Chapter 10: Renting a House in Yidu
Three days later, outside Yidu city.
The road intersection here had noticeably grown larger. The flow of people had increased, and the ground was totally covered with horse hoof prints and deep wagon ruts. Song You could already see a first glimpse of its prosperity.
He was sitting under the tent of a roadside stall at the city entrance and eating wontons. The calico cat lay beside his bowl, eating a ball of meat filling that Song You had bought from the stall owner.
The stall was packed with traveling merchants, and their voices were noisy.
“Have you heard? The fog spirit at that part of Liangshui Hollow has been eliminated.”
“Really?”
“The news came from Zhengwei Armed Guard Agency, and even the Wushan tea merchants are spreading the word, saying that part is now safe...The Wushan tea merchants are trustworthy. As for Zhengwei Armed Guard Agency, they make a living doing this and certainly wouldn’t lie!”
“Did Nanhua County hire a master again?”
“I heard it wasn’t like that. It seems that a young Daoist priest passing by eliminated it easily. There was no scuffle but the fog spirit was gone just like that.”
“Oh my! That's incredible!”
“Even the masters at Taian Temple don’t necessarily have this ability!”
“Taian Temple? Taian Temple is just famous and has grand buildings! How many masters does Yidu have? What master will practice cultivation in the city?”
“That’s true. If you’re looking for masters, you have to go outside the city.”
“Slurp!” Song You slurped his hot wontons.
With each bite, the umami of the meat filling and green onions filled his mouth. He tilted his head back and closed his eyes with a long-lost sense of satisfaction.
Although he had arrived in a relatively backward era, Song You had never neglected fulfilling his culinary appetites during these years in the Daoist temple. He even sought out many ingredients he couldn’t eat in his previous world to make up for other deficiencies. If he couldn’t get chili peppers or tomatoes, he’d get bear paws and Chinese giant salamanders.
He had had enough of steamed pancakes and steamed buns these past few days.
“Is it tasty, Lady Calico?”
“It’s tasty.”
“That's good.”
He had promised to let Lady Calico taste the local delicacies of different places, but she had not gotten to eat meat until that day. He felt really ashamed.
Those merchants were still discussing him and the fog spirit.
Traveling merchants earned their living by traveling, so the safety of the route was certainly their top concern. Bandits were still fine as they only wanted money, but spirits were life-threatening.
Song You wasn’t very interested in this and continued to eat while thinking about his accommodation problem in Yidu.
He planned to stay in Yidu for a few months.
Firstly, to stop and rest here to experience the prosperity and culture of Yizhou’s seat of local government, the third-largest city in the realm. He could visit famous mountains, scenic spots and temples in the surrounding areas.
Secondly, the largest temple fair in the whole of Yizhou will be held in a while. It was held once a year and the liveliest event. He might be able to see something genuinely marvelous in this world worthy of his interest. It would add some delight to his boring life.
Buying horses and mules at the fair would also be cheaper.
In that case, he needed to find a place to stay.
Inns typically catered to long-term stays, which was convenient but might not be very economical.
Renting a house might be cheaper.
“Slurp!” Song You finished his last wonton and lifted his bowl to finish the last drop of soup. After waiting for the calico cat to finish the meat filling, he poured water into the palm of his hand and carefully let Lady Calico drink until she had enough. Then he paid the bill and left.
The total was twenty wen.
A bowl of wontons was ten wen. The stall owner said he would charge the same price for the ball of meat filling as a bowl of wontons. The water came free with the wontons.
A few steps away was the city gate.
The city gate was built of green bricks. It was pitted and weathered with the marks of history.
There were soldiers standing at the side checking those entering and leaving the city. Notices were posted on the walls. They were mainly wanted posters and notices seeking masters to eradicate demons and ghosts in various places.
These notices were somewhat interesting. Among the wanted, there were skilled martial artists and Daoist figures. Song You had a look at those notices about local demons and ghosts. Most of the rewards for eradicating them were quite substantial. However, the demons and ghosts listed on these notices pasted here were probably not easy to deal with.
