High-class maid

"You must be Mr. Shen? Please come in, please come in." The middleman came out and invited Shen Kun and his family inside.

"Let's not go in. Let's go look at the shops first, and hopefully we can finalize the deal today," Shen Kun said, declining the middleman's invitation.

"Alright, Mr. Shen, wait a moment, I'll go get the papers." The middleman, who dealt with many house buyers every day, was already experienced and could tell that Shen Kun was genuinely interested in buying. Therefore, he became even more attentive.

"When did you find this middleman? Is he reliable?" Wang asked Shen Kun secretly while he went back to his room to get some paper.

“My wife doesn’t recognize him anymore. He’s the one who helped us find this courtyard!” Shen Kun said.

"Huh? This...it's been years since I last saw you, how come you've gotten so fat? I really didn't recognize you if you hadn't pointed it out," Wang said in surprise.

"Hehe, Madam Shen, it's because the food is better now that I've been eating more. But my wife says I look good when I'm chubby." The middleman had somehow appeared behind them and overheard their conversation.

Feeling a little embarrassed about being caught talking about someone behind their back, Wang said, "I didn't mean to say you were fat, I just didn't recognize you. It's good to be a little chubby, it makes you look prosperous... By the way, what should I call you?" Wang changed the subject, trying to ease the awkwardness.

"It's alright, it's alright. You're not the first person to say I've gained weight. My surname is Pang, and my given name is Pang Bo," Pang Bo said.

"Brother Pang, let's set off quickly," Shen Kun urged.

"Alright, please follow me, the three of you. Let's look at the first shop first." Pang Bo held a piece of paper in his hand. Shen Xing'er saw that he had written and drawn a lot on the paper, so it seemed that he was a very responsible person.

After walking for a short while, the group arrived at the end of Chang'an Street, where Pang Bo led them to stop in front of a restaurant.

"Please take a look, sir and madam. This is a three-story restaurant with a large space. It's just that the location isn't great, as it's at the end of the street. However, it's located at the end of the most bustling Chang'an Street, so if you take over, the business won't be too bad." Pang Bo spoke eloquently, clearly having already done his research.

Shen Kun didn't rush to make a decision. His expression was calm, making it impossible to tell whether he was satisfied or not. He said, "Let's go in and take a look first."

Pang Bo hurriedly led them into the restaurant. The manager seemed to know Pang Bo. He smiled slightly at them and then lowered his head to work on his abacus.

Shen Xing'er saw that the place was indeed very large. There were eight tables on the first floor. She then went up to the second floor, which was furnished with private rooms. Although each private room was not very large, it was divided into many rooms. The third floor was the accommodation area. The overall decoration was luxurious and exquisite, which was very much in line with the style of the capital.

"This place is so nice, why did the owner sell it?" Shen Xing'er asked in confusion.

To everyone's surprise, Pang Bo shook his head regretfully and said in a low voice, "The owner of this restaurant did make a lot of money, but he was arrogant and conceited. He even opened a casino, trying to steal the business of high-ranking officials and nobles. That's why he offended someone he couldn't afford to offend. There was nothing he could do, so he planned to sell the restaurant and go back to the countryside to retire."

"I see. Since ancient times, commoners have never fought against officials, let alone a mere merchant. What a pity," Wang said, also feeling sorry for her employer.

"How much silver would it cost to acquire this place?" Shen Kun asked as they descended the stairs.

"To be honest, Mr. Shen, I brought you here because I thought you might be a potential buyer. The other buyers didn't even bother to look after hearing that the owner had offended some powerful and influential people, for fear of getting involved in trouble themselves. The owner has already lowered the price from one thousand taels to seven hundred and sixty taels." Pang Bo finished speaking, wanting to see Shen Kun's reaction.

To everyone's surprise, Shen Kun simply nodded and didn't say anything about the price.

"Let's go to the next one," Wang said.

"Alright, please follow me!" Pang Bo glanced at the paper in his hand and quickly activated the second plan.

The group followed him for a short while, stopping at the corner of Chang'an Street and Shangqiao Street. Pang Bo pointed to the steamed bun shop ahead and said, "This is it."

"Here? I ate this old lady's steamed buns last time I went home. Why are they sold now?" Shen Xing'er asked in surprise. Every time she and her mother didn't feel like cooking when they went home on vacation, Wang Shi would always have her buy a few meat steamed buns from this place. The old lady's steamed buns had thin skins and generous fillings. Once, when Shen Xing'er came to buy them during a holiday, there was even a long queue!

"Alas!" Pang Bo sighed regretfully, and then said, "This old lady who sold steamed buns passed away suddenly a few days ago! She only had one daughter to depend on. Fortunately, her daughter got married last year, otherwise, after the old lady passed away, her daughter would have no one to take care of her after getting married."

As Pang Bo spoke, he took out his key to open the door.

"It's such a surprise! Life is unpredictable! I never thought she, who seemed so healthy, would suddenly fall ill..." Wang sighed deeply.

"Well, her daughter gave me the key and asked me to sell this place. Come in and have a look," Pang Bo said, opening the door and gesturing for them to come in.

This steamed bun shop was completely different from the restaurant we had just visited. It was just a small bungalow, but the area in front of it was quite large. In the summer, Shen Xing'er had seen the old lady set up a few tables in front of the shop to sell breakfast. Inside, there were six tables, a large backyard, and a spacious kitchen.

"It's good, but... in the end..." Wang said hesitantly.

“Madam, I know what you’re worried about. This old lady didn’t die inside the house. Instead, she died on her way to the pharmacy. Her daughter was afraid it would affect the house price, so she took her away and buried her without letting her into the house,” Pang Bo explained hastily, knowing her concerns.

Just kidding. It's not that he's cold-blooded; if the old lady had died in the house, he wouldn't have taken it over.

"I see..." Wang nodded, indicating that she understood.

Shen Xing'er thought to herself that people's hearts are unpredictable. When her mother was alive, everything seemed fine, a harmonious and loving family. But now that she's dead, they won't even let her into the house, the reason being that they're afraid it will affect the price. Sigh...

"How much does it cost here?" Shen Kun asked.

“This… this location is good. It’s bordered by Chang’an Street to the east and Shangqiao Street to the right. What’s more, it comes with a large courtyard and a large kitchen. Although it’s not a high-rise building, it’s not cheap either…” Pang Bo said tactfully.

"It's nothing, go ahead and speak," Shen Kun gestured for him to continue.

“Three hundred and eighty taels,” Pang Bo said, holding up one finger.

Shen Xing'er breathed a sigh of relief. She thought it would cost five or six hundred taels. Three hundred taels was not expensive for this location, after all, this was the capital city where land was extremely valuable!

"Okay, I understand. Isn't there another shop?" Shen Kun asked.