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Gu Zhang nodded: “I know we can’t afford it, but I told Liu Zhuangtou to ask him to help me find out. If anyone is willing to buy it, he will keep an eye out for me to see if he can give us 10 or 20 acres of land.”

Gu Fei shook her head: “People who can afford 2,000 taels of silver don’t care about an extra 100 or 200 taels.”

“There’s no need to give you a few acres.”

Gu Zhang sighed: “I’m just talking about it, maybe there’s hope.”

“By the way, Liu Zhuangtou said that there are only officials or wealthy merchants’ manors around here, and no one has a house to rent, and none of the tenants have an empty house.”

Gu Fei thought for a while: “Then let’s go to the city tomorrow to take a look. If the houses in the city are cheap, we can rent a house in the city. Living in someone else’s house is not a long-term solution.”

Gu Zhang nodded: “Then go to bed. There’s no rush to travel tomorrow. Sleep until you get up and go back to the city.”

Everyone went to wash up and sleep.

Gu Fei had just finished washing up and was about to have breakfast before going into the city when Liu Zhuangtou suddenly came over.

He pulled Gu Zhang and whispered: “Someone has come to see the farm. I know that man. He is a famous rich man in the city, known as Young Master Zhu. His family runs several restaurants, pawnshops, and silver shops.”

“This man is kind and generous. If you get along with him, he might be able to give you 10 to 20 acres of land.”

Gu Fei’s eyes lit up, and she hurried over: “Dad, let’s go and take a look.”

Gu Zhang called Gu Qing and Gu Fei to go out with Liu Zhuangtou.

The farm to be sold was connected to Su Chen’s farm.

As soon as Gu Fei went out, she saw a few horses in the distance, heading to a farther place.

Gu Fei made a prompt decision: “Liu Zhuangtou, where is the manor? Let’s go directly to the manor.”

They couldn’t catch up with the horsemen on foot, so they had to go to the manor to block people. Since they had seen the land, they must also see the manor.

Liu Zhuangtou pointed forward: “Not far, I’ll take you there.”

It didn’t take long for everyone to reach the manor.

The old man who was guarding the manor recognized Liu Zhuangtou, greeted him, and invited everyone to sit in.

Gu Fei looked around.

This manor was similar to Young Master Su’s manor, with two courtyards, and two osmanthus trees planted on the left and right of the front yard.

After waiting in the yard for an incense stick, they heard horses neighing at the gate of the yard.

Gu Zhang hurriedly took Gu Qing and Gu Fei out.

When they arrived at the gate of the manor, they met several people getting off their horses.

Gu Fei saw a young man in his twenties, with a square face, big ears, and a handsome appearance.

The young man was wearing a fox fur coat with a pine green brocade surface, a stone blue round flower fur robe inside, and a small golden crown inlaid with pearls on his head. At first glance, he looked rich and noble.

Gu Zhang stepped forward and saluted: “Greetings to Young Master Zhu.”

Young Master Zhu casually threw the whip to the attendant next to him, “You are–”

Gu Zhang hurriedly said: “I am Gu Zhang, temporarily staying at Young Master Su’s manor next door. I heard that Young Master Zhu is kind and generous, so I came to get to know him.”

Young Master Zhu raised an eyebrow.

The manor next door, the head of the manor, was originally the property of Prince Qi, and now it was in the hands of Prince Qi’s nephew, and the young man’s surname was Su.

These heads of the manor have already privately understood the situation nearby, for fear of accidentally offending someone they shouldn’t offend.

Donghai County was under the jurisdiction of Prince Qi. It can be said that Prince Qi has the largest land in this area, except for the emperor.

 

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.

 

Liu Zhuangtou nodded repeatedly: “I will take good care of the guests.”

Chen Hu gave a few more instructions before saying goodbye to Gu Zhang and the others.

Liu Zhuangtou led everyone in. It was a two-entry courtyard. There was a stable in the front yard and a row of sitting rooms. Some flowers and plants were planted along the courtyard wall.

Entering from the hanging flower gate, there was a second courtyard, a row of main rooms, and side rooms on both sides.

This inner courtyard was more exquisite. There was a piece of Taihu stone in the middle of the courtyard, and flowers and plants were planted around it. The corridor connected the main room and the side rooms.

The doors and windows were all carved and covered with window paper.

Liu Zhuangtou smiled and said: “You can live in these rooms as you like. If you need anything, just come to me. I live in the back room in the front yard.”

Gu Zhang hurriedly bowed and said: “Thank you, Liu Zhuangtou. We are new here. I am afraid that there will be a lot of things to trouble you in the future. Please go and do your work. I will come to you if there is anything.”

Liu Zhuangtou bowed and left.