In addition, there were many brokers and idlers waiting here. In this era without navigation systems, they offered travel guidance, casual labor, and intermediary services. However, they rarely seemed to target Daoist priests as customers. Perhaps they feared that Daoist priests wouldn’t pay up or would lecture them about karma. In short, they didn’t approach Song You.
As Song You reached the gate, debating whether to call for a broker to help him rent a house, he suddenly ran into an acquaintance.
“Mister!”
He turned to see that it was the merchant surnamed Li and his party.
It seemed they were leaving the city to return to Wushan.
“Greetings.” Song You bowed to him.
The cat at his feet also stood on her hind legs like a human, imitating him and bowing to the merchant surnamed Li.
When did this start? It seemed to have begun three days ago after he bought her small fish as a friendship gift. She started occasionally mimicking Song You’s words and actions.
“Oh my!” The merchant surnamed Li hurriedly returned the bow, surprised by the bowing cat at his feet. Then he bowed again after he recovered from the shock, not daring to ask about or to slight the cat. “Mister, have you just arrived in Yidu?”
“I was delayed on the road for a few days.”
“If you had arrived a day earlier, we would have hosted a banquet for you.” The merchant surnamed Li said with great regret, though it was uncertain if he really meant it.
“If I had arrived a day earlier, we would have missed each other.”
“That’s true!” The merchant surnamed Li paused. "How long do you plan to stay in Yidu? Where are you staying?”
“I'm planning to find a broker to rent a house and stay briefly for a few months.”
“We have a small courtyard house behind our tea store. It’s a bit cramped. However, if you want to stay for a few days and can put up with it, you could save some rent money.”
“I won’t trouble you.”
“I figured you might not find it suitable. However, Yidu’s brokers can be tricky to deal with. I have a brother-in-law who works in this line of business in Yidu. He’s honest. If you need, I can bring him over to meet you right now.” The merchant surnamed Li said with a grin, “When the time comes, it would be convenient for me to visit you again too.”
“That would be helpful.”
“Please wait a moment!”
The merchant surnamed Li turned and ran over. He returned with someone who was nearby, explaining to him along the way. When they reached Song You, both bowed. “Mister, this is my brother-in-law.”
“I’m Wang Ji, pleased to meet you.”
“I’ll entrust this to you.”
“I will do my best.”
The merchant surnamed Li and his party soon left the city again. Their figures grew smaller and smaller along the yellow dirt road and the distant green mountains.
Traveling merchants and porters continued to arrive in the distance.
Song You followed Wang Ji into the city.
Yidu, like most cities of this era, was laid out in a grid pattern with criss-crossing roads. It was hard to get lost but easy to go in circles in the alleys.
Wang Ji indeed seemed to be an honest person. He showed Song You several houses. However, either the price was beyond Song You’s expectations, or the quality of the houses and the surrounding environment didn’t meet his requirements.
Great Yan’s city real estate prices were not only the highest in history but also more than ten times higher than in the previous dynasty. The main reason was that Great Yan had abolished the "Equal Land System," no longer allocating land and house plots to every person. The simultaneous development of the commercial economy promoted population movement, leading to population concentration in cities. This caused what was possibly a historic city housing price surge.
At the moment, a house in Yidu started at a thousand guan[1], and rents had also soared accordingly.
Song You, helpless, resorted to a method his master had mentioned before. “Are there any haunted or unlucky houses in the city?”
Wang Ji was taken aback upon hearing this. He sized Song You up. “You don’t mind such houses?”
“Are there really such houses?”
“There are indeed! Quite a few! Some cause illness and bad luck to those who move in, some ruin fortunes, and some suffer from hauntings every night. Which type do you want?”
“The cheapest one.”
“I know a house that’s in a quiet location but convenient when it comes to buying groceries. It’s rumored to be haunted. Several families have rented it but moved out within days. It used to be a thousand wen a month. If you’re interested, I’ll take you to see it first. If you like it, it will help the landlord out as well.”
“Thank you.”
“Please come with me.”
Wang Ji found out that it was the first time Song You had come to Yidu and that it was his first time renting as well. Thus he explained some rental regulations as they walked.
