webnovelfull Chapter 120 Renting a Residence in the Capital
Chapter 120 Renting a Residence in the Capital
After a lively and sumptuous dinner, Jinchu took Zhaoer and Huanyan back to their residence.
Wang Weiyuan followed Qin Shijun and was taken to the study by Qin Ge Lao and Lord Qin to test his knowledge.
"Sister, I thought these high-ranking officials were all powerful and aggressive! I didn't expect that Elder Qin looked so kind."
Thinking of the amiable look on Lord Qin's face when he lowered his head to touch Zhao'er's head and teased him while talking to him during dinner today, Huanyan couldn't help but laugh.
Jin Chu nodded. She had also met Lord Qin today. He was a kind-looking old man.
He smiled with his hands behind his back and did not put on airs even with the servants in his house. However, his eyes were still clear, and when he focused on someone or something, a gleam of wisdom would occasionally flash in them.
"Sister, this house is so big and lively. I have never seen a family with so many people." Huanyan showed an envious look on her face.
Lord Qin and his wife had four sons and one daughter. Their daughter married the Marquis of Jingchuan, who is currently the Vice Minister of Rites. Their eldest son is the Vice Minister of Works, the father of Qin Shijun. Their second and third sons also hold official positions and have several children each.
Because the old man and his wife are still alive, the whole family lives in the current Qin Mansion. Every time there is a gathering, there are more than ten grandchildren, which makes the family seem more prosperous and lively.
No wonder Huanyan, who was used to a simple life with Jinchu, would sigh like this.
Jinchu smiled and teased Huanyan, "It's not easy to be lively. In a few years, when you find your ideal husband, work hard to give birth to eight or ten children. When the children grow up, I will give you a bunch of grandchildren and make sure you never feel lonely again."
"Sister." Huanyan glared at Jinchu in annoyance and muttered, "Do you think I'm a pig? Giving birth to eight or ten children?"
"Okay, okay, I won't tease you anymore!"
Jin Chu put away his smile and sighed, "Although this place is nice, it's not our home after all. Tomorrow during my break, I'll take some time to find Madam Qin and ask her to introduce us to a good real estate agency. The day after tomorrow, we'll look for a suitable house. We can't really stay here for long."
The next day, after they woke up, Jin Chu really found an opportunity to meet Madam Qin and told her about his plan to find a house. Madam Qin tried her best to persuade Jin Chu and the others to live in the mansion. After being gently and firmly rejected by Jin Chu, she recommended two brokers commonly used in the mansion to Jin Chu.
That afternoon, Jinchu met with Wang Weiyuan and told him about this matter. They agreed that Wang Weiyuan would take Zhao'er to stay in the mansion to study, while Jinchu would go out with Huanyan and follow the broker introduced by Madam Qin to look at the mansion.
After three or four days of running around from morning till night, he finally picked out two satisfactory houses for Jinchu.
One is a small courtyard with two entrances and three rooms, with an east and west side room, as well as a firewood room and a kitchen room. The rent is four taels of silver per month. The other is a courtyard with two entrances and five rooms, with two east and west side rooms. The courtyard is larger and the rent is six taels of silver per month.
These two houses are not too far from Qin Ge's hometown, and it takes about two cups of tea to walk there. This is to facilitate the exchanges between Wang Weiyuan and Qin Shijun, so that Wang Weiyuan can use the Qin family's status to get to know some peers in this circle and lay a good foundation for his future career.
In addition, the transportation and life here are convenient, and the residents are mostly officials and well-behaved scholars. Although the rent is not bad, the safety is more guaranteed.
In the evening, Jin Chu returned to Qin's house and made an appointment to meet with Wang Weiyuan. He briefly introduced the two houses he liked to Wang Weiyuan, and agreed to go and see them together the next day to confirm the deal.
On the second day, Jin Chu Huanyan took Wang Weiyuan and Zhao'er to look at the two houses. After everyone discussed it, they unanimously chose the small house with two entrances and three rooms, which was more practical for the four of them.
On the same day, with the help of the broker, he signed the deed with the landlord, paid half a year's rent and a deposit of ten taels, totaling thirty-six taels of silver. After that, he paid the broker one tael of silver as a brokerage fee.
This small house in the capital will become Jinchu's home for the next few months.
Over the next two days, Jinchu took Huanyan, led by the servant of the Qin residence, to the market to purchase a large number of daily necessities, which they brought back to their house in Jixiang Hutong.
It took about a week to finally settle down the courtyard.
After Jin Chu and Wang Weiyuan thanked everyone in the Qin Mansion again, the four of them bid farewell to the Qin Mansion and moved into their new home in Jixiang Hutong.
The east room of the first hall served as Wang Weiyuan's bedroom, and the west room as his study. The east room of the second hall served as Jinchu's residence, the west room as Huanyan's residence, and the east side room as Zhao'er's bedroom.
The woodshed and kitchen were located on the west side of the first courtyard, close to the main gate, and would not affect Wang Weiyuan's daily study.
Jinchu originally wanted to find another teacher for Zhaoer, but was opposed by Wang Weiyuan.
"I also have my share of boredom from studying every day. Zhao'er is still young, and since we live together, I can teach him while I can, and it gives me some time to relax. Studying also requires a balance between effort and rest, and I'm confident that I won't miss the imperial examinations just because I teach a child every day."
Seeing that he spoke so confidently, and Jinchu's future was uncertain, and she didn't want another person to interfere in their lives, she gave up the idea of finding a teacher for Zhaoer alone, and followed Wang Weiyuan to teach Zhaoer.
A few days later, Qin Shijun came to discuss academic matters with Wang Weiyuan. Not long after, Zhao Cheng, the nephew of Mrs. Zhao, the wife of the Lincheng prefect, and the classmate of Qin Shijun who had gone to Lincheng together, also came to see him.
The three of them would exchange knowledge or discuss topics in this way, and occasionally Wang Weiyuan would accompany them to visit certain adults.
When Wang Weiyuan went out, Jinchu took Huanyan and Zhaoer out for a stroll on the streets of the capital.
The days passed like flowing water and moved towards October.
On this day, Qin Shijun came again, but the difference was that he also brought his eighth sister, Qin Yanran.
Jinchu and Huanyan warmly entertained the girl. Even after they sat down and exchanged a few pleasantries, the girl spoke with a hint of embarrassment, "Sister Jin'er, I have a humble request. Where did you buy the balsam you gave to the sisters as gifts when you visited us last time?"
Wow, this is such a pleasant surprise.
Jinchu and Huanyan exchanged a glance and asked with a smile, "I made those cosmetics myself when I was free. It seems my sister has used them."
"Not only have I used it, I'm almost out of it!" Qin Yanran said anxiously. "I rarely use face powder, but that balm is so moisturizing and not greasy, and it has a fresh and pleasant scent. Every early winter, my face used to be dry and uncomfortable. This year, I used the balm my sister gave me, and my skin has been smooth and tender ever since."
Qin Yanran became more and more excited as she spoke: "After using the powder and balm, my mother also said that her skin became much brighter, and the spots on Second Aunt's face have faded a lot."
Seeing Jinchu's smile, she continued, "My family asked me to ask my sister where to buy more cosmetics, but I didn't expect that all of these were developed by my sister herself. Sister Jin'er is really beautiful and smart."