Buying a house? Winning people's hearts?
Since this pot of water is so beneficial to their family, why are they in such a hurry to throw it away? What's wrong with her that she'd force such a granddaughter to get married?
If Zhao Ruxi herself was eager to marry and wanted to get married early, her grandmother wouldn't stop her from doing so; but isn't it that her granddaughter herself doesn't want to get married? Then let her stay a couple more years, let her help her family, wouldn't that be a win-win situation?
Zhao Ruxi didn't have time to think about such things. After she came back, she didn't practice calligraphy. Instead, she took a charcoal pencil and scribbled on a piece of white paper for a while before going to sleep.
The next day was the day she was supposed to meet the middleman to view the house. She left at the agreed time and saw the Broker Wang from the south of the city, whom she had met the day before, standing not far from the gate waiting for them.
Ma Sheng quickly went up and said a few words to him. Broker Wang then got into his mule cart and led the way, with Zhao Ruxi's carriage following behind. They went to the south of the city together.
The carriage traveled through the city for the time it takes to eat a meal. After entering the city and turning left and right, it finally stopped in front of a gate. Broker Wang got off the carriage.
Zhao Ruxi also got out of the carriage. She first checked the width and cleanliness of the alley and found that it was wide enough for two carriages to pass side by side. It was paved with bluestone slabs and was clean and tidy. She nodded in satisfaction.
Broker Wang took out his key, opened the door, and introduced, "This is a two-courtyard house with about twenty rooms inside and out, and a row of rear buildings. The original owner was an official of the Ministry of Rites, but he returned to his hometown to observe mourning for his parents. He was over fifty years old and had only one son, who passed the imperial examination at nearly forty and became a Xiucai (a scholar who passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations). He was afraid that he had no hope of passing the imperial examinations in this lifetime, so he planned to sell this house and settle down in his hometown."
Zhao Ruxi went inside and took a look. It was a square house with two courtyards, front and back. The house was a bit old, the walls were dark and grimy, and everything was quite ordinary. Most importantly, there was no well in the house. If you wanted water, you had to wait for the water seller to bring it by water cart and pay for it.
A family's water usage is finite, so buying water isn't a problem. But if she needs to use it to polish jade, the water usage becomes unpredictable. It's better to have a well.
As for digging a well ourselves, forget it. If there were water in this house, a well would have been dug when the house was first built.
She asked, "What's the price?"
"Five thousand eight hundred taels of silver," Broker Wang said, observing Zhao Ruxi's expression.
Those who act as intermediaries make a living by observing people's words and expressions.
If Miss Zhao is satisfied with the house and is also interested in the price, then the deal is done, and he must stick to the price. If Miss Zhao is satisfied with the house but thinks it's too expensive, then he can try to negotiate. If she rejects it outright, he will have to change his approach to the next house he introduces.
This price was within Zhao Ruxi's expectations.
There's nothing wrong with the house, and given its location, it's naturally expensive. Plus, the owner isn't in a rush for money; even if they don't sell, renting it out will provide a steady monthly income. So they're definitely sticking to their high price. She doesn't need to spend so much money on a house like this.
"Besides this one, how many other houses are there?" she asked.
Broker Wang knew she hadn't found anything she liked, and after thinking for a moment, replied, "There are two more places."
"Then let's go take a look."
Broker Wang led her to the next place.
The next house was in a slightly worse location. The alley was only wide enough for one carriage, and the road was a bit uneven. The houses on both sides were not as well-maintained as the first one. Some houses were large, and some were small, but you could tell that they were all from respectable and well-off families.
"Does Broker Wang know who lives in these houses?" she asked.
Actually, there are many middlemen in the south of the city, not just Broker Wang. Why did the people from the Court of Judicial Review recommend Broker Wang? It's because Broker Wang isn't as rough as other middlemen. He often treats the constables in charge of the area to meals and drinks, inquires about all sorts of gossip, and learns about the situation of each household in the area.
Unlike today, there is no large transient population in ancient times. Once people settled down here, they often stayed for decades, making it relatively easy to understand the situation. Over the years, Broker Wang became intimately familiar with the area.
"This household belongs to the family of a deputy commander of the Five Cities Military Command; this household belongs to a scholar who passed the imperial examination..."
Upon hearing the identities of the residents, Zhao Ruxi became more satisfied with the location of the house.
They all have some status, but they're not connected to any aristocratic families, and even less so to the royal family. That's good.
The house she had just seen was surrounded by officials. Although their ranks were not high, the highest being only fourth or fifth grade, their connections with the imperial court were extremely close. Although what she was doing was not anything shady, staying away from the court would still save her a lot of trouble.
Broker Wang unlocked the door. "Miss Zhao, please."
Zhao Ruxi went inside and looked around the house.
This house was larger than the previous one, and it also had a back garden. There were about twenty rooms, but they weren't as well-organized. What pleased Zhao Ruxi was that there was a well here.
Broker Wang, after assessing her price range, offered. "This house is cheaper than the previous one; it's only four thousand five hundred taels of silver."
Zhao Ruxi nodded.
After viewing two houses, she had a general idea of the property prices in this time and space. She preferred this house to the previous one.
Different uses lead to different requirements for a house. The previous place was more suitable for officials, for its prestige. But she values practicality, so this place is much better, and most importantly, it's cheaper—1,300 taels!
However, she remained calm and said, "Let's go, let's go see the other one."
Broker Wang was now uncertain and couldn't help but ask, "What kind of house does Miss Zhao want? I think this house is quite nice."
"Let's take a look first, no rush," Zhao Ruxi said.
Next, she followed Broker Wang to see the remaining house. That house was smaller; although it was also a two-courtyard house, there were many rooms and the courtyard was small, making it feel cramped everywhere.
"Give me a fair price for these three houses, and I'll see if it's suitable. If not, I'll look for something in the west of the city," Zhao Ruxi said.
Actually, she could have asked the two middlemen to submit their bids after viewing the houses in the west of the city. That way, with competition, their bids would definitely be lower.
However, without mentioning that these intermediaries were introduced by the Court of Judicial Review, which involved the face and personal connections of Wu Zong and the yamen runners, Zhao Ruxi only said that she would inevitably have to deal with these people when buying houses and hiring servants in the future, and she didn't want to push things too far.
While bidding against each other might make her seem particularly shrewd and save her some money, it can make others uncomfortable and appear overly calculating. In interpersonal relationships, a win-win situation is the best way to go further in the long run.