Chapter 276: It

Here still stands her shop, which is her hard work; if she truly wants to leave, she must plan carefully first.

Because she wants to leave, everything must be taken away.

But if the husband wants to loaf around in Jingcheng, he can't be without a house; living in Dizi's house is unacceptable, so he still needs a home of his own.

Dizi's house is Dizi's; we as his parents won't take it.

She just arranged an Open‑Air Feast for Dizi, and now must arrange one for the husband; she wishes she could hold Open‑Air Feasts every day.

This year, because of Fengyun's affair, Chuan'er didn't sit for the imperial exam; seeing father and older brother so illustrious made him extremely jealous.

Nothing tastes good; after finishing the teacher's lesson, he goes back to review it.

In mid‑June, Yuan Jiaqi handed over duties to the newly appointed County Magistrate, arranged the Zuofang, and at the end of June went to Jingcheng to assume his post.

However, accompanying them were Qiao Mai, Chuan'er, the old master, the old lady, while Ling'er stayed at home; she wanted to watch the shop and the house, so she voluntarily asked to stay home.

This trip to Jingcheng is not only to settle down, but also concerns a marriage alliance with the Zhen Guo Gong Zhai.

The Duke of National Defense himself is nothing; the in‑law father being a Matrilocal Xianggong—what does that matter? The other family is young and capable; he even hopes to have several daughters so he can marry their young ladies.

"Esteemed madam, although these two houses have the same area, the building materials and the garden scenery differ greatly; look here, here, here."

Qiao Mai is neither that foolish nor that magnanimous; she registers her money and assets under the name of her husband who entered as a Matrilocal Xianggong.

She teaches them her pipe‑making, so naturally the price is much lower.

"Hmm, how much silver for this set?"

Zhai by house, hand‑by‑hand, she shows them how to plaster walls, lay the bricks around the bathtub's outer rim, smooth them—such diligence.

As for the old lady, Bichun Garden is fine everywhere, with servants attending, which is more convenient.

"We hope the customers first look at comparable ones, so they have a reference; otherwise the missing 300,000 taels of silver we lose won't be known where."

"Not counting, but it's close; the most expensive house is the royal family's, said to have been built with over a million taels."

Although the emperor granted the brothers a house, since it was just bestowed, the two brothers did not live separately but stayed in Feng'er's house, which was unfurnished; with daily affairs busy, they had no time to do anything.

"Hehe, shouldn't the good be placed first?"

The duke's husband does not dare to gamble!

"Eight, eight hundred thousand taels of silver."

So with nothing to do during the day, he walked alone to Yahang.

"Ai, ai"—those words were so domineering that the steward almost went crazy listening.

Qiao Mai extended her jade hand, flipped through the picture book, while the steward explained to her.

"Exactly, five hundred thousand taels of silver,"

"Aren't you bargaining?"

She directly had them register the house under her own name; she isn't pretentious—her money is her money; the husband is a Matrilocal Xianggong, his is also hers.

Since she came along, she naturally didn't plan to idle; first she would settle a home in Jingcheng.

"Madam, please see, we currently have two houses in Jingcheng, each valued over 500,000 taels; both are in this picture book."

After ten days of long travel, Qiao Mai and her party arrived in Jingcheng and moved into Bichun Garden.

When handling paperwork at the government office, the steward directly said the fees would be covered by them; Qiao Mai smiled without replying.

"Yes, yes, madam, please specify what kind of house you want."

"This house has a five‑by‑five layout, with a large garden behind, covering 100 mu, located in South City, a wealthy district; the location is suitable, neither noisy nor quiet; the bustling commercial street is just a short walk away."

Now the whole Jingcheng knows this, and also knows that Yuan Jiaqi, a first‑rank official, is actually a Matrilocal Xianggong, sparking widespread gossip.

In a year, he just let his mouth run wild.

This is a very Exquisite picture book, and only such a book can display a house's value.

"Proceed with the paperwork."

She first had the workers fill all the wells in the house, then find a new location, hand‑by‑hand teaching them to use new‑type pipes to pressurize the water well.

She fears the young lady might actually do that; she would regret it for a lifetime.

"At your beck and call."

This time, the old lady is uneasy, wants to come along to handle Feng'er's matters, after all she is a Jingcheng native and knows all customs.

Now Yuan Jiaqi is a first‑rank court official; discussing marriage alliances with the Zhen Guo Gong Zhai is acceptable, though the family background is still a bit lacking, but it's close enough.

"Am I the type who lacks money?"

She intends to scheme and use tactics to break up this marriage alliance, but thinking of the young lady makes her hesitate.

That isn't important; what matters is that she showed these country bumpkins high technology.

Inside is for bathing, outside is a toilet, and a large mirror is set into the wall.

As usual, she first looked at the first house priced at 500,000 taels, Qiao Mai made no comment, then looked at the second; after finishing, she pointed at a house.

Thinking of this, the Duke of National Defense salivated.

"How much for the other set?"

Chuan'er came, the old master also cares about his studies, so naturally he also came along.

"Just this one; later I need to remodel the house, do you have manpower?"

Upon receiving the red deed for the house, they immediately had Yahang sign the modification documents.

Such water wells are also dug here, but the cost is too high for ordinary families.

"Alright, but inside we have to view while riding in a carriage; otherwise we can't finish in a day; for special spots we can dismount and look."

"Ai, ai"

After only one day of rest, Yuan Jiaqi went to the palace to thank and assume his post; the old lady, exhausted from the journey, needed rest; the old master needed to teach Chuan'er reading, leaving only Qiao Mai idle.

The steward, seeing the lady's hair ornament—a Jingcheng‑fashionable diamond accessory—was thrilled, knowing they'd met a major client.

My god, what kind of family is this, so impressive?

That's one thing, but what's going on with this floor? What's the mud‑like substance under the floor? And what's with the stuff smeared and pasted on the wall?

Many workers were confused; Qiao Mai knew the reason but didn't tell them what these materials were.

"Are there any good houses in Jingcheng now?"

After she returned, within three days she submitted the revised blueprints to Yahang and provided special materials—PVC pipes, steel tubes, and the like.

"Then take me to see both houses, will you?"

Oh my mother! Everyone's eyes widened several times, staring straight ahead—how could they do such a thing?

Not to mention this, there's an even more astonishing aspect for the workers: building a modest‑sized house in each courtyard, with dry–wet separation inside.

Qiao Mai nodded in agreement; the steward hurriedly arranged a carriage to transport the distinguished guest to the house for a viewing.

Embarrassing—truly too embarrassing!

Listening to the steward's explanation, Qiao Mai nodded, "Is this the most expensive house in Jingcheng?"

"Hmm."

The Duchess did not think so; she found it especially humiliating—how could a decent man become a son‑in‑law by marrying into the wife's family?

She hurriedly ran to the back and fetched the portfolio.

"Bring over the portfolio of your best houses for me to look at."

With such a father‑in‑law, having more mothers‑in‑law is better; it's not as if you can just wish for gourmet food and have it appear instantly.

"Hmm, then tell me where the missing three hundred thousand taels of silver went?"

Jixiang Yuan doesn't have those; mainly because this is Nanfang, the bathhouses are used too frequently. Oh, and another key point is the shower.

To achieve unrestricted bathing, she specifically ordered several sun‑drying barrels from a Great Master of refining artifacts in the Cultivation Realm.

Looking at the barrel—it is just a barrel—but a very magical one: any water that flows in becomes heated to forty‑five degrees.

If the temperature drops too low, a button can automatically adjust the water temperature.

She only taught these workers the renovation of two rooms, and they mastered it all!