Chapter 107

During the body search, Shen Cui naturally couldn’t open the light curtain to check on their avatars, but she still noticed the changes in luck points.

The only thing that relieved her was that Mei Ruochu’s mood value remained stable.

After the cannon salute sealed the gates, Shen Cui checked the light curtain to see that all three of them had safely taken their seats in the examination hall, which eased her mind.

As the time for the appointment with the owner approached, Shen Cui followed her original plan and went to the toothman’s shop.

Out of concern, Mu Er Pang insisted on accompanying her, as he had promised earlier.

Shen Cui couldn’t help but feel worried about Mei Ruochu, so she let Luo Buyu stay behind at the tea stall to manage things.

In the morning, Wei Shu knew she would be busy today, so he arranged for a carriage to pick her up.

However, the weather suddenly changed, becoming unbearably hot, and after the carriage had been parked by the roadside all morning, it felt like a steamer inside.

Since the toothman’s shop was only a short walk from the examination hall, Shen Cui decided to walk.

Mu Er Pang asked her to wait a moment, then quickly jumped onto the carriage and took out a paper umbrella.

“I brought this specially for you. It’s sunny, so I’ll hold the umbrella for you,” Mu Er Pang said obediently.

At this moment, Shen Cui suddenly realized that Mu Er Pang was only slightly shorter than her.

Actually, in a few months, he would turn thirteen. Children of this age grow the fastest.

Mother and son walked side by side towards the toothman’s shop.

Shen Cui noticed that he was holding the umbrella all the time, so she tried to take it from him for a while. After all, she was taller and could hold it more easily.

Mu Er Pang didn’t allow it, he just turned his face to the side and said, “Let me hold it, Mom. Don’t take it from me. Just wipe the sweat for me.”

Coming out, Shen Cui couldn’t help but notice that her chubby son, who used to depend on her for everything, was becoming more and more mature.

Shen Cui’s heart softened, and she didn’t argue with him. She smiled and wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief.

In the scorching noon, there were not many pedestrians on the road. It wasn’t until more than an hour later that the mother and son arrived near the toothman’s shop and encountered a carriage.

Hearing the sound of horse hooves behind them, even before the other carriage driver could signal, Mu Er Pang pulled Shen Cui to the side, making way, and even swapped their positions—he walked on the outside, letting Shen Cui walk on the inside.

As the carriage passed by, it finally stopped in front of the toothman’s shop.

A maid jumped off first, directing the carriage driver to park to the side, then brought out a basin of ice, and arranged footstools and umbrellas—an impressive display.

Mu Er Pang turned to see the sweat on Shen Cui’s forehead and said, “If I had known, we could have bought some ice. Then we could have borrowed Brother Wei’s carriage, and you wouldn’t have to suffer like this, Mom.”

Shen Cui chuckled, “It’s just a short walk to sign a contract. It’s not that hard.”

Mu Er Pang replied, “I know you’re trying to save money, especially since we have to spend fifty taels of silver on rent. We need to save wherever we can. But wait a little longer, Mom. I won’t let you suffer like this in the future.”

He wasn’t wrong. Shen Cui had saved up only seventy to eighty taels by now. With the ten taels given by the Zheng family, it wasn’t even ninety taels altogether.

Nearly half of her savings would be spent on the annual rent for the house.

So, there were actually ice vendors near the examination hall today, but she couldn’t bear to spend money on it.

Seeing her son’s serious expression, Shen Cui stopped teasing him. “Alright, I know. When you’re successful in the future, I’ll just laze around at home. Even if the oil bottle spills, I won’t lift a finger!”

She said it jokingly, and Mu Er Pang agreed wholeheartedly. “I’ll also get some maids for you, so you won’t have to lift any oil bottles.”

Mother and son continued their conversation as they entered the toothman’s shop, arriving even before the family who had taken the carriage.

The toothman’s shop consisted of two floors.

The ground floor was a large hall for receiving guests, while the second floor comprised individual rooms for discussions and signing contracts.

The toothman was already waiting for them. Seeing them approach, he greeted them warmly.

“Madam and young master must be feeling the heat. Come inside quickly and sit down.”

Shen Cui and Mu Er Pang were led upstairs by the toothman.

As they entered the cool interior, they both couldn’t help but sigh with relief.

The toothman then served them high-quality tea and apologized, “Normally, we wouldn’t have you come in such extreme heat, but the owner is busy with important matters right now, and this was the only available time.”

Shen Cui nodded to show her understanding.

She had already inquired about the owner of the house from the toothman earlier. The owner’s surname was Cui, and the Cui family was a reputable family in the city.

On their way to the city, Wei Xi mentioned that the bookstore near Wenchang Street, which had a good reputation in the city, belonged to their family.

The toothman didn’t provide much information, only mentioning this point.

He probably thought that by mentioning the Cui family, it would be enough to make Shen Cui and the others believe that they were dealing with a reliable person, without needing to explain further.

During the few days in between, Shen Cui hadn’t forgotten to send someone to inquire about the Cui family.

As the toothman had said, the Cui family had been doing business locally for several generations, and their reputation had always been excellent.

Perhaps the most surprising thing was that the current head of the Cui family was a woman named Cui Wuniang.

