Lucky Farmer Girl: I rely on metaphysics to support my family

Chapter 881 Happy
Tang Wan was pleased by Wang's praise and took the opportunity to say to Wang, "By the way, Mother, I was thinking of going to the brokerage tomorrow to see if there are any suitable shops. If we can find one with a good location and a suitable layout, we will settle on it first so that we can start preparations as soon as possible."

After thinking for a moment, Madam Wang shook her head and said, "No rush. It's not appropriate for a young lady like you to keep going to those places. How about this, tomorrow I'll have Steward Li go to the brokerage firm and ask them to send a reliable broker with the catalog to our residence. We can look at them at home first. If we find something we like, we can have someone accompany you to see it in person; if not, we can just wait and there's no need to rush."

Tang Wan understood her mother's intentions. Her mother was worried that if she showed her face in public too much, it would cause gossip. After all, the capital was not like the northern desert, and besides, she was of marriageable age.

Tang Wan had no objection and obediently nodded in agreement: "Mother is so thoughtful, then I will do as Mother says."

Seeing that she was sensible, Madam Wang was even more gratified. She held her hand and gave her a few words of advice on the precautions for opening a shop in the capital.

Tang Wan responded to each of them, then suddenly remembered meeting Madam Wu at the teahouse earlier that day, and casually mentioned, "By the way, Mother, I also encountered something at the teahouse today."

"Oh? What is it?"

“It’s Madam Wu, the eldest daughter-in-law of Vice Minister Wu,” Tang Wan said. “Her child fell off his horse during his riding and archery class at the Imperial Academy today. She was in a hurry to get home and happened to run into us. I noticed that she looked a little unwell, so I gave her a good luck charm.”

Upon hearing this, Madam Wang sighed softly and said, "Vice Minister Wu is an important official in the court. Since you can help his family when they are in trouble, it would be good to lend a hand. However, in the future, you should be careful about such matters and not let people think that our Tang family likes to meddle in other people's business."

"I understand, my daughter," Tang Wan replied softly.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Tang Wan got up to take her leave and returned to her own courtyard.

The next morning, Steward Li went to a familiar brokerage firm.

That afternoon, Manager Sun from the brokerage firm arrived with two assistants, carrying a stack of catalogs.

Wang met him in the flower hall, with Tang Wan sitting beside him.

Steward Sun was a shrewd man. He knew that this was to purchase property for the young lady of the manor. He spoke with utmost respect and gave a detailed introduction to the shops he had brought.

"This place is in Sweetwater Lane behind Zhuque Street. It's not far from the bustling city, but the lane is quiet. There are old-established silk shops and teahouses on both sides, and the people who come and go are all respectable people." Manager Sun pointed to a brochure and said, "The shop is not big, with two floors and a small courtyard in the back, which is convenient for storing goods and living."

He pointed to another place and said, "This place is in Yongning Ward, next to several officials' residences. There are many female relatives coming and going on weekdays. The shop was originally an embroidery shop, but it was vacated because the owner was going to return to the south. The layout is bright and spacious, and it can be used without major changes."

Tang Wan took the album and flipped through it page by page, her expression unchanging, but she was secretly weighing the options in her mind.

Mrs. Wang watched from the side, occasionally asking questions—how much was the rent, how much was the deposit, who were the neighbors, and was the landlord easy to talk to? Manager Sun answered each question diligently.

Both shops sounded good, so Madam Wang said, "In that case, let Miss go and see them for herself tomorrow. You can't judge a shop just by looking at pictures."

Manager Sun readily agreed and arranged to meet at the shop in Sweetwater Lane at 9:00 AM the next day.

The next day, Tang Wan, along with Er Ya, Zhu Xi, and two old women sent by Wang Shi, left in a carriage.

Manager Sun had been waiting at the entrance of Sweetwater Lane. When the carriage arrived, he led the way and brought the group to the shop.

The shop wasn't large, just three rooms facing the street, two stories high, with a small courtyard in the back. Tang Wan looked around inside and out, then stood at the entrance and glanced left and right—to the left was a silk shop, to the right a teahouse, and opposite was a shop selling stationery; there were quite a few people coming and going, and it looked quite respectable. Manager Sun smiled obsequiously beside her: "Miss, look at this location, it's excellent, and the shop is well-maintained. With a little tidying up, it can open for business. There's also an embroidery shop up ahead; that business is booming, with ladies coming and going all the time."

Tang Wan nodded slightly, said nothing, and went to the second place.

The place in Yongningfang was indeed more spacious than the one in Tianshui Lane, with a more square layout and two side rooms at the back, making it an excellent warehouse.

Tang Wan stood in the shop, watching the passersby outside the window, and remained silent for a moment.

Manager Sun noticed that she seemed dissatisfied and tentatively asked, "Miss, is there something wrong with this?"

Tang Wan didn't say much, only saying, "Both places are quite good, let me think about it some more."

Manager Sun was a shrewd man and knew that Tang Wan meant she hadn't taken a liking to him.

Although Sun Guan still had a smile on his face, he was inwardly troubled.

This young Miss Tang, though young and amiable, is a shrewd and discerning woman. Ordinary shops probably wouldn't catch her eye.

After much hesitation, he finally spoke.

“If neither of those places suits your taste, young lady, I do have another one.” He said, his tone a few decibels slower than before, “but that shop… there are some things to say about it.”

Tang Wan looked up and asked, "What do you mean?"

Manager Sun coughed lightly and lowered his voice: "The shop is in the East Market, in an excellent location. It's surrounded by established brands on both sides, a bustling place with lots of people coming and going. The shop is also spacious and bright, with two floors and a large courtyard at the back, which can be used for storing goods or living."

He paused, and seeing that Tang Wan's expression remained normal, he continued, "It's just that the original owner of that shop died a violent death three years ago. It's said that he was robbed at night and was found dead. The case remains unsolved."

Tang Wan raised an eyebrow slightly but did not interrupt.

"The shop changed hands several times afterward," Manager Sun said. "The first owner fell seriously ill less than six months after opening and almost didn't make it. He was so scared that he quickly sold the shop. The second owner was a merchant from the south. He managed to keep it going for a year, but the business plummeted, he lost everything, and slunk back to his hometown. The third..."

He sighed, "The third person to take over was a young man with some family wealth who was thinking of getting a bargain. But only three months after opening, his carriage overturned while he was out buying goods, and he almost didn't survive."

After he finished speaking, he carefully observed Tang Wan's expression and added, "This shop has been vacant for more than half a year now, and the owner is eager to sell, so the price has been driven down to an extremely low level. If Miss doesn't mind..."

Manager Sun didn't continue, but Tang Wan understood what he meant and asked, "How much?"

Manager Sun gave a number.

Tang Wan did a quick mental calculation and realized that the location, size, and price were indeed ridiculously cheap. She immediately said, "Take me to see it."

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