The stone table and stools were delivered by two ox carts. Four Stonemason Masters carried them through the gate and, following Ji Yuan's instructions, set them in a suitable spot under the jujube tree.
Including the table, stools, and labor, they cost Ji Yuan one tael of silver. They could be called the most expensive items in this round of spending. After setting everything down and collecting the remaining payment, the four Stonemason Masters left Ju'an Pavilion without a word. Ji Yuan did not even get the chance to politely offer them a drink of water.
Now that Ji Yuan had somewhere to rest, he sat on a stone stool in the courtyard, watching those people bustle about in the main and side rooms. Every so often, he went over to point out where something should be placed.
The merchants and vendors in this ancient city actually have quite a bit of professional integrity. Their hands and feet are so quick!
And just look and listen to those Women and men cleaning. They were working so hard it was almost absurd. They had originally said it would take half a day to clean the place once over, but judging by the way they were sweating like rain, Ji Yuan estimated they would be done in at most two hours!
What was interesting was that some shops delivered their goods without entering the gate at all, such as the bedding shop. Other shops had their Waiters carry the goods inside, collect the remaining payment, and leave without saying much or even glancing around. It was as though they had some urgent matter to attend to.
Only the group hired for cleaning seemed relatively normal. They worked amid lively chatter, but their hands did not slacken in the slightest. Even if someone wanted to gossip, the person in charge among them would stop them. Ji Yuan did not know whether they were always this strict while working.
The ancients really are hardworking!
After sighing inwardly, Ji Yuan propped up his chin and continued spacing out.
The cleaning was essentially a process of removing dust. They cleaned the dust from every room, then wiped everything down with damp cloths and mops. Someone even specially pasted fresh paper over the windows.
Out of curiosity, Ji Yuan deliberately rubbed some between his fingers and found that this window paper was extremely tough. It was about the same as the Oil Paper used for making umbrellas, nothing like what television dramas showed, where a touch of saliva could poke right through it. Even wind and rain would absolutely not be a problem.
He did not know how much time had passed. Listening to the people bustling about in the various rooms, the yawning Ji Yuan suddenly felt his heart tighten. He instinctively turned his head toward the well and frowned at it for a long while.
Because they needed water for cleaning, the cover over the well had been removed. He had just felt a slight chill coming from that direction, and now that he looked, the entire well surface was pitch-black. He did not know whether it was because it was obscured by the tree shade.
As Ji Yuan's eyes widened slightly, he seemed to see that the shadow beneath the well surface looked more and more wrong. Just looking at it gave him an eerie feeling.
For some reason, horror films he had watched in his previous life surfaced in his mind, making goosebumps rise on Ji Yuan's skin.
I'm really scaring myself!
Rubbing his arms, Ji Yuan forced himself to stop letting his imagination run wild.
"Mister Ji, Mister Ji?"
At that moment, a deafening voice seemed to come from the horizon, startling Ji Yuan badly.
Ji Yuan shuddered awake, only then realizing that he had actually fallen asleep sprawled over the stone table.
When he turned his head, he saw that the laborers hired to clean the residence had all carried their buckets and tools into the courtyard. There were eight of them in total, standing beside him.
"Mister Ji, we've finished cleaning. Would you like to take a look?"
"Finished already? That fast?"
"Er, hehe, yes. Please take a look. If you're not satisfied, we can clean it again."
Since they had said so, Ji Yuan also stood up from the stone stool.
"Alright, I'll take a look!"
He walked through the rooms, occasionally reaching out to wipe the gaps in the windowsills, then bending down to inspect beneath the beds and in every corner. Everything had been cleaned quite thoroughly.
When he had gone to hire people today, many had made excuses and refused to come as soon as they heard it was in a corner of Tianniu Quarter, saying it was too far. Ji Yuan had only managed to hire this team after doubling the price, but now it seemed well worth it.
Back in the courtyard, the group stood there waiting.
"Not bad. You've all worked hard."
