I was a stepmother in ancient times, and I led my whole family to wealth.

Chapter 293 Acquiring Property

After saying that, she pulled Gu Chenglin over and said, "My family still has a hundred acres of land, a hundred-acre orchard, and several hills that need to be cleared."

"Tell me, do you need some people who know how to farm? If it weren't for Granny Zuo saying your family is somewhat honest, why would I choose your family among so many brokerage firms in the prefectural city?"

Gu Chenglin...

Honey, keep it low-key!

Are you afraid of being robbed?

The others remained silent, simply watching as Dongfang Jin consolidated all power.

Gu Jingye looked at his father and sighed countless times.

When he grows up, he won't spoil his wife like this anymore; he wants Wenwen to see him as her god.

Thinking about it, he tightened his grip on Wenwen's hand even more.

Upon hearing her mention Granny Zuo, Granny Sun tentatively asked, "Is it Granny Zuo from Ling'an County?"

Dongfang Jin nodded: "Yes, my family is from Ling'an County. Before the New Year, we picked out a few of the younger children from her family to keep them company."

Granny Sun's expression changed immediately. She clapped her hands and put on a fawning face: "It's my fault for being so blind, sir, what do you think...?"

The Zuo family in Ling'an County was renowned in this trade because they were famous for selling children.

This young lady is from Ling'an County. Although it is close to the prefectural city, it is indeed a bit rushed for her child to come here to study.

But isn't this a bit too coincidental? She hadn't even warmed the things in her hands yet.

After listening to Ruyi's report on the situation in Anyang Prefecture, Dongfang Jin also heard about Gu Jingye's little expressions.

He looked at the proprietress, who seemed lost in thought, and said, "What I said is true. If you have everything I want here, bring it out. If the price is right, I'll take it all."

Gu Chenglin...

Honey, keep it low-key. Even if we have money, we can't spend it like this.

Just as Jun Wenhui was about to speak, Jun Qirui stopped her, shaking his head to signal his mother not to speak.

Jun Wenhui...

Forget it, let her shut up.

After thinking for a while, Granny Sun decided that if she really wanted to buy, she could bring everything out: "Alright, alright, you know what? I really have everything you want, whether it's houses, shops, or people."

Then she said to the boy standing next to her, "Zhu Zi, go and bring all those things up for the distinguished guest to choose from."

The pillar bowed: "Yes."

Watching Zhu Zi leave, Granny Sun looked at Dongfang Jin, then at the others. It seemed that this young lady was in charge of these people.

His face immediately lit up with a smile: "My lord, since you are preparing a dowry, look at the several large estates at the foot of Cuiping Mountain in the southern suburbs of Anyang Prefecture."

Those estates were all acquired by a nobleman from Jeju City for his children, but... but his family has fallen on hard times and is eager to sell them. What do you think?

Dongfang Jin was surprised. People from Jeju City were buying houses here?

Ruyi (a person's name) [preparing a dowry and acquiring land to build a manor is normal for a place of this caliber.]

[Any problems?]

[It doesn't look like a big problem at first glance, but take another look; it might be leaking.]

[It seems to be some relatives of an official in the capital who are abusing their power.]

【pretty close.】

I've taken this opportunity; it's taken from the people, so I should use it for the people.

Is "illiterate" used like that?

Is it wrong to say that people rob corrupt officials and then use that money to buy things from their relatives?

【…】

Seeing that Ruyi remained silent, Dongfang Jin looked at the proprietress and asked, "A large estate? How big is it?"

When Granny Sun saw her ask this, she smiled so much that her eyes narrowed into slits: "That family has three estates, one of four hundred mu, one of five hundred mu, and one of five hundred and twenty mu."

The other two estates, each 800 mu in size, belong to other families, and there's a considerable amount of land surrounding them. All the other smaller estates were sold before the Lunar New Year.

He thought to himself that these large estates were not easy to sell, and wealthy families in the prefectural city would go to the surrounding counties to prepare dowries for their daughters.

A similarly sized estate over there only costs a few hundred taels of silver, and the people are cheaper. Who would want to waste money like this?

