Chapter 149
149 New House
Actually, he had obtained the house for over 130 taels. At 150 taels, he could even obtain a commission.
But who would complain about having too little silver?
What he had said to Old Madam Wang earlier was indeed true. The houses in town were very difficult to buy and sell. This house had already been in his hands for more than a year. There were even some houses that had remained unsold for six or seven years.
It was not easy for someone to be willing to buy it, and there were no other tricks up their sleeves. Of course, he was unwilling to ruin this business.
“Old Madam, can you come up a little more. How about 170 taels?” The agent wanted to fight for more commission.
How could the other party directly ask for a discount of 30 taels of silver? 30 taels of silver was enough for an ordinary family to live on for many years!
Old Madam Wang pulled Little Ah Yu’s hand and walked out.
“Alright, then I’ll go to the other agencies to take a look. I have to compare the unit with the other units, right?”
Amidst everyone’s anxious expressions, Wang Chuangui said to him softly, “Brother, let me be honest with you. My mother is a stubborn person. Even if you agree to the offer of 150 taels of silver, after she leaves this door today, she won’t buy it anymore.”
The agent also felt that this was very likely. This old lady looked like a very stubborn person.
He gritted his teeth and stomped his feet. “Alright, 150 taels it is. I’ll treat it as making friends with you! Now that you’ve bought a house in town, we can be considered to be living in the same place in the future. We’ll see each other often and take care of each other.”
Old Madam Wang stopped in her tracks. “Let’s go and settle the procedures now then. I still have to go back in the afternoon.”
There were strict procedures for buying and selling houses. First, they had to register locally, then they had to ask the Junior Officer to supervise the transaction. Both the buyer and the seller had to be present.
If it was officially registered, it could also be handled by more professional people.
For example, some large families never appeared personally. Their subordinates followed the rules and did everything for them.
This time, Old Madam Wang registered the house under Old man Wang’s name. She wanted to register it directly in Little Ah Yu’s name, but that wouldn’t do. If it was registered in Wang Chuanman’s head again, the other brothers would probably really have a huge opinion.
After settling the purchase procedures, the agent also smiled and said to Old Madam Wang, “Congratulations on obtaining a new house. If you need anything that requires my, Qian Deyi’s help in the future, you don’t have to be polite.”
Qian Deyi was the name of the agent.
Old Madam Wang said, “Since you’ve said so, I’ll have to trouble you. Please introduce us. Do you know any good carpenters here? We have to buy some new furniture for the house.”
There were also people in the Hu family village who knew how to carve, but their skills could only be used in the village. If they were asked to come to the town to work, it would seem a little troublesome.
Old man Wang knew how to do it too, but he was too slow and could not compare to those professional carpenters.
Qian Deyi was quite knowledgeable in this area. “You’ve found the right person. My old man is in the carpentry industry. He’s been in the industry for more than 40 years. In Nanhe Town, if he claims that he’s number two, no one dares to be number one.”
“In that case, let’s meet your father first. If the quality is good, we’ll do business with him. Don’t cheat me on the price.”
Qian Deyi smiled bitterly. “Old Madam, in front of you, I’m afraid I’ll be the one getting tricked. How can I trick you!”
He was afraid of her. This old lady looked like she wouldn’t bargain, but when she opened her mouth, she could squeeze a python into seven inches.
She was an expert.
As expected, when they arrived at his old man’s house, Old Madam Wang was very picky and critical of their carpentry work, almost angering the old man to the point of leaving.
In the end, she gave him 10 taels of silver as a deposit and arranged for some of the furniture that needed to be made at home to be delivered. Only then did Old Madam Wang turn to Nanhe Main Street, planning to see where her grandchildren were going to study.
Nanhe Town was neither big nor small. There were a total of two public schools, three private schools, and two clan academies.
There were two schools close to their house. One was the Qingmu Academy, and the other was the Yang Family Private School.
Qingmu Academy was opened by a local Scholar. There were two Scholar teachers and they taught the subjects related to the Imperial Examination.
The Yang Family Private School was more focused on teaching general knowledge. It was a basic private school and did not focus on the path of the Imperial Examination.
Old Madam Wang planned to split the family into two groups, sending a group to the Qingmu Academy and the rest to the Yang Family Private School.
There were standards for recruiting students in Qingmu Academy. When Old Madam Wang brought Wang Chuangui over, the Old Sir was unwilling to accept him when he heard that Wang Chuangui was not even a child student.
“He’s a little too old to start studying now. I suggest you go to the private school to take a look. It’s enough for him to know a few words.” The Old Sir’s words were very sincere, but they were also a little hurtful.
Little Ah Yu said, “Grandpa, our family was very poor in the past, so Second Uncle didn’t go to school. But our Second Uncle is very powerful. We learned from him at home. He has a lot of knowledge!”
The Old Sir originally did not notice Little Ah Yu. It was mainly because Little Ah Yu was too small and hidden beside the adults, she was very inconspicuous.
Now that he suddenly heard Little Ah Yu’s voice, the old man realized that there was a little girl.
The Old Sir was a little old-fashioned and did not have a good impression of girls. However, looking at the child who was only two or three years old speaking so clearly, it seemed that she was even better than those children who had been carefully taught since they were young.
Hence, the Old Sir became a little interested. He lowered his head slightly and asked her, “You said that your Second Uncle is powerful, so what did you learn from him? Tell me.”
Little Ah Yu began to recite the Three Character Classic on the spot. After reciting it, she began to recite the Thousand Character Classic, a few more poems, and even an essay.
It was difficult for Little Ah Yu to memorize them at the beginning, but once she memorized them, she basically would not forget them anymore.
The more she recited, the more awkward Wang Chuangui’s face became.
Because some of these were not taught by Wang Chuangui.
Wang Chuangui: “…” I haven’t even learned these myself.
Under Old Master’s slightly surprised gaze, Little Ah Yu took a deep breath and began to recite the numbers.
Little Ah Yu was not very good at math. She only knew how to use 10 fingers now, but this did not stop her from memorizing the formulas in the ‘Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art’.
After reciting for half an hour in one breath, the students in the Qingmu Academy passed by and could not help but stop there. They looked at the two-year-old girl standing with her hands behind her back as she recited books in a childish voice.
The students all hid behind the doorposts and looked at each other.
“Wow, where did this little girl come from? She actually knows how to recite so much!”
“She’s really good-looking! Her voice is also nice.”
“Is she coming to our school? Why isn’t she going to kindergarden?”
All the students in Qingmu Academy had a basic foundation. The youngest was seven or eight years old and had studied at home before enrolling in the school.
However, there were no girls in the entire school. Firstly, it was because their teachers did not like female students. Secondly, it was because there were too few people who met the requirements.
Now that there was a little girl, these students found it very novel. Could it be that they were going to have a little junior sister?
Little Ah Yu finally finished reciting everything in one go. Seeing the Old sir staring at her, Little Ah Yu felt a little vexed.
Aiya, if she had known earlier, she wouldn’t have been so playful. She wouldn’t have memorized so little.
Would this Grandpa think that she was stupid?
After the Old Sir heard her reciting, he looked at Wang Chuangui differently. “Since you can raise such a good child, I believe your knowledge is not bad. I’ll make an exception and take you in.”
This was because Wang Chuangui was really old. If he asked him to recite in public, it would seem like he was making things difficult for the other party.
Little Ah Yu was so happy that she jumped three feet high.
Wang Chuangui could not say anything.
Is it too late for me to say that I can’t even recite it?