Chapter 278: Moving into a New Home

"We must have a home; from now on you'll follow your great‑grandfather, who lives here."

"What about mother?"

"Our estate is over in Shexian, and mother keeps an eye on it there; however, when Tianyi gets cold, near the New Year she'll return."

"Huh? Mother wants to live there?"

"Right, otherwise they'd all be little gluttons; what would mother use to raise you?"

"Mother, once I grow up I'll earn money, and I'll give all my future salary to you."

"That amount of salary can't even sustain you; be a diligent official, devote yourself to the people, and mother will support you from behind."

"Mother, you're so kind! No wonder father likes and respects you so much."

While speaking, the old master and the old lady came out, and as they walked they urged them.

"Come on, come on, I can hardly wait; that's a mansion worth a million taels!"

"Haha, let's go, let's go."

"This is proper; this is your home."

The screen wall was replaced with a tall artificial hill, with flowing water over it, the sound pleasant.

"Sigh, sigh."

A few people walked slowly, and Qiao Mai was introducing things on the side.

Everyone relaxed, discussed the marriage, and decided to first hire a matchmaker to arrange the betrothal; that's the minimum.

So they took them to the garden behind; the old lady, seeing the chicken coop and such, became so emotional that she hugged Qiao Mai and began to cry.

"You're welcome."

Silver was poured out in a dozen or so boxes, amounting to several tens of thousands of taels, enough to spend for a while.

"Indeed, it's familiar; it feels just like returning to Tianshui Town."

The emperor is currently clearing out corrupt officials; living in such a fine house, he won't draw the emperor's suspicion, will he?

The old master saw his worry and said, "No need to be nervous; every official in Jingcheng has property. As long as you don't give or take bribes, it's fine. This is your daughter‑in‑law's estate, not yours. The emperor isn't clueless; if he investigates, he'll find it out."

"Then you all rest; I'll go back and have the people over there move."

"I've already hired the Steward, accountant, and rough servants for this Zhai; thoughtful people, they can come over when the move happens. Everything—from bedding to everything—is complete. Your rooms all have Western mirrors and dressing mirrors."

"We'll follow your arrangements."

"Yes, Master."

All the house arrangements are done; next we'll attend to Feng'er's marriage.

"Your daughter‑in‑law is that Exquisite, such a strong person; just keep your heart in your belly."

"If the two of you want to live there, that's fine too."

Four people got into a carriage, headed straight for Huangdao Avenue; after a quarter hour they stopped before an imposing Dameng, and the four got out.

At this age, one naturally doesn't want to get up at night; attached to their bedroom is a Zhai like this, very convenient and extremely handy—it can be flushed, has washing facilities, and the crucial point is that it's lit twenty‑four hours a day, no one needs to hold a lamp or light a candle.

"Rest assured, I guarantee the chickens and Quail and such will be fed until they're plump."

It's definitely Nanfang; at this time there are still green vegetables for sale, so there's no need to set up a greenhouse here.

"It's you, the servant girl, who understands me."

The old lady gave Qiao Mai a sharp look, "No way, we're that old, we don't want to be little suns."

"That's good; I'm just afraid that if the official gets too high, once he's accused of some crime it will implicate the family."

"Servant: I have seen you, Master."

Seeing the whole Zhai's layout, they were stunned.

On the eighth day of the ninth month, the whole family moved over; Yuan Jiaqi received a letter, and that night they went straight back to Jixiang Yuan.

Moreover, they found that since entering the garden, they never felt damp, nor were there any mosquito or insect bites; it was incredibly refreshing.

The house has two public storages; with a wave of her hand, both were filled to the brim.

Qiao Mai, with a hand on her back, knocked on the Dameng; instantly someone opened the door from inside, and two young men looking like little servants, upon seeing Qiao Mai, quickly bowed.

At noon they celebrated together from top to bottom, counting as everyone warming the house.

The four strolled leisurely in the garden, also checking their respective Yuanzi, and were extremely satisfied, especially with the bathroom.

All the names were given by Qiao Mai, and they all liked them.

Everyone couldn't stop praising; this home, luxurious and grand, warm and tranquil, not damp and without insects, truly a reassuring place to live.

