Chapter 10

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Xu Guan, the steward, turned around and found that the person speaking was a middle-aged man as thin as a bamboo pole. The man was extremely lean, with a long, gaunt face and sunken cheeks. His small, beady eyes blinked rapidly, making him look very much like a rat. His eyebrows were sparse, and the few strands of hair on his head were tied up carelessly, giving him a rather shifty appearance.

"Ah, it's Brother Lao Wu. I have to trouble you with the matter I entrusted to you!" Xu Guan's face lit up with a bright smile when he saw the lean middle-aged man.

This shifty-eyed man surnamed Li was known as Lao Wu because he was the fifth son in his family. Lao Wu had no proper job and spent his days loitering in the market. He was well-known in Songjiang Prefecture and often helped people find laborers or rent or buy houses, taking a small cut for himself. Today, Xu Guan had put out the news about renting a house through him.

Xu Guan used to be a person of some standing in Songjiang Prefecture, and someone like Lao Wu, who was almost a ruffian, would never have had the chance to interact with him. Now, although the Zhou family had fallen on hard times, Lao Wu was still flattered by Xu Guan's warm welcome. He grinned, revealing a row of yellow teeth, and said, "Mr. Xu, you're too polite. I'm just trying to earn a living, no need to thank me. But this time, I've found a big client!"

"Big client? What kind of big client?" Xu Guan clearly didn't understand what Lao Wu meant. The Zhou family only wanted to rent out a few courtyards, and the price was fixed. How could there be a big client?

Lao Wu, however, was very excited. He raised his sparse eyebrows and said, "Mr. Xu, you see, there's a Mr. Liu from Yangzhou, a scholar who used to be an official in another place. Now that he's old, he wants to retire at home. He likes the beautiful scenery here in Songjiang and the fact that it's not far from Yangzhou. So he wants to buy a house here. I just received the news, so I came to discuss it with you. If your Zhou family is willing to sell the house, I can contact the people Mr. Liu sent to look at it."

Hearing that the big client Lao Wu referred to was this, Xu Guan immediately shook his head. "No, no, the Zhou family's house was built by our master bit by bit. It will serve as our ancestral home in the future and absolutely cannot be sold. There's no room for negotiation on this matter!"

Xu Guan felt that his tone was a bit harsh, so he quickly softened it. "Brother Lao Wu, although our Zhou family has fallen on hard times, we haven't reached the point of selling our house. We're just renting out a few unused courtyards at the front. So I need you to put more effort into this matter!"

Lao Wu's smile turned awkward when Xu Guan flatly rejected his suggestion. Renting out a courtyard wouldn't earn him much, but selling a house would bring in a substantial commission, enough to support him for several months. Unfortunately, this hope was now dashed, and Lao Wu naturally felt a bit unhappy.

However, neither Xu Guan nor Lao Wu noticed that the young butcher, who was busy slicing meat nearby, suddenly became attentive. His movements slowed, and he turned to look at Xu Guan with a thoughtful expression, even wanting to speak. But when he saw that Lao Wu was still there, he felt it wasn't the right time to speak and lowered his head to continue his work, occasionally glancing at Xu Guan.

Determined to earn his substantial commission, Lao Wu tried to persuade Xu Guan a few more times, but Xu Guan knew that the Zhou family's house had already been mortgaged to Mr. Wang. Mr. Wang, out of consideration for the relationship between the two families, had not demanded the house. Therefore, the young master definitely couldn't sell the courtyards, and Xu Guan firmly rejected Lao Wu's persuasion.

Finally, seeing that he couldn't change Xu Guan's mind, Lao Wu could only leave with a sigh. As for Xu Guan's request to spread the news about renting the house, Lao Wu pretended not to hear it, which made Xu Guan very angry. After Lao Wu left, Xu Guan spat a few times and cursed him as a scoundrel.

"Mr. Xu, I heard you want to rent out your courtyards?" Just as Xu Guan turned to buy more meat, the young butcher approached and said with a bright smile on his oily face.

Seeing the butcher's appearance, Xu Guan, who was a shrewd person, immediately perked up and hurried over. "Yes, that's right. Do you know anyone who's looking for a place to rent?"

The young butcher nodded. "There is someone who wants to rent a house, but I don't know how big the courtyards you're renting are or what the quality and location of the houses are like."