Great Yan’s brokers were quite particular, mainly due to strict official control of house rentals and brokers. Rentals had to go through brokers, and only brokered contracts were recognized by the authorities. Every broker had to be registered with the authorities, and commissions were also fixed. The authorities even launched many laws to protect the rental market, such as the principle that buying and selling does not break the lease. This principle was already in place in this era.
In addition, the rental market includes the Housing Bureau, a government agency that manages housing resources, specifically public rental housing.
Ordinary people come to the city for work, to take up posts as local officials, or from other places to study and prepare for exams. What do they do if they cannot afford rent in the city? They could rent houses from the Bureau.
Many things amazed Song You.
He wasn’t surprised they existed, but that they already existed in the present era. Immediately after his response, he realized his surprise seemed to carry a kind of superiority and arrogance due to coming from a more advanced civilization. It was truly inappropriate and he couldn’t help lapsing into reflection.
Two hours later.
The two, along with the cat, arrived at a small courtyard house.
This courtyard house was in the north of the city, a relatively valuable location with flourishing commerce and easy access to water.
The courtyard house was in the middle of a small alley. Not far from the entrance, there was a large tree with stone tables and stools underneath for resting in the shade. The wooden door’s red paint had faded with age long ago. The trees that were originally planted in the courtyard extended their branches over the top of the courtyard walls.
Passersby looked oddly at them when they saw that a broker had brought someone to look at the house again. It seemed that the house indeed had some problems.
“You must be skilled...” Wang Ji repeated, seemingly to comfort himself.
The door was unlocked with a rustic metallic clink. As Wang pushed open the creaky door, the courtyard appeared in front of Song You’s eyes.
“You can go in and take a look.” Wang Ji said but he remained standing at the door.
Song You didn’t mind. He nodded and stepped inside.
It was evident the courtyard had originally been exquisite, with plum trees and bamboo. It had just been uninhabited for a long time so it was thick with weeds. The bamboo forest behind the house had grown into the courtyard.
“The landlord said that if you are willing to rent, the contract can be written for just one month. According to the law, rent is paid monthly from the sixth day. The first five days are for you to move in and put the house into order.”
Song You strolled around the courtyard and then turned to ask, “What’s the price?”
“Still a thousand per month.”
“I’ll take it.”
“Great.”
After signing the contract, the agreement came into effect.
Song You sent Wang Ji off.
Lady Calico wandered around the courtyard, seeming uneasy in the new environment again. She sniffed here and there, apparently sensing something. She suddenly turned her head and asked Song You softly, “Are we staying here today?”
“We'll stay here tomorrow too.”
“And the day after?”
“We’ll stay here for a while.”
“This house really seems to be haunted.”
“Yes.”
“Why are we staying in a haunted house?”
“Are you afraid of ghosts?”
“I am a Cat God, and Cat Gods are not afraid of ghosts.” The calico cat followed him like a shadow. “But this is a ghost’s house.”
“We’re short of money, so we have no choice but to disturb it.”
“I don’t know what being short of money means.”
“It means we don’t have much money.”
“I also don’t know what money is.”
“It’s what I used on the road to buy pancakes, steamed pancakes, and steamed buns. I also used it to buy meat for you. Renting a house to live in also costs money. If we spend less on the house, we will have more money to buy fish and meat to eat.”
“Oh...” Lady Calico seemed to understand somewhat.
Just as she was about to ask what to do about the ghost, she saw Song You turn to face the courtyard. He bowed and calmly said, “Yidu’s housing prices are really high and we’re short of money. We have no choice but to stay here for a while. If we cause any disturbances, please forgive us.”
The calico cat hurriedly bowed too, and stuttered, “Please forgive us...”
The courtyard remained quiet, with only the sound of the wind rustling the bamboo. It was near dusk, but the sunshine still lingered, casting a slanted glow on the roof tiles. The Dunce Caps[2] between the tiles were like colorful flowers.
Ignoring the overgrown weeds, it was indeed a beautiful little courtyard.
1. A string of 1000 wen. ☜
2. A type of flowering succulent herb native to China which commonly grows between roof tiles. ☜
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