After the whole family was swept away, I lay down flat

Chapter 962 Site Selection
Haitang can participate in this topic.

Xie Wenzai and Lu Bainian have been paying attention to the news about the Sun family, as well as the movements in the cabinet and the court recently. Although they have paid attention to the news about the house being rented out, their attention is not on this. On the contrary, Haitang, after Zhang Lurong was recruited by Haijiao, two or three young men came to help run errands. They looked very smart and familiar with the situation in the capital. She had nothing else to send them to do, so she simply asked them to inquire about the housing prices and rental conditions in various districts in the capital.

Zhang Lurong officially joined the Jinyiwei as a regular soldier. His future was bright, much better than being a quasi-spy before. Seeing his good example, young people in similar situations should actively demonstrate their abilities. They thought that the task assigned by Haitang was easy to handle. It was neither risky nor tiring. It just required running around more and asking more people for information. Therefore, they worked very hard. In just three or two days, they reported the news.

Haitang had the latest house sales and rental information from various neighborhoods in the city in her hands. She told the three elders which locations she thought were most likely, and even explained the conditions of the houses in each location, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of each location.

Finally, she said, "If you don't mind opening a school in a remote area, there are actually several good options in the city. But I think it would be better for you to open a school near a downtown area where many people live. Firstly, it will be more convenient for life there, and secondly, it will be easier to recruit students."

However, if you want to find one near the Hai family, the cost may be high. The area around Zhengyangmen Street is not a cheap and affordable area, and the price of a large house is even higher.

In comparison, the area where Wu Mansion is located is the most cost-effective choice. That area is close to the Imperial Examination Hall, and the area around the Imperial Examination Hall is very prosperous, with many literati and scholars living there. It is very suitable for the three gentle old men, Xie, Cao, and Lu. They also lived in that area before, and even after more than 30 years, they would not feel very unfamiliar. And because Wu Mansion is now a large ruin, the streets are relatively deserted and the housing prices are relatively cheap. If you think that area is too secluded, then buying a house in the nearby alleys is also a good choice. The land prices around Wu Mansion were affected by the fire more than ten years ago, and are much cheaper than other places in Beijing. However, as long as you can't see the ruins, the lives of the people in the nearby alleys will not be affected.

Even if you can't find a big house, you can buy two or three small adjacent houses and connect them together. The price won't be that expensive.

Haitang advised Xie Wenzai, Cao Gengyun and Lu Bainian to accept the proposal and make a decision as soon as possible, because there were several neighboring families who wanted to sell their houses recently. If they bought the houses and connected them, they would have a garden house in a great location and environment. If you miss this opportunity, you may never have it again...

The three elders were all excited to hear this. Cao Gengyun asked one more question: "Why are there several neighboring families who want to sell their houses? Is there any special reason?"

Haitang had someone inquire about it a long time ago. "There is no special reason. After the Wu family got into trouble, many of the families in the surrounding neighborhoods who were close to the Wu family were either exiled or attacked and framed, and they all moved away. Later, many of the new residents were minor officials affiliated with the Sun faction, who came here because the housing prices were cheap and it was convenient for their children and nephews to study for the imperial examinations. Now that the Sun family has fallen, many minor officials who were affiliated with the Sun family have lost their future, so they want to apply for transfer out of the capital before the higher-ups settle accounts with them, so as not to stay and get in the way. The families this time are in a similar situation. But they are just small figures, and they have no weight in the eyes of the Sun faction, and they have not done anything heinous."

Cao Gengyun seemed to be hesitant to speak. Although he didn't say anything in the end, the expression on his face was still quite disgusted.

The three of them didn't have much money on hand, so even if it was a rare good house, they didn't want to give the money to the lackeys of the Sun family...

Lu Bainian smiled and changed the subject: "Actually, the Paozi River is not bad either. Although it's a little remote, the scenery is very beautiful, and many scholars and writers even built gardens there. We can also try to take advantage of the beautiful scenery along the river. I think we will feel better when we study in a place like that."

Xie Wenzai turned to Haitang and asked, "Have you asked people to inquire about the houses near the Wu Mansion? Have you heard that anyone from the Wu family has come back to clean up the ruins?" Haitang thought for a moment and said, "It seems that someone mentioned it... They are not from the Wu family. They are probably sent by the Cheng'en Marquis Mansion. Their main purpose is to send away the beggars and refugees living in the ruins, and then clear out the snakes, insects, rats and ants. I heard that Wu Ke is now living in the Cheng'en Marquis Mansion. I guess he asked the Zhou family to help him, right? Even if they want to move back to their old home, they have to clear the ruins first before they can rebuild the house."

Cao Gengyun looked at Xie Wenzai and said, "Old Xie, are you really going to ask Wu Ke to buy the Wu family's land? Although the price won't be very expensive, it will take at least one or two years to clean it up and rebuild the house, right?"

Xie Wenzai said, "He is also short of money now. It is not a bad thing for both of us to benefit."

Lu Bainian sighed, "It is better to talk to Wu Ke about this matter first and see what he means before making a decision. If he wants to rebuild the old house and keep the entire ancestral property, I am afraid he will not be willing to sell the land to us."

Xie Wenzai was not worried about this: "We are not going to buy the land of Wu Mansion. We used to live in the courtyards around Wu Mansion, and the Wu family will not come here."

Haitang understood what was happening from what she heard: "Uncle, you wanted to buy a house around the Wu family's area? That should be easier to clean up than the ruins of the Wu family. The fire didn't affect that area back then, so the house is still there, it just needs repairs." Although it takes more time, it's easier than buying land and building a house.

She heard that the houses around the Wu Mansion that had not been burned down by fire had good construction quality and had not collapsed in more than ten years. They were just abandoned, which was why they attracted many homeless people to secretly move in. If Xie Wenzai and his team really chose such an abandoned house, the cost performance was indeed very high, as long as Wu Ke, the descendant of the Wu family, had no objection.

Haitang thought for a moment and said, "How about... I ask my brother to find a way to ask Wu Ke? They have a pretty good relationship."

Xie Wenzai hesitated for a moment, but finally agreed.

It would be great if Haijiao could ask Wu Ke. There was no need for young people to be cautious when talking to each other. If Xie Wenzai and the other three teachers asked Wu Ke, it would seem that they were relying on their seniority and gratitude to force Wu Ke to agree to sell the land. If Wu Ke was not happy, with Haijiao passing the message, there would be no need to face the conflict directly, and both the teacher and the student would be less embarrassed.

In the evening, Hai Jiao came back and was very happy to see Hai Chang'an. Hai Tang told him the request of the three elders Xie, Cao and Lu, and he agreed without saying a word, and said with a smile: "It's just right, I have good news to tell Wu Ke, I will go to Cheng'en Marquis Mansion to find him after I finish my mission tomorrow."

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Haitang blinked: "What good news?"

"Sun Yongping is dead." Haijiao blinked, "I'll never guess how he died!"