eurekapd Chapter 153 Buying a House, Toilet and Bathtub
Chapter 153 Buying a House, Toilet and Bathtub
The two adults who were chatting saw the child crying and hurried over to find out what was going on.
After asking, I found out that it was the game that caused the problem. Other people's children know more words, but our children know fewer, so why can't they do it?
Actually, it was no big deal, and they could just change the game and it would be over. So, the two sisters decisively led their brothers to play other games.
Qi Shoucheng looked at the children playing and said with emotion, "Brother Zitao, your children are really well educated. They know so many words at such a young age.
Zhou Dajiang was embarrassed. "I have been back for a short time, and the elderly at home have mostly helped take care of the children. Their grandfather is a teacher and he loves teaching children. Plus, the two children read more storybooks, so they know more words."
"I see."
While the two were discussing their children's education, Chen Xiuying was asking Madam Qi about the price of houses in the capital. After buying the manor, the next thing to consider was a house. Since they were going to be staying in the capital for a long time, whether buying or renting, they had to find a way to get one.
"What a coincidence! You've got the right question. There's a man who, in the same class as your husband, was a second-class Jinshi. He's just received a transfer order from the Ministry of Personnel to the wealthy Jiangnan region as a Tongpan (Prefectural Magistrate), a sixth-rank official. His wife, who has a good relationship with me, is worried that he'll need a lot of money since he's just moved to a new place, so she asked me to help her find a suitable family. She wants to sell her house at a discount."
"That would be wonderful. How big is the house? How much does it cost? Honestly, ma'am, if it's too expensive, I'm afraid we can't afford it."
Mrs. Qi was very kind and said, "Her house has three courtyards. I haven't asked for the specific price yet. It just so happens that they haven't left yet. How about I take you to see it tomorrow? If you like it, you can negotiate the price directly."
So, Mrs. Qi and Chen Xiuying made an appointment to go see the house together tomorrow, and then the family said goodbye.
The next day, Chen Xiuying brought Qing'er and Madam Qi to the Sifang Hutong she mentioned. It was quite far from the downtown area and it would take at least fifteen minutes to walk there, but fortunately the environment was quite quiet.
The man who was to be transferred to Jiangnan was surnamed Tang, and they were received by his wife, Madam Tang. Madam Tang first took them on a tour of the house.
The layout of the three-story house was excellent. The front yard was square, with a large locust tree in the center, perfect for summer shade. Then there were three rows of houses. The first row had five back rooms and a sedan room. The second and third rows each had five main rooms, two side rooms, and four wing rooms. It was quite a large house. Furthermore, there was a small vegetable patch in the backyard. The more Chen Xiuying looked at it, the more satisfied she became.
After the viewing, the three of them sat down to discuss the price. Mrs. Tang was also anxious to sell the house, so she said, "If my master hadn't been transferred to Jiangnan, I really wouldn't want to sell this house.
We originally bought this house for 2,500 taels of silver, and there was nothing inside. We spent another 2,000 taels on renovations, and now we're in a hurry to sell it. I don't want a lie, so I'll sell it for 4,000 taels."
Chen Xiuying was very tempted. The price was lower than she had expected, but she had limited money after all, and she also had to clean up the house after she got it. So she told Madam Tang the truth, "Madam Tang, to be honest, we just arrived in the capital and have spent a lot of money. We are really struggling with this. How about lowering the price a little bit? 3,500 taels?"
Mrs. Tang looked hesitant. Three thousand five hundred taels really wasn't too much. So she bargained, "Three thousand eight hundred taels! No less! If that's okay, we'll sign the contract right away."
Chen Xiuying looked at Madam Qi, who nodded slightly. Chen Xiuying gritted her teeth and agreed. The two parties immediately signed a contract. After paying the deposit, they agreed to move in within three days after the final payment.
After leaving the house, Chen Xiuying was overjoyed and thanked Madam Qi repeatedly. Madam Qi smiled and said, "You're welcome. Today is a happy occasion for everyone."
Chen Xiuying thought that her family finally had a place to settle down in the capital, and her steps became lighter, and she just looked forward to moving into the new house as soon as possible.
After returning to the Duke's Mansion, Chen Xiuying told everyone about buying the house.
"I thought the house was quite big and not too expensive, so I bought it. I agreed with the other party that I could move in after paying the balance in three days."
Although Old Madam Song and Madam Song scolded her for rushing to buy a house, they were also happy for them. This was a real place to stay in the capital. They hurriedly asked her where the house was and how far it was from the Duke's Mansion.
"The house is in Sifang Hutong in the east of the city. Minor officials live nearby, and it's quite far from the downtown area. It has three courtyards and a small vegetable patch in the backyard."
Madam Song: "That's right. Once you get the house, don't rush to move in. Clean it up inside and out so you don't have to move back and forth after you move in."
Mrs. Song also said: "When the house is ready, I will assign a few maids to you and let them help you clean up."
Chen Xiuying burst into tears of gratitude and said, "Thank you so much, godmother and sister-in-law. I really don't know how to repay you."
Old Madam Song hit her and said, "What's the point of saying repaying or not repaying as a family? Don't say such stupid things again."
Madam Song also said, "That's right, from now on, the Duke's Mansion will be your mother's home, so you are not allowed to say that."
……
Three days passed quickly, and Chen Xiuying brought people to pay the balance and took over the house. The next step was to decorate and clean up.
Mrs. Tang hadn't lied when she'd promised to clean it up properly. The house was in pretty good condition. The walls were freshly painted, so there was little need to touch them. Furthermore, most of the furniture had been left to them. The only things left were the toilet and bathroom.
She had promised Zhou Sisi that she would buy a toilet for her when she bought the house. So, while Zhou Dajiang was at home, Chen Xiuying asked him to prepare a blueprint for the toilet. Zhou Dajiang said that since there was already a sewer, why not add a bathtub as well? He didn't have time to install a shower right now, so drawing a bathtub would be fine for now.
After the drawings were designed, Zhou Sisi was asked to redraw them. After all, what he drew were just sketches, which were not good enough for firing in the kiln, and people might not understand them.
The capital city had a sewer system that utilized natural rivers to divert water, creating a system that combined open and underground channels. Furthermore, drainage ditches were built on both sides of the main north-south roads, flanked by east-west underground ditches to facilitate the timely removal of rushing water from the streets and alleys.
Because of these, the subsequent work went much more smoothly.
Chen Xiuying first followed Zhou Dajiang's instructions and went to Datong Trading Company to find the head manager Xue Jing.
Xue Jing had served at his home several times, so naturally, he knew Chen Xiuying. Chen Xiuying pulled two blueprints from her box and handed them to Xue Jing, saying, "Boss, these are the toilet and bathtub designs my husband recently developed. They can be fired in a kiln. He asked me to bring them to you. Could we collaborate on this?"