The fake daughter married into the mountains and had meat to eat every day during the famine

Song Yuntang looked up at her and said, "He is a little hungry. I just fed him a few sips of water with a spoon."

The wet nurse held out her hand.

"I'd better feed the young master first, don't let him starve."

Song Yuntang saw that her face was a little pale.

"Has He Ran eaten?"

Xu's husband's surname was Zhou, and they asked Song Yuntang to give their child the name Zhou Heran.

Song Yuntang has made plans for this child. In the future, Zhou Heran will grow up with Hao Ting. The relationship they have since childhood should be more solid than one bought halfway.

Hearing Song Yuntang ask He Ran first, Xu was touched. She smiled and said, "I asked the child's father to go to the kitchen to make rice porridge. He Ran is now more than four months old and can also eat some liquid food. The little master is only more than a month old, so the milk must be fed to the little master."

Song Yuntang handed the child to her.

"I just asked Xia Ning to go look for sheep. If they find any, I can give the child some goat milk, which will make things easier for you."

The Xu family had been slaves for many years, and their masters had never considered them so much.

"Madam, you are so kind. I don't know how to express my gratitude to you."

"If you can help me take good care of Hao Ting, that will be the greatest reward." Song Yuntang raised his hand and pointed, "There is an annex next to it. Go and feed Hao Ting first."

"Yes."

The wet nurse responded and carried the child to the ear room.

This room was previously occupied by Xu Qingye alone. He had never had high requirements for his residence, and mainly focused on comfort and simplicity. Now that Song Yuntang and the children were here, he naturally had more things.

She put the things she brought in order and looked at Xu Qingye.

"I don't know much about the capital. Where do you think we should look for a suitable courtyard?"

Xu Qingye pulled Song Yuntang to the desk and drew a simple picture of the capital on paper.

"The Imperial Palace is located in the very center of the capital. The four directions are East City, South City, West City, and North City respectively."

"There's always a saying in the capital that 'the east is rich and the west is noble, the north is poor and the south is humble.'"

"The moat flows through the eastern part of the capital, where the economy is relatively prosperous. Wealthy merchants, imperial merchants, and some officials gather in the East City. The West City is closest to the imperial palace and is home to many important court officials, princes, and marquises. The North City is home to many down-and-out royal children, as well as some small merchants and officials from impoverished families. As for the South City, it's where the people of the capital call the lowest class of people live."

Song Yuntang had heard of the term "lower nine classes", which referred to some lowly occupations in the Great Xia Dynasty.

Occupations such as legal advisors, yamen runners, coroners, matchmakers, porters, circus performers, prostitutes, pedicures, barbers, and actors are all considered lowly.

She thought about it.

Since Xicheng is where the nobles live, I think this place is not only very expensive, but also impossible to get in without a certain status.

Besides, there are high-ranking officials all around, so it is inevitable that it will be cramped to live there.

If there are some minor conflicts between neighbors, or if you accidentally hear something you shouldn't hear, the other party may cause trouble in official circles one day, or even cost you your head. It is always a troublesome matter.

Xu Qingye is about to enter the court as an official, but his rank is not high, so it is better for him not to force his way in.

She didn't want to consider the two places, South City and North City. Now that she had a child, it would be easy for something to happen because of the mixed crowd.

After thinking about it, it would be better to start with Dongcheng.

"What's the approximate price range for a three-story house in East City?"

Xu Qingye pointed at the drawing.

"The courtyards in the East City are also divided into areas. The ones in the middle are closer to the Imperial Palace. The courtyards with three entrances cost about three to five thousand taels of silver. The ones on the north and south sides also cost one thousand taels or more."

Song Yuntang nodded. In the past two years, the shop had made good profits, and she had enough money.

Even if you buy a yard for three or five thousand taels of silver, the impact will not be that big.

"We just got here today, let's take a day off first. Tomorrow I'll take Xia Ning to the dental clinic to ask."

Xu Qingye held her hand.

"I have to go to the palace tomorrow. Tang'er just gave birth over a month ago, and her eyes are still recovering. There's no rush to find a courtyard. Let's ask the people below to look after it first and find some to come home for reference. If we find a suitable one, we can go together."

He was worried about letting her go alone.

Prince Heng must have spies all over the capital. If his people find out that Tang'er is alone, who knows what will happen.

He couldn't let her take that risk.

Song Yuntang didn't try to show off.

"Then it's up to you."

Seeing his wife being so well-behaved, Xu Qingye smiled with relief and hugged her in his arms.

……

After the two of them discussed and decided on the matter, Xu Qingye asked Guiping to deliver the rent of the three back rooms to Xie Yingwei.

Song Yuntang looked at him curiously.

"Who is that Mr. Xie?"

Xu Qingye said calmly, "He's from Jiangnan. His family is mainly engaged in the tea business. He said that his family owns more than 100 acres of tea plantations, so they are quite wealthy."

Jiangnan is a place rich in tea and silk, and Song Yuntang had heard of this.

With more than one hundred acres of tea plantation, after deducting the annual income from expenses, the tea farmers can earn between two and five hundred taels of silver a year, depending on the climate.

It is indeed a wealthy family.

"How much does it cost per month to rent this west wing?"

"Two taels and two qian of silver."

"Where's the east wing?"

"Two taels of silver."

Song Yuntang understood.

"It seems that Brother Lu on the opposite side is also quite powerful."

Two taels of silver a month would cost more than twenty taels a year. It would be difficult to afford it without some family wealth.

Xu Qingye nodded and patiently responded to each of her questions.

"Brother Lu's parents used to run an inn, so they've saved some money. However, land prices are high here in the capital, and renting a wing room and an ear room for two taels is already considered cheap. Those five rooms on the left side of the entrance, which don't have good lighting, cost eight hundred wen a month."

Song Yuntang was calculating in his heart.

"Five rooms at the back of the house, eight hundred coins a month, a total of four taels. The west wing is two taels and two qian, and the east wing is two taels, adding up to eight taels and two qian of silver. How much is the rent for this courtyard that Mr. Xie rented?"

"Twelve taels." Xu Qingye blurted out.

"So, he only spent three taels and eight cents of silver to occupy the main house, the two east and west side rooms, and the five backyard rooms?" Song Yuntang smiled. "As expected of the son of a Jiangnan tea merchant, he's quite thrifty. If he rents out three more backyard rooms, he won't have to spend much money himself."

Hearing her praising Xie Yingwei, Xu Qingye looked up at her.

"Tang'er."

Song Yuntang tilted his head.

"Ok?"

Xu Qingye leaned closer to her, his tall figure almost covering her entire body. Just when Song Yuntang was stunned, Xu Qingye lowered his head and pecked her lightly on the lips.

Song Yuntang was so startled by his sudden action that her mind went blank. Ever since he found her, the most intimate thing they had done was sleeping in each other's arms.

Even in the past, he would only kiss her when he couldn't help himself, or when he was having sex.

Such behavior at the moment really surprised her.

Looking at the surprise in his wife's eyes, Xu Qingye pursed his lips and smiled, finally diverting her attention away.

……