Chapter 142: Chapter 142: That’s Settled

“Alright!”

Qi Ercai had no objections.

Staying at an inn was too expensive, and apart from not freezing, it was not convenient at all.

Right now, building a house wasn’t an option, so renting a courtyard was the best arrangement for the time being.

Qi Quanjin had even less to say about it.

The others were also used to following the Qi Family’s arrangements.

They hadn’t slept all night, and the elderly and children couldn’t take it, so after having the breakfast provided by the inn, they each went off to rest.

Qi Quanjin, Qi Ercai, and several others didn’t sleep.

They needed to be busy with other things and couldn’t sleep.

There were many men in the group, and seeing they had a lot of belongings, the Shopkeeper gave them an unused large shared room in the inn.

With the men occupying it and a side still empty, they simply called in the women traveling with them as well.

The men on one side, the women on another, all fellow travelers, bolted the door, unafraid of outsiders coming in.

The thirteen who came along did not receive this treatment and stayed in a mostly occupied large shared room to rest.

Even so, these thirteen were immensely grateful.

Breakfast was steamed buns, thin porridge with pickles, and they slept in communal beds full of various smells.

Despite this, for those who had experienced life and death in their flight from famine, it was enough to bring them to tears of happiness.

The identity documents of the thirteen people were handed over to Qi Quanjin.

Since they chose to establish a new village with Qi Quanjin’s group, naturally, they would settle their household registration together.

Moreover, having received such benefits, they couldn’t stand on ceremony, so they all cooperated by handing over their documents and then returned to the large shared room to rest.

They slept for an entire day.

Qi Quanjin and others were outside running around for most of the day and returned to the inn by mid-afternoon.

Recently, the government has been bustling with the task of taking in vagrants and refugees.

Fortunately, the city gate inspection time was long, partly for safety, and also to give time for arrangements with the household registration office.

When Qi Quanjin proposed to establish a new village, the clerk in charge of household registration was quite surprised. Although he didn’t outright refuse, he also didn’t immediately agree and went to report it to his superior.

Later, Qi Quanjin and a few others were taken to see the official, and after a tense discussion, they finally received confirmation for establishing a new village.

Though they agreed to let them set up a new village and gave them half a month to choose a suitable location, the government also imposed conditions.

Should there be more vagrants or refugees to take in the future, their new village would be listed as one of the reception points.

As for how many could be received or how many vagrants and refugees would be willing to come, it would depend on the situation then.

Qi Quanjin understood that such matters were not up to ordinary people like them to refuse, so he agreed to them all.

Then, they carefully copied the map indicating where the new village could be established with the responsible clerk and paid the corresponding fees before leaving the government office.

The thirty taels of broken silver they brought were reduced to less than eight taels by the time they left.

Such a high charge.

But the return was richer than twenty taels of silver, not just Qi Quanjin, even Qi Sangui, who wasn’t good with words, repeatedly agreed it was well worth it.

On another note, Qi Ercai, with Qi Dalang and Qi Quanli, wandered in the city for a while and found brokers specializing in intermediary services.

They also checked out several courtyards, large and small, and finally settled on two.

The two courtyards are front and back, if you shout from the backyard wall of the front courtyard, the rear one can hear it.

The front courtyard is larger, while the back one is slightly smaller.

Although the houses aren’t very big, they have a main room and side rooms, which are sufficient for their current group.

Primarily, the front courtyard has a well, so the group doesn’t need to go outside for water, making things convenient.

However, there’s no dry firewood, so for cooking, they’ll have to buy wood or go out to chop it themselves.

“For how long do you want to rent the two courtyards?”

The broker, surnamed Qian, was usually called Mr. Qian.

Mr. Qian was in his forties, not tall, but seemed amiable.

Qi Ercai thought for a moment and said, “We’ll start with three months and discuss further when winter is over.”

Hearing this, Mr. Qian laughed, “Brothers, I’m not trying to scare you, it’s just that the winters here in Tabei Prefecture have just begun, and it takes about five months to truly be over. You’re renting for three months, but you might need to renew it.”

“Five months? That long?”

All three, Qi Ercai, Qi Dalang, and Qi Quanli, were shocked.

In their previous place, winter lasted at most three months, not exceeding four.

They didn’t expect that in Tabei Prefecture, it would extend by one or two months.

Mr. Qian nodded with a smile, “I’m telling the truth. If you don’t believe me, ask any local. And there’s another thing you should be aware of.”

As Mr. Qian continued, the three couldn’t help but become anxious.

Mr. Qian pointed toward the main street, “You see, there are lots of newcomers. Many are renting houses. Just today, you’re the fourth group I’ve dealt with.”

“Although there are many empty houses in the city, there are even more people coming in. If you want a courtyard for so many people, unless it’s one of those large three or four-entry mansions, finding two nearby courtyards like this is quite rare.”

“Those large mansions can cost over a hundred taels a month. You’re new here, I can’t not make money, right? But I’ll give you a deal: rent these two courtyards for six months at twelve taels, without an intermediary fee. How about that?”

Mr. Qian’s demeanor was quite friendly, with an air of ’I’m doing this for your good’.

Qi Dalang and Qi Quanli exchanged glances and then both looked at Qi Ercai in unison.

Though Qi Quanli usually liked to voice his thoughts, when it came to spending money, especially large amounts, he didn’t dare say much.

Qi Dalang was accustomed to listening to the elders and didn’t interrupt either.

Qi Ercai, however, thought it over carefully and finally, gritting his teeth, nodded, “Alright! Let’s do it!”

Seeing the deal closed, Mr. Qian was pleased, “Okay, pay one tael as a deposit first, and once your paperwork is done, come back to sign the lease. We’ll then register the rental in the government office, and it’ll be settled.”

Upon hearing they still had to go to the government office, all three of their expressions turned sour again.

Experienced in such matters, Mr. Qian explained proactively, “There are so many outsiders now. Without documentation proving your identity, not just me, even the property owner won’t feel secure renting out the place.”

“Also, registering the rental in the government office may cost an extra hundred coins, but it gives you security. If the landlord changes their mind and doesn’t want to rent, you can go to the government with the lease document, and they’ll support you.”

Mr. Qian spoke persuasively, making Qi Erlang grit his teeth once more.

So, it’s settled!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep