After the whole family was swept away, I lay down flat

Chapter 582 Arriving Home
The property purchase cannot be completed in the short term, but Jin Jiashu has already instructed Zhou Xiaojian to keep an eye out for news about shop transfers in the market.

Zhou Xiaojian used to be a street runner. Although he now has a fixed job, many of his familiar friends are still doing their old jobs and are well-informed. He doesn't need to run around and can just ask his friends to collect information, which is easy. However, the information collected in this way may be less timely.

Jin Jiashu didn't care. A good shop would be the kind that the rich and powerful would fight for. He didn't want it. He just wanted a few ordinary and stable shops that could earn him some rent for pocket money.

Haijiao also took the opportunity to ask for relevant information from his classmates at Weixue. The students at Weixue were also well-informed and more timely. Often, before a shop was officially launched on the market, the children of the original owner had already told their acquaintances about the matter first, and the transaction was completed without going through the hands of a broker. In this way, Haijiao found out about two good shops before winter came, and they were the kind with shops in front and houses in the back, which could be lived in. He couldn't afford it with his own pocket money, but Jin Jiashu had no problem.

Jin Jiashu quickly bought one of the shops, but when he went to ask the price of another shop, someone else had already completed the transaction. However, he was already very satisfied to be able to buy a shop.

The shop is located near the Daxiaochang in the city. It was originally a saddle business. There is a shop in the front, a small workshop in the middle, and the craftsmen live in the back yard. His family's craftsmanship was originally mediocre. After the old man in the family passed away, the heir's craftsmanship could not compete with another nearby peer, and the business was not managed well, which led to the end of bankruptcy. After selling the shop, the owner and his family planned to take the money to settle down in a small county near Chang'an and open another saddle shop. After receiving the money, he left quickly without saying anything.

Jin Jiashu walked around the shop and thought it was quite spacious, well-organized, and clean. If the new owner's craftsmanship wasn't inferior to others and there was another similar shop nearby doing better business, this shop wouldn't have gone out of business.

However, there are already two other saddle shops near the parade ground, so there is no room for a third one. This shop has a good location and area, so it would be a pity to use it as a saddle shop. It would be more suitable to transform it into a teahouse or a food store. I wonder if there will be any smart businessmen who will come to rent the shop?

Jin Jiashu walked around his new business, then closed the shop and left. He didn't plan to open his own shop, so he naturally didn't worry about these things. He had already told his agent about renting the shop, and the agent would find a tenant for him.

Recently, the homework assigned by Mr. Xie Wenzai has become more and more difficult, so he has to put more energy into his studies.

The emperor probably determined that he would not be able to pass the imperial examination and go to Beijing to take the exam within a few years, so he felt relieved to leave him in Chang'an.

But he was not convinced.

His late father, teacher, classmates, and friends all praised him for his intelligence, and he didn't know whether they were telling the truth or just trying to fool him. But he wanted to give it a try, to see if he could earn a title of Juren within ten years. If he didn't really try, he wouldn't believe that he couldn't do it!

When Ma Shangyi saw that Jin Jiashu quickly focused his attention back on his studies after buying a property, she couldn't help but secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

As long as Jin Jiashu is willing to concentrate on his studies, she can take care of all the property-related matters for him, even the tenants, so he doesn't have to worry about anything.

Jin Jiashu wanted to set up business in Chang'an to increase his income, which was also a long-term plan. He was willing to settle down in Chang'an for a long time, so he would consider these livelihood issues. This was a serious matter, and Ma Shangyi naturally had no reason to object. She was quite relieved in her heart. This proved that Madam Xu's eldest son was a good child who knew how to live, rather than a nerd who only knew how to talk about all sorts of things. People who know how to live understand the ways of the world and will not pick gifts for their own mothers and hurt their own mothers' hearts for the sake of some so-called rules of scholars. Ma Shangyi was relieved and quickly found a reliable tenant for Jin Jiashu's new shop. In less than three days, the first three months' rent had been paid. She quickly deposited the money into the account, changed her clothes, and went out to the Hai family next door to chat with Mrs. Hai, Ma.

Ma Shangyi didn't know much about the children of the Hai family, but the fact that the Hai family's son was willing to persuade Jin Jiashu to settle down in Chang'an and help him with his studies was worthy of praise. Ma Shangyi planned to go and talk to Ma and compliment her. If she could find out what the Hai family's son liked, she could find an excuse to give him a gift during the New Year.

However, after Ma Shangyi arrived at the Hai family, she was unlucky enough to catch up with Ma just as she was about to go out.

Ma was changing clothes in the main room, and her granddaughter Haitang had just changed into a plain blue cotton jacket and dark grey skirt, and was standing in the yard waiting. Seeing Ma Shangyi coming, she stepped forward and saluted: "Greetings, Madam. I apologize to Madam, but it's not a good time today. Grandmother and I are going out soon, so I'm afraid I can't treat Madam to tea."

Ma Shangyi asked with concern: "Why are you in such a hurry? Are you in such a hurry today... Is there any news of death among your relatives or friends?"

Haitang smiled and said, "No, it was the third branch of the Zhou family who just sent someone to deliver a letter saying that my aunt's son, cousin Jinlin, had returned to Chang'an from the station to attend the funeral. He just arrived in Chang'an today. My aunt is still at the farm, and there are no elders at home. Grandmother was worried about my cousin and aunt, so she planned to rush over to meet them and see if there was anything she could do to help."

Ma Shangyi couldn't help but look surprised: "Zhou Jinlin? He just returned to Chang'an at this time?" It's been over a hundred days since Old Madam Ma passed, right?
Haitang nodded calmly: "The border town is far away, and the round trip is several thousand miles. Besides, he has a military post, so he can't just leave whenever he wants. I guess there are too many things to hand over, so he was delayed on the way."

If Ma Shangyi had not been born in the northwest and had acquaintances and relatives stationed in Ningxia Zhongwei, she might have believed it. But in three months, even people stationed in Suzhou could have returned, not to mention that Zhou Jinlin was in Ningxia Zhongwei? More than a thousand miles, does it really take that long to travel?

But she didn't say much. The situation in the border city was complicated, maybe there was something that really delayed him? Border military affairs were of great importance, and we couldn't just put aside the proper military affairs for the sake of a military commander's mourning, right? Not to mention that Zhou Jinlin only lost his step-grandmother, even if his own mother died, he would have to fulfill his duties before returning home to attend the funeral. If it was a war, he would not go back to Chang'an to attend the funeral, and he would tie a white linen band on his arm, which would be considered as wearing mourning.

Ma got dressed and went out. When she saw Ma Shangyi, she hurriedly apologized to her: "I'm so sorry. I have something to do today and I really can't entertain you. If you have any urgent matters, just tell me. I will definitely help if I can."

Ma Shangyi smiled and said, "What urgent matter can I have? I am just bored and came to talk to you. If you have something important to do, just go ahead and do it. I will come to see you when I am free."

Ma hurriedly thanked her, made amends, and personally escorted her out the door. Then she turned around and pulled her granddaughter Haitang into the carriage and rushed towards the third branch of the Zhou family.

(End of this chapter)