Hearing that there was a possibility, Xu Guan became extremely excited and introduced the courtyards with a look of surprise. "You can rest assured about the courtyards. After all, the Zhou family used to be a well-known household in Songjiang. This time, we're only renting out three small courtyards in the front, each of which is no smaller than an ordinary family's courtyard. The houses are all newly built and in perfect condition. The location is also excellent, just two streets away from the market. Most of the surrounding residents are prominent families in Songjiang, and the roads are well-connected. And as you heard, we Zhou family are not willing to sell the house, otherwise, many people would be vying to buy it."

"Zhou family? The family of the prodigy who passed the scholar examination at the age of fourteen?" The young butcher had been in the market for a long time and had heard many stories, so he naturally knew about the Zhou family.

"That's right. Since you know about our young master, you must have heard about our recent difficulties. That's why we're renting out a few courtyards to get through this tough time. If you know anyone who wants to rent a courtyard, please let them know. We will certainly reward you if the deal goes through!" Xu Guan bowed to the young butcher. Seeing how Lao Wu left, he knew that Lao Wu wouldn't put much effort into it. Now, he had a chance to rent out the house, so he wanted to seize it.

However, the young butcher seemed a bit embarrassed and clasped his hands in front of Xu Guan. "Mr. Xu, to be honest, it's actually me who wants to rent a house. I'm from Cross Village in the southern suburbs. I have to come to the city early every day to sell meat, which is very inconvenient. So I want to rent a place in the city to live and store pork."

"Ah..." Hearing that it was the butcher who wanted to rent the house, Xu Guan hesitated. Butchery was a lowly profession, and renting the courtyards to him would be embarrassing for the Zhou family. Moreover, if he slaughtered pigs and sheep in the courtyards, it would be inauspicious for the family, especially since Aunt Wang was a Buddhist and a vegetarian who couldn't stand such things.

"Mr. Xu, please rest assured. The courtyards I rent will only be for my living and storing the meat I slaughter during the day. I will sell it the next day. The slaughtering will be done at my home outside the city, not in the Zhou family's house!" The young butcher saw Xu Guan's concerns and quickly explained.

What he valued most was the location of the Zhou family's house, just two streets away from the market. If he could rent it, his life would be much easier. As for the rent, he didn't care much. Everyone in the market knew that his stall was the best business, and he earned the most money. A few coins for rent were nothing to him.

Hearing that the butcher wouldn't do the slaughtering in the Zhou family's house, Xu Guan breathed a sigh of relief. After a moment's thought, he looked up at the butcher and said, "Let me go back and report to my young master. Whether he agrees or not, I will come back to inform you!"

Hearing that Xu Guan was willing to relay the message, the butcher was very pleased. "Why wait? How about this: my meat is almost sold out today. In an hour, I'll treat you and your young master to a meal at the Fengyou Teahouse to discuss the rental. The rent can be negotiated!"

Hearing the butcher's generosity, Xu Guan's impression of him improved greatly. He immediately agreed, and the two chatted for a while. Xu Guan took the opportunity to learn more about the butcher and found out that he was just twenty years old, but looked older due to his appearance. He was still unmarried and had no other family, a typical case of "one person fed, the whole family is full."

After learning about the butcher, Xu Guan bought two pounds of meat. The butcher initially refused to take money, but Xu Guan insisted on paying. In the end, the butcher had to accept it, but he cut off more than five pounds of meat and also gave Xu Guan two large meaty bones, saying they were for making soup. Xu Guan couldn't refuse and had to accept them.

Back at the Zhou family's house, Xu Guan excitedly found Zhou Chong and told him about the butcher's willingness to rent the house. As a person from the future, Zhou Chong had no particular aversion to butchery and no prejudice against butchers, as they only slaughtered pigs, not people.

Therefore, Zhou Chong immediately agreed. He prepared briefly and, an hour later, went to the Fengyou Teahouse, which was not far from the market. The Fengyou Teahouse was well-known in Songjiang Prefecture. It had two floors, with the ground floor being a hall for ordinary people to drink tea and chat. There was also a stage for storytelling. The upper floor had private rooms and elegant seats, suitable for scholars to recite poetry or for merchants to conduct business.