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

The next morning, as dawn broke.

After Chen Wanxing got up, she had a thought and took out five ten-tael silver ingots from her space, totaling fifty taels, and carefully wrapped them in an ordinary blue cloth.

"The furniture, pots and pans are all heavy items, and the cost is obvious. Thirty taels at most. Just in case you see any odds and ends you like, you can prepare more."

Having enough money means I'm not worried. If I'm going shopping today, I should get the items in advance to get the best price.

After doing all this, she opened the door to let Li Mama and Yunzhu in to help her with her washing and grooming.

She doesn't need much meticulous care; she can do things like washing her face and getting dressed herself. But since she's hired people, she should let them fetch her water and comb her hair.

When breakfast was served, Chen Wanxing did not immediately pick up her chopsticks, but instead said to the two people standing beside her:

"Please sit down and eat together. We'll head out after we finish eating. I prepared the funds for the new house yesterday. Today, we'll get all the furniture and other items ready."

After thanking her, Granny Li led Yunzhu to sit down carefully at the lower seat.

Chen Wanxing continued, "I have no experience in buying things. Granny Li, in your opinion, should we buy furniture first, or should we buy pots, pans, rice, or firewood first?"

"If we buy everything we need today, we can move into our new house tomorrow or the day after."

Upon hearing this, Granny Li put down her chopsticks and cautiously replied, "Miss, those pots, pans, rice, flour, cooking oil, and other odds and ends can be purchased at the market today. However, I'm afraid the larger pieces of furniture, such as beds, cabinets, tables, and chairs, cannot be rushed."

"Oh? Why is that?" Chen Wanxing asked, somewhat puzzled.

Granny Li explained in detail: "To answer your question, young lady, to purchase these large pieces of furniture, you need to prepare the wood yourself first, and then hire a skilled carpenter to build them at home."

The entire process of purchasing materials, hiring craftsmen, and crafting takes anywhere from ten days to half a month to one or two months.

Chen Wanxing suddenly realized what was happening and couldn't help but frown.

Before she transmigrated to the 21st century, she could simply go to the mall to buy whatever she wanted. After transmigrating, she found herself in a marquis's mansion, where everything was custom-made or purchased. They only needed to report what they wanted to the steward, who would then distribute it in batches.

"Since it's so troublesome, let's go to the timber store today. If we can buy the timber as soon as possible, we can try to hire more craftsmen to speed up the work."

After the meal, the three of them, master and servant, headed to Liu's Timber Shop, the largest in the city. The shop was small, with only two tables, but it was decorated very elegantly, and the backyard could be seen from the main building.

The backyard was quite large, with some wood piled up inside. A shopkeeper dressed in a silk shirt, with shrewd eyes, was leisurely drinking tea.

Upon seeing a customer arrive, the shopkeeper put down his teacup, put on a smile, and greeted her: "Miss, would you like to take a look at timber? Whatever you need, our shop has it all."

Chen Wanxing asked directly, "Shopkeeper, what kinds of wood would be needed to make a set of ordinary furniture, such as a bed, cabinets, table, and chairs? And approximately what would the price be?"

The shopkeeper glanced at the three people and quickly assessed them. Of the three, this girl was dressed better, but she didn't have any valuables on her. Why would an ordinary family need so much furniture?

Why would those daughters of officials allow a young lady to wander around a place like a timber shop? She must be an ordinary family or a merchant who owns a shop there.

The shopkeeper's smile remained unchanged, but his tone carried a hint of control:

"The size of the furniture is different, so the materials used are also different, and these different types of wood naturally have different prices."

If you'd like something more refined, you could use nanmu or rosewood; if you're looking for something practical and durable, beech or cypress are also excellent choices. Which would you prefer, Miss?

"Let's talk about beech and cypress first," Chen Wanxing said.

"Alright." The shopkeeper led them to a pile of timber, casually patting a beechwood log.

"Look at this timber, it's completely dried, and the grain is perfect. To be honest, there are few mountains around Kaifeng, so good timber is hard to find."

Beechwood costs one tael and eight mace of silver per piece; cypress wood is slightly cheaper, one tael and five mace.

If you want to make a complete set of furniture, it will take at least fourteen or fifteen pieces of material.

He held up two fingers and shook them. "Prepare twenty taels of silver for the materials first. If you need more, you can pay the rest at the end."

The price was so high that Yunzhu gasped in shock.

Although Chen Wanxing was not very familiar with the exact market prices in Kaifeng, she often helped the madam with the accounts at the Marquis's residence. Although the prices the Marquis's residence purchased were somewhat high, she knew the general prices.

Granny Li stepped forward, trying to bargain: "Shopkeeper, isn't this price too high? This is just ordinary wood, not a rare variety."

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper's smile faded slightly, replaced by an arrogant "what do you know?" attitude.

"Granny, you can't say that. Things are valued for their scarcity. The hills around our city are all owned, and their produce is limited."

You can find similar prices all over town. If you think it's too expensive...

He drew out his words, giving them a meaningful glance.

"Then you'll have to try your luck in those poor villages near the desolate mountains outside the city, see if the woodcutters have any dried wood they've saved up. Maybe you can get a discount of a few coins. But you'll regret it if that kind of wood is used to make furniture and it cracks or gets infested with insects later."

These words carried a clear sense of contempt and threat, as if they were certain that the women would either be taken advantage of or risk buying substandard goods.

Chen Wanxing's anger surged. She gave the shopkeeper a deep look, then said indifferently, "In that case, I won't disturb you from doing business."

After saying that, he turned and left without any hesitation.

The shopkeeper, feigning reluctance, said from behind, "Miss, the price is negotiable. Why don't you take another look?"

Chen Wanxing ignored him. She would never suffer this injustice in silence.

After leaving the timber shop, the three of them boarded the carriage that had been waiting at the door.

The atmosphere inside the carriage was heavy. The arrogant face and domineering manner of the timber shop owner made Chen Wanxing feel a lingering sense of frustration.

Granny Li remained silent, while Yunzhu muttered under her breath, "This is too much."

"Am I really going to accept this loss and go back to buy his ridiculously expensive timber?" This thought made her extremely unwilling.

But if he didn't buy from them... Chen Wanxing's thoughts were forced to turn to the outskirts of the city.

Timber is expensive in the city, but it's cheap in the village because it's close to the mountains.

But how can she buy it in the village? She hasn't been to any of the nearby villages in the few days she's been in Kaifeng.

Although Yunzhu came from a village, her family was already in such a state, and her parents were both low-income farmers, so naturally they didn't have many resources.

Moreover, this matter requires finding a barren mountain near Kaifeng city first, and then finding a village near the barren mountain. Only in such a village near the barren mountain would the villagers be likely to stockpile timber in their spare time.

Chen Wanxing frowned, looking somewhat troubled.

While they were pondering this, they arrived in Nanshi. They parked the car on the side of the road. "Forget it, let's buy the pots, pans and other kitchenware first."

As soon as she stepped off the carriage, Chen Wanxing spotted the government officials patrolling the South Market. Her eyes lit up. Yes, she had been so foolish. The government officials were the ones who knew the area around Kaifeng Prefecture best.

Moreover, this aligned with some of her previous ideas, and it solved the problem all at once.

Once she had a clear idea, the frustration in her heart instantly transformed into a subtle excitement after breaking through the impasse.