In the Zhou family of Lizhou City, Zhou Shuren received the jewelry he had ordered. Even the scraps weren’t wasted; Zhou Shuren had them polished into jade pendants and hairpins to match Zhulan’s headdress. The remaining scraps were also polished, so Zhulan could set them according to her preferences upon her return.

Looking at the jade pendant beside the headdress, the shrewd Zhou Shuren grinned foolishly. The idea of ​​a couple’s set gave him inspiration; from now on, his jewelry would be a matching set with Zhulan’s.

Zhou Shuren’s act of cutting up jade bestowed by the Emperor to make jewelry left the entire city inexplicably speechless. Something that could easily be a family heirloom, yet Zhou Shuren had it carved into jewelry for his wife!

The men sighed. “Zhou Shuren is truly a romantic! We’re completely convinced now. If it were us, we would definitely carve it into a family heirloom to be passed down through generations!”

The women tore several handkerchiefs to shreds, their eyes red with envy.

Madam Hua, wife of Chen Daren, had been giving her husband the cold shoulder for days, speaking to him in a sarcastic and unfriendly manner.

Chen Daren was speechless.

Zhou Daren had really caused them trouble!

Zhou Shuren himself hadn’t been idle at home, continuously drawing hatred towards Zhulan!

The next morning, after breakfast, Zhulan boarded the carriage prepared by the brokerage firm to visit the estate. The estate was some distance from Jinzhou City, a journey of about an hour.

Zhulan didn’t find the ride particularly bumpy; she noticed that the roads in the south were well-maintained, unlike the sparsely populated and potholed roads of the north.

Upon arrival, Zhulan saw the tenant farmers of the estate.

The broker respectfully introduced, “Madam Yang, all these houses belong to the estate owner. These tenants rent not only the land but also the houses.”

Zhulan hadn’t considered buying the estate while concealing her identity. Without revealing her identity, not only would the brokers bully her, but the local officials would too. After all, those who could afford estates were wealthy. Zhulan asked, “How is the rent calculated?”

The broker explained, “Three to seven.”

Zhulan thought it was outrageous—seventy percent to the estate owner, leaving only thirty percent for the tenants, plus annual rent for housing. For families with many children, even in the south, where two harvests a year wouldn’t be enough to feed them.

The broker continued, “Some kind-hearted estate owners split it four to six, but that’s rare.”

Zhulan indicated she understood. She noticed many children looking at her timidly, and some women with worried faces.

Zhulan knew that many officials who bought estates wouldn’t rent them out to tenants; they usually bought a household to manage the estate, hiring day laborers for farming and harvesting.

The tenant farmers were afraid that Zhulan would buy the estate and then stop renting out her land, leaving them not only without land but also without a place to live.

The broker led the way to the main gate of the courtyard. Opening the gate, the broker explained, “This is the master’s residence. Although the master doesn’t come often, the courtyard is always looked after. There’s a pond, a rockery, and the scenery is quite nice. Because the master is short of money, the house is practically being sold off.”

Zhulan looked at the front courtyard; the Jiangnan-style house had beautiful scenery in every corner, and the layout of the house was excellent. There was also a pavilion in the back courtyard. Zhulan liked it at first sight.

The broker, seeing this, knew the deal was half done. He wouldn’t dare to deceive the wife of an official.

Afterwards, Zhulan went to inspect the fields. This estate consisted of 150 mu of dry land and 50 mu of paddy fields, with fish raised in the paddy fields.

Along the way, Zhulan encountered many tenant farmers working in the fields, who all stopped and stared at Zhulan and her party. Some were flustered, some were fearful; they were all uncertain about the future.

Zhulan knew that some tenant farmers were better off than self-cultivators, but ultimately, they had no family wealth and relied on outsiders. If they couldn’t rent land anymore, the tenant farmers would panic.

Zhulan then inspected two more estates, each of them 200 mu in size. Of the three estates, only one had no tenants.

Zhulan was efficient and decisive; once she had chosen, there was no need to delay. Moreover, as a relative of an official, Zhou Shuren’s name was very useful. Everyone knew that the newly appointed second-place scholar had gone to Lizhou City, and the changes in Lizhou City were widely known, especially among officials.

No one dared to deceive Zhulan when buying a house. She bought two estates with tenants, one in Zhou Shuren’s name and the other in her own.

Second Zhou handled the arrangements without asking many questions. In his father’s heart, he didn’t care that everything was in his mother’s name. The two estates had already been discounted by 4,400 taels, and including the money paid to the broker and for the new deeds, the total cost was 4,550 taels. He had initially worried that his mother had already spent a considerable amount and that the money wouldn’t be enough, but when his mother gave him the money, he saw that there was still a lot left in the box.

Second Zhou warned himself that he must curry favor with Mother. What he had calculated was only the silver recorded in the household accounts—he had no idea how much Mother actually had in her hands. Whether it was a future division of the family or after Father and Mother passed away, the one who would make the decisions would definitely be Mother. Anything registered under Mother’s name and reported to the authorities would count as her dowry—she could give it to whomever she wished.

Zhulan did not know about her second son’s little schemes. Even if she did, she would not care, as long as he did not anger her. If he angered her, then before she died, she would definitely act willfully once.

Zhulan had less than five thousand taels of silver left. She decided against buying an estate; she favored Jinzhou City for its location, as it offered stable income regardless of drought or flood, and shop rents were the most reliable.

The Zhou family desperately needed a stable income, so she planned to use the remaining silver to buy shops.

Zhulan had Second Zhou inquire about shop prices. Shops in Jinzhou City were expensive; a 60-square-metre shop, even in modern terms, cost four hundred taels, and that wasn’t even in a good location. A 60-square-metre shop in a good location could cost five hundred taels. Shop rents were also quite attractive; a 60-square-metre shop in a good location could earn sixty taels a year, while even a less desirable location would still yield forty taels. Zhulan didn’t buy large shops; all were small, some only facing the street, and others with small backyards for living quarters. She bought eight shops in one go, only two in prime locations and the rest in decent areas.

She spent a total of four thousand taels, including commissions and taxes for exchanging deeds.

Zhulan had a little over six hundred taels of silver left.

Of the eight shops, two in prime locations were registered under Zhou Shuren’s name, while the remaining six were under Zhulan’s.

Even the shrewd Second Zhou was stunned. His mother had brought out ten thousand taels of silver! Including their land and property, my goodness, his family was so wealthy!

Second Zhou’s eyes gleamed. All the silver was earned by his mother; her decisions to buy and sell houses were always hers. When would he learn her skills?

Zhulan bought the shops and renegotiated contracts with the tenants, promising to collect payment at the end of each year.

Having settled on the shops, Zhulan prepared to meet with the tenants. She intended to continue renting out the shops, but she wanted to meet with the tenants first. If they were satisfactory, she would continue using them; if not, she would replace them.

(End of Chapter)

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