Ideas, Part 2

"." Wei He understood. These old Head Caravan Guards were clearly the true greatest asset of the escort agency.

He thought for a moment and also secretly noted down the locations of the houses by the bridgeheads he had passed on this trip.

Cheng Jing, standing beside him, spoke again.

"That night, I was just habitually provoking people. Please don't take it to heart."

"It's fine." Wei He was unsure if this woman was acting then, or if she was acting now.

Her words seemed to hold some truth, some falsehood, or perhaps a mix of both?

However, in the next moment, he saw Cheng Kai not far away, looking in their direction.

He had some guesses forming in his mind, thinking that Head Caravan Guard Cheng Kai was helping to mediate the conflict.

But judging by Cheng Jing's tone, she seemed to have some sincerity.

After a few more words, Cheng Jing got up and left.

Wei He picked up a dry biscuit, broke off small pieces, and stuffed them into his mouth with water, occasionally mixing in a bit of snake meat, and stopped speaking.

Continuing like this, they soon re-entered the ten-mile radius of Feiye City.

The ox carts and horses on the road gradually increased. Everyone's mood also became much more relaxed, at least not as oppressive as before.

Soon, the convoy entered the city and returned to the escort agency. After handing over their records at the main gate of the Yonghe Escort Agency, a dedicated person from the agency came out to verify the wages of each individual for the journey.

According to regulations, if people died due to danger encountered on the road, everyone would receive a slight increase in pay.

However, the silver currency was too heavy when distributed in large amounts, so many chose to exchange it for strips of meat.

Smoked and dried cured meat strips, each weighing over ten catties, could be worth a considerable sum. Some people exchanged it for cloth, with fabrics of various colors and more expensive silk cloths, all of which were hard currency at the time.

Wei He hesitated for a moment, then exchanged most of his silver for meat, rice, and cloth, carrying it all home in a large bag.

Now that silver was becoming less and less valuable, he really didn't know when it would completely collapse. It was better to stock up on food, which could also be used as hard currency for exchange.

After putting his things away at home, he looked around his somewhat crude room and increasingly felt that he needed to find a new place to live.

The path from his home to Shiqiao Town, where Huishan Fist was located, passed through many grey areas, which was already troublesome.

With so much food stored at home now, and no one watching over it, it might be stolen one day.

He sat down on the only wooden stool in the room.

Wei He let his body bask in the sunlight streaming through the window, finding it warmer this way.

He recalled everything he had seen and heard on this trip.

He then took out a stack of yellow paper from under the table and from the back of the table, along with several charcoal pencils tied together.

He spread the rough yellow paper on the table and picked up a charcoal pencil.

Using the same posture he used to hold a pen in his previous life, he quickly began to write and draw on the paper.

Before long, he had recorded the places he had traveled, the routes, the general terrain, place names, local customs, where to stay, and where to resupply and rest.

He marked the area by the bridgehead with a circle, indicating danger.

And that monster…

Wei He took out another piece of paper and recorded the monster's characteristics. He couldn't draw, but he could record its prominent features, traits, attack methods, and so on.

After finishing, Wei He put away the yellow paper, washed up, and collapsed onto the bed, ready to rest.

However, the quilt on the bed had a smell of sweat and some unknown odor, making it difficult for him to fall asleep.

The skin that came into contact with the bedding seemed to start itching.

"This quilt seems like it hasn't been washed or aired for months," Wei He suddenly remembered.

He recalled that he had told Second Sister not to return to this home a while ago, as it wasn't safe.

And it seemed that since then, the room had become increasingly messy.

Suddenly, he felt an itch on his thigh.

Wei He was startled, quickly lifted the quilt, and saw a dark cockroach clinging to his thigh.

The cockroach twitched its antennae, startled, and with a whoosh, it crawled down his thigh and headed for a gap near the wall along the bedding.

Wei He's instinctive reflex kicked in, and he stomped down with his foot.

Splat.

He then remembered he was barefoot.

A sticky, yet mixed with a hard shell, peculiar sensation traveled from the sole of his foot to his entire body.

After a moment of stunned silence, he quickly got up, went out, and vigorously rinsed the sole of his foot with water from the water vat.

After a good while of fussing, he wearily returned to the room, no longer wanting to lie on the bed no matter what. There was also a yellow stain on the bed now.

He tidied himself up, then simply grabbed his things and headed towards Second Sister's place.

He would put his things at Wei Ying's place first, and then sleep at the Huishan Fist courtyard!

He made up his mind. He'd buy a house quickly this time, so he and Second Sister could move in, and he could open a steamed bun shop too!

Shiqiao Town.

Near the Feiye River, a row of houses stood empty and desolate.

An old man, yawning, walked up to the door of a house and used the keys in his hand to unlock the three large locks hanging on it.

The old man wore a dusty grey long coat, a unlit lantern strapped to his back, and a large bunch of various keys hanging from his waist.

"This house also meets your requirements. It's called Shanjv. It used to belong to a wealthy merchant, but he moved away with his family and left the house to us real estate agents to sell cheaply."

"What's the price?" Following behind the old man was a tall, strong young man dressed in a grey and white tight-fitting outfit that accentuated his firm, well-proportioned, streamlined muscles.

The young man's eyes were bright, and his demeanor was steady. It was Wei He, who had just finished dropping off things at Second Sister's place.

