Chapter 17: The Property-Owning Class (Part One)

A crowd had gathered around the stone table in the courtyard — the local Tithing Chief Tan Shunlin, the house owner Jiang Youyi, neighbors to the left and right, the housing broker, the scrivener, and the six of them including Chen Xin. Dai Zhenggang, Lu Lvzi, and the others had also come, packing the courtyard full. After negotiation by the housing broker, the owner agreed to reduce the price by one tael of silver. Liu Minyou and Chen Xin were in a hurry to use the house, so they agreed. At noon they invited the local Tithing Chief Tan Shunlin and the left and right neighbors to complete the transfer.

Tithing Chief Tan was about forty, with a fine, handsome beard. His left hand stroked his whiskers while his right hand held the red deed already stamped with the Qingjun Office seal, and he was reading it aloud.

"The seller of this deed, Jiang Youyi, now residing elsewhere, possesses one dilapidated tile-roofed dwelling, comprising two shop-front rooms facing the street, two main rooms, three west wing rooms, altogether seven rooms large and small, occupying eighty-three bu of land (Note: bow-bu, one bow-bu equals 2.8 square meters). Doors, windows, walls, and partitions, upper and lower timber and masonry all connected; surrounding walls, doors, and window tiles, bricks, and stones, as well as the courtyard, open hall, and stone fixtures, all complete. Location: under the jurisdiction of Tithing Chief Tan Shunlin of Erdaojie, Jingdong Ward, East City. East to the official street, south to Zhou Laifu's wall as boundary, north to Jiang Wang's wall as boundary, west to this house's wall corner and drip-line as boundary. Now through the official housing broker's mediation, it is willingly sold to Liu Minyou for residence, in perpetuity as property. Terms settled by mutual agreement, current market value price forty-one taels of silver in full, tax calculated at three qian two fen eight li. The silver was publicly received in full on the same day, with no outstanding balance. After the sale, should any relatives or clan members raise disputes, the seller shall bear sole responsibility. Both parties are willing, neither shall repent. Should any party repent first, they shall willingly forfeit one hundred shi of white rice to the public treasury. This sale deed is hereby established as permanent proof. Tianqi seventh year, fourth month, twenty-seventh day. Seller Jiang Youyi, Witness Tan Shunlin, Left Neighbor Jiang Wang, Right Neighbor Zhou Laifu, Housing Broker Wu Yue, Scrivener Chen Zetong."

Tan Shunlin finished reading, then said to the two men, "If you two have heard clearly, you may now sign."

Liu Minyou took the red deed and checked it over once more. After confirming, he handed the forty-one taels of silver to the owner. The owner had brought his own scale; finding no discrepancy, the above parties then signed and affixed their seals in order. Once everyone had signed, Liu Minyou gave Tithing Chief Tan the tax fee of three qian two fen eight li. Normally, a red deed had to be signed first, then taken to the Qingjun Office to pay the tax before being stamped, but this Tithing Chief Tan had an elder brother working in the Qingjun Office, so he even had ready-made red deeds. Into whose pocket this tax ultimately went was truly hard to say.

Then he paid Wu Yue the housing broker fee of two qian five li. Liu Minyou felt Uncle Wu was a decent man, so he added two fen five li, making it two qian three fen in total. The scrivener's fee he gave five fen. The witness fee for the left and right neighbors was usually one fen each, but Liu Minyou gave five fen to each. The two neighbors immediately warmed up and busied themselves helping out. Tithing Chief Tan also had a witness fee coming, which should have been the same as the left and right neighbors, but Chen Xin directly pressed it into his hand — it was two qian of silver. Tan Shunlin weighed it lightly in his sleeve, quietly pocketed it, and his eyes narrowed into smiling slits. With all these matters concluded, Liu Minyou was now a member of the property-owning class.

Everyone was happy at that moment. The original owner Jiang Youyi did not leave immediately either. He was no great merchant, but he was a rather magnanimous man. Chen Xin knew he was a cotton cloth merchant and kept conversing with him; before long, their rapport had become very cordial. Chen Xin asked him the location of his shop in South City, planning to visit when he had time.

The others all eagerly helped plan the room layout, recommending carpentry shops and cloth shops — whose goods were best, whose were cheapest — explaining everything to Liu Minyou in detail, afraid he might not understand.

Tithing Chief Tan had reaped a good harvest today and was in excellent spirits. He came over to tell Liu Minyou about conditions on Erdaojie.

"Young Master Liu, after you two have come, you must remember the matter of night watch. Erdaojie has sixty-eight households; excluding a few that are unable, each household takes a turn every two months, keeping watch one night in the watch post. If you are unwilling to keep watch, you may also pay someone to do it. As for other river work and corvée duties, we'll discuss those after your household registration transfer is processed."

Liu Minyou nodded in agreement. "When it's our turn for night watch, we'll trouble Tithing Chief Tan to notify us."

Tithing Chief Tan was in just the right mood and waved a hand. "No trouble at all. Jiang Wang's turn is the day before yours; when the time comes, let him notify you."...

Jiang Wang's house lay to the north of the two men's property; he was their left neighbor. He was about thirty-six or thirty-seven, also a military surplus man of the Left Guard. On ordinary days he sold incense, candles, and paper offerings outside the Sanyi Temple, Guanyin Temple, Tianfei Palace, and other temples. He had one son and one daughter, both still young. He was somewhat introverted and not fond of talking; upon hearing Tithing Chief Tan's words, he merely nodded.