Everyone had never seen such an exquisite courtyard. They looked around and felt very fresh.

Mrs. Qian’s eyes lit up, and she walked into the main hall. There was only a piece of wingwood furniture, a few armchairs, a long table, and two flower tables in the corner. Perhaps because no one lived there, there was no decoration.

There were two doors next to the main hall, which were the two main rooms.

Mrs. Qian walked into one of the rooms and couldn’t help but exclaim, “Oh my God——”

There was a large bed with gold-painted carvings inside. The bed looked like a small room, with a pedal of more than one person wide in front and small tables at both ends. The whole bed was carved with flowers of the four seasons, painted with gold and lacquer, and looked exquisite and luxurious.

Everyone came over to take a look when they heard Mrs. Qian’s exclamation.

Aunt Liu exclaimed: “Is this a bed? How can a bed be made like this? This is simply a small room!”

Mrs. Qian was delighted: “I have lived for decades and have never seen such an exquisite bed. This is good. I will sleep here tonight!”

After she finished speaking, Aunt Liu snorted: “This is the main room. What qualifications do you have to sleep here?”

“We all have this free room to live in thanks to Second Brother Gu. This main room should naturally belong to their family.”

Mrs. Qian’s eyebrows were raised. Just as she was about to refute, she suddenly squinted and said: “I am not qualified to live here, but such a good room must be given to my mother.”

She looked back at Xing’er and said loudly: “Xing’er, you stay here with your grandma at night. It’s just right to serve tea and water to grandma.”

Gu Fei pouted and walked away.

No matter how good the room was, it belonged to someone else.

What’s the point of arguing about these things?

Everyone looked around and found a room to settle down.

Perhaps it was because of what Aunt Liu said that no one lived in the main house.

There were five main houses, except for the central hall, and the remaining four were two bedrooms and two side rooms.

Mrs. Chen quickly assigned them.

Gu Fei and Lanzi lived in one side room, Gu Qing and his wife lived in another side room with Xiao Cao, Gu Zhang, and Mrs. Chen lived in another bedroom, while Gu Erlang and Gu Sanlang could only sleep on the floor in the main house.

After the assignment, Mrs. Chen started to cook.

There was a kitchen in the front yard. Mrs. Chen and Li Chunhua took Lian’er to the front yard and saw that there were already many people in the kitchen.

There were three big stoves in the kitchen.

Aunt Liu occupied one, the eldest aunt occupied one, Mrs. Qian occupied one, and Mrs. Yu and Shanzi’s mother were waiting next to it.

This yard was exquisite, and the walls were all snow-white. No one dared to build a stove in the yard casually, for fear of blackening the walls.

Mrs. Chen smiled: “Everyone is busy, I’ll come over later.”

The eldest aunt hurriedly said, “Wait a minute, my steamed bread will be ready soon, I’ll give it to you when it’s ready.”

Mrs. Chen nodded: “Don’t worry, you can do your things first, it’s still early, and I’m not hungry.”

Then she went back to the backyard.

 

If Gu Fei knew what Su Chen was thinking, she would reply to him: Ha, men will only affect the speed of my sword drawing!

The reason why she avoided Su Chen was actually because Su Chen was too good-looking, and she was afraid that she would be tempted if she looked at him too much.

Since they were not from the same class, it would be better to stay away from him from the beginning.

As the saying goes, all love that was not for marriage was hooliganism.

*

The next day, they set off again. There were no refugees on the road, and the inns were all open. The rest was to hurry on the road, and the journey was very smooth.

After walking for another half a month, in the evening, the group of people driving the mule cart finally arrived in Ping’an City.

There was no need to pay to enter the city, so everyone had a good impression of Ping’an City.

After entering the city, the clean blue stone paved streets, the bustling crowds on the streets, the various beautifully decorated shops on both sides of the streets, countless small vendors, and the hawking sounds one after another stunned the group of people.

There were also pretty and gentle Jiangnan women, wearing various colored jackets, skirts, and jackets, passing slowly on the street, with slender and graceful figures and a myriad of charms.

Gu Sanlang tugged at his sheepskin jacket and suddenly felt that he was out of tune with this prosperous, lively, and exquisite place.

The village chief couldn’t speak smoothly: “This, this city is so lively, it must cost a lot to stay in an inn here for one night?”

One sentence brought everyone back to reality. The prosperity and liveliness belonged to others, and they were just poor people who couldn’t even afford to stay in an inn.

Su Chen lifted the curtain at this time: “Uncle Gu, where are you going to stay?”

Gu Zhang was scratching his head, confused: “This, I’m not sure yet, let’s find a cheaper inn first.”

