Transmigrating with a Five Million Dollar Retirement Life

Chapter 145 Lin Mansion

Song Jiaojiao didn't answer whether it was good or bad, but simply said, "Aren't there two places we haven't visited yet? Let's go check them out first."

Helpless, Granny Xu had no choice but to take Song Jiaojiao to see two other places. They went to the one in the east of the city first, while Song Jiaojiao basically didn't consider the one in the south of the city.

Although that area is where wealthy people live, it also means there's not much foot traffic there. The item Song Jiaojiao planned to sell wouldn't fetch a high price anyway.

It's not suitable for that place.

The two arrived at this house in the east of the city. It was truly small, with no back door; to get to the courtyard, one had to pass through the shop. The shop itself wasn't particularly large either, but the street outside was quite wide.

Being close to the town entrance, the backyard only had three rooms, no cellar or storage room. The well was in the middle of the yard, and it wasn't very big.

Song Jiaojiao only glanced at it before losing interest. This shop was even smaller than the one she had bought in the county town, yet it dared to ask for 500 taels of silver. That price could buy a small courtyard in a less prosperous part of the county.

After just a quick look, Song Jiaojiao suggested going back.

As soon as Granny Xu saw Song Jiaojiao's expression, she knew that Song Jiaojiao hadn't taken a liking to this place. After all, with Mingzhu in front of her, even a fool would know which one to choose.

The two returned to Fengtang, and Granny Xu asked, "I wonder which of those two shops Madam Song has taken a fancy to?"

"The one next to Sifanglou is good, but the price is still a bit high. As for the one in the east of the city, it's too small and doesn't quite fit the shop I want to open."

Granny Xu immediately understood; this was the first house she had her eye on.

"Alright, Madam Song, I won't beat around the bush with you. 660 taels. To tell you the truth, this is the lowest price the landlord can offer. As you can see, the shop is excellent, and the location is also excellent. If you miss this opportunity, it will be hard to buy one again."

When Granny Xu offered to lower the price to 660 taels, Song Jiaojiao felt that was about right, and it was similar to the price she had expected.

"Is there any random mortgage or anything like that on this house?"

"Don't worry, Madam Song. Fengtang has thoroughly investigated every shop and house that passes through Fengtang. There's absolutely nothing like what you're worried about."

Granny Xu quickly assured her, and with that, the shop was basically settled.

"Alright, I only came here because I trust you. I'll take this shop. Now let's take a look at the manor. We can transfer ownership together later."

Granny Xu readily agreed with a beaming smile, "Alright, alright, does Madam Song have any requests for the manor?"

Song Jiaojiao thought that the main purpose of buying the estate was to grow chili peppers and build greenhouses. There had to be a lot of land, but fields didn't matter. And then there couldn't be any messy things on the estate.

"The estate should ideally be large, with the land all connected together, and a water source is definitely essential."

Song Jiaojiao roughly explained her requirements, and after listening, Granny Xu had a general idea of ​​what to do.

He took out four blueprints and gave them to Song Jiaojiao.

Song Jiaojiao took it and glanced at it. The estate was not as simple as a shop. There were more than a dozen blueprints for just one estate. Song Jiaojiao couldn't continue reading after seeing half of them and said.

"We can't see anything on the blueprints, let's go take a look."

Granny Xu said with some difficulty, "It's already afternoon, I'm afraid we won't be able to finish watching it today."

"It's okay, we can finish watching it today and continue tomorrow. Anyway, we still need to transfer the property tomorrow," Song Jiaojiao said with a smile.

These are all minor matters. Song Jiaojiao's purpose in coming to town this time is to finalize this matter, so how could she possibly return empty-handed?

When Granny Xu heard Song Jiaojiao say that, she had no more worries.

First, Song Jiaojiao arrived at the manor closest to the town. This manor was located in the direction of the county town, and it took the two of them fifteen minutes to reach the manor.

The manor covers a considerable area, approximately 300 acres, with large tracts of land that are mostly empty at this time of year.

The steward of the estate, having heard that someone was coming to visit, waited at the gate early in the morning.

When Song Jiaojiao arrived at the door, she saw the words "Lin Mansion" written on the plaque, which meant that the owner of the house must be surnamed Lin.

"Old Mrs. Xu, Madam, I am the manager of this manor, and my surname is Lin."

"Manager Lin, we've come here today mainly to see the general situation of the estate. We'd appreciate it if you could give us a brief introduction."

Granny Xu spoke up.

"Of course, Madam, please feel free to ask me if there's anything you don't understand."

Manager Lin recognized Granny Xu and knew that the man beside Granny Xu was the one who had come to inspect the estate.

"This way, Madam." Butler Lin led the way for Song Jiaojiao.

As Steward Lin entered the courtyard, which was a three-section courtyard, the outermost section was the servants' quarters, the middle section was the main residence, and the back section was the area prepared for the young ladies and mistresses.

"Madam, this manor is my master's villa. My master's surname is Lin. Because my young master has passed the imperial examination and is moving to the capital, we are selling this villa."

As he spoke, Steward Lin led the two to the backyard. There were only a few servants in the yard. There was a garden between the backyard and the main yard, and in the garden were several red plum trees in full bloom.

Having been here for so long, it's rare to see such scenery in winter.

Manager Lin noticed that Song Jiaojiao was staring at the red plum blossoms. He explained, "My lady used to stay at the villa for a few days. These red plum blossoms were planted by her own hands. She was very sad when she learned that the villa was going to be sold. She came to see these red plum blossoms alone for a long time. We can't take them with us, otherwise we would have dug them up by the roots long ago."

"It's a good thing that the young master of the Lin family passed the imperial examination. I believe that Madam Lin will find an even better opportunity in the capital," Song Jiaojiao said softly.

"Then I'll take your kind words, Madam," Steward Lin replied with a smile.

"Manager Lin, I'd like to go and check on the condition of the fields on the estate," Song Jiaojiao said.

This surprised Steward Lin. Usually, those who came to visit the estate rarely went to see the fields, especially the madam, who would basically just look at the courtyard and leave. Steward Lin was still in shock.

Seeing Steward Lin standing there dumbfounded, Granny Xu knew what he was thinking. "Steward, Madam Song is a farmer. She bought the estate mainly to farm. Please take us to see it quickly."

Upon hearing Granny Xu's words, Steward Lin came to his senses and said, "Madam, please come this way with me."

Unexpectedly, Song Jiaojiao, a peasant, exuded an aura that rivaled that of a wealthy family's matriarch. No wonder she didn't have any maids or nannies by her side.

The group quickly arrived at the field. At this time of year, there was practically nothing in the field. Song Jiaojiao squatted down and pinched a handful of soil. It was yellow soil, and the land was not fertile.

"Steward Lin, what kinds of grains do you usually grow on the estate?" Song Jiaojiao asked, waving a handful of soil in her hand.

"The land in the village is generally sold out, and it is mostly used to grow sweet potatoes, corn and wheat. Most of the land is sold to villagers in nearby villages at a rate of 4 or 6% after tax."

Upon hearing this ratio, Song Jiaojiao thought to herself, "This is really bad. With land like this, the harvest probably won't be good!"