A Maid's Survival Story in a Noble Family Mansion? Rich Landlords Are More Appealing.

The wheels rolled over the bluestone pavement, making a regular, dull sound. After viewing the four residences, the carriage, carrying four people with different thoughts, drove away from the tranquil White Stone Alley.

Inside the carriage, Granny Wang's smile was even warmer than when she arrived. She personally poured a cup of warm tea and handed it to Chen Wanxing.

"Young lady, you must be thirsty after running around all day. Look, isn't this courtyard in Baishi Lane the most to your liking? I told you, I was sure you'd find something you'd be satisfied with."

Chen Wanxing took the teacup but didn't drink it. She calmly looked at Granny Wang, ignoring her words, and instead posed a comprehensive question about the price:

"Wang Mama, please tell me the prices of the three houses behind here in detail."

Granny Wang was slightly taken aback, then her smile widened. The more questions she asked, the greater her interest, right?

She hurriedly replied, "Okay! The owner of that well-maintained two-courtyard house in Yulin Lane is asking for 260 taels of silver."

The dilapidated two-courtyard house in the east of the city, though large, was difficult to repair, and the owner was only looking to get rid of it, asking for 140 taels of silver.

As for the courtyard house in Baishi Lane that you just took a fancy to, the owner asked for 180 taels, which is a fair price.

After listening, Chen Wanxing simply gave a faint "hmm" and said nothing more, as if she were just making a routine comparison.

Granny Wang felt like a cat was scratching at her heart, unable to figure out which option this overly quiet girl truly preferred.

Halfway through the journey, just as Granny Wang was preparing to focus her efforts on promoting the last set of "Entering the Courtyard," Chen Wanxing suddenly spoke up.

Her gaze was calm, and her tone was as steady as if she were deciding what to eat that evening, but what she said almost made Granny Wang drop the teapot in her hand:

"Granny Wang, I intend to buy both the third two-courtyard house and this one-courtyard house in Baishi Lane in the south of the city. Please calculate a reasonable total price for both."

"Buy them all at once?" Granny Wang's eyes widened in astonishment, and her voice rose a octave.

She had initially thought the girl was short of money because she hadn't taken a liking to either of the two nice second-courtyard houses, but now that she was asking to buy two houses, it didn't seem like she was short of money at all.

Is it a bundled sale? Or did she end up with a small courtyard and an abandoned house that's no longer habitable? What on earth is this girl thinking?

After the initial shock, he was overjoyed and immediately began to calculate in his mind.

The two houses were vastly different; one was a worthless junk she was stuck with, the other a hot commodity. If she could sell them together, it would be a windfall! She forced herself to calm down, forcing a look of utter distress on her face:

"Miss, you... sigh, these two houses are very different in style, so it's hard to calculate the price."

Her fingers flew across the paper. "That dilapidated courtyard may be cheap, but the land is always valuable. This courtyard, however, is a truly fine house, very desirable. Together, they make a perfect three hundred taels!"

Chen Wanxing did some mental calculations. The price here was equivalent to 120 taels for a dilapidated courtyard and 180 taels for a good courtyard, with almost no discount.

Chen Wanxing curled her lips slightly and shook her head noncommittally.

"Granny," she said in a calm voice, "I sincerely want to buy, but judging from your asking price, you don't seem to be sincerely selling."

"What are you saying, young lady? If I weren't sincere, how could I have found so many courtyards in such a short time?"

"Granny, you are indeed sincere in searching for courtyards, but the price you are asking is really high. Think about it, when I buy that dilapidated courtyard, I am taking on a burden for your brokerage firm."

That courtyard is so abandoned; it looks like no one has lived there for a long time. If I don't buy it, and it stays in your hands, you might not be able to find another customer for three to five years.

Every year someone needs to be sent to look after it, to prevent it from collapsing or being occupied by refugees. If the house were to actually collapse one day, it would be even harder to get a better price. Surely the old lady is aware of these bottomless costs.

In short, the purchase of the dilapidated courtyard was casually defined as helping the brokerage firm solve its problems.

"As for this hospitalization," she changed the subject.

"The location is in the south of the city, which is incomparable to that in the east of the city; the roof tiles of the main house are of different ages, obviously repaired in recent years, indicating that the house has no major problems but is constantly plagued by minor issues and hidden dangers; also, the floor at the end of the west wing is slightly loose when walking. These things, you didn't mention before, Granny."

Chen Wanxing paused for a moment, then delivered the fatal blow, "If I were to buy it separately, it would cost at most one hundred and fifty taels. Now that we've bought both, how much effort and future trouble will it save you? If you still try to calculate based on the inflated price of selling them separately, your sincerity is rather shallow."

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Wang Mama's forehead. She struggled, her voice tinged with urgency: "Miss, you can't say that. No matter how dilapidated that courtyard is, the land, the land is still... two plots for two hundred and ninety taels, that's the minimum."

"Two hundred and fifty taels." Chen Wanxing countered directly, cutting the Gordian knot without the slightest hesitation.

"This is impossible!" Granny Wang almost jumped up, her voice shrill. "Two hundred and eighty-five taels, that's really the lowest I can go. If it's any lower, this old woman will have no face to see the master."

Chen Wanxing stopped talking.

At this point, the seller is definitely in a hurry, while the buyer isn't. Whoever holds the money has the upper hand.

Moreover, the price she offered left her with a certain profit margin, enough to make her reluctant to sell. The current back and forth is just her way of trying to get more.

A suffocating silence instantly descended upon the carriage. Only the sounds of the city and horses' hooves outside stubbornly seeped in, making the eerie stillness of this small space all the more palpable.

Granny Wang could clearly hear her own heavy breathing and the pounding of her heart.

Looking at the young customer who had leaned back in his chair and even closed his eyes slightly, she felt that all her experience and skills had been shattered in the face of this silent iceberg.

Time passed slowly, and every breath seemed exceptionally long.

Just as Granny Wang's psychological defenses were about to completely collapse, Chen Wanxing seemed to have finally exhausted her last bit of patience.

She slowly opened her eyes, but instead of looking at Granny Wang, she gazed at the swaying carriage curtain and spoke:

"Two hundred and sixty taels. This includes your brokerage commission and all subsequent fees for the transfer of ownership and signing of the deed."

She specifically added all the fees, solidifying this vague cost in one go.

Granny Wang opened her mouth, her throat dry, still trying to make a final struggle.

However, Chen Wanxing had already turned back and issued his ultimatum:

"If it's acceptable, then the deal is done. If not, I'll just take that courtyard, priced at one hundred and fifty taels."

Cut off the fuel supply at the root!

Granny Wang's face darkened. If she only sold the first courtyard, her profit would be very low at this price. But that dilapidated courtyard...

In comparison, although the package price was extremely low, it could solve the problem of two properties at once, especially getting rid of that heavy burden and allowing funds to be recovered quickly.

She seemed to have all her strength drained away, resignedly letting out a breath of stale air, her voice tinged with exhaustion:

"Girl, you are truly born with a clever and shrewd mind, just barely touching this old woman's bottom line. Now that you've been sold off like this, I'm truly heartbroken."

"Alright, alright, it's your way. Two hundred and sixty taels for the young lady."

Upon hearing this, Chen Wanxing's face remained expressionless, but her taut shoulders relaxed almost imperceptibly, and the faint smile on her lips was finally no longer concealed.

"In that case," she said, her voice softening slightly, "I'll trouble you, Granny, to process the paperwork as soon as possible."

"Of course, of course!" Granny Wang hurriedly agreed, now looking at the young girl with awe.