mesbooks Chapter 294 He Family
Chapter 294 He Family
After Dongfang Jin inquired, it turned out that all the houses in this area were built by wealthy people from the prefectural city themselves.
They built the school because of its reputation in Anyang, and then rented it out or sold it at a high price.
The people living in this area are all students who came to study at Anyang Academy in Fucheng. Some have bought houses, while others have rented them.
There are also some learned families from this prefecture who live in this area.
They felt that only by living in such a place could they demonstrate their status as scholars and be superior to others.
Qingshu Lane originally had nine households in a row, but seven of them are now vacant. There are five rows of such houses in total.
Opposite are two courtyards with two entrances and two exits, totaling five households, four of which are for sale, arranged in two rows.
Behind it is Wenshu Lane, a street with three courtyards, three entrances, and three households. There are also two houses for sale.
This small, detached courtyard, though not very large, is fully equipped and nicely decorated.
The other courtyards were also designed according to the style that literati liked, and they were full of scholarly atmosphere.
After looking around, Dongfang Jin's mind started racing; she wanted all of these houses.
It's a school district!
Qingshu Lane, Wenshu Lane, Wenlan Lane, Wenqu Lane, Renyi Lane, Xianming Lane, and Wenli Lane.
Listen to this, how could this place not be popular?
If she doesn't buy now, when will she?
This is practically free.
Once Ling'an County is renovated, the one that will benefit the most is Anyang Prefecture, the closest prefecture city directly under its jurisdiction.
That will definitely attract many wealthy businessmen to move here, and then...
Houses in this area are sure to be very valuable.
A middle-aged man came out of a house in the back and greeted the proprietress with joy, "Aunt Sun, what are you doing here? I was just looking for you."
As soon as they left Wenshu Hutong, Dongfang Jin saw the middle-aged man who had spoken; he appeared calm and shrewd.
Wearing a neat, dark green robe, the hem fluttering in the wind, yet not at all disheveled, but rather exuding an air of composure.
The dark green color he wore made him look both dignified and elegant, and the lapels and cuffs were probably embroidered with intricate patterns, highlighting the owner's status and taste.
His hair was neatly tied back and secured with a simple yet elegant hairpin. A few strands of silver hair could be faintly seen among the strands, which were traces left by the years and symbols of wisdom and experience.
His face was kind yet slightly dignified, with deep eyes that seemed to see into people's hearts, yet he was gentle, making it clear at first glance that he was a trustworthy person.
The proprietress was clearly flattered when she saw the newcomer: "Butler He, what brings you here?"
“Aunt Sun, my husband is going to the southern part of Nanzhou, and he’s in a hurry to sell the house and shops here. I was just about to look for you when I unexpectedly ran into you here.”
Granny Sun was surprised: "Your master is selling all his properties?"
Could the rumors be true?
Are all of the He family's properties going to be sold?
Dongfang Jin noticed that both sides used honorifics, which was somewhat...
Butler He looked regretful and pained: "Yes, my young master only took his personal belongings from this house, leaving behind the furniture and other large items."
There are also the main residences in the city, and the goods in several shops.
Besides what we sold these past few days, the rest isn't selling well either, so the master plans to take it all with him.
Granny Sun saw that he didn't seem to be faking it, but she was still puzzled: "Steward He, tell this old woman the truth, your master has been in Anyang Prefecture for quite some time, why..."
Why are you in such a hurry to sell your assets?
Is there something unknown about this?
If that's the case, she can't help with big things, but she can still help with small things.
She had personally witnessed how hard that couple had worked to establish themselves in Anyang Prefecture.
That couple were rare kind-hearted people, and their business was very successful; they never cheated or swindled anyone.
It is said that no merchant is honest, but she never saw any trace of such cunning in the He family couple.
She treated her servants well; in fact, almost all of her servants were bought from her household.
Butler He lowered his voice: "Oh, isn't this a matter concerning Madam's family? You know that our Madam is from a collateral branch of the Yun family."
When Granny Sun heard what he said, she understood; of course she knew.
If it weren't for the fact that the couple came to her shop to buy people that year, and one of the women there recognized Mrs. He's identity, it would have been different.
She then went up to Madam He and begged her to buy her, but Madam He refused. That was the first time she had ever seen Madam He give her a cold shoulder and refuse someone.
Before she could find out the reason, the woman revealed that Madam He had not only run away from the marriage because of Master He, but had also been expelled from the Yun family.
Madam He did not hide anything from her and told her what had happened. It turned out that she and Master He had been betrothed since childhood.
However, the clan leader of her branch ruined the marriage, forcibly annulling it without her parents' consent and forcing her to marry someone else.
Madam He refused, because when the He family was at its peak, the Yun family was the ones who were marrying up. Now that the He family had fallen on hard times, they would look down on them, and she couldn't do that.
His parents were also willing to do the betrayal, but for their daughter's happiness, they agreed under pressure from the clan chief.
That's why there's talk of her running away from the wedding; otherwise, she wouldn't have stayed away all these years.
As for the woman, Madam He said she was the maidservant of the matriarch of their Yun family branch.
Butler He lowered his voice, but was clearly very happy: "The Yun family sent a message before the New Year, saying that my mother-in-law is ill and misses her daughter."
Upon receiving the letter, the lady quickly packed her things and returned home ahead of schedule.
Two days ago, someone from the Yun family came and asked Master Yun to go to Nanzhou. Master Yun has forgiven them and is allowing the whole family to return to Nanzhou for a reunion.
The proprietress clapped her hands with delight, saying, "This is a good thing! Your wife is a kind-hearted person; she's been away from home for almost twenty years."
Master He is doing quite well now, he and his wife have a good relationship, and they treat you servants well. Being able to return now fulfills their wish.
"Yes, that's why Master sent me to find you, to see if we can sell off all of our family's assets within three days."
The master said that if they found someone easy to talk to, a lower price would be better.
Upon hearing this, the proprietress involuntarily glanced at Dongfang Jin, secretly thinking that she was in trouble and that she probably wouldn't make any money from this deal.
This young lady is really lucky.
The He family is quite good; they've patronized her business a lot over the years. Back then, she was a widow with a son, and she faced constant harassment.
If it weren't for the He family couple helping her out and frequently supporting her business, she feared she would have been bullied to death by those wolves and tigers.
Dongfang Jin also looked at them. The fact that the steward could talk so much with this old woman meant that the two families must have a good relationship.
Otherwise, she would think the housekeeper was incompetent.
Unlike that shameless old woman, this old woman looked at Steward He and asked, "How many shops do you own? What do they sell?"
When Butler He saw Dongfang Jin ask this question, he looked at the proprietress and asked, "Aunt Sun, what's this?"
The proprietress slapped her thigh and said, "Oh, just tell the truth. I brought this important person here to look at houses."
"Our distinguished guest also wishes to view some shops. If your shop is suitable, we will not be going to the Li family's place."
Then, leaning closer to Steward He, Jin said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "If she could, she would want your house and shops; there's no need to wait three days."
Upon hearing this, Steward He nodded and then respectfully bowed to Dongfang Jin: "Our family owns five shops in Anyang Prefecture, and two of them have already been sold."
The remaining three houses were adjacent to each other, so my wife connected them up for convenience.
...That shop is a bit too big to sell. Inside, one shop sells fabrics, another sells clothing, and another sells rouge. All of them have a lot of stock.
There are two more courtyards in the backyard, which are currently occupied by the embroiderers and their families.
Dongfang Jin laughed upon hearing this, thinking, "It's like finding a needle in a haystack, only to have it come to me effortlessly."