pjbooks Chapter 131 Buying Land in Fancheng
Chapter 131 Buying Land in Fancheng
The broker assumed Wen Yuxia was there to find a spoiled rich kid seeking attention, and casually handed her a catalog of small plots of land for sale.
Wen Yuxia carefully flipped through the picture album page by page, but after finishing the entire album, she still couldn't find a suitable place to build a horse farm or racetrack.
After leaving the brokerage firm, Wen Yuxia went to another nearby one. This time, she didn't want to waste time looking at catalogs and asked directly, "Do you have any large plots of land? Wasteland is fine too, the more the better."
The owner of the brokerage firm happened to be in the shop. He was taken aback by Wen Yuxia's question. He stopped the young clerk who was about to greet Wen Yuxia and personally served her tea.
"Young master, I happen to have a large plot of land, but the owner insists on selling the entire lot. What's the maximum number of acres you'd like to take?" The gray-haired broker's owner asked with a fawning smile.
The land he mentioned covers 3,400 mu (approximately 220 hectares), a very large area. The owner didn't want to sell it piecemeal, so it had been listed with various real estate brokers in Fancheng and the towns under Fancheng's jurisdiction for two years without being sold.
Of the 3,700 mu of land, only 500 mu are fertile farmland, 800 mu are dry land, and the remaining 2,400 mu are all wasteland. The main reason this land cannot be sold is because of the wasteland.
Wen Yuxia's suggestion that wasteland would also work gave the brokerage owner hope. Thinking of the commission he would receive from selling this land, the brokerage owner looked at Wen Yuxia with anticipation.
“More than two thousand mu,” Wen Yuxia said casually, taking a sip of tea.
The broker's smile deepened. "Over two thousand acres? With a little effort, I should be able to sell three thousand seven hundred acres. Young master, look, this location isn't far from the city, and there are towns all around. It's very convenient for going to the market or getting into the city..."
As Wen Yuxia listened and looked through the picture book, she heard Wu Dongjia from the real estate agency explain that the owners of this land were an elderly couple who passed away before they could hire someone to cultivate the wasteland after purchasing it.
The elderly couple had seven sons and two daughters. Only their eldest son lived with them in Fancheng; the other six sons and two daughters lived in other places.
The