xymnovel Chapter 13 The Difficulty of Living in Chang'an
Chapter 13 The Difficulty of Living in Chang'an
You don't know how low your official rank is until you come to Chang'an; you don't know how little money you have until you come to Chang'an.
After the family slept on the floor for a night, Shen Ce decided to start a shopping spree.
It's unacceptable that such a large house has only four people living there and hardly any decent furniture.
The drums beat incessantly until the sun rose above the horizon, at which point they stopped.
When buying in bulk, there's no need to go personally. Just have Shen Wang summon a broker, tell them your requirements, and the broker will call the corresponding shopkeeper and present them with a catalog for the customer to choose from.
Manager Liu, who was in his forties, had been running a woodworking shop in Chang'an for over twenty years. The name of Wanshuntang was known to everyone in the West Market. When wealthy families in Chang'an moved or bought property, they couldn't avoid his shop.
The city was in chaos a few days ago, and many families were evicted. As old people left, new people moved in. Residences in the capital have always been in high demand.
This resulted in him being so busy for two days that his thick waistline became visibly thinner.
Inside the private room of Wanshuntang, Liu Qicheng, with his large belly, sat on a folding chair. A middle-aged man dressed as a steward asked in a low voice, "Steward Liu, my master is Su Zuo Cheng of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. He recently acquired a new residence, and I'll have to trouble you to make the trip."
"Congratulations on moving to your new home, Lord Su! It is a great honor to see your family prosper," said Steward Liu, his face immediately lighting up with joy. He clasped his hands in a respectful gesture and said, "When will you have time to visit me, Lord Su?"
The middle-aged butler brushed off non-existent dust from the stool with his sleeve, slowly sat down, and chuckled, "There's no rush. I came in a hurry this morning and haven't had a drop of water yet. It's not too late to have some tea here before I set off."
Manager Liu was also a very shrewd person. These past two days, news had been flying around in the officialdom. Someone from the business circle had been collecting information and sending it to him. This Lord Su was a member of a gentry family in Guanzhong and an old official left over from the Sui Dynasty. At the age of over forty, he had already reached the sixth rank, which meant he had a promising future.
"Of course, of course," Manager Liu agreed with a smile, and hurriedly called out to the door, "Someone, bring the tea cakes that were just steamed this spring."
The door opened, but the person who came in was not the waiter, but a broker who came in a hurry, dressed in a short blue robe.
Seeing that there were distinguished guests inside, the broker, knowing the proper etiquette, whispered a few words in Manager Liu's ear and then retreated to wait outside the door.
Steward Liu's eyes darted around quickly. The broker had barely left when he slapped his thigh and said, "What a coincidence! We were supposed to meet the Crown Prince's official yesterday, but he was delayed by something. He just sent a servant to tell me he's free today. Steward, what do you think..."
Manager Liu has been accustomed to this for many years. His mouth flies, and he can spout lies and excuses without offending anyone. Just now, he didn't make any definitive statements, but only mentioned the Crown Prince's residence, hoping that Lord Su would back down.
The steward of the Su family frowned immediately, unsure how to respond. After a long while, he tentatively asked, "May I ask which official from the Crown Prince's residence you are? May my master offer his congratulations?"
Manager Liu's face immediately fell, and he waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "You can't ask that question. The quality of the furniture ordered by our superiors varies greatly. How can we let others know if it's good or bad? If the news gets out of hand, our store can't bear the consequences if our superiors blame us."
The steward nodded. Seeing that the shopkeeper was not revealing anything, and that he couldn't make a decision for the time being, he made an appointment for another day before the tea was served and then turned to take his leave.
Manager Liu didn't waste any time. He called his head servants, and they left the house one after the other. The broker had already prepared the donkey cart, and with a flick of the whip, it creaked and groaned as it headed towards Yanshoufang.
Inside the carriage, the head waiter lifted the curtain and peeked outside. He then leaned close to Manager Liu and asked curiously, "Manager, judging from this direction, it doesn't seem to be heading to Lord Su's new residence."
Manager Liu stroked his goatee, not bothering to hide it from the broker, and said calmly, "How can a sixth-rank official in his forties compare to a seventh-rank official in his early twenties, especially one who is the registrar of the Crown Prince's residence?"
The shopkeeper looked surprised and puzzled as he looked at the broker.
This is my livelihood, so being well-informed is essential. The previous residence belonged to the former Crown Prince, but today, after being assigned a task and entering the mansion, I discovered it had changed hands. I asked someone to find the neighborhood head, and only then did I learn that the current Crown Prince had bestowed it upon the registrar of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices...
Shen Ce sat on the steps in the main hall, looking at the three people in front of him. He didn't get up, but stretched out his hand. Manager Liu handed him the catalog, flipping through it as he said, "I was in a bit of a rush to move and didn't bring enough furniture. See if you have anything good here."
The three of them didn't dare to look up directly, but glanced at the courtyard out of the corner of their eyes. The huge three-courtyard house had no set of furniture, and the main hall was so empty that rats could starve to death.
Instead of boasting, Steward Liu lowered his stance and said, "Lord Shen is extremely busy with state affairs. As for some wooden items, someone like me is here to serve you."
Let me introduce you.
"Our shop uses only the finest woods, such as sandalwood, agarwood, rosewood, and catalpa wood. As long as it's not a prohibited wood, we have it all," Manager Liu said, observing Shen Ce's expression. Seeing his furrowed brow, he quickly changed his tone: "Since you need it urgently, sir, you can't wait for a custom order. We also have finished products made of elm and poplar wood, which will be ready for you to use immediately."
Shen Ce felt quite comfortable after hearing these words. He pointed to the kit at the end of the catalog and said, "Let's make it this way, but replace all the low couches with armchairs and the desks with long tables. As for the materials, elm and willow wood will suffice."
He was simply not used to tables and stools that were over a foot high; a tall, slender chair was much more in line with his modern status. As for precious woods like rosewood and agarwood, they were beyond the reach of a lowly official like himself, and he certainly didn't have the money...
Manager Liu nodded repeatedly, summoned his assistant, and had the dimensions of the mansion measured out. Then he called the broker and they returned to the shop together.
Seeing that Manager Liu was quite efficient, Shen Ce suddenly had an idea and asked with a smile, "Would you like some tea?"
"When entertaining distinguished guests, I sometimes indulge in a bit of refined tastes. I have some tea cakes in the shop, and I'll bring them to you tomorrow so you can have a taste."
Shen Ce scoffed. This shopkeeper was too clever for his own good, thinking he was trying to freeload off him by asking for some tea. He glared at him and said, "I'll buy my own tea."
"Find some tea artisans for me, and also purchase a few pounds of tea leaves picked this spring, not the steamed or boiled kind. I'll pay you 30% more for the cost."
Butler Liu was overjoyed and quickly agreed; making money was nothing to be ashamed of.
As afternoon approached, all the furniture needed for the house was brought over by oxcart. Manager Liu was very considerate and also brought more than ten servants to sweep and clean, as well as utensils for warming the house.
A full fifty strings of cash, and that's using only mid-to-low-grade materials. The money bestowed by the Crown Prince is almost gone in just two days, and this is only for the basic furnishings; the bed rails, cushions, and various decorations haven't even been purchased yet...
Money, money, he desperately needs money...