Su Chen glanced at Gu Fei not far away and suddenly said: “I have a manor outside the city, which is usually empty. If Uncle Gu doesn’t mind, why don’t you stay there temporarily.”

“This–” Gu Zhang hesitated. Living in someone else’s manor, how much favor would he have to owe to them?

The main point was that his family couldn’t repay this favor.

He looked at Gu Fei, and Gu Fei shook her head slightly.

Su Chen saw Gu Fei’s actions and said anxiously: “Second Uncle Gu, I’m grateful for your family’s care along the way. I don’t know how to repay you. My farm is empty anyway, so it’s okay for you to live there.”

“It’s just a few empty rooms, a place to shelter from the wind and rain. I don’t live there. I live in my uncle’s house.”

Gu Zhang was still hesitating, and the village chief next to him poked Gu Zhang several times, indicating that he should agree quickly.

His family still had money, but their families were all penniless. Gu Zhang smiled helplessly: “In that case, thank you, Young Master Su.”

Su Chen’s brows relaxed: “Chen Hu, take Second Uncle Gu and the others to Qinghe Farm.”

He bowed to Gu Zhang: “Second Uncle Gu, I’ll take my leave first, and I’ll visit you at the farm another day.”

Su Chen’s eyes lingered on Gu Fei for a while, lowered the curtain, and the carriage slowly drove away.

At this time, Uncle Ma also bowed: “Second Master Gu, I’m leaving too.”

Gu Zhang hurriedly said: “Uncle Ma, wait a minute, thanks to you for this journey.” He took out a fifty-Liang silver note: “This is a little gift, please accept it.”

Uncle Ma stretched out his hand to push the silver note back and smiled: “No need, I was originally going to Ping’an City, but it was just on the way. I ate and used your food on the way, just to compensate for it.”

After that, he strode away.

Chen Hu led everyone out of the south gate, and after walking for two-quarters of an hour, they arrived at Qinghe Manor.

In front of the manor was a large pond, which was full of withered lotus leaves.

Opposite the pond was a courtyard with white walls and black tiles, a typical Jiangnan courtyard, with flying eaves and curved walls, exquisite.

Their team had already alarmed people.

As soon as he reached the door, Liu Zhuangtou ran over breathlessly and bowed to Chen Hu: “Guard Chen, this is——”

Chen Hu said casually: “These are all friends of the young master. This is Master Gu, who wants to borrow a house in the manor to live for a while. Please take good care of him.”

 

After dinner, the Gu Family saw that water was free, so they took turns boiling water for bathing.

Gu Fei found a quiet place in the yard to sit down, and her consciousness drifted away.

What would the family do for a living in Ping’an City?

She couldn’t make glass.

She couldn’t make soap.

She couldn’t make cement, either.

Who told her that she was just a liberal arts student in her previous life?

She should have collected some related books earlier.

Thinking of books, Gu Fei suddenly had an idea. In addition to textbooks, she had also collected some books when she passed by a bookstore.

Mainly because there were no movies, TV, or short videos in the end times, she would read some novels about the domineering president falling in love with me to pass the time in her spare time.

Gu Fei entered her consciousness into the space and searched in the pile of books.

Except for the domineering president falling in love with me, there was nothing new about the billionaire’s wife running away with the baby.

Gu Fei was about to lose heart when she turned to the end. Suddenly, she found a thin booklet. She didn’t know how it was inserted. There were a few big words on the booklet: “Artificial Cultivation of Pearls”.

Gu Fei laughed up to the sky in the space. She felt that the shining pearls were waving to her. She would soon become rich and reach the peak of her life.

She quickly opened the booklet and took a look. Then the smile on her lips disappeared little by little.

She recognized all the words on it, but it looked like a heavenly book.

Moreover, the period of raising clams was not short. It takes more than a year at the fastest to see the benefits and two or three years at the slowest.

Gu Fei threw the book away and squatted in the space to worry.

Her eyes fell on the remaining half box of fruits, and her eyes lit up again. She could grow apples!

The Great Ying Dynasty had not introduced apples yet. Should she be afraid that no one will eat them after they are grown?

Immediately, she was discouraged again. The growth period of fruit trees was long.

Without four or five years, they can’t bear fruit at all. If she waits for four or five years, she is afraid that the whole family will starve to death.

Gu Fei was a little crazy, her eyes unconsciously swirled in the space.

Finally, her eyes fell on a bag of dried red peppers.

Gu Fei stood up, she knew what to do!

Plant peppers!

There were pepper seeds in the dried red peppers. Although they have been in space for a long time, according to the nature of the time solidification of the space, the pepper seeds should be usable.

Moreover, the growth cycle of peppers is short, and they can be harvested in a few months. They can be planted twice a year, and several crops can be harvested in one season.

