Chapter 23: Money Really Isn’t Enough

After sending off Qi Lian, everyone quickly composed themselves and joined the search for an inn. It was the peak exam season, and it was already evening; most inns were fully booked. In fact, there were only two or three inns left in Quanzhou City, and these were particularly expensive, out of reach for ordinary folk.

Despite their efforts, when Xu Nuo inquired at these inns, she found that none had spare rooms available for them. For a moment, everyone was at a loss for what to do, and even the usually cheerful Zhang Yan had lost his sense of humor. It was getting late, the streets were lit up, and vendors had begun closing their stalls, all wearing smiles as they headed home with their goods.

“Why don’t we ask if anyone has a courtyard they can rent to us?” Xu Nuo suggested, noticing the somber atmosphere. She thought that rather than spending money on an inn, it would be better to rent a house short-term, which would be more comfortable and easygoing.

Zhang Yan quickly agreed, nodding his head. “But the problem is, at this hour, where can we rent a house?”

Shangguan was already considering a plan: perhaps everyone could split up and stay at two different inns for the night, and then the next day, they could thoroughly search for suitable housing nearby.

“That’s not hard at all!”

Xu Nuo pulled at Wang Shi and stopped an old man who was finishing up his stall nearby. “Sir, do you know if there are any additional houses for rent in this area?”

The old man initially didn’t want to answer, as he was eager to get home for dinner. However, seeing that they had been standing on the street for quite a while, he felt a pang of sympathy and thought for a moment. “There is indeed a widow nearby who has three houses. Right now, one of them is looking for tenants. If you’re interested, I can have my wife take you over there.”

The old man glanced at their attire; they didn’t seem like wealthy people. He sighed and spoke in a hoarse voice, “But whether you can manage it or not, I can’t guarantee. This widow is quite a tough one, and her asking price is high. Her house is indeed the best, though.”

With someone to guide them, Xu Nuo was grateful and quickly nodded. “That’s great, thank you, sir!” She began to help the old man pack up his things.

“No, no, miss, you really shouldn’t!”

Despite the old man’s protests, Wang Shi and Shangguan joined in to help. The group slowly made their way to a narrow alley where a large locust tree stood at the entrance, its branches providing ample shade in summer and a nice spot for people to cool off in the evening.

“Qiu, you’re back! Seems like you did well today!”

“Of course, when do I not do well? We should get together for a drink sometime!”

“Haha, definitely…”

Through the conversations along the way, Xu Nuo could feel that the people here were quite simple and approachable. Thus, she wasn’t too anxious about the widow that the old man mentioned.

“Wife, come out quickly!”

“Coming, coming! What’s the hurry!” The widow rushed out from the house, and upon reaching the courtyard door, she realized they might have guests today.

Her expression immediately changed; the smile that was once on her face turned quite forced, even a bit unsettling.

Knowing his wife’s personality, the old man didn’t get angry. “These folks are looking for a house to rent after wrapping up for the day. I thought of the widow Yang, who has several properties, so I asked you to guide them.”

“That’s not a problem! Come with me!” Just as the widow was about to leave, she suddenly turned and sharply added, “You dimwit, don’t ever refer to Sister Yang as the widow again! Remember her name!”

After saying that, she led Xu Nuo and the others onward.

“Don’t mind my husband, he talks nonsense. Sister Yang is a pitiful person, childless and with no family. She relies on rent to make a living, so her prices are a bit higher than others.”

“But her house is definitely worth the price.”

Wang Shi empathized with these words; she still had a son and daughter-in-law to look forward to!

Not long after, the widow stopped. “Sister Yang, open the door! I’ve brought you some prospective tenants!”

“Coming, coming!” From the loud voice, it was clear that Yang was also a person with a strong character.

Before the door fully opened, Xu Nuo examined the house in front of her. It looked similar to other houses, all gray, but there was a big river behind it, lined with drooping willows. Living here in summer would certainly be cooler, although mosquitoes would be unavoidable.

“Come in, young lady!” The widow Yang opened the door and called everyone inside to talk.

“I’ll come back to play with you later, an old man’s waiting for me at home so I can cook for him!” Once the task was complete, the widow hurried away, leaving the rest of the arranging to the tenants.

Widow Yang led Xu Nuo and her group inside, where she lit up the interior lamps. The house was indeed as valuable as the old couple had described. It had a total of five rooms, a fully equipped kitchen, and even a courtyard with a well and some tables and chairs; the entire place was spotless, indicating that the owner took great care of it.

“It’s fifty silver taels a month.”

While everyone had suspected that the house wouldn’t be cheap, they were shocked when Widow Yang quoted the price.

“Seriously? Are you robbing us?”

“Fifty taels?”

Zhang Yan erupted. He thought that in their hometown, this would only cost about ten taels at most, and since his family was also in business, he understood the costs involved. This was clearly a case of price gouging!

Initially, they believed that the money they had earned over the last few months would be enough to get them to the capital, but now, at this first stop, it seemed sixty taels for rent would leave them eating nothing but wind for the rest of their journey.

“Auntie, we’re not in good shape either; can you please lower the price a bit?” Despite not being particularly skilled at bargaining, Xu Nuo felt the need to step forward and negotiate since the price was far beyond their budget.

“Girl, it’s not that I don’t want to lower it for you. You see, it’s the peak exam season now. Not only is my house at this price, but even those rundown inns are asking for several taels for one night. The price I’m giving you is quite honest.”

Xu Nuo recognized that the situation was such that prices everywhere had gone up, but they still managed to negotiate Widow Yang down by ten taels. In the end, Xu Nuo’s family would have to contribute twenty-five taels, while Zhang Yan would chip in fifteen. This brought the cost into a more manageable range for both of them.