She had been raised as a boy since she was young, and her seniority was not determined by her sisters but by her cousins.

In this era, for a woman to stand out among her male cousins and become the head of the Cui family was quite remarkable.

Although the reasons behind it were not known to outsiders, it showed how outstanding she was.

And the “haunted house” was her personal property, so she needed to be present herself.

Understanding the difficulties faced by women in this era, Shen Cui sympathized with Cui Wuniang’s situation and said, “It’s okay. I have nothing urgent to attend to anyway. We’ll come at a time that’s convenient for the owner.”

As they were discussing, the toothman’s apprentice approached them and whispered something to him.

The toothman’s expression turned strange, and Shen Cui noticed it immediately. She used her gaze to ask him what had happened.

The toothman explained, “It’s a coincidence. The owner came after you, but just now my apprentice said that they refused to rent the house to your family. My apprentice wasn’t able to find out more. But Mrs. Cui hasn’t left yet. Please wait a moment, and I’ll go ask again.”

When the toothman mentioned that the owner had come before and after them, Shen Cui immediately thought of the carriage they had encountered at the entrance.

It was understandable for her to feel upset about making a special trip in the scorching heat, only to be stood up before signing the contract.

Especially since she was genuinely satisfied with the house.

Missing out on this opportunity meant she might not find another “haunted house” at such a bargain.

She wasn’t one to sit back and wait, and if the contract couldn’t be signed, she didn’t need to linger in the toothman’s shop any longer.

She would have to rush back to the examination hall.

So she decided to accompany the toothman downstairs and address the issue face-to-face, to prevent any miscommunication.

At the entrance of the toothman’s shop, the toothman’s other apprentice was anxiously conversing with a woman.

Shen Cui approached them

The woman, presumably Cui Wuniang, looked to be around twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with a dignified appearance. She was dressed in a Su embroidery Moonlight Brocade shirt, and her hair was not styled into a married woman’s bun but rather a split Xiaoke bun that unmarried girls usually wore.

Shen Cui guessed that she must be Cui Wuniang.

“There’s no specific reason, I just don’t want to rent it out anymore,” Cui Wuniang said while fanning herself with a handheld fan.

Beads of sweat were visible on her forehead, indicating that she was also suffering from the heat.

Nevertheless, she continued, “I know it’s my fault for changing my mind before signing the contract. Please ask the lady what compensation she wants. I’ll inform you when I return home.”

Shen Cui, who had already arrived, spoke up, “I don’t need any compensation. I just want to ask you, why did you change your mind at the last minute? Did you find another seller or tenant? Just give me a straight answer.”

Cui Wuniang wasn’t surprised to see her; she had probably seen her through the carriage window when they were outside.

Her expression turned slightly unnatural as she replied, “Where would I find another seller or tenant? People are avoiding that house like the plague. Besides, that place isn’t good. Maybe you don’t know, but there have been incidents there before. Even after I bought the house, I had someone stay there… In short, it’s not good. It’s not easy for a woman like you, with a son in tow… Don’t get involved in this mess. I will definitely compensate you. Think about it carefully, do you need anything else? Or perhaps I have other private properties under my name. I’ll have someone take you to see them later. The prices won’t be as low as this one, but I can offer you a discount compared to the market price.”

Shen Cui could tell that Cui Wuniang had originally intended to push through with the deal, as she had made the trip herself on such a hot day.

But when she saw a married woman with a half-grown son coming to sign the contract, she probably felt hesitant to take advantage of her situation, especially after hearing about their frugality and how they were unwilling to even buy ice.

Shen Cui felt slightly relieved. She replied calmly, “It’s not as you think. I’m not renting it for my own residence, but to open a private school… Didn’t the toothman tell you?”

Finally given a chance to speak, the toothman interjected, “I certainly informed Madame Cui’s servants. Perhaps they didn’t inform you?”

Indeed, it was possible. As a wealthy household, the Cui family had numerous assets under their name. It was unlikely that Cui Wuniang would personally oversee every detail, and it was already quite rare for her to make the trip herself for the contract signing.

“A school you’re opening yourself? How large is it?” Cui Wuniang’s expression brightened up upon hearing this, and she took a step forward, her tall figure towering over Shen Cui as she approached.

Mu Er Pang immediately stepped forward half a step, placing himself in front of Shen Cui.

“This young man is quite filial,” Cui Wuniang remarked, taking a half step back. She explained, “I meant no harm; I was just curious.”

Shen Cui patted Mu Er Pang’s back to reassure him and nodded in response, “Yes, I am indeed opening a private school. It’s not very large in scale, but we do have a teacher and several students who previously participated in the official school competitions. So, as I said, my situation is not as you imagined… We genuinely like that house, and it genuinely suits our needs. If your change of heart isn’t due to finding another tenant or seller, perhaps you could reconsider renting it to us.”

Upon hearing this, Cui Wuniang became even more interested. She turned to her servant and instructed, “I want to have a chat with this lady. You can wait for me in the carriage.”

Mu Er Pang nodded respectfully and led Shen Cui to a quieter corner, where they could talk privately.

With a gesture of invitation, Cui Wuniang led Shen Cui to one of the private rooms on the second floor to continue their conversation.