The poor little girl who traveled through the book, her father was lazy, her mother was stingy, and

They had seen houses in Dayi Town before, and the larger courtyards cost nearly 100 taels. This house had east and west wing rooms, and was more than twice as large as the courtyard they had seen before.

A rough calculation shows that it's over four hundred taels.

There is a well in the yard and a peach tree in the front yard. The peach blossoms are in full bloom at this moment, adding a lot of spring color to the yard.

Lin Dajiang looked very carefully, examining every room. The tables and chairs were old and although they could still be used, they were afraid that they would not last long.

There are almost no new items in the entire yard, which shows that the old couple lives a frugal life. They are reluctant to sell the house now.

Seeing that the four people were just looking around without talking, the broker thought that maybe the yard was too expensive for them to buy, so he asked, "There is another one in the alley, it is a three-story yard with a well in the yard, but there is no shop, the asking price is 200 taels."

Xie Ci'an frowned, two hundred taels was still too expensive for him.

But it doesn't hurt to take a look.

The broker took the group of four to see another courtyard with three entrances.

Lin Xiaoman went straight to the front yard and estimated that this three-courtyard house was about the same size as the three-courtyard house he had seen in Dayi Town.

Just as the broker said, there was a well in the southeast corner of the yard. The whole yard was kept clean and tidy. Like the house I had seen before, the furniture was a bit old. The only thing that was worth looking at was the easternmost wing, which contained a wooden desk that did not fit in with the other furniture.

It must have been used by the seller's son who is an official.

The broker took Lin Dajiang around to look around. Lin Xiaoman and the other three fell behind. She lowered her voice and said, "Qingshi Lane is close to the county school and not far from Guanshan Academy. It is also far from the alley entrance and is relatively quiet, which is suitable for you to read."

Lin Jingzhe said, "The price is a bit high. Two hundred taels for just this yard? Are you trying to rob me?"

Lin Xiaoman also thought it was expensive, but since the broker had quoted a price, there must be room for negotiation. "Perhaps we can negotiate it down to 190 taels?"

Lin Jingzhe frowned, "One hundred and ninety taels is also expensive!"

Lin Xiaoman pondered and said, "Then how much do you think is appropriate?"

Xie Ci'an carefully calculated the money he had on hand, and after leaving out the money for tuition, daily living, and the later examinations, he would probably have about 180 taels left.

"One hundred and eighty taels, and I can buy it."

When Lin Jingzhe heard this, he thought that one hundred and eighty taels was also expensive!

"Do we really need to buy it? Ci'an, you will go to Lin'an Prefecture to take the imperial examination this August. With your level, you will surely pass. Next August will be the autumn examination that takes place every three years. You can't stay in the county school for two years!"

After saying that, he nudged Xie Ci'an, who had been silent, with his arm and said, "Ci'an, how about we look for a house for rent nearby?"

"If I can buy it, I can move all the books here." Xie Ci'an pondered, "In the county school, there are two days off every ten days, and the same is true for Guanshan Academy. My father has collected a lot of classics and collections, most of which are from famous scholars, which are of great help to our studies."

"Talent is important for the imperial examination, but hard work is more important. Jingzhe, especially for someone like you who has only been studying for a short time, you should study harder."

This is the first reason. Secondly, he couldn't be sure whether he would appear on the admission list in the college examination presided over by the academician.

If not, he would have to continue studying in Jialin County School and wait for the opportunity.

But he didn't want to explain these words.

Explanation will only add to the trouble.

"Brother Ci'an is right, brother, you started school late, so you should study more during the next ten-day break." Lin Xiaoman knew what his brother was going to say, and before he could say it, he whispered, "Brother, don't worry about your rabbits. I promise to keep them plump and white for you, and wait for you to come back and buy them for a good price."

Lin Xiaoman felt that his brother might have no idea how much money his parents earned. According to the current profitability of the two workshops, he could definitely come up with three or four hundred taels.

As for Xie Ci'an, her share of the Lin'an Tabloid Newspaper, roughly calculated based on the amount of silver she received, is more than two hundred taels. If the price of this courtyard can be negotiated, Xie Ci'an will surely buy it.

Besides, this courtyard is quiet in a bustling place and close to the market and the academy.

If you miss it, you may not be able to meet it again.

If it were her, she would definitely buy it.

The broker saw that Lin Dajiang was only concerned with asking questions and did not say a word about whether he was satisfied with the yard.

The broker was anxious. "Qingshi Lane is close to the county school, and this house is one of the few small houses in Qingshi Lane. Most of the others are about the same size as the one you saw before."

Lin Dajiang calmed down and asked, "What about the house with the shop? How much is it for?"

The broker gritted his teeth and said, "Four hundred and fifty taels."

"What!" Lin Jingzhe couldn't believe it. "Four hundred and fifty taels? Why don't you just go and rob?"

The broker patiently explained, "Sir, that is the entrance of Qingshi Lane, and it also has a shop. In the county, an ordinary shop would cost more than 100 taels, not to mention a large courtyard with east and west wing rooms."

Lin Xiaoman frowned, "What's the use of having a big yard? There aren't many people in our family."

After saying this, he winked at Lin Jingzhe desperately.

Lin Jingzhe cooperated tacitly and said, "Yes! We don't need a shop, do we? There was a drought last year, and now business is bad, and the shop can't be rented out. We might as well look at other courtyards that don't have shops."

Xie Ci'an echoed, "Indeed, why not take another look."

The broker originally didn't want to lower the price, after all, he could get a commission from the extra money.

However, the drought last year has not yet subsided, and now few people come to see the house.

If this deal fails, I don’t know when it can be completed.