Chapter 73: This One Then, Looks Pretty Good
As soon as Broker Deng heard that they were family of Doctor Jin’s apprentice, his tone became noticeably more polite.
“What kind of land are the two of you looking for? In which area? And how much?” Broker Deng asked with a smile.
Wen Xiuyi cupped his hands. “Then we’ll have to trouble you, Broker Deng. It’s like this—we’re from Gutong Village. Our family ran into some trouble before, so our parents sold off a few mu of farmland. Now that things are a bit better, we’re thinking of buying it back to make the old folks happy. So I wanted to ask—is it possible to buy back the original land?”
Broker Deng thought for a moment, then said, “That might be a bit tricky. To buy it back, first you’d need to find the original broker who handled the sale, and then you’d have to see if the current buyer is even willing to sell. If it was sold at a low price back then, I’m afraid it’ll be hard to buy back unless you’re willing to pay more. But if you’re paying more anyway, might as well buy better land.”
The father and daughter exchanged a glance, then asked, “What are the current land prices?”
Broker Deng asked a clerk to bring over his registry, flipped through it, and when he found the entry for Gutong Village, pointed to the ledger and said to the two, “Here’s what’s currently for sale in Gutong Village. Top-grade land is going for fifteen taels per mu, mid-grade land is ten taels, and low-grade land is only six taels per mu. So, what kind are you looking to buy?”
At fifteen taels per mu for top-grade land, the silver they had on hand could only buy ten mu. But at this time, having ten mu of top-grade land was already considered excellent.
Back when Wen Xiuyi was in debt, Old Man Wen and Granny Luo had sold two mu of top-grade land and two mu of mid-grade land. Since it was a rushed sale, they had to settle for lower prices—only thirteen taels per mu for the top-grade, and eight taels for the mid-grade. They added that to what little cash they had at home to scrape together fifty taels to pay off the debt.
Seeing that the two of them didn’t respond, Broker Deng continued, “If your funds are sufficient, I suggest this plot here. All the fields in this section are connected, which makes them easy to farm. In total, there are four mu of top-grade land, three mu of mid-grade, and the only drawback is this four mu of low-grade land. The seller insists it must be sold as a whole, meaning you have to buy the entire lot. But of course, if you take the whole thing, the seller is willing to let it go for one hundred and ten taels.”
Wen Yao quickly did the math in her head and murmured, “That’s only four taels off the total.”
Broker Deng gave her a surprised look. He’d only just finished quoting the price, and this girl already had it figured out?
He closed the ledger and said, “Of course, since you’re friends of Manager Qiu, I can try negotiating the price a bit for you.”
Wen Xiuyi thought about it for a while. The location was right next to Gutong Village, conveniently placed—just a small patch of woods between them. More importantly, there was a river nearby, which made irrigation much easier compared to their old land.
The most important part was that the plots were connected, making them far easier to manage.
“Manager Deng, how much lower could you go?” Wen Xiuyi asked.
Broker Deng held up five fingers. “At least five taels less.”
One hundred and five taels for thirteen mu of land—that wasn’t bad at all. But the four mu of low-grade land gave Wen Xiuyi pause. Since arriving here, he hadn’t yet studied the local farmland classifications. He figured it was probably like his previous life—based on soil fertility.
Still, having spent years dealing with land and grain in his past life, Professor Wen was confident he could turn even this low-grade land into top-grade. Worst case, he still had his daughter’s little cheating artifact—buying some fertilizer on the sly should be doable, right?
After mentally debating, Wen Xiuyi made the decision on the spot. “We’ll take this plot. Manager Deng, we’ll have to trouble you to help us bargain a bit.”
Broker Deng smiled and politely waved it off. “It’s no trouble at all. But I’m afraid five taels is the most I can shave off. Any more and the seller won’t agree. If you’re free now, I’ll take you to see the land, and then we can call over the seller as well. It’ll be easier to handle everything face-to-face.”
Wen Xiuyi looked at the time, unsure if Wen Nong could handle the stall alone. But if they missed this opportunity, there might not be another. Gritting his teeth, Wen Xiuyi nodded. “Let’s go now. I have to be back by noon to help at the stall—my nephew probably can’t manage it alone.”
“Alright, I’ll have someone get the carriage ready and send for the seller. Please wait a moment,” Broker Deng said, cupping his hands before turning to the back to make arrangements.
Manager Qiu saw that they had already made a decision and figured his job was done, so he decided to return to the clinic.
“I won’t go with you. Go check it out yourselves. If it’s suitable, buy it. If not, wait a bit longer. Deng is a friend of mine, so just let him know.” Manager Qiu said.
Wen Xiuyi cupped his hands. “We’ve troubled you enough already.”
“Brother Wen, there’s no need to be so formal. Since Wen Jun is apprenticing with Doctor Jin, we’re practically family. No need to be so courteous. I’ll be heading back now. You two go take a look.” After a few steps, Manager Qiu turned back to add, “If you fall short on money, just let me know.”
With that, he waved and walked off.
Soon, Broker Deng had the carriage ready—two of them. One would take them to the land, and the other would go pick up the seller.
On the way, Broker Deng introduced them to a few other land options, but none were as ideal as the first.
The others were either too far or the plots weren’t contiguous, which would make managing them a hassle later.
The carriage sped along the road, and from time to time they passed villagers from Gutong Village. Wen Xiuyi and Wen Yao kept a low profile, afraid they’d be recognized.
When they arrived, Broker Deng pointed out the land to them. At a glance, it was all connected—a very promising sight.
Wen Xiuyi got off the carriage, listening to Broker Deng’s explanation of which plots were top-grade, which were mid-grade, and which were low-grade.
“Can I take a look at the land myself?” Wen Xiuyi asked.
“Of course. Since the seller isn’t here yet, let’s take a look now.” Without hesitation, Broker Deng accompanied the two into the fields.
Wen Xiuyi walked and stopped, crouching now and then to grab a handful of soil and examine it. He stopped every few steps.
Broker Deng wasn’t in a hurry and patiently followed him around.
When they reached the low-grade plot, Wen Xiuyi crouched down and didn’t get up for quite a while, engrossed in analyzing the soil.
Wen Yao came over and squatted next to him, quietly asking, “Is it salvageable?”
Wen Xiuyi nodded. “The soil quality isn’t great, and it’s lacking in nutrients. No wonder it’s classified as low-grade. It’ll take time to restore it.”
After speaking, Wen Xiuyi glanced toward Broker Deng, who was a bit further away, and whispered to Wen Yao, “Can you still buy fertilizer?”
Wen Yao nodded. “I can buy it, but how are we going to use it without drawing attention?”
Knowing it was available eased Wen Xiuyi’s mind. He tossed the soil back into the field and said, “We’ll figure that part out later. I think this plot is really good—close to home. See that trail over on the hillside? Walk along it and you’ll reach our village.”
Wen Yao looked into the distance. Across the wide expanse of fields, there really was a small hillside, with bamboo groves and other greenery—it truly was quite close.
