Chapter 136: Property in Chang'an is Dear

Everyone followed the servant into the courtyard, winding their way inward along the paths.

Looking around, the courtyard featured twisting corridors and covered walkways, with pavilions half-hidden from view. Below the terraces grew pines and bamboos, and surprisingly, there was even a small pond spanned by a tiny bridge. The landscaping resembled a delicate and elegant garden from Jiangnan, quite pleasing to the eye.

Proceeding further back, the scenery before them became even more refined and graceful.

The layout of the grounds was informal, the buildings rustic, and the halls arranged according to circumstance. The structures did not adhere to rigid patterns, with pavilions, verandas, and balustrades winding smoothly among them. The interplay of water and stones resembled a freehand landscape painting.

Wei Renshi took a fancy to this garden at first glance.

If this courtyard belonged to him, he certainly wouldn't be willing to sell it.

Thus, a doubt inevitably arose in his mind—such a fine garden must have cost the owner a great deal of effort, yet they were selling it now. Could there be some hidden story behind this?

The group followed the servant to a pavilion in the rear, where the servant said, "Please wait here for a moment, honorable guests. I shall go fetch my mistress."

After the servant departed, Wei Renshi said to Manager Fang, "I wonder how much this courtyard costs. It must be quite a sum."

Real estate prices in Chang'an had always been exorbitant, especially after the An Lushan Rebellion, when prices soared even higher. Many people who came to Chang'an seeking a future, including even some imperial officials, found it difficult to afford a home within the city.

In actual history, there were indeed many famous examples of people who could not afford housing in Chang'an.

Take Prime Minister Yao Chong, for instance. Impressive, wasn't he? Initially, he couldn't afford a house inside Chang'an city, so he only bought a suburban home to settle his family, and then rented a place near the imperial city to attend morning court. Later on, it was only with the emperor's help that he finally acquired a home within the city.

Take Comrade Han Yu, for another example. Relying on his official salary and moonlighting by writing epitaphs for others, it took him thirty years of saving before he could finally buy a house. In his excitement, he penned the lines: "When I first came to the capital, I carried only a single scroll of books; through thirty years of toil, I now possess this roof. Is this house grand? For me, it is more than enough." It sounded self-contented, but deep down, there was also the feeling of being completely hollowed out by a house.

Then there was Bai Juyi, who had lived in pavilions and sponged off Yuan Zhen's ancestral estate. After twenty years of struggle, back and forth, he wrote: "Roaming as an official in the capital for twenty springs, in poverty I found no place to settle. I constantly envy snails for having shells, wishing I were like field mice who know how to hide themselves." Twenty years! With nowhere to settle. He envied a snail for having a shell, feeling he was worse off than a rat with a hole, yet he had no house!

A wave of grief and resentment practically burst forth from the paper!

It wasn't until he finally struggled to the age of fifty that Bai Juyi managed to buy his own house in Chang'an.

Even more tragic was Du Fu. Comrade Du Fu never managed to buy a house in Chang'an, and was forced to drift into Shu, where he threw together a small thatched cottage on the outskirts of Chengdu, only for it to be torn apart by the autumn wind. From that, he uttered his grand aspiration: "Oh, for ten thousand wide mansions to shelter all the impoverished scholars of the world with joyful faces, standing firm as a mountain against wind and rain!"

Wei Renshi suddenly felt his eyes well up with tears—Ah, thinking about this makes me want to cry! Even in later generations, he hadn't saved enough for a down payment in a tier-eight mountain town, remaining part of the property-less class!

Because he didn't own a house, several blind dates had fallen through!

"Young master?" Manager Fang asked, noticing Wei Renshi's expression suddenly turn inexplicable.

Wei Renshi pulled himself back from his thoughts and said, "Oh, I was just wondering, homes in Chang'an city certainly aren't cheap. How do all those people drifting through Chang'an manage to live?"

"Replying to the young master, the number of people living as guests in Chang'an is extremely large. Most of them rent. Those who have close friends, elders, or family acquaintances in Chang'an can temporarily borrow a place to stay. Many who stay in Chang'an for the long term simply settle their families in surrounding places like Jingyang, Lantian, or Weinan, where housing is cheaper."

"Oh? You mean quite a few people in Chang'an buy houses in the surrounding counties?" Wei Renshi's heart stirred, and he quickly asked.

Manager Fang nodded.

Wei Renshi was about to ask more when he noticed several people walking over from that direction. For the time being, he had to push his rising thoughts back down into his heart and leave them unsaid.

Seeing the owners approaching, the group all stood up.

Those people walked into the pavilion, and the woman in plain clothes at the lead said, "Honored guests, please don't stand on ceremony. Have a seat."

Everyone sat down accordingly, and the woman in plain clothes said, "You honorable guests must have already looked over this estate along the way here. I wonder if you are satisfied? If you wish to look around more, you are welcome to walk about."

Having already seen quite a bit on the walk from the front, Wei Renshi didn't need to look any further. Remaining silent for the moment, he let Manager Fang do the asking: "We have already seen the courtyard; it is indeed tranquil, elegant, and leisurely. I wonder how much your esteemed household intends to sell it for?"

"Ten thousand strings of cash," the woman in plain clothes said.

Ten thousand strings of cash meant ten thousand guan, which was already an extremely exorbitant price.

Wei Renshi was not entirely ignorant; the housing prices in Chang'an were extremely high. Leaving aside the buildings themselves, the land price alone cost tens of thousands of cash per mu.

Yet, although this residence was quite nicely built, asking ten thousand guan was simply too much.

"Ten thousand guan?" Manager Fang was greatly startled and said, "My good lady, your esteemed household's property is indeed exquisitely decorated and the location is not bad, but asking ten thousand strings of cash is far too expensive!"

"Then how much does the gentleman think would be appropriate?" The woman in plain clothes asked, seemingly having anticipated this reaction from them.

Manager Fang thought for a moment and said, "From my perspective, six thousand strings of cash should suffice."

The woman in plain clothes did not speak. Instead, she slowly swept her gaze around the surroundings, reluctance and deep attachment flashing in her eyes. After a pause, she sighed and said, "Were it not for an urgent need, our family would never sell this residence. How about eight thousand strings of cash? As long as the gentleman agrees, we will clear out immediately and take nothing with us."

"My lady, may we discuss this for a moment?" Wei Renshi suddenly spoke up from the side.

The woman in plain clothes was slightly startled, nodded, and led her people out of the pavilion, stepping aside to give them some privacy.

As she walked away, Wei Renshi asked Manager Fang, "Manager Fang, how does the residence in Anxing Lane compare to this one?"

"It should be slightly larger than this," Manager Fang said. "As for the exact condition, I haven't been inside myself. However, Anxing Lane is closer to the imperial city, and the surrounding area is mostly populated by high-ranking officials and nobles. This subordinate feels that living there would be more suitable for the young master."

"Is that so..." Wei Renshi thought for a moment, turned and walked out of the pavilion, and said to the woman in plain clothes, "My lady, your household has an urgent matter requiring funds, but my financial resources are truly limited. How about we each make a concession and set the price at seven thousand guan?"

A conflicted look appeared on the face of the woman in plain clothes. After thinking it over, she asked, "Can this young gentleman make the decision?"

"Naturally, it is entirely up to the young master," Manager Fang hurriedly added from behind.

The woman in plain clothes looked somewhat surprised. She glanced at Wei Renshi and said, "Please forgive me, young gentleman. Could you wait a moment and allow me to consult with my family?"

Wei Renshi nodded, returned to the pavilion, and sat down.

The woman in plain clothes led the people behind her and hurriedly left the garden to discuss the matter with her family.