Ji Yuan took out his money pouch and laid out a pile of Dangwu Tongbao. In front of them, he counted out forty coins, then added two more on top.
"This is your pay. The extra ten coins are for everyone to have tea!"
"Thank you, Mister Ji!"
"Thank you, Mister Ji!"
"Then we'll be going first?"
Amid everyone's thanks, the man leading them hastily picked up the money and said his farewells.
"Alright, alright. Take care, I won't see you out!"
Ji Yuan put on an air of being gentle and refined, smiling and nodding. After all, he had not yet shown off his new outfit today, so he had to get some practice in somehow.
Yet the laborers' reactions before and after were all much the same. They were all very warm, and he could not tell whether it was for the sake of his money or his bearing.
Only after their footsteps had gone some distance did Ji Yuan faintly hear some vague, fragmented discussion.
"This house is really nice!!"
"Hey, that Mister Ji is quite a good person. He looks like a man of learning!"
"The name of this residence somehow sounds familiar..."
The leader merely urged them onward when he heard that.
"Stop talking. Walk faster, walk faster!"
"That gentleman doesn't look any particular age, but he really is handsome!"
"You're still talking? Hurry up and go. What use is being handsome?"
Alright, hearing those last few lines left Ji Yuan deeply satisfied. But what did they mean by not being able to tell his age? Could they have seen him as old? And what did they mean, what use was being handsome? It was still better than being ugly!
By then, the sun was slanting westward, and dusk was near.
The furnishings in the rooms were still rather simple, but at least they had everything one could need. Sitting in the courtyard, Ji Yuan once again fell into a daze.
What a pity there was no internet, no phone, and none of those innocent Young Heroes constantly calling, "Mister Ji this, Mister Ji that."
"Ah, it's a little lonely... Hiss..."
As he sighed, Ji Yuan suddenly turned his head toward that well as if possessed. He stood up, walked over, grabbed the wooden cover, and with a bang, covered the well opening again.
"Whew... That feels much better. In my previous life, I really should have watched fewer damn horror movies. I'm just scaring myself!"
In the middle of the night, the night watchman's voice carried far through the silent darkness and reached Ji Yuan's ears.
"Dong... dong dong..."
"All is well~~~~"
"Dong... dong dong..."
"All is well~~~~"
For some reason, Ji Yuan tossed and turned tonight, unable to sleep. He tried every trick he knew, from counting sheep to exercise, but none of them worked.
Only when the night watchman struck his clapper did Ji Yuan, lying there with his eyes closed, realize he had somehow endured until the third watch. He still understood that three strikes of the clapper meant that much.
Though it was actually only about eleven at night, darkness came early here and there was little entertainment. Sleeping early and rising early was the proper way of life in this place.
Could it be that this person Ji actually has trouble sleeping in a new bed? Or am I just too excited about having a house?
Just as he thought this, Ji Yuan suddenly felt the temperature drop considerably without his noticing.
"Creaking... creak... creak..."
The creaking of old wooden boards came from the courtyard outside the door. It was faint, yet it absolutely could not escape Ji Yuan's ears.
Ji Yuan froze, remaining completely silent as he listened, hoping that what he had heard was only an auditory illusion.
"Creaking..."
The wooden board covering the well opening, weighed down by stones, was slowly being pried upward, giving off the groan of wood pushed beyond its limits.
Lying on the bed, Ji Yuan suddenly opened his eyes. Every association from the day flashed through his mind. Waves of chill shot up his spine to the top of his head, while fine beads of sweat emerged on his forehead as if by magic.
"Creaking..."
Bang!
The stone pressing down the board had landed on the ground, and Ji Yuan's heart gave a savage leap along with it.
The wooden cover was shoved aside, and dense, tangled hair spilled from the well opening...
"Gulp..."
As the cold grew heavier and heavier, Ji Yuan swallowed. Clutching the quilt on his bed, he slowly, silently pulled it over his own head as well.
Damn it... Could I, Ji Yuan, really be this unlucky? Damn that broker!
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