Chapter 182: Chapter 182: The Missing Hundred Taels

The plan to buy the courtyard was not initially disclosed to the family; instead, it was carried out privately by Qi Quanjin and Qi Ercai.

This time, the two did not seek out Mr. Qian; rather, they found the Government Official who previously guided them to view the land.

The official’s name was Liu Qinghe, around forty years old, who had met the Qi Family multiple times during their visits to the county government.

Given their prior associations, Liu Qinghe had a strong impression of the Qi Family.

Today, Liu Qinghe was on duty again, and upon seeing Qi Quanjin, he immediately smiled and greeted him, “What brings you here today?”

“Sir, today my brother and I wanted to ask about something.”

Seeing someone he knew, Qi Quanjin’s face broke into a bigger smile.

Liu Qinghe waved his hand, “No need to be so formal. My surname is Liu, and I’m not much older than you, just call me Brother Liu.”

Qi Quanjin quickly changed his address, and together with Qi Ercai, greeted him.

With the change in address, their relationship became a bit closer.

At that moment, only Liu Qinghe was in the small room; there was no one behind the screen either, so Qi Quanjin directly stated their purpose.

Liu Qinghe was quite surprised after hearing this, “You want to buy that courtyard?”

“We have this idea.”

Qi Quanjin did not make a firm commitment and explained somewhat sheepishly, “Our big family moved here from the old hometown because of the invading army; to save our lives, we had no choice but to leave.”

“We’ve lived in Concord City for quite some time now, and our whole family feels it’s much better than the old home, more stable. But as you know, it’s close to the border here, and we fear any possible danger, living outside is not comfortable.”

“Lately, the family managed to make a little money, and we’re thinking if we could buy a courtyard in the city. No matter what happens in the future, or if we want to come into the city for festivals, we wouldn’t be in a rush searching for a place to stay overnight.”

Qi Quanjin’s honest smile and bashfulness were on full display, making one feel he was a simple, honest man.

Liu Qinghe nodded repeatedly as he listened, not a shred of disdain, instead in full agreement, “Your thinking is correct. Although Concord City has had no major incidents for years, being close to the border, if something does happen, the city is definitely safer than outside.”

Seeing the two brothers nod vigorously, Liu Qinghe was amused, “Alright, wait here for a bit, I’ll ask for you.”

“Ah! That would be a huge help, Brother Liu.”

As Qi Quanjin spoke, Qi Ercai took out a piece of two ounces of silver from his pocket.

Qi Ercai apologized with a smile, “Thanks for your effort, Brother Liu.”

“Ah, it’s just a question, there’s no need for this.”

Liu Qinghe waved his hand, glancing at the two ounces of silver, “The matter hasn’t been settled yet, you should keep the silver for now. I’ll go probe the situation, and we’ll talk later.”

After saying that, Liu Qinghe walked towards a small door at the back.

Qi Quanjin and Qi Ercai expressed their thanks before standing in the room waiting.

The room had benches and chairs, but they didn’t sit.

You never know if someone might suddenly come in, and seeing them sitting could leave a bad impression.

Liu Qinghe was not slow, and soon he returned.

After entering the room and seeing no one else, he closed the door and lowered his voice to tell the brothers, “The official isn’t here today; I asked the steward, and he said that the two-entered courtyard would cost at least five hundred ounces.”

As he spoke, Liu Qinghe raised a hand.

Qi Quanjin and Qi Ercai both changed expressions.

Although they had silver, it was intended for other uses, and relying solely on their income from selling vegetables wouldn’t suffice.

Seeing the change in their expressions, Liu Qinghe suddenly laughed.

He gestured for them to sit close and continued in an even lower voice, “But you know, that courtyard was seized from a confiscation; if calculated at the normal price, it should indeed start at five hundred ounces.”

Upon hearing this, Qi Ercai and Qi Quanjin realized the price was not firm.

Qi Quanjin looked troubled and said, “Brother Liu, could you give us a clear picture? To be honest, our family only recently made some money selling firewood and other things, but we really can’t come up with five hundred ounces.”

“I understand, I understand. You just bought land a couple of months ago; if you could still pull out five hundred ounces of silver, you wouldn’t have needed to flee from your old home in the first place.”

Liu Qinghe took a sip of tea and continued, “I see that you are sincere people, so I’ll give it to you straight!”

“That residence, whether it’s sold for five hundred ounces or two hundred ounces, is actually just a matter of the official or the steward saying the word.”

The decision over confiscated properties remained in the hands of the government.

If it is real silver, it needs to be registered and sent upwards, but if it’s property, then it is the possession of the local county government.

As long as something worth a hundred ounces sells for one ounce of silver, even half price, nobody would say anything.

Seeing the Qi Brothers still looking earnestly at him with curiosity, Liu Qinghe couldn’t hold back and let out a chuckle.

“Alright, don’t be nervous, I’ll point you in the right direction.”

As Liu Qinghe spoke, Qi Quanjin and Qi Ercai leaned in closer.

Soon after, they heard Liu Qinghe’s suggested plan.

The two-entered courtyard could be sold for a reduced price, but the lowered money wouldn’t be entirely saved.

“If you trust me, prepare three hundred ounces of silver, and the deed for that courtyard will surely end up in your hands. As for the buying price, if anyone asks, just say you bought it for two hundred ounces, understand?”

The whereabouts of the missing hundred ounces were apparent.

Qi Quanjin and Qi Ercai exchanged a glance, understanding the purpose of the hundred ounces.

Spending three hundred ounces on barren land could buy you quite a bit, but now it only gets a two-entered courtyard, which is really… too expensive.

However, the two understood the significance of buying this courtyard, so they immediately nodded to each other and said to Liu Qinghe, “We understand.”

“Alright, you’re both sensible people, no need for more words, go back and gather the money!”

Liu Qinghe smiled and waved his hand, signaling the two to leave.

Qi Quanjin and Qi Ercai said their goodbyes and exited through the small county government door, walking side by side on the street.

The street where the county government was located had few pedestrians, and as the brothers walked together, they conversed quietly.

“Fourth Brother, do you think two hundred ounces, no, three hundred ounces, isn’t much for the wealthy city folks, right? Why wouldn’t they want to buy it? Could it be they find it unlucky?”

Qi Ercai asked.

Qi Quanjin glanced at him and replied coolly, “If your family had someone studying to take the imperial exams, would you buy such an unlucky courtyard?”

The question successfully stumped Qi Ercai.

Thinking about it, if someone from his family really achieved success in the exams, they truly wouldn’t want to be associated with a cursed property.

But thinking about the mischievous boys at home, Qi Ercai immediately shook his head, firmly retorting, “Fourth Brother, you’re missing the point; with our family’s troublemakers, do you really think any of them could be expected to take the exams?”

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