New Resident of Ju'an Pavilion

The ordinary rooms at the Yunlai Inn cost fifty coins per night, and the superior room Ji Yuan was staying in cost a hundred coins. Previously, Lu Chengfeng and the others had been covering the bill.

Now that they were gone, Ji Yuan certainly wouldn't keep staying here.

No kidding—This person Ji now had property in Ning'an County, so why waste money on such an unnecessary expense?

"Slap!"

Ji Yuan suddenly clapped his hand hard, remembering that Lu Chengfeng had bought the residence for him, and he hadn't paid back the money yet!

'So I saved another thirty-six taels?'

As the saying goes, poor scholars and rich warriors—there really was some truth to it. Lu Chengfeng didn't even come to ask for that huge sum of thirty-six taels; how wealthy must his family be!

That's right, Ji Yuan had absolutely no intention of chasing down the carriage to repay the money. If they met again later and he had some cash to spare, he'd pay it back then. If they didn't meet again, well, just consider it Young Master Lu's extra repayment for saving his life!

Noon had already passed, and by the inn's billing rules, the room charge for the day had to be collected anyway, so Ji Yuan settled in and stayed another night at the inn.

No one was treating him to a meal, so he just ordered a bowl of Yangchun Noodles from the inn to get by.

The next morning, Ji Yuan went to the inn counter to check out, and sure enough, he got one tael refunded.

He had to admit, those young heroes were quite decent. But he wondered if they'd still be so warm if they didn't think he was some kind of extraordinary person. Probably, maybe, possibly, not.

Although many people in Ning'an County knew that the man-eating fierce tiger of Niu Kui Mountain had been brought to justice, and the matter had been recorded in the local county annals, with official notices posted by the government office, the county magistrate hadn't publicly revealed that the Nine Heroes were staying at the Yunlai Inn.

From this, one could see the magistrate's seasoned handling of affairs—if everyone knew the Tiger Slaying Heroes were at the Yunlai Inn, wouldn't those righteous men be gawked at like monkeys? How could they recover from their injuries in peace?

This was also the fundamental reason why Ning'an County had been lively over the past few days while still allowing people to enjoy some quiet. Naturally, almost no one recognized Ji Yuan.

In fact, even the content of the government notices and the names of the Nine Heroes were remembered by only a very few. Most people just came for the excitement of seeing the tiger hide.

Leaving the inn, Ji Yuan headed straight for the street market, planning to buy some simple bedding and furniture first. Since the house already had beds, he could hire someone to help clean and tidy up, and it would definitely be livable. Even if time was short, buying a blanket and cleaning the bed would be enough, right? He wasn't going to waste money on the inn anymore.

Ning'an County was still bustling. The temple fair lasted several days, and the white tiger hide on display still hung outside the county office. Ji Yuan walked through the streets with half-closed eyes, looking like a normal person, with almost no one around him treating him as blind.

Listening to the various hawking sounds and whispers, this person Ji swore to heaven that he wasn't deliberately prying into others' secrets—this was all forced on him!

Other people distinguished which shops sold what by looking; Ji Yuan could only rely on hearing. Following the sounds, he arrived at the place selling bedsheets and bedding.

Interestingly, the shop next door was a cotton store, with the "thump thump thump" of cotton fluffing coming from inside.

A ridiculously catchy cotton-fluffing song popped into Ji Yuan's mind and wouldn't leave. By the time he reached the bedding shop, he almost started singing it.

"Shopkeeper, do you have bedding, blankets, and pillows here?"

Ji Yuan asked as he reached out to carefully feel the blankets and quilts on the shop's outdoor rack, judging quality by touch.

"Yes! Does this guest want ready-made items, or a custom set? We have a cotton shop right next door—new cotton won't take half a day to fluff, and then we'll sew the quilt for you!"

The shopkeeper seemed to be a couple. When the woman saw Ji Yuan asking about prices, she hurried out from inside the shop to greet him.

"No need, I'll take ready-made ones. This one I'm touching is one, right?"

