Chapter 110 Buying a House
The next day.

In Jinzhou City, Yuan Chonghuan and Gulu each led their important figures, killed black cattle and white horses, swore an oath of blood, and jointly sent troops to attack Kharachin!

At the same time, several cavalrymen from the Dorote tribe carrying a letter written by Gulu galloped towards the west.

…………

As time came to March of the first year of Chongzhen, God finally gave some face and did not make things difficult for the poor people. The weather began to gradually warm up.

This also affected the coal warehouse's business, and sales were no longer as hot as before February.

But Wang An didn't feel too regretful. After all, the better his business was, the colder the weather was.

Anyway, the market for catering and accommodation has been opened up now, and the needs of ordinary people have little impact on the coal warehouse business.

Wang An finally had some free time, and the owners of the coal shops in the city were no longer keen on pestering Wang An.

So Wang An had time to wander around Beijing all day long following Ya Han's economic situation.

It's not that I'm bored, but I'm in the mood to travel.

The main purpose is to find a decent courtyard. After all, there are more and more people in the family now, and the small rooms in the backyard have to be used as both warehouses and living quarters, so they are a bit cramped.

After looking around for a while, Wang An finally found a house he liked, which was a courtyard house with three entrances.

Located on Xixie Street outside Xuanwumen, next to the Da Baoguo Temple, it is a quiet place in a bustling city.

Originally, during the reign of Emperor Hongwu, the imperial court had stipulated that ordinary merchants like Wang An could only purchase a courtyard with two entrances at most.

But times have changed. Today, more than 200 years later, no one cares about this matter anymore, not even the government.

In fact, from the perspective of Wang An's descendants, the housing prices in the capital were not high. A courtyard with two entrances cost only about 100 taels.

If it was in a better location, it could be sold for one hundred and fifty taels.

Of course, it can only be done in the outer city, and this is the peak of life that ordinary people can achieve.

Wang An naturally bought a house in the outer city and never even thought about the inner city.

That is where various government offices and high-ranking officials live. You could literally hit an official if you throw a stone there. As an ordinary citizen, you'd better not go to such a place of trouble.

It is said that the original owner of the three-courtyard quadrangle house purchased by Wang An was a senior eunuch in the palace. As to who it was, the eunuchs in the pawnshop were mysterious and refused to reveal.

Although it does not cover a large area, it is only about one and a half acres.

But the fabrics and workmanship of the house are impeccable, and the room comes with a full set of huanghuali furniture.

All kinds of tables, chairs, benches, wardrobes and beds are available. To be honest, you can just move in with just your luggage.

But if you have too many of these solid wood furniture, the price of the house will skyrocket.

The original price was only around two hundred taels, but the pawnbroker asked for eight hundred taels.

Although Wang An was now considered a wealthy man, money did not come easily, so he argued with the economist and finally bargained down the price to 650 taels. He also paid an additional 50 taels for miscellaneous expenses, making a total of 700 taels of silver.

Because all the furniture was ready, Wang An couldn't wait to let the fifth and sixth children start moving that day.

When the neighbors in Doujiafang learned that Wang An was going to move, they were reluctant but still happy for him.

After all, being inside and outside the city almost represents a class transition, and Wang An's identity will be different from now on.

You can no longer wear linen clothes when going out. You have to wear at least fine linen. If you don’t mind being too ostentatious, you can even buy two pieces of silk clothes.

Of course, with Wang An's status, if he strictly follows the rules set by Emperor Hongwu, he certainly cannot wear it.

But as the old saying goes, times have changed. Some old rules that are no longer relevant have long been ignored.

This is something that people in the capital still care about to some extent. If you were in the south of the Yangtze River, silk would have been sold everywhere long ago.

If you are doing business, you would be embarrassed to say that you are powerful if you don’t wear silk when going out.

That night, Wang An set up two tables of simple banquets in the inner courtyard of the new house, as a moving party.

In addition to the Yun mother and daughter, Xiaowu and Xiaoliu, and Ergou and his wife, there were also a few neighbors in Doujiafang.

Although the residents of Doujiafang were all poor, they all came to the invitation with a contribution of two cents or one cent.

Wang An naturally looked down on this little money, but he accepted all of it. They were all little gifts from the neighbors, and it would be embarrassing if he didn't accept much.

During the banquet, everyone was toasting each other. Even Wang An, who couldn't drink much, clinked glasses with almost everyone.

However, Wang An knew his own business, and in order to avoid letting his bestial nature get out of control, he would only try a little.

The neighbors all knew that Wang An was a good drinker and he would not force people to drink on purpose. They just wanted to show their appreciation.

Even so, after drinking a round, Wang An was still a little tipsy and didn't even know when they got on the link.

"Master, can I help you go back to your room to rest?" Yun Zhao took a quick-heat towel and wiped Wang An's face and said.

Wang An stood up unsteadily and said with a chuckle, "No need. I remember there is a chair in the main room. Bring it over for us."

While Yun Zhao was moving the chairs, Wang An was wandering around the inner courtyard.

Although he had looked at it carefully during the day, this three-courtyard house was indeed the first house that Wang An bought with his own hands after coming to Daming. It seemed to give him a stronger sense of home than the Wangji Herbal Medicine Shop left by his father.

"Master, the armchair has been brought to you." Yun Zhao placed the armchair in front of the door of the main room.

Wang An staggered over and suddenly threw himself into the armchair.

The chair suddenly swayed back and forth, and the stars in the sky and the red lanterns hanging in the corner of the yard suddenly turned into streams of light in Wang An's drunken eyes.

Wang An watched and smiled foolishly, feeling an inexplicable sense of security at this moment.

Seeing that Wang An was happy, Yun Zhao turned and went to the kitchen in the front yard, and soon brought back a pot of tea.

"Master, have some tea to sober you up."

Yun Zhao poured the tea and handed it to Wang An.

Wang An put his feet on the ground to stop the shaking of the armchair, raised his face and opened his mouth as if waiting to be fed.

Yun Zhao found it funny and said, "If you drink tea like this, the tea will spill out."

Wang An recalled the heroes he had seen in his previous life who drank by tilting their heads back and pouring the wine into their mouths.

I thought that if others could drink alcohol, there was no reason why I couldn't even drink tea.

Plus, he was a little tipsy, and for no reason he felt high-spirited and wanted to imitate the heroes.

He took the teacup and said with a chuckle, "I'll drink it for you to see."

He raised his hand and tilted his neck, and the tea poured onto Wang An's chest.

Fortunately, the tea was warm, otherwise if it was scalding hot it would have burned the skin on his chest.

(End of this chapter)