How can someone travel through time and space and become a beggar?

These words cleared the fog for Xia Churu, and she realized she'd been limited by her fixed mindset. "Right, who said it had to be a shop? A house would be more appropriate for this women's club!"

"Mom! You're so smart!" Xia Chu looked at Jia Qingwu with admiration, "Why didn't I think of that?"

"You just haven't thought of it yet." Jia Qingwu was very pleased by her look. "With your intelligence, you will figure it out soon."

"Great! Then I'll go ask the house again!" Xia Chu stood up and turned around. He thought he would have to wait for a long time and it might not be open.

"But you can only buy the house, and you can rent the shop. But you have to make major changes to the house and turn it into a place to entertain guests, otherwise it will be inconvenient for people to live in it in the future." Jia Qingwu pointed out the disadvantages.

Xia Chu calmed down and thought about it. If he bought it, it would not be considered a test run. The initial investment was huge, and if the business was not good, he might lose a lot of money. After all, the house they had renovated could not be lived in directly, and it would be difficult to sell it at that time. This needed to be discussed with Mo Qingmei, but buying a house was not a loss. Although the housing prices in Lin'an were not as high as those in the capital, they were not low either. "Then I'll ask Qingmei."

"Why don't I pay for this house as a gift to you?" Jia Qingwu asked tentatively. She knew how much money Xia Chu had. If she used it all to buy the house, there might not be enough money for the renovations later.

Xia Chu frowned, hesitating and wanting to refuse.

Jia Qingwu tried to persuade her again, "Think about the size of that house. If you want to divide it into small courtyards, you'll have to tear it down and rebuild it. You'll have to entertain guests, plant flowers and plants for landscaping, hire people, and furnish the house. All of this will cost a fortune. It's better for me to pay for the house. After all, the big expense is coming later." Seeing that Xia Chu was still reluctant, Jia Qingwu sighed, looking a little distressed. "You're my only daughter. All these things I have now will belong to you in the future. If it weren't for you, I don't know what the point of living is."

These words were a bit harsh. Xia Chu looked up at Jia Qingwu and found that she looked tired, as if she had really lost her vitality. Frightened, she quickly agreed, "Okay, then I'll listen to what mother says."

Jia Qingwu looked at her and smiled, thinking to herself, Xia Xia is the softest person, don't let yourself be deceived in the future. "Then I'll ask Butler Fu to ask for you. You're young and easy to be deceived. Butler Fu has experience, let him help find it."

"Okay." Xia Chu nodded, leaned forward and hugged her arm and acted coquettishly, "Mom, don't say such things again. I don't like to hear it."

The goal had been achieved, and Jia Qingwu would not deliberately scare her. She nodded immediately, "Okay."

Mo Qingmei heard that the shop was to be converted into a house, but after listening to Xia Chu's analysis, he also felt that the house was more suitable.

The two of them each calculated the money they had and came up with a rough budget for the renovation costs.

Xia Chu hadn't touched the money in her hand much, and she still had money coming in from time to time. When Zhang Zhou left, she took out a thousand taels of silver, but her parents and second brother jointly refused. Her mother gave the second brother a thousand taels of silver, but the second brother only took half, saying that he still had some silver on him and if it was not enough, he would write back to ask for it.

However, Xia Chu knew that her mother had secretly sewn the remaining five hundred taels into the lining of her clothes. She was worried that the journey was too long, and if she needed money urgently, the trip back and forth would take too long. It would be better to take it all with her; a poor home is a rich journey.

About four or five days later, Butler Fu came over in person and said that they had found a house and asked Xia Chu to go with him to take a look. If he was satisfied, he could decide on it. If not, he could look for another one.

Xia Chu followed and took a look. It was a large courtyard, almost double-entranced. The location was perfect, with the main street a hundred meters from the gate. There was plenty of space for carriages. When the original owner built the house, the street was still old and not very prosperous. Later, as the area gradually developed, he felt that the place was too close to the street and a bit noisy, so he moved away. But for them, who ran the shop, the noise was insignificant; the proximity to the main street was even more suitable.

She asked the price, and it was two thousand five hundred taels. Xia Chu secretly smacked her lips. It was so expensive. She could afford it, but she would have to renovate it later. She entered the courtyard and looked around. The house was a bit old, the furniture had been moved out, and all that was left were old things. But it didn't matter. It wasn't going to be lived in anymore, and the layout needed a major change, so naturally, all the furniture would have to be bought again.

"Miss, how is it?" Butler Fu observed her expression and felt that she should be satisfied.

"That's right, but can we negotiate the price?" Xia Chu asked tentatively.

"Once the lady has confirmed it, I will naturally negotiate the price." Butler Fu said with a smile.

"Okay, thank you for your help, Grandpa Fu." Xia Chu smiled and bowed.

"No, no, I will definitely negotiate a good price." Butler Fu supported her lightly, "Don't worry, young lady."

"But let's wait for me to bring someone to take a look. After all, it's not just my business." Xia Chu thought it would be better to ask Mo Qingmei to take a look as well. If both of them are satisfied, then they can negotiate the price.

"Okay, then I'll come to pick up the young lady tomorrow?" Butler Fu asked again.

"Yeah." Xia Chu asked someone to go to the Mo family to deliver a message, asking Mo Qingmei not to go out the next day.

After Mo Qingmei looked at it, he also said he was satisfied, and the house was settled. I don't know what Butler Fu said, but the final price was 2,200 taels. The experienced one was indeed very experienced, and he actually managed to bargain down 300 taels of silver. Although Xia Chu didn't have to pay for it, every penny saved was a penny earned.

After the house was purchased, Jia Qingwu recommended the craftsman who had renovated it for her last time. It was always better to have someone you knew, so Xia Chu immediately found the craftsman.

It took three days just to measure the area of the house. Xia Chu stated his requirements, and the craftsmen spent another five days drawing the design.

Xia Chu asked Mo Qingmei to look at the drawings together, and the two discussed the areas that needed modification and addition.

If they started now, the house would probably be finished before the New Year. Xia Chu wanted to install floor heating in the house, but it was quite expensive. She and Mo Qingmei discussed it for a long time. They were going for a high-end route, so naturally they had to put the guest experience first.

A charcoal basin is essential for winter, and the charcoal must be the best smokeless charcoal, which is quite expensive. However, if you install a floor heating system, while the initial investment may seem large, it is actually more cost-effective in the long run.

The price difference between firewood and charcoal is huge. Even in winter, a cart of firewood costs only 20 to 30 coins. If you use these 20 to 30 coins to buy charcoal, you can only buy two kilograms of ordinary charcoal, and half a kilogram of smokeless charcoal is not enough.

When the bill was presented, Mo Qingmei immediately agreed. The two of them would pay for the renovations in half. After the agreement was reached, the craftsman immediately gathered the workers and began construction. If the house could be completed before the Chinese New Year, they would receive a generous salary, and the family would have a prosperous New Year.