CH 113

Zhulan stared at her hands, she can let go of the fact that she rolled over to Zhou Shuren’s side, but she hugged Zhou Shuren’s waist? The whole body was stuck to Zhou Shuren’s body, and her face was bloodshot and sweated instantly, and she didn’t dare to move at all. In the beginning, she said that Zhou Shuren was not allowed to touch her, but now that she threw herself into his arms, her face felt swollen. Even jumping into the Yellow River can’t wash the shame off.

Zhou Shuren woke up a long time ago, ahem, the only bad thing about the inn was that it was quite cold at night. Even if the room was heated with a stove, the bed was not a kang. Zhulan was used to sleeping on the kang and naturally looked for a heat source at night. He didn’t move his hands and feet, Zhulan came here by herself. So of course he took advantage of the opportunity to hug her!

Zhulan quickly calmed down, she couldn’t wait for Zhou Shuren to wake up, she let go of her hands carefully, and moved back to the bed little by little. Zhulan hugged her daughter tightly before she breathed a sigh of relief, fortunately, Zhou Shuren hadn’t woken up!

There was no need to get up early to go out, Zhulan was startled, and cautiously exhausted, and she fell asleep again in a daze.

Zhou Shuren opened his eyes laughingly. If it wasn’t for the fear that Zhulan would be uncomfortable in the future, and the timing was wrong, he had to struggle for a long time to not scare Zhulan!

By the time Zhulan woke up, Zhou Shuren had finished washing. Zhulan felt a little uncomfortable, but seeing that Zhou Shuren didn’t respond, she breathed a sigh of relief and helped her daughter wash.

Breakfast was also eaten in the room because the luggage was full of money so they didn’t dare to go out.

Zhou Shuren said: “Today I will go to visit Brother Zhao first. Brother Zhao’s family has no women, so I can just go and visit by myself. Just ask him to find Yazi1 to find out about the house and shop.”

Zhulan said, “Okay, then I will stay here and keep an eye on our luggage.”

Brother Zhao, whom Zhou Shuren made friends with, was a talented man he befriended on the return trip. Because of his family background, he went to the South on a study tour. On the return trip, he found a Dart convoy to come back with. He chatted with Zhou Shuren and exchanged addresses, so it was not a lie to say that they came to Pingzhou to visit a friend.

Zhou Shuren came back after lunch, Zhulan hurriedly asked, “What did Zhao Gōngzi2 say?”

Zhou Shuren thanked his daughter for pouring the tea and took a slow sip before saying, “The Zhao surname is a prominent family in Pingzhou. Even if Brother Zhao Bo is from a collateral branch, as long as no one dares to cause trouble for him within the territory of Pingzhou, he can simply mention his identity and inform the innkeeper. Prepare a table of good dishes for tomorrow noon.”

Zhulan thought to herself, Zhou Shuren must have taken the initiative to befriend Zhao Bo. This person is clearly targeting the Zhao family’s influence in facilitating the purchase of shops and houses. By getting information through the Yazi, they won’t have to worry about being troubled by others. This person had calculated everything so meticulously that she couldn’t even offer any help. The limitations imposed on women in ancient times were too fatal. She handed a handkerchief to Zhou Shuren and said, “I really appreciate your efforts.”

Zhou Shuren stole a glance at Zhulan and felt a surge of tenderness for her. His heart raced with excitement. As he wiped his face, he thought to himself that a certain amount of exhaustion was necessary. Suddenly, his eyes brightened and said, “Everything I do is for us.”

Naturally, the roots of her ears were a little red, and she thought of how she was in his arms in the morning, “I’ll go and tell the shopkeeper, you have a rest first.”

Zhou Shuren was very happy, coughed at the blinking eyes of the little girl. He had completely forgotten that they had a child here.

On the second day, Zhulan didn’t cross the side, and she didn’t let go of holding her daughter all night. Zhou Shuren regretted bringing Xuehan here; why did he insist on bringing such a light bulb, and that too a super-large one?

Zhao Bo came with Yazi, and Zhao Bo was in charge. Yazi was very polite to Zhou Shuren. It was not easy to follow when buying a shop and house, so Zhulan didn’t follow them. Zhou Shuren called a carriage and went to see it alone.

Zhulan wanted to go and see it, but it was a pity that it was inconvenient to have Zhao Bo around, so she had to wait at home.

At noon, Zhou Shuren and others came back. Yazi went back to wait for news, Zhou Shuren entertained Zhao Bo alone.

Zhulan resented; even if the dynasties were fictional, and women could establish female households and reconcile, women in respectable families still won’t show their faces to outside males. Zhulan didn’t eat a single bite of the dishes on the table.

It was about two o’clock in the afternoon when Zhou Shuren sent Zhao Bo away. Fortunately, he didn’t drink much, and most of what they talked about was literature.

Zhulan had been waiting all morning, and hurriedly asked: “Have you seen the shop and the house, did you see anything interesting?”

Zhou Shuren knew that Zhulan had been feeling frustrated all day, so he shared what he had observed. “There are many wealthy merchants in the southern part of the city, but we should focus on the shops in the southern area. The western part of the city is expensive, and we don’t have the background to dare to buy there. Thanks to Zhao Bo’s connections through the Yázi, the shops he introduces are reliable. Although the locations are not ideal, they can be considered second-rate shops. I have looked at two shops that have the potential for future growth. One is priced at 200 taels, and the other is 180 taels.”

After taking a moment to collect himself and take another sip of tea, Zhou Shuren continued, “As for the houses, Zhao Bo provided the recommendations. He has some distant relatives who haven’t completed his mourning periods and are currently in the capital seeking refuge with relatives. They asked the clan to sell the houses for them. There are two houses, located at the border between the western and southern parts of the city. They have already sold off most of the larger pieces of furniture, so only an empty house is available. The asking price is relatively high at 500 taels.”

Zhulan hissed, and the house in Pingzhou was priced at five hundred taels, but then she thought that the house was more expensive because of the location and the name of the Zhao family. If there was a trace of incense in the Zhao family’s house3, the local ruffians will not come to bully you in the future. In ancient times, leaning against a big tree to enjoy the shade explained it vividly. She said “A total of eight hundred and eighty taels, we have enough money.”

Zhou Shuren replied, “And that’s not counting the taxes. We need to go to the government office to obtain the proper documentation. If there are any issues, the government will intervene. We also need to give a thank-you fee to Brother Zhao, give a fee to the broker, and provide funds for handling various tasks. All in all, 950 taels would be considered a reasonable estimate.”

Zhu Lan fell silent. If Zhou Shuren didn’t know Zhao Bo, he would have spent at least one hundred taels more, and he still couldn’t buy a good place. In ancient times, status and background were too important. Then she thought about something happy and asked, “How much is the annual rent for the shops?”