"Yes, yes, yes, everything you're touching is that kind! Uh, they're all one hundred and fifty coins each. Look at the fabric—it's all woven at the county's Xiuer Workshop. So comfortable to sleep on!"

One hundred and fifty coins? Do you think I'm a fool? Just before I came over, I clearly heard you whispering to your husband in the shop that one hundred and twenty coins already gives you a profit, and you're trying to cheat me out of thirty?

Ji Yuan frowned.

"What about a custom set?"

"A custom set is a bit more expensive. Including the fluffer's labor, it's about one hundred and eighty coins."

Alright, probably another markup.

"How about this, boss lady, I'll buy three sets of bedding, plus two pillows and two blankets, for a total of four hundred and fifty coins. How about it?"

Hearing the price quoted by this slightly thin guest, the woman was stunned. It happened to be the bottom price that still allowed a profit.

"What do you think? If you sell, deliver them to my residence. I'll add twenty coins for the delivery fee. It's in South City, not too far."

Perhaps thinking she'd run into someone who knew the ropes, the woman didn't hesitate much and agreed. Ji Yuan gave a small deposit and asked the shop to deliver the goods in two hours.

After Ji Yuan left, the woman picked up a small note he'd left and walked back into the shop.

"Husband, isn't it strange? This man not only nailed the price so precisely but also picked good quilts. But he always seemed to be talking with his eyes closed. Here, this is where he wants it delivered—see what it says."

The woman couldn't read, so she handed the note to her husband.

"Don't worry about it. At least it's the first sale of the morning."

The male shopkeeper took the note from the woman's hand. Looking at the paper, the handwriting was neat and forceful, penetrating the paper. Even with his rough literary knowledge, he could tell it was good calligraphy.

"Hiss... the east corner of Tianniu Quarter, Ju'an Pavilion..."

"Oh dear... it's not that Ju'an Pavilion, is it?"

The woman asked nervously.

"How many Ju'an Pavilions are there? The one in Tianniu Quarter! That place actually sold?"

The male shopkeeper's expression wasn't good either.

Ji Yuan wandered around the market, buying various household items one after another. Besides bedding and blankets, he also got towels, a washbasin, and some simple furniture like a washstand and wardrobe, as well as a broom and mop. He even found a stone workshop and had the craftsmen deliver a stone table and four stone stools, planning to place them under the jujube tree in the courtyard.

Of course, he hadn't forgotten about hiring a few people to clean the house.

Beyond that, Ji Yuan hadn't forgotten his earlier aspirations either. He sought out a decent fabric store and bought several sets of clothing, basically copying the style of that so-called Third Master.

But Ji Yuan was even more flashy—he had the tailor in the shop fashion him a short topknot on the spot, stuck in a jade hairpin that cost two hundred coppers, and added bangs in front, temple hair on the sides, and hair flowing down his back that wasn't too short. By local standards, this look was utterly incongruous, yet it somehow came off as uniquely refined and otherworldly.

And sure enough, clothes make the man. Though he wasn't as handsome as Luofeng, this former beggar's foundation wasn't bad either. He might not be dashingly elegant, but Ji Yuan's overall appearance now radiated a solid, otherworldly air.

In Ji Yuan's own understanding, he was now the epitome of an ancient costume show model!

With everything more or less prepared, Ji Yuan headed to his residence, ready to welcome the "Renovation Team" when they arrived. The route he had walked only once was crystal clear in his mind, so he didn't even need to ask for directions.

He was quite satisfied with the name "Ju'an Pavilion" and had no intention of changing it.

He unlocked the copper lock and pushed open the gate. The large jujube tree in the courtyard still swayed with the wind, but this time he was alone, with no broker chattering away beside him or leading him around. Stepping into the yard, Ji Yuan felt an indescribable strangeness.

"Is Mister Ji home?"

A shout came from the entrance, and from the sound of footsteps, there was more than one person.

Ji Yuan had originally set the time for after Wei Shi, but he hadn't expected that by the time the sundials around the county town showed noon, some merchants were already carrying their goods to his door. Good thing he had come back a bit early, or they'd have been waiting here for who knows how long.

High energy tomorrow.