Xiao Chun followed Ming Lingyi, and they looked at several properties.
"Miss, that single-courtyard house we just saw was quite nice, and the price was fair. There aren't many of us, so after we move out, wouldn't that be enough?" Xiao Chun asked, confused.
The backyard behind their restaurant was a two-courtyard compound. Because there were also men in the household, the master had specifically bought the rear courtyard and connected the two.
Ming Lingyi said, "I want to see a property with a storefront in the front."
Xiao Chun repeated, "With a storefront?" She thought for a moment, then immediately understood the reasoning. "You're so clever, Miss! If we rent out the storefront in the future, we should be able to get some income from it!"
Ming Lingyi chuckled. "I want to start my own business."
Properties in the West Market weren't too expensive, so a storefront naturally couldn't be rented out for a particularly high price. If they encountered unreasonable tenants, two young women like her and Xiao Chun could easily be taken advantage of.
It wasn't worth earning a few coins just to live in constant fear and anxiety.
But running her own business was a different matter.
Xiao Chun was shocked. "Miss, how can you show your face in public like that?"
The master of the house had raised her to be no different from an official's daughter. He never let her help at the restaurant and had even hired a female tutor to teach her the four arts. How could her mistress possibly go into business?
Ming Lingyi couldn't help but laugh out loud again.
She didn't mean anything by it; she just found her earnest, plump maidservant genuinely endearing.
'Even back when I was the Grand Tutor's daughter, I never felt that doing business was shameful or beneath me. Now, aren't I just the daughter of a merchant? What's so shameful about a merchant's daughter going into business? It's only natural, isn't it?'
"But if we don't earn silver ourselves, where will we get the silver to support ourselves?" Ming Lingyi said.
"I can work! I have plenty of strength!"
Ming Lingyi patted Xiao Chun's shoulder. "Don't worry, there will be plenty of work for you to do. Come on, let's keep looking."
Xiao Chun was speechless.
Ming Lingyi stopped when she reached a bookstore.
The bookstore was in a decent location, near the entrance to the market square. A "For Sale" sign was hanging in front of it.
Ming Lingyi pushed the door open and walked in.
Behind the counter was an old man. When he saw someone enter, he didn't offer a warm welcome, merely saying dismissively, "Look around. The books on the left are one tael of silver each, the ones on the right are two."
The price was, one could say, exorbitant.
A Ninth-Rank Official's annual salary was less than twenty taels of silver. A book costing one or two taels was practically a sky-high price.
Ming Lingyi suddenly had an inkling as to why the owner of this bookstore wanted to sell.
The West Market was bustling, but it was mostly inhabited by common folk. Even if they were well-off, they weren't so wealthy that they could afford to buy books whenever they pleased. From what the Shopkeeper had said, this was just a shop that sold books, not rented them, so even fewer people were likely to come in.
"Shopkeeper, I saw the sign outside. Is this property for sale?" Ming Lingyi asked.
The old man, bundled in a thick cotton coat behind the counter and looking drowsy, snapped his head up the moment he heard her words.
"You want to buy?" he asked, sizing her up.
Ming Lingyi replied, "Name your price. I'm just listening for now."
"One hundred and eighty taels! Non-negotiable!" the old man said.
Before Ming Lingyi could say anything, Xiao Chun cried out in displeasure upon hearing the price.
"Aren't you just naming a random price? We've already asked about the shops around here. Nobody sells for so much! Your shop is so small, and the backyard can't be very big, can it? It's a single-courtyard at most. What makes you think you can sell it for so much!" Xiao Chun huffed.
The old man was stubborn. Hearing this, he lowered his eyelids again. "Take it or leave it. If you're not buying, then get out!"
"Hey! You..."
Xiao Chun had just started to speak when Ming Lingyi pulled her back.
"I can offer two hundred taels," Ming Lingyi said.
The old man's head shot up.
"But I want all the books in here included," Ming Lingyi added, stating her condition.
There were well over twenty books here. What's more, some of them cost two taels each. If she could really get them all in a bundle, it was actually a pretty good deal.
At first, when the Shopkeeper heard Ming Lingyi's offer, his eyes lit up with surprise. But after he heard her condition, his expression became much more complicated.
"My books here are worth more than sixty taels of silver!" the old man said indignantly, as if he felt Ming Lingyi was undervaluing them.
Ming Lingyi wasn't offended. "Either way, you can't sell these books. I just noticed a layer of dust on the shelves. It looks like it's been a long time since you've had any customers, right? The prices aren't cheap, and it would probably be difficult for you to sell them off separately. The way I see it, you'd be better off bundling them all for me. It would be much more convenient for you."
'If he truly cherished these books and loved to read,' Ming Lingyi thought, 'he would probably dust the shelves often, even if no customers came by. He wouldn't let them gather dust.'
Clearly, the old shopkeeper before her was not that kind of person.
The little old shopkeeper lowered his head and pondered for a moment. He had to admit that Ming Lingyi's proposal was tempting.
He had originally wanted to leave this shop to his son. But two years ago, after failing the imperial exams, his son had gone traveling and had tragically fallen ill and died in a foreign land. Guarding this shop now, he had lost all hope. The bookstore was opened for his eldest son in the first place, and now...
"Two hundred taels is too little." The old man frowned. "Add another ten."
Ming Lingyi smiled and gestured for Xiao Chun to take out her remaining dowry money. "As you can see, I and my little maid here only have this much on us. If it's not enough, then..."
As she said this, Ming Lingyi turned as if to leave.
"Hey, hey, hey, wait!" Seeing Ming Lingyi flash the silver notes while simultaneously preparing to leave with her plump maid, the old man grew anxious. "Fine! I'll sell it to you!"
His "For Sale" sign had been hanging for quite some time, but few people had come to inquire.
It was likely because he was an old resident in the market square, and everyone knew he overcharged, so the number of people who even came to ask was pitifully small.
Now, he had finally chanced upon a "big customer" like Ming Lingyi who could even pay for the property in one lump sum. If he let such a big fish get away, who knew how long it would be before he met another suitable buyer.
"Young lady, why are you in such a hurry? I'll take a small loss today. Two hundred taels, and it's all yours, everything included!"
Ming Lingyi turned back, winked at the still-dazed Xiao Chun, and then went to sign the contract with the little old man.
The little old man from the bookstore was in a hurry to sell the shop; the backyard was almost empty, having been cleared out long ago.
After the old couple lost their only son, and with their daughter having married young and moved far away to the Shu region, they felt there was no point in staying in the Capital City. They would rather go to their farmstead in the suburb of the capital and live as idle farmers, which would also help them cut down on expenses.
After placing her luggage in the backyard, Ming Lingyi and Xiao Chun went their separate ways.
She had to go to the Jingzhao Mansion to handle the property transfer procedures, while Xiao Chun was off to "visit the prisoner."