Seeing her mother wandering around, Gu Fei asked: “What’s wrong? Don’t you have a place to cook?”

Mrs. Chen sighed: “There are not enough stoves. I think this is not a long-term solution. It’s okay for 1 or 2 days, but since we share a kitchen and a yard, we’re bound to clash with each other. I think something will happen sooner or later.”

Gu Fei nodded: “Don’t worry, mother. Let Father ask Liu Zhuangtou tomorrow to see if there are any houses for rent around here. We can rent a house first.”

Gu Zhang said beside him: “Don’t wait until tomorrow. I’ll go ask now. Anyway, there’s no food to eat.”

Gu Fei thought for a while: “Dad, please ask if there is any land to buy around here.”

Gu Zhang nodded: “Okay, I’ll ask at the same time.”

Gu Fei brought a piece of pickled meat and a bag of brown sugar: “Dad, take these.”

Mrs. Chen smiled: “Xiao Fei has improved.”

Gu Zhang left with the pickled meat and brown sugar.

Mrs. Chen simply asked Gu Fei to bring out some dumplings, and after a long while, she went to the kitchen.

But there were still no extra stoves.

The eldest aunt and Aunt Liu had already left, Aunt Huang was using one, Mrs. Yu was using another, and Mrs. Qian was still there, doing something.

Mrs. Chen had no choice but to go back.

When she went there again, there was no one in the kitchen.

Just as Mrs. Chen was about to boil dumplings, she saw that the firewood piled in the kitchen had been used up, and the water tank that Gu Erlang and Gu Sanlang had filled before had also gone down a lot.

Mrs. Chen sent Li Chunhua to call Gu Qing and others to go outside to pick up some firewood.

After a long time of struggling, the dumplings were finally cooked.

When Gu Zhang came back, it was time for dinner.

Everyone took a bowl of dumplings and ate in the main hall.

After eating dumplings, when the old lady entered the room, Lian’er and Lanzhi went to wash the dishes, Gu Zhang called the family together and whispered: “I just asked Liu Zhuangtou, the land around Ping’an City is all paddy fields, and now it is 8 taels of silver per mu.”

Mrs. Chen frowned: “So expensive?”

In their hometown, the best dry land was only two or three taels of silver per mu, and paddy fields were at most five taels.

Gu Zhang shook his head: “You think it’s too expensive, but you can’t buy it.”

“Most of the farms in the suburbs are owned by officials and wealthy businessmen. Few of them are sold. Occasionally, they are sold, and they are also very popular. As long as the news is spread, they will be sold quickly.”

“If we want to buy land, we can only buy it far away.”

Gu Fei shook her head: “It’s far away, and it’s not convenient to go to the city.”

She planned to grow peppers and sell them in the city. The population of Ping’an City was close to one million, with strong consumption power. Chili peppers, when they first come out, can’t be sold too cheaply. Ordinary people just want to have enough food and clothing. I guess only those rich people who pursue the ultimate taste of food will be willing to buy them.

If it’s too far from the city, it will be inconvenient to buy and sell things.

Gu Zhang nodded: “That’s what I said.”

“However, Liu Zhuangtou revealed a piece of information to me. He said that there is a manor not far from here, with about 200 acres of land and a pond of several acres. It belongs to an official who committed a crime. He said that his family plans to sell the silver to bribe the government. The news was only released today, but the land is not sold piecemeal. If you want to buy it, buy it all together. The price is 2,000 taels of silver.”

Mrs. Chen opened her mouth wide: “How much?”

Gu Zhang said again, “2000 taels!”

Gu Fei’s mouth twitched: “Father, one less zero is more or less.”

After spending all this time, she still had about 250 taels of silver left.

It was enough to buy more than 20 acres of land.

But they have to keep some money in her hand.