The Transmigrated Farm Girl's Journey to Wealth

Fang Xiaoning, upon arriving in the county town, first ate a bowl of dumplings before seeking out the middleman.

When the middleman heard that they wanted to look at houses and shops, he perked up – they were big customers!

"What kind of houses and shops are you two looking to see?"

They had agreed beforehand that they would buy the right thing, but they didn't know how expensive housing was in the county town. "Ideally, the house should be large, with at least three courtyards. As for the shop, we'd like a busy storefront."

Upon hearing this, the middleman became even more enthusiastic. A major client, definitely a major client.

"Please wait a moment, I'll go back and get the house keys."

We visited three residences: one near the county government office, where most officials lived; one near the county school; and the other, a merchant's residence. All were large houses with three or five courtyards.

The location is excellent, the house is beautiful, and the interior decoration is exquisite—it's flawless in every way. Similarly, the price is also unreasonable; you can tell at a glance that it's not for the poor.

Several houses were priced at five hundred taels, six hundred taels, and eight hundred taels respectively. Even though the young couple was somewhat prepared, the middleman's quotes still made their hearts tremble. Prices in the county town weren't low!

"Master Song, as you know, shops in prime locations are generally not for sale. I only have one shop right now, which used to be a restaurant, but business was bad, so the owner simply sold it and decided to try his luck in the prefectural city. Here it is."

Fang Xiaoning looked up and saw a large two-story restaurant. The middleman opened the door; the things were still inside. There were more than a dozen tables and chairs on the first floor, and five private rooms on the second floor. The restaurant also had a backyard, which was very spacious and had a total of sixteen rooms and two wells.

"What's the price of this shop?"

Asking about the price meant there was hope, the middleman replied respectfully, "This restaurant has an excellent location, a rare find. The food inside is complimentary, as for the price..." The best location in the county town really is, shockingly expensive. "One thousand five hundred taels."

Fang Xiaoning nearly coughed up blood. So expensive! Why didn't he just rob someone? He gritted his teeth and asked, "May I ask how much the rent is here per year?"

“A place this big and in such a good location would cost at least a hundred taels of silver a year in rent.”

No wonder restaurant food is expensive; the costs are indeed high.

"Are shops in this area easy to rent?" A hundred taels of rent a year, and you'd break even in fifteen years. In those days, money deposited in money shops didn't earn interest.

The middle-aged man raised an eyebrow. Was he interested? "Of course it's easy to rent; this is the best location in the whole city."

Song Feng chimed in, "In that case, thank you for your help today. Let's discuss it and decide what to do. We'll come to see you tomorrow."

"Easy to say, easy to say!"

Once the middleman is convinced, he'll definitely buy one property. They're buying luxury homes, and the middleman's fee for just one property is substantial, equivalent to half a year's income for him. If he's buying a commercial property, it could be worth a year's income.

"It's getting late, how about I treat you two to a meal?"

"No need, we have other things to do." Song Feng quickly refused. There was still an hour before dark. After inquiring about Uncle Fang, they still needed to find an inn.

Oh, right, the carriage is still stored there.

First, I went to the yamen (government office), as I happened to be passing by on my way to retrieve the carriage. Coincidentally, I saw the same yamen runner who had sold information last time.

After making inquiries, they learned that they were also waiting for instructions from above regarding the outcome of this matter; otherwise, the case would have been closed long ago.

Fine, what can ordinary folks do? They just do whatever the higher-ups say. I'll just go back and tell my father to wait.

The efficiency of doing things in ancient times was indeed low. At that speed, how many cases could be tried in a year?

We found an inn, booked a superior room, ordered a few dishes, and had the waiter bring them to the room.

Fang Xiaoning looked around the guest room: a bed that wasn't small, a table and chairs, a small cabinet for luggage, and a window. The room was fairly clean, probably cleaned daily. The simple furnishings made it the best room in the area.

"Brother Feng, what do you think about the house?"

"I want to buy a restaurant." The reason is simple: rent.

“I think so too. Let’s buy that house near the county school. That way, if our children want to study in the county, they’ll have a place to stay.”

"Did you bring enough silver?" He had heard his wife say that he should bring two thousand taels, which was already over budget.

"That's enough. I was afraid it wouldn't be enough, so I brought some extra."

When it comes to getting things done, my wife is the most reliable.

"Tomorrow, we'll transfer ownership of both houses and then go home."

We'll hold off on buying the land for now and talk about it next year.