The aunt in the community planted them downstairs, and it seemed that she didn’t take care of them, but the peppers bore fruit.

With an idea, Gu Fei came out of the space with a flash of consciousness. As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw a finger stopped in front of her eyes, almost poking her eyelashes.

Gu Fei quickly tilted her head back and saw Su Chen’s face blushing. He took a step back and took back his hand with embarrassment.

“I, I called you several times just now, but you didn’t respond. I thought you were asleep.”

Do you poke people when they fall asleep?

Gu Fei laughed as she complained in her heart, and stood up: “I was thinking about something just now, and I didn’t hear Young Master Su calling me.”

“Young Master, is there something wrong?”

Su Chen put his hand on his lips and coughed lightly: “Nothing, I just want to thank you, the food tonight is delicious.”

Gu Fei smiled: “Young Master, you are too polite.” After saying that, she bowed to Su Chen turned around, and walked into the inn.

Su Chen looked at her back, feeling a little depressed.

He felt the same last time. He just said a word to her, but she walked away.

Is she avoiding him?

Why?

The village chief felt sorry for the silver: “Don’t worry, it’s good to rest in the wild.”

Su Chen stuck his head out: “Let’s rest for a night, I need treatment for my leg.”

The village chief had no choice but to agree, as this man was now his family’s creditor.

So he went to find an inn first.

He found an inconspicuous inn, where a bed was only ten cents per person without bedding, and water was drawn from the well.

Everyone felt that they had picked up a huge bargain, and happily paid the copper coins and unloaded the mule.

Su Chen originally planned to find a better inn but finally decided to live together, but he wanted a room upstairs.

Gu Fei also asked for a room, boiled a few buckets of free water, took a bath, and then had a good sleep. Mrs. Chen wanted to go shopping, but Gu Fei refused to go. It was hard to have a half-day rest, so she wanted to have a good sleep.

After waking up, Gu Fei decided to make something delicious to reward herself and everyone.

Looking for an opportunity, she took out a large piece of meat and asked Lian’er to cut it into small pieces.

Gu Erlang didn’t go out, so Gu Fei ordered him to build a stove in the backyard and fetch water.

Mrs. Chen and her family came back just as they were busy, and bought a large bundle of vegetables and a fish.

Besides the meat, Gu Fei’s biggest craving was vegetables.

She stared at the vegetables and fish with shining eyes, and Gu Qing hurriedly said: “Chunhua, go and cut the fish, and let Xiao Fei cook it.”

The women in the family joined the battle, some washed the vegetables, and some cut the vegetables.

Gu Fei enjoyed the treatment of a master chef and was in charge of the cooking.

Gu Fei made braised pork today and took a clay pot to simmer on the fire, and the fragrance drifted far away.

Then she made a crucian carp meatball soup, stir-fried cabbage with garlic, and then fried a large plate of eggs.

The shopkeeper of this store was nice, and let them put the food in the lobby to eat, anyway, there were not many customers in the lobby.

After the food was served, Gu Zhang asked Gu Qing to call Su Chen and others upstairs.

There were too many people to sit down, so they were divided into two tables, one for men and one for women.

The braised pork was Gu Fei’s best dish. She learned it from her classmate’s grandmother after eating it at her classmate’s house.

Xiao Cao’s eyes narrowed as she ate, and her shiny little mouth chewed quickly.

Su Chen savored the braised pork carefully, and asked casually, “Second Uncle Gu, which city in Donghai County are you and your family planning to go to?”

Gu Zhang took a sip of wine: “Ping’an City!”

Su Chen’s heart skipped a beat, and he smiled: “I’m going to Ping’an City too.”

Gu Zhang looked yearning: “When I was young, I heard from my teacher that Ping’an City was extremely prosperous, and the Jinshui River ran through the city. Every night, there were countless flower boats and pleasure boats on the river, and the face-washing water splashed by the flower girls would make the whole river fragrant.”

Mrs. Chen, who was at the next table, heard the word “flower girl” and her face changed suddenly, and she clenched the chopsticks in her hand tightly.

Gu Fei coughed lightly, picked up a meatball put it in Mrs. Chen’s bowl, and raised her voice slightly: “Mom, eat the vegetables.”

Su Chen glanced over there and smiled slightly.

Gu Zhang received his daughter’s signal, laughed, and changed the subject: “Alas, I am worried now. Although Ping’an City is prosperous, the expenses must be high. I don’t know how this big family will settle down.”

Gu Fei chewed the braised pork and thought about it. Yes, how will such a big family survive in Ping’an City?

Farming?

Land was the foundation of people in this era. They must buy some land. But no matter which dynasty, farmers can only solve the problem of food and clothing. If they want to get rich, they have to think of other ways.