Buying a House

The next morning, Zhang Yuan left Chen Family Village and headed for Linhe County.

He was going to sell the Rock Ginseng.

When he had returned yesterday evening, fortunately, Zhang Xiong had not discovered this valuable medicinal herb. Otherwise, just like the Rock Sheep, it would surely have been seized by force.

Zhang Xiong gave Zhang Yuan a very dangerous feeling. This martial master was definitely stronger than Hunter Gao.

When Zhang Yuan killed the lame Hunter Gao, he had used a surprise attack and thrown lime, yet he had still nearly overturned the cart.

With his current strength, he did not have the slightest confidence of facing Zhang Xiong head-on!

So he needed to endure for a while.

But Zhang Yuan believed that this time would be very, very short!

Along the way, he disguised himself in a remote, deserted place, changed into fresh clothes, and entered Linhe County wearing a bamboo hat.

Before stepping into the apothecary, Zhang Yuan activated Black Giant Ant Power.

The mere boost of doubled strength instantly changed his bearing.

He walked straight to the counter, took out the Rock Ginseng wrapped in a cloth bag, and spread it open on the countertop.

In a low voice, he said, "Shopkeeper, please appraise it for me."

The apothecary owner behind the counter was startled. His neck felt chilly, as though he had been targeted by a ferocious beast.

"Please wait a moment."

The apothecary owner did not dare show the slightest negligence and hurriedly began weighing and appraising it.

Though he was quite afraid, when he saw this old ginseng root, nearly perfect in quality, excitement still appeared in his eyes, along with a trace of barely perceptible greed.

Yet Zhang Yuan's startling presence still made the apothecary owner suppress the evil thoughts in his heart.

He said respectfully, "Honored guest, this Rock Ginseng weighs five taels, three qian, and four fen. It is between seventy-five and eighty years old, flawless in quality, and an upper-grade old ginseng."

If it had been an ordinary customer selling ginseng, the apothecary owner would certainly have picked at its flaws to drive down the price.

But Zhang Yuan was clearly a martial artist, someone he could not casually provoke.

Reading Zhang Yuan's expression, the apothecary owner cautiously asked, "This humble shop is willing to offer the highest price of one hundred and fifteen taels of Patterned Silver. What do you think?"

Zhang Yuan pondered for a moment.

This price was actually quite close to what he had expected.

He tapped the counter with his fingers and said decisively, "One hundred and twenty taels!"

The apothecary owner answered with a bitter face, "Honored guest, this humble shop's profit is actually very thin..."

Then he abruptly changed his tone. "Let's make a friend of each other!"

The profit could not possibly be thin. Even if he was afraid, business was business!

The two sides thus concluded the deal.

Zhang Yuan asked for cash silver.

Originally, he had also wanted to purchase a batch of ingredients needed to brew Medicinal Soup.

But considering that even after selling the Rock Ginseng, the silver in his hands was still not quite enough, he temporarily gave up on that idea.

Settling down in the county was the most urgent matter!

Without further hesitation, Zhang Yuan headed straight for the brokerage he had visited last time.

Of course, he no longer maintained the doubled-strength state, and he also removed his bamboo hat.

The broker still remembered Zhang Yuan.

After learning of Zhang Yuan's needs, he immediately slapped his thigh and said happily, "What a coincidence! Just yesterday, a household put up a residence for sale through our brokerage."

"I think that house would suit you very well!"

Zhang Yuan merely smiled at this standard broker's pitch.

But he definitely had to inspect the house.

Thus, accompanied by the broker, the two arrived at Fishmonger Alley in Chang'an Ward, east of Linhe County.

The residence the broker spoke of was at the very end of the alley: five rooms of blue brick, black tile, and white walls, with a small courtyard. Though it was not very large, its layout and construction were both excellent.

It was considered one of the better houses in Fishmonger Alley.

Moreover, the residence had already been cleared out and was currently unoccupied.

The broker quoted a price of one hundred and forty-seven taels.

Zhang Yuan haggled with him, but only managed to cut off seven taels of silver, rounding it down to a whole number.

The broker refused to lower it any further.

With a wry smile, he explained, "Honored guest, this is already the homeowner's lowest price. It truly cannot go any lower!"

Zhang Yuan knew very well that houses in Linhe County had always been in short supply. Even if he looked elsewhere, he might not find anything better.

And if he did not buy it today, it might be sold tomorrow.

Then he would have to go through another round of trouble.

So although the price exceeded his original budget, this small residence truly suited him.

Therefore, Zhang Yuan gritted his teeth and made the decision on the spot. "When can the deed be transferred?"

The broker said, "If you are in a hurry, I can take you to the yamen today to exchange the property deed, but it will cost extra."

He spread five fingers and waved them. "Five taels of silver."

Zhang Yuan did the math.

The house would cost one hundred and forty taels, the deed transfer tax ten taels, and expedited handling another five taels, for a total of one hundred and fifty-five taels.

That did not even include the brokerage commission!

The cash silver he had on hand was only this much. He had brought along all the silver he had originally hidden at home as well.

He was stretched thin!

After paying it all out, he and his mother would still be unable to settle down and register their household for the time being.

For the two of them to register their household, along with the first year's head tax, they would need another twenty-six taels of silver!

He was thinking of buying the house first, but the broker beside him read his expression and said with a smile, "Honored guest, if you are temporarily short on funds, our brokerage can lend you a sum for emergencies."

The brokerage offered such a service too?

Zhang Yuan immediately changed his mind. "What is the interest?"

The broker raised two fingers. "Two fen."

Zhang Yuan was a little surprised—2% monthly interest was this generous?

But instinctively, he felt something was wrong. "Monthly interest?"

The broker's expression was as if he had swallowed a brick. "How could that be? Of course it's interest per day!"

Daily interest?

Zhang Yuan nearly drew his saber and chopped this black-hearted swindler to death.

Sixty percent interest a month was outright cannibalism!

He endured and endured, but could not help complaining, "That interest is far too high."

"Not high at all!"

The broker cried bitter injustice to the heavens. "Honored guest, go ask around. In all of Linhe County, aside from Fu Ji Bank, our brokerage offers the cheapest lending interest."

"But borrowing from Fu Ji Bank requires not only collateral, but also a guarantor. It's troublesome!"

"I truly am not cheating you!"

Zhang Yuan fell silent.

In the end, he still borrowed fifty taels of silver at high interest from the brokerage.

After scraping together enough silver, with the broker's help, Zhang Yuan not only smoothly obtained the new property deed, but also registered both himself and his mother as residents of the county.

As the saying went, money could make ghosts turn millstones. The broker, familiar with the yamen, handled all the procedures, silver was stuffed in every direction, and they encountered no twists, turns, or trouble.

But in the end, Zhang Yuan had not only emptied his pockets, he had also incurred a high-interest debt to the brokerage.

On the road back to Chen Family Village, he could not help sighing that houses and household registration really were things that ate people alive.

Even in another world, he still could not escape the fate of being eaten!