Without stopping, he had immediately found the real estate agents in the city who specialized in buying and selling houses.

Then, he had asked them to bring him to see a house right away.

The real estate agent had asked him the type of house he wanted to buy and his budget.

Then, they found an old man to lead the way and show him the property.

The black, lacquered main gate creaked open.

Inside, a pebble path served as the walkway in and out of the entrance.

Passing through the main gate and a small gatehouse, one entered a courtyard with white walls.

The courtyard wasn't large but was elegantly arranged.

On the left, there was a small pond with a bamboo tube water timer. A few fallen leaves floated on the pond, and small insects crawled slowly on them.

On the right stood an old tree of an unidentifiable species.

The old tree's canopy spread out, casting a large area of shade. A thick, black clothesline was tied between the trunk and the top of the surrounding wall.

"The previous owner of this house was particularly fond of imitating calligraphy and paintings and often invited like-minded friends here for tea and to admire art. When I came before, there were quite a few silk paintings hanging on this rope."

The old man, hunched over, ambled slowly to the front of the main house and pushed open the door.

A cloud of white dust slowly drifted down from inside.

"This is the main house, used for receiving guests. There are four side rooms on either side, which can be used as servant quarters, guest rooms, or bedrooms, depending on how you renovate. There's also an outhouse and a kitchen in the back, along with a small vegetable patch. Feiye River is to the left, so you don't have to worry about water supply."

The old man led Wei He through the entire house, meticulously inspecting every part.

This was the fourth house they had viewed.

It was also located in Shiqiao Town, just one street away from Huishan Fist.

Wei He walked around and came to the left side of the house.

Besides the surrounding wall, there was also a small side door. Outside the door was a small path leading directly to the bank of the Feiye River.

Pushing the door open, the distance to the riverbank was very short, only a few meters. Standing there, one could hear the constant rushing sound of flowing water.

"This way leads to the riverbank. You can fish and fetch water conveniently. Also, from this Shanjv, you can see some of the scenery of the Inner City."

The old man pointed in a direction.

"See over there? That pavilion is part of a mansion in the Inner City. Living here, you can often hear music drifting over. Isn't it a great deal to be able to listen to music without paying?"

He grinned, revealing a mouthful of large yellow teeth.

Wei He followed the direction he pointed and indeed saw a small pavilion by the river in the distance, part of a large mansion.

The mansion had red paint and white walls, and the eaves showed faint carvings of mythical beasts, clearly indicating it was not an ordinary residence.

Just as Wei He looked over, he saw two women in white dresses, wearing veils, walking towards the small pavilion from within the mansion. One carried a zither, and the other was empty-handed.

Although piles and railings surrounded the area near the pavilion, preventing close approach, the railings couldn't block the view from a distance.

However, soon after the two women entered the pavilion, they used some white cloth curtains to cover all four sides, blocking the surrounding view.

"See? Living here, there are often many beautiful sights," the real estate agent old man said with a lewd grin.

"In the past, there were even people who drew small pictures specifically stationed nearby, just to catch a glimpse of the ladies' figures."

His face showed an expression that men would understand.

Small pictures

Wei He had heard of such things. In different words, they were the equivalent of adult picture books of this era.

Still in picture form.

"Alright, I'm very satisfied with this house. How much?" Wei He made his decision on the spot.

This place was convenient for fetching water, making laundry and cooking easy, and it had four side rooms, enough for receiving guests and personal use. It was good in all aspects.

"The price is cheap, just this much." The old man extended one hand, indicating a number.

"Five thousand taels?"

Wei He did some mental calculations.

"Can I pay in installments?" He didn't have that much money on hand right now.

"What five thousand taels? I want rice! Fifty catties of coarse rice, and fifteen strips of smoked pork!" the old man quickly said.

Wei He was slightly taken aback.

They didn't want money?? But thinking about the large number of empty houses nearby with no residents, and how many familiar shops had recently been disappearing and closing down.

He suddenly felt a sense of understanding.

"This is the price. Let me tell you, this house is the most suitable for you. Anything more expensive would be over at the Xiao Ran Water Pavilion, which is a completely different price range for a larger house. You wouldn't be interested in anything cheaper."

The old man persuaded him. In truth, he knew very well that most of these houses weren't worth much. It was because there were too many of them.

And given the current situation, with the population decreasing and empty houses everywhere, it was uncertain whether they would even be sellable in the future.

This young man in front of him bought a house, and perhaps not long after, someone else would be living in it. It was better to just sell it for whatever price he could get, especially with the recent plague...

The old man sighed inwardly and said no more.

Wei He considered it.

Thinking about the escort supplies he had just received, plus some previously saved income, it was enough to cover the price of the house.

"Alright, I'll take this one," he decided on the spot and bought it.

After settling on it, he followed the real estate agent old man to the agency and completed the handover. Then, he brought over the supplies from Second Sister as payment.

Everything was done by the time it was nearly dark.

Next, he had to notify Second Sister to come live with him. He also needed to hire someone to help with the cleaning. Wei He calculated his own treatment and income. He was a caravan guard for the escort agency, but he wasn't receiving the pay of an ordinary caravan guard. Instead, he was getting the level of a caravan leader. That is, the same treatment as Cheng Jing.

This was probably the main reason Cheng Jing had disliked him before.