Transmigrated as A Farm Girl Making Her Family Rich-Chapter 173 - 172 Inquiring About Land Prices
Chapter 173: Chapter 172 Inquiring About Land Prices
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Chapter 173: Chapter 172 Inquiring About Land Prices
Meng Zhaojun and her mother joined a tour group for lunch in the town, and although the noble ladies had their own thoughts, none of them voiced what they were really thinking.
The next afternoon, after the busy County Magistrate Meng returned to the back courtyard for lunch, Meng Zhaojun still hadn’t considered buying land.
During lunch, County Magistrate Meng, along with his son who was already on holiday, discussed with the family how many people had gone to various villages and rural areas to buy land that day.
Members of the Tang Family moved even faster. They had just visited Ye’s orchard yesterday and by the afternoon, had already sent someone to Bushen Village to purchase land; today, they came to the county government to seek the steward for the paperwork and seals.
Upon hearing her husband’s words, Madam smiled and congratulated him, acknowledging that the tour he organized was very effective.
“Haha, it is all thanks to your help, my dear. No wonder people say that behind every successful man is a woman supporting him. Marrying you is truly my good fortune.”
Delighted by his wife’s congratulations, County Magistrate Meng praised her and felt hopeful that he would pass this year’s assessment, which represented an opportunity for their family to move to Shangjing and for him to become a Capital Official.
“Congratulations, Father. The tour this time really opened my eyes,” Meng Ruixiang said with a smile, cupping his small hands as if toasting.
Meng Zhaojun watched the smiling faces of her parents and brother, her mind churning like a turbulent sea.
She too had gone on the inspection yesterday, but why hadn’t she thought to immediately send someone to buy land.
Meng Zhaojun felt she was still too inexperienced. Her family had not taught her business skills, and she had no such experience in her previous life. Given the same opportunity, she failed to seize it at the right moment.
No wonder the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Failing to grab opportunities that arise before one’s eyes always leaves one a step behind others.
Self-reflecting, Meng Zhaojun ate her lunch quickly and left her mother’s courtyard to return to her own.
In the past year, her collaboration with another factory to produce imitations had earned her some money. She opened her money box, still unaware of the price differences between top-quality rice paddy fields, wasteland, or mountainous land.
To learn about these prices, she had to inquire with the steward who was well-acquainted with the land prices throughout the county.
It was inappropriate to ask her father, who as the County Magistrate might also know these prices, but he left all the paperwork to the steward, so it was better to go straight to the steward rather than bother her father.
Meng Zhaojun summoned her maid and asked her to find out about the land prices.
“Yes,”
The maid left and, since she couldn’t go to the government office herself, she had to find the male housekeeper and entrust him with the task.
The male housekeeper, having accompanied the tour group that day, got the general idea from the little lady’s maid but was not in a position to speak openly about it.
Fulfilling his duty, he went to inquire with the steward, who had been busy since morning and had been invited by the Tang family for a meal. Originally, it was the county magistrate who was invited, but he suggested that such business matters be handled by the steward.
In fact, County Magistrate Meng wanted to avoid any appearance of impropriety, to prevent others from using certain matters against him during his assessment.
After all the hard work for the assessment, he wouldn’t risk dining out and giving others an opportunity to find fault, so he needed to act cautiously.
Having sought out the steward, Housekeeper Meng found that the steward had not yet returned from his meal, so he had to wait outside.
When the steward finally returned from eating, he assumed County Magistrate Meng needed him for something.
After asking, he learned that Housekeeper Meng was seeking to know the land prices throughout the county, which could be found out from brokers who sell land.
The steward had records as well, as he handled the paperwork and seals for these transactions.
If there was a sudden increase or decrease in prices for certain lands, he would be aware of it.
The housekeeper noted down the land prices for every area in a ledger, ensuring each price was recorded clearly.
The steward glanced at the housekeeper, appreciating his responsible attitude, then said with a smile:
“Housekeeper Meng, are you thinking of investing? Are you looking to buy some land to become a landlord?”
“No, no, no, as a housekeeper, I must go wherever my master goes. If I bought land, I couldn’t manage it. If I had the money, it would be better to buy a residence or a shop.”
Housekeeper Meng felt that one should manage in the field they work in. Even if you have money, you should not invest blindly. Just because someone else has started to prosper doesn’t mean it was easy; they might have invested a lot of money or put in much effort to get a return.
“Housekeeper Meng, could it be that Madam wants to buy land? If Madam wishes to purchase land, she should just ask the master.”
The steward actually felt that Madam also had the intention of buying land but found it inconvenient to ask him directly.
“It’s not Madam who wants to buy the land; it’s Lady who sent someone to ask me to inquire on her behalf.”
“Young Lady? Which piece of land does she want to buy? The prices I mentioned earlier are standard rates, like those of Bushen Village. Although it is rural land, it is priced higher than that of other villages.”
“For example, the land surrounding Ye Manor that we toured yesterday is slightly more expensive than other areas in Bushen Village and also more than that of other villages, almost equal to the prices on the outskirts of the county.”
After listening to the steward, Housekeeper Meng realized that despite his detailed attention earlier, he had overlooked this point. He marveled at how the steward had succeeded in his role, being so meticulous and having such a strong memory.
“Oh, I see, thank you for the reminder, steward. Could you tell me about the land prices around Bushen Village and around the Ye estate, as well as the prices of the nearby small and large hills?”
The steward told Housekeeper Meng about the land and the hills whose prices had recently increased. If Lady wanted, they could consider other options where the prices were high.
Housekeeper Meng listened to the steward’s advice and said he would discuss it with the Lady’s maid.
Not wanting to take up more of the steward’s time, Housekeeper Meng hurried to report back to the Lady.
After Housekeeper Meng left, the steward went to see the County Magistrate and told him that the land documents for the Tang Family and the Ye family had been drafted and that they had signed them.
Both parties had completed the paperwork and finalized the transaction.
Upon hearing the news, County Magistrate Meng smiled, pleased to have facilitated the sale and to collect some taxes.
“By the way, Grand Master, Housekeeper Meng came to ask me about land prices earlier.”
The steward didn’t know whether the Grand Master was aware or not, but as a steward, he was very cautious and absolutely loyal to his master.
“Oh, did he say for whom he was asking?”
County Magistrate Meng suspected it might be one of the visiting noble ladies who had asked Madam to help inquire about land prices, not wanting to trouble the steward themselves.
The interactions between noble ladies were carried out through letters or at social gatherings, where they built relationships.
“I heard it was the young Lady who sent a maid to inquire, and the housekeeper was merely running errands.”
“Is it Jun’er? I see.”
County Magistrate Meng said no more, guessing that his daughter must have her own plans. She had left hurriedly at lunchtime; it turned out it was for this matter.
This young daughter had thoughts she kept even from her parents, not asking her father directly but instead having someone else ask on her behalf.
As a father, he sometimes didn’t know his daughter’s mind. From a young age, she had been clever and quick-witted, more adult-like than the adults themselves, truly leaving her parents no recourse.
They could only support her, give her assistance.
