parental home. Even if she was willing and her brother agreed, who knows if Wang Zhaoxing would be happy about it over time?
Moreover, her brother and sister were still unmarried. It wasn’t convenient for her and Wang Zhaoxing to always stay there.
Once this issue was raised, Wang Zhaoxing quite agreed. He wasn’t uncomfortable or anything; he just felt that since they were newly married, he hoped to spend more time alone with Xiuya.
However, Wang Zhaoxing was reluctant to use Xiuya’s dowry to buy the property. Before coming here, the Wang family had divided their assets. Besides his own silver, he had borrowed some from his elder brother and sister-in-law. Combined, they should be able to afford a smaller property without a problem.
The couple went into action right after discussing it, visiting a real estate agent with Ye Qiu the very next day.
Shangjing was really vast, more than three times larger than Dingshui State. Just the area where they were staying, West Market, provided Xiutong and Xiuying with enough shops to browse for two whole days. While their elder brother and sister-in-law went house hunting, they had nothing else to do, so they wandered around, primarily visiting two places: the flower market and the restaurants.
There were many officials and nobles in Shangjing with vast residences, requiring a considerable amount of flowers. Some large families even had their own flower houses. It was here that Xiutong found several rose varieties she had never seen before.
Whenever Xiutong encountered an unrecognized rose variety, she was eager to purchase it, believing that existence itself had meaning. Each variety had its merits, and even if its flower shape, abundance, or color did not appeal, it might have great disease resistance or rapid growth. Only by collecting more varieties could she have a better chance of cultivating a perfect new rose.
Xiutong was lost in thought on how to cultivate the roses, while Xiuying was evaluating the dishes, stating their recipes and cooking methods.
"Hmm... It contains soy sauce, vinegar, and salt... A spoonful of sugar added before serving really enhances the flavor, indeed not bad. The chef has a good control of the heat; truly, chefs from Shangjing live up to their reputation."
"And this osmanthus cake, not only does it have sugar, but it also includes cow’s milk. The plate has been chilled; such thoughtful presentation. This thousand-layered cake is also delicious; it must have been fermented twice to achieve this result."
Xiuying commented casually, but those listening nearby took interest, especially since she was pretty and cute. Her way of savoring the food made it all the more appetizing. Today, Xia Yu had snuck out and wasn’t feeling hungry around noon. If not for his attendant’s advice, he wouldn’t have come in. Yet, by listening to the young girl’s comments and watching her eat, he found himself unexpectedly finishing a bowl of rice.
The attendant was greatly surprised; normally, their master would have to be coaxed several times before reluctantly eating a little. But today, unexpectedly, he finished a bowl of rice and even had a stack of pastries. This was truly astonishing.
Following Xia Yu’s gaze, he saw a very plump and cute little girl, with cheeks rosy and fair, clearly well-fed. Which Family’s little girl is this who could whet the master’s appetite? This is indeed a great blessing. He must find someone to investigate which Family she belongs to.
Xiuying put down her chopsticks and picked up a spoon to ladle half a bowl of soup. Xia Yu, following her movements, also had a bowl, and it wasn’t until after he put down his bowl that he felt his stomach a bit distended.
After Xiutong and Xiuying left, he was still chiding himself; it was so unbecoming, how could he have been so unrestrained all of a sudden?
He and his attendant watched Xiuying intently, but Xiuying herself did not notice them at all from the beginning to the end.
The attendant inwardly sighed; these two little girls really had big hearts. Their family head was handsome and outstanding, and the two guards were also imposing. Everyone else in the hall was covertly watching them, but only these two little girls were behaving as if nothing was amiss.
Speaking of which, Xiutong and Xiuying were truly innocent; Xiutong was contemplating how to cultivate her roses, and Xiuying was wholly focused on the food, why would she be mindful of other people? Besides, after seeing their elder brother too many times, they felt other people were just so-so.
In fact, all this was thanks to the Space Spirit Spring Water. The looks of the Ye Family were already above average, and nourished over a long time by the Spiritual Spring Water, their complexion became luminous as though they were crafted from Water Spirit jade. With such good looks within their own family, Xiutong and Xiuying naturally did not care much about the appearances of others.
But just because they didn’t care, didn’t mean others didn’t; the news of a family of beauties moving into West Market had already spread through the streets and alleys. Only such unconcerned minds like theirs, preoccupied with their own matters, would fail to notice the gazes of others.
Upon returning home, they received some good news: Ye Qiu had finally bought a small manor in the suburbs of Shangjing.
The manor was not large and rather remote with no nearby water flow, but fortunately, it was located on the sunny side of a hill, and roses thrive in sunlight, so the shady side would definitely not do. As for water, digging a well or a pond would be fine.
"There’s a row of farmhouses in the manor, but they are very dilapidated and need to be repaired. Moreover, mulberry trees used to be cultivated here, and it will be troublesome to get rid of them," Ye Qiu said with some headache. However, given his current status and wealth, this was already the best he could buy at present.
"No worries, we’ll take it slow," Xiutong was not discouraged at all; instead, she was very happy because she finally had a place to focus on planting her roses.
Marquis, we were too late, someone has already bought that manor," Xiao He reported today, finally catching a follower of the Cult transporting gunpowder. He returned home weary from his official duties only to hear such news.
"Who?"
"It’s that family you asked me to inquire about the other day, a Family by the surname of Ye. I heard they bought it for flower cultivation."
Xiao He furrowed his brows. Although he did not care much for gossip in his previous life, he knew that the manor was eventually purchased by the Prince Qing Mansion due to an iron mine within the mountain, which later caused quite a few troubles. So, he planned to buy it in advance and present it to the court. However, when he finally thought of it, it was already bought by someone else. Could it be that his rebirth caused a shift in events?