"Big families arrange it like this, convenient."

"I just want to find you a task, so our cook can have less to worry about; once we have eggs and such, the Chufang can make them, and we can eat fresh every day."

"I see, you child really have heart."

At the doorway, everyone laughed, "Haha, also called Jixiang Yuan?"

Upon entering the bedroom, there was a heated floor, which shows that living here, winter is still warm.

Dry goods and spices were stacked in basket after basket; no need to shop outside, these alone suffice for a year's meals.

Anyway the cook has her recipes; as long as there are ingredients, any dish can be made, just like in Tianshui Town.

Ling'er will live in the house in the middle of the west side with you, and there is a side courtyard that will serve as Keren; when guests come, Xianggong and I will still reside in the Main Courtyard.

The front layout is similar to our Tianshui Town house, all for receiving guests; the left and right sides are for servants, the Chufang is on the left, and the servants' rooms are on the right.

Seeing the old master's excited expression, she knew they were very satisfied.

This Zhai is probably one of the top two in Jingcheng, overly luxurious, overly practical, wonderful.

They quickly paid respects to the old master, the old lady, and Chuan'er; Qiao Mai supported the old lady, Chuan'er supported the old master as they entered.

The old master and old lady live in Penglai Ju; Ling'er's courtyard is called Xianyue Ju; Feng'er lives in Tingfeng Pavilion; Yun'er lives in Liuyun Pavilion; Chuan'er lives in Haichuan Pavilion; there is a Keren, and the Main Courtyard is called Yuexian Ju.

If manpower is insufficient, we can cultivate more ourselves.

Qiao Mai still left Yuan Jiaqi a hundred thousand taels of silver, and asked Feng'er how the betrothal gifts were coming along.

"Playground, Martial Arts training ground, this house is better than the one in Tianshui Town; during the New Year Chuan'er will have the exams, later I'll transfer your household registration back to Jingcheng, so it's convenient. We have two homes; you can live wherever you want. If this place gets boring we go back, if that place gets boring we come back. It's only a ten‑day journey, just a leisure trip."

He said they had prepared eighty loads, still short of forty loads, and were still arranging; Qiao Mai gave him another hundred thousand taels of silver, left Yun'er a ten‑thousand‑tael allowance, left Chuan'er two thousand taels, gave them to the old master and Grandmother, and they also said they didn't need to claim they had money on hand.

"Hmm, from now on my Zu Fu, Grandmother, and my son will live here, you must obey."

"The courtyard behind us also has a small kitchen; if we want to set up a little stove it's convenient. Feng'er, Chuan'er and the third brother are not young anymore; each has a courtyard. They live in the three courtyards on the east side. You and Grandmother live at the northernmost part of the west side, keeping me close is also convenient."

It happened that the next day Yuan Jiaqi took a rest, the Fengyun brothers also received a letter, all returned to Xinjia, the family gathered again, and re‑inspected the house.

After warming the house, the Steward took the treasury to audit the storehouse; not checking you wouldn't know, but once checked they were shocked—there was a pile of supplements like Ginseng, bird's nest, Deer Antler, and so on.

Whether it's a quick pee or a big poop, just looking at the rooms feels comfortable, and a single rush gets it done, really wonderful.

Coincidentally when they arrived, they brought two cooks from the house, and they stayed at Jixiang Ju in Jingcheng.

"Hard work"

Those fruits and vegetables, fresh, they looked at them and wanted to steal a bite.

This matter was led by Yuan Jiaqi, who invited three officials and media to the Zhen Guo Gong Residence to discuss the marriage.

Because the two were in a love marriage, the matchmaker on the groom's side handled everything; it still had to look proper, and the marriage had to be processed according to procedure.

The Grandmother gave Feng'er directions, and finally the remaining forty loads were all completed; this betrothal gift is truly impressive, costing a full three hundred thousand taels of silver.

This was only the betrothal gifts; on the actual day of the formal marriage proposal, Qiao Mai knew her daughter‑in‑law liked sparkling jewelry, and she spent effort selecting a whole set on the Platform.

(End of chapter)