Reborn as a Happy Wife in a Rural Family
Chapter 129: Rich People Are Willful

Chapter 129: Chapter 129: Rich People Are Willful

The young lady leaning against him wore a water-blue, waist-cinching long dress. The silk tassels on the sash at her slender waist swayed with her movements, outlining her graceful, slender, and petite figure.

The young lady wore no golden hairpins or elaborate adornments; only a simple yet elegant white jade hairpin secured her hair bun.

Her charming face carried a gentle smile as she greeted him with a nod. What a stunning young lady, he thought.

Middleman Huang blinked and hurriedly said, "Please, come in, all three of you."

The two nodded. Xiao Yunjing led Gu Qingli to a seat, while Wuqing stood behind her.

Middleman Huang glanced at Wuqing. So, that one is a maid, he realized. Even the maid is so pretty and lovely.

"What do you need today, Young Master?" Middleman Huang poured tea for them and asked directly. "If it’s an estate you’re after, I have a large one, a full 1,000 acres. Would you like to take a look?"

He remembered this Young Master’s temperament particularly well; he was remarkably decisive and wasted no words.

Xiao Yunjing turned to Gu Qingli. "What does Li’er think?"

"We can visit it, but let’s look at the people first."

"Alright."

Xiao Yunjing then said to Middleman Huang, "Please bring some people for us to see, mainly those skilled in estate management. Also, call over a couple of older women who can cook."

"Certainly, Young Master! Give me a moment, and I’ll bring them right over." Middleman Huang was naturally delighted. Currently, with the unrest at the border and in Beijing, many people had fled to this area. Upon arrival, they couldn’t find a way to make a living, and having no other choice, many had sold themselves. Among them, there was no shortage of people skilled in estate management.

He had been worried, actually. The autumn harvest had just passed, and he was hoping those wealthy landowners would buy some people for the autumn planting.

At Middleman Huang’s call, a full hundred people lined up in the backyard.

Selecting the staff was not something Gu Qingli and her husband needed to do personally; Wuqing could handle it.

Gu Qingli, considering the purchase of the estate, told Wuqing to pick more people. Such a large estate would undoubtedly require a significant workforce, especially since they would need help harvesting medicinal materials in the future.

They couldn’t possibly ask members of the Secret Sect to come out and help, could they? That would truly be a waste of their talents.

Having done farm work with Gu Qingli for some time, Wuqing knew what kind of person was genuinely suited for agricultural labor. She specifically chose those who looked honest and simple, with calloused hands. Of course, she could easily distinguish between hands that held hoes and hands that held weapons.

After making her selections, she brought two older women over.

"Miss, what do you think of these two?"

Gu Qingli observed the two older women. They were of similar build, slightly tall—about 1.6 meters by modern standards. Their clothes were clean, and their hair was neat. They had ordinary features, and their faces looked a bit strained. They must be nervous, Gu Qingli thought.

"What do you think of these two?" Gu Qingli still asked Xiao Yunjing. After all, these women would be living in their home and frequently in sight, so they needed to be agreeable.

Xiao Yunjing didn’t even glance at them. "If Li’er says they’re fine, then they’re fine."

These were internal household matters, and as a man, he didn’t concern himself with them. He had accompanied Li’er today primarily to protect her. He believed Qingchen’s people were surely hidden in the shadows, watching them.

"Alright." Gu Qingli nodded to Wuqing.

Wuqing immediately led the women away, telling them to wait.

"Young Master, Madam, would you still like to see the estate?" Middleman Huang emerged, asking eagerly and somewhat fawningly.

"Yes, let’s go take a look," Gu Qingli nodded.

"Excellent! I have arranged a carriage. Please!"

"That won’t be necessary. Just lead the way," Xiao Yunjing said this time.

"Very good, very good." Middleman Huang nodded and bowed, then instructed an attendant to look after the Pawnshop as he led Gu Qingli and the others out of the city.

「Ten miles south of the city」

The carriage stopped before an estate.

Middleman Huang went to knock on the gate, while Gu Qingli and Xiao Yunjing surveyed the place.

The estate was situated beside a village, surrounded by many farmhouses and extensive farmland. The entire estate was enclosed by a bamboo fence, with a proper gatehouse at the entrance, bearing the words "Su Family Estate."

Just then, the gate opened. An old man in his fifties, recognizing Middleman Huang, quickly ushered their party into the estate.

Inside, they found a small courtyard, laid out like a traditional siheyuan.

Middleman Huang led them directly to the fields. The estate had both paddy fields and dry land, roughly half and half. The crops had all been harvested, leaving the fields bare.

Gu Qingli walked around and discovered a pond in the center of the estate, with steps leading down to it for easy water access. The pond only contained some aquatic weeds; nothing else was planted in it.

After a full tour, the estate seemed quite good, suitable for growing both grain and medicinal materials. If she bought it, she planned to plant rice in the paddy fields and medicinal materials on the dry land. She wouldn’t diversify much; if they needed to plant wheat, they would just buy more land. She had also noticed that the estate was backed by a mountain, so there was still plenty of wasteland that could be reclaimed. There was so much wasteland here; if you wanted to clear it, there was plenty available. The current social situation in the Daqian Kingdom was one of vast lands and a sparse population.

「Back in the courtyard」

Before Xiao Yunjing could ask Gu Qingli her opinion, Middleman Huang eagerly interjected, "Well? What do you think?" The land here doesn’t yield much grain, so the owner wasn’t making any profit year after year and simply wanted to sell it. A few people had come to see it, but they had all been quite disdainful.

"How much per acre?" Gu Qingli asked, not yet saying whether she wanted it.

Middleman Huang began, "The location here is excellent, and it’s close to the village—"

"Just the price," Xiao Yunjing cut him off.

Middleman Huang said reluctantly, "Eight taels of silver per acre." He had wanted to say nine taels. All his earlier talk about the excellent location and ease of hiring help was leading up to that, but this Young Master didn’t give him a chance to elaborate. So, he had to state the owner’s lowest price. In any case, his commission would be the same, high price or low.

"Let’s return to the Pawnshop first," Xiao Yunjing said calmly, taking Gu Qingli’s hand.

"Alright, alright." Middleman Huang quickly agreed, though he felt a bit frustrated inwardly. He’d quoted the price, but this Young Master hadn’t said a word about whether he wanted it or not. It would have been nice if he’d at least given some indication!

When they returned to the Pawnshop, without giving Middleman Huang a chance to use his glib tongue, Gu Qingli took out a 10,000-tael silver banknote and settled the account.

One estate, two older women, and 50 servants. The estate cost 8,000 taels, and the 52 people were 10 taels each, for a total of 8,520 taels.

Middleman Huang was left speechless... Rich people truly are capricious!

"Wuqing, take the people to the estate and choose an estate manager from among them," Gu Qingli said, handing her the change from Middleman Huang, over 1,000 taels in silver banknotes.

Wuqing accepted the banknotes and led the large group of people out of the city in a grand procession.

At the city gate, there was a market that hadn’t closed for the day yet. Wuqing first bought three ox carts and one horse-drawn carriage. Then, she took everyone to buy food and other necessities. Among the 50 people, some were married couples, so for clothing, she bought bolts of fabric and would have the women make their own.

Meanwhile, Xiao Yunjing took Gu Qingli and the two older women back to their residence in the County Town.