After these matters were discussed, Tan Shunlin asked the two what livelihood they pursued. Hearing that Chen Xin had become an accountant, he looked at him with considerable new respect — an accountant surely knew some writing and calculating, not something just anyone could do. After Chen Xin made a few modest remarks, he bowed to Tithing Chief Tan with clasped hands and said, "We are newly arrived. If there is anything we do that is not quite proper, we ask Tithing Chief Tan and all the neighbors to kindly advise us."

Tithing Chief Tan again stroked his fine beard and said, "Advice is hardly worth mentioning. This street originally housed only military households of the Left Guard. One tithing is fifty households, but over the long years, some have left and some have come, and houses have been divided, sold, and resold. Now there are sixty-eight households, with civilian households actually making up the majority. Among the neighbors, there are those serving as soldiers and retainers, as well as those doing odd jobs, hired help, and commercial trade. Though some are poor and some rich, the neighbors have always gotten along quite well."

"Tithing Chief Tan, in a few days once we've settled in, we'll find a restaurant and invite the neighbors for a meal. When the time comes, we'll have to trouble Tithing Chief Tan to help introduce us to all the neighbors."

"Why must you two be so polite? No need for any restaurant — just set up a couple of tables for a running banquet right at the doorstep. It won't cost much, and it's far livelier than any restaurant."

Although Liu Minyou was from a rural background, he had never hosted a running banquet. Hearing this, he couldn't help but worry a little. "Well, neither of us knows how to cook. I'm just afraid the food won't suit everyone's tastes."

"No problem. Over by the City God Temple there's a cook-hire market. Every day there are some cooks waiting there, specifically to go to people's homes and prepare banquets. The wages aren't high either — just three to five fen of silver a day." The speaker was the right neighbor Zhou Laifu. His house was south of this courtyard. A native of Jiaxing in Jiangnan, he spoke a strange-sounding Mandarin. He was a tailor, working at a clothing shop on East Gate Street.

Liu Minyou was relieved. "So that's how it is. Then when the time comes, we'll invite everyone again."

Tithing Chief Tan had said about all there was to say, so he took his leave. Liu Minyou and Chen Xin thanked him repeatedly. The original owner Jiang Youyi and the scrivener Chen Zetong also stood up and left together with Tithing Chief Tan. The group saw them to the door.

Before leaving, Tithing Chief Tan instructed the two, "If you have any matters, don't stand on ceremony — just come find me. Neighbors helping each other is only right. You've just arrived and aren't familiar yet; once you've lived here a while, it'll be fine."

He also said to Jiang Wang and Zhou Laifu, "You are the left and right neighbors. When these newcomers don't understand things, you must help them out more. When they need to buy things, guide them around more."

Jiang Wang again merely nodded. Zhou Laifu, however, said warmly, "Tithing Chief Tan, rest assured. Even if you hadn't said it, we'd still have to come help. They say a distant relative is not as good as a near neighbor. The two young masters are also scholars — we certainly can't let our Erdaojie lose face."

Only then did Tithing Chief Tan nod with satisfaction and depart after bidding farewell.

As soon as they left, Liu Minyou set the four attendants to sweeping and cleaning. Although someone usually cleaned the place, a newly bought house always needed tidying up oneself to feel more at ease. There were no tools in the house. Seeing this, Jiang Wang said nothing but brought two broom-branches from his own home. Wang Daixi and Zhang Erhui, full of drive, took them and began sweeping. Jiang Wang also brought two wooden buckets and led Hai Gouzi and Zhang Dahui to find the location of the ward's well, planning to fetch some water to wash down the courtyard.

Zhou Laifu was a warm-hearted man. He and Uncle Wu were planning with Liu Minyou the household goods that needed to be purchased. Zhou Laifu counted on his fingers and detailed for Liu Minyou: "For ordinary households like ours, for storing oil, rice, salt, and flour, you'll need a few coarse porcelain pots and jars. One wooden chair for each room, a candlestick for each room, and also bed sheets and mattresses that you'll need right away. In summer there are many mosquitoes, so bed curtains and curtain hooks also need to be bought immediately. You could also get a set of bamboo blinds. Thick cotton quilts can wait until after autumn. For the kitchen, you'll need an iron wok, porcelain bowls, ladles and spoons, fire tongs, a rolling pin, a kitchen knife, a chopping block — a full set. For cleaning, a pot-scrub brush, a broom..." Liu Minyou listened while silently memorizing. Dai Zhenggang stood by helping to remember. Preparing all these things was truly tedious, and unlike before when there were supermarkets where you could get everything in one trip, each item had to be purchased at various different shops. Miss one thing, and you might have to walk across the whole city again to buy it.

Chen Xin had no interest in any of this. From childhood to adulthood he had never done housework, and after marriage he had even hired two nannies at home. After seeing off Tithing Chief Tan and Jiang Youyi, seeing the courtyard bustling with chaotic activity, he didn't want to do these chores, yet standing around doing nothing felt a bit awkward. He simply slipped quietly out the door and began strolling around the vicinity of Erdaojie.