A man with a sword hanging from his waist, with thick eyebrows and large eyes, and an extraordinary demeanor...
Walking beside him was an old man, dusty and travel-worn. Perhaps from staying up all night, the area around his eyes was dark.
"Young, Young General, this servant has been to this county town before and hasn't found any news of the eldest young lady!" Steward Cao mumbled.
Upon hearing this, Gu Zhenshan glared at him, "You old fool, you can't do anything right. Even if my sister walked right past you, you wouldn't recognize her. What else can you do?"
Steward Cao: "..."
He was being scolded for this?
He knew the Young General was in a bad mood. He hadn't been eating or sleeping well while searching for the eldest young lady, and he was becoming thinner by the day.
But you can't always take it out on this old man...
Gu Zhenshan looked up at the sky, "It's getting late. Let's find an inn to rest. Steward Cao, go across the street and buy some steamed buns!~"
"Understood, Young General!" Steward Cao replied and trotted off to buy the buns.
At the same time, Kong Xingzhuo found a house and returned with a smile to report...
"Little Master, Little Master, I've found a house! It's a standalone courtyard with a kitchen and a well. The heated brick bed is also spacious, haha!~"
Kong Xingzhuo panted heavily and looked at Yun Jinhe, "And it's very quiet there. From now on, no one will disturb Young Master Yun's studies. How great is that!"
Yun Jinhe quickly asked, "Do you know... do you know how much the rent is per month?"
The prefectural county had almost become a small county town for education. There were no less than eight hundred students renting houses here.
The local people had stopped farming, relying solely on collecting rent to support their families...
Kong Xingzhuo shook his head, "I don't know the rent either. Young Master Yun should go and see the house first!~"
"Lead the way!" Little Xi Tian walked forward with her hands behind her back, her short, stubby legs moving.
No matter the price, she had to make her elder nephew live comfortably.
Xiao Jinheng couldn't help but chuckle and quickly followed...
This house was located in the southeast corner of the county town, far from the noisy streets. There were very few pedestrians, making it perfect for Yun Jinhe's studies.
Two osmanthus trees were planted outside the courtyard, and a large gate was half-open. The sound of stir-frying could occasionally be heard.
"Is anyone home?" Little Xi Tian stood at the main entrance and called out crisply.
A moment later, an old man came out holding a spatula. Seeing a large group of people standing outside the door, he knew they were here to rent a house...
"Which of you is a student?" the old man asked.
Yun Jinhe stepped forward, "It's me! Old sir, are you renting out this house?"
The old man looked him up and down and nodded, "Yes, of course. If you live here, my wife and I will move out. Come in and take a look. There are three rooms in this courtyard, which is enough for you to live alone..."
"And the location of my house is good, not far from the academy. It's less than a quarter of an hour's walk!~"
The old man mumbled as he introduced everything, leading everyone into the courtyard.
"Look, this stove is easy to light. I just built this heated brick bed a few days ago, and it won't be cold at all in winter!"
"I'll also leave you all the kitchen utensils, so it's convenient for cooking..."
Little Xi Tian walked around each room. This house was indeed quite good.
"Old sir, how much is the rent for this house per month?" Yun Jinhe asked.
This was the question he cared about most.
The old man grinned foolishly, "To be honest, many people have taken a fancy to this house. I see you're a well-behaved child, so two taels of silver a month would do..."
"What? Two taels of silver?" Yun Jinhe's eyes widened, and he almost fainted.
This was too expensive!
Including the tuition fee of two and a half taels and the rent of two taels, he would spend four and a half taels of silver a month.
This didn't even include food, drink, and other expenses.
"No, no, let's go!~" Yun Jinhe's heart pounded, and he turned to leave.
His grandfather and grandmother were old, and the family relied entirely on that piece of land. If he kept asking for money, the family would surely not be able to afford it...
"Elder nephew, don't worry!" Little Xi Tian stopped him and looked at the old man, "Old sir, can the rent be cheaper?"
Yun Sanman also said, "Yes, we are ordinary farming families. Two taels of silver is almost a year's expenses. Can you make it cheaper!~"
He finally understood why so many people had come to see the house but hadn't rented it in the end...
The rent was so expensive, who could afford it?
Children of officials and wealthy merchants all chose to live in the academy. Those who rented houses were mostly poor scholars. They would rather sleep in stables or pigpens than rent such expensive houses.
The old man shrugged, "Look for yourselves, there are three rooms in this courtyard, and even a study is prepared. There's a kitchen and a place to wash. Is two taels of silver expensive? You're essentially renting a mansion for two taels of silver, what more could you be unhappy about?"
Little Xi Tian's mouth twitched upon hearing this...
In fact, courtyards like this were common in Heyang County, and the rent was at most one tael of silver.
But it was because Bocai Academy was located here.
Just like certain departments in the capital, the surrounding houses were not cheap.
"Old sir, how about one and a half taels of silver?" Little Xi Tian asked with a smile.
"No!" the old man shook his head, "It's two taels of silver, no bargaining. If you like it, move in. If not, go and look elsewhere..."
After speaking, the old man returned to the kitchen to continue stir-frying.
"Ha, you're raising the price, you're so naughty, hmph!~" Shangguan Fang'er suddenly rushed over, put her hands on her hips, and shouted.
Yun Sanman quickly pulled her behind him, "Don't make a fuss!"
"Hmph, broken house, broken house, it's falling apart, teehee!~" Shangguan Fang'er stuck out her tongue, her pretty face flushed.
Little Xi Tian couldn't help but laugh. She took out a big apple from her small satchel and handed it to Shangguan Fang'er, "Here, eat it!~"
Shangguan Fang'er blinked her eyes and directly hugged Little Xi Tian, "Hehehe, baby, you're so good, baby is the best!"
Little Xi Tian: "..."
Oh no, you're squeezing me too tight!
Yun Jinhe lowered his head, tears welling up in his eyes, "Third Uncle, Little Aunt, let's... let's go!~"
Their family couldn't afford such expensive rent.
"Go where?" Yun Sanman shot him a look, "Two taels it is, Third Uncle will pay your rent..."
"No need!" Xiao Jinheng narrowed his eyes and instructed Kong Xingzhuo, "Go and pay the money. Pay for one quarter first!~"
"Alright!"
"Young Master Xiao, this won't do!" Yun Sanman said with trepidation, "How can you pay the money?"
"It's nothing, this young master is willing!" Xiao Jinheng smiled faintly.
A thousand taels of gold couldn't buy his willingness.
Two taels of silver a month, twenty-four taels a year, what kind of concept was that?
The cost of schooling was too high.
If Xiao Jinheng didn't help him, how could the old Yun family afford to send Jinhe to school and make him successful?
After paying the rent, the old man said, "I'll tidy up my things first. You can sleep at the inn tonight and move in directly tomorrow!~"
Thus, the group arrived at the inn where Gu Zhenshan was staying...