Besides, these estates still have many servants, making them even harder to sell.

Dongfang Jin was puzzled. Cuiping Mountain? It sounded somewhat familiar: "There are mountains nearby?"

Granny Sun waved her hand: "It's still far from the mountain. It's the big mountain on the other side of the river next to the village called Cuiping Mountain."

The villages I'm talking about are all on this side of the South Canal, belonging to Anyang Prefecture, but each village also has a small hill.

To be honest, it wasn't really a mountain, just a slope. It was only as tall as our house; some places weren't even as tall as this.

Dongfang Jin glanced at her house, which was about five meters high and certainly not a mountain: "How much? Don't ask for a random price, and don't do this one-off deal."

You've seen our children; they're all still young.

This is also the first time I've helped them acquire property, and it's not just this much property.

Upon hearing her words and looking at the several children dressed in rich clothes, Granny Sun realized that this person would likely become a major client in the future, so she gave up on her idea.

She didn't bother to find out who the person was; in their line of work, those who talk little are the ones who can last a long time.

However, he didn't hide it: "The owners of those estates and houses have encountered some troubles, and the prices have been reduced by a lot, you could say by half."

Because this family has some connections with important figures in the capital... what do you think?"

The meaning is clear: if you're scared, then give up the idea. Otherwise, buying and reselling won't increase the value; it will only decrease it.

Dongfang Jin understood her unspoken meaning. Jun Wenhui then spoke up, "Xiao Jin, how about we go and look at other places?"

Dongfang Jin shook his head and looked at the proprietress: "How much do you think these estates cost? Since someone recommended us to you, we certainly won't leave empty-handed."

When Granny Sun heard her say that, she thought more highly of her, thinking she had guts.

Most people wouldn't dare to take action after hearing her words, for fear of causing trouble for their own families.

"How about we settle for two thousand taels for these small estates and five thousand taels for the large ones?"

Upon hearing this, Dongfang Jin was somewhat excited, but he didn't show it. He pretended to ponder for a while and said, "I want all five estates. As for the price, we can discuss it later."

Our main purpose in coming here is to buy a house near Anyang Academy.

Granny Sun was already relieved when she asked how much it cost, and said, "Yes, sir, would you like a small courtyard or a large courtyard?"

This time, Dongfang Jin didn't hesitate at all: "How big is the small courtyard? How big is the large courtyard?"

Granny Sun also spoke frankly and reported the truth: "The courtyard is less than 100 square meters, with three main rooms and two side rooms, all of which are independent courtyards."

These houses are all next to each other, seven households in a row. These houses also belong to the wealthy family who sold the estate.

Then there are two courtyards, each with two entrances and two exits…”

Dongfang Jin interrupted her, saying, "If you put it that way, we can't make a decision. Why don't you take us to see it?"

"Houses and shops... if the estate isn't too far from the prefectural city, shall we go and take a look?"

The proprietress hadn't expected her to pull this stunt and was clearly hesitant: "This..."

Dongfang Jin narrowed his eyes: "What, is it inappropriate?"

"No, no, I'll take you there right away," Granny Sun said, a worried look on her face. "Sigh, it seems I can't hide it anymore. I wonder if we'll even be able to sell them this time."

If these things don't sell this time, they'll probably be stuck with her. It's all her son's fault for being so useless. Why did you take on all this?

Everyone who runs a dental clinic on this street knows that those businesses are a hot potato, yet his foolish son still wants them all.

The Du family is related to the Duke of Wu's mansion, though they are not closely connected. But this time, they may also be in danger, otherwise they would not have sold off their property.

His family's assets... sigh, thinking about the Du family's behavior back then, she actually hoped that this young lady would buy them all.

This way, the tenants and servants on the estate wouldn't suffer anymore. But knowing Granny Zuo, this person...

Well, let's take another look.

The proprietress was quite generous, sending out three horse-drawn carriages.

When the group arrived near Anyang Academy, they first looked at the small courtyards, and then at two large courtyards.

Qingshu Lane, across an alley behind the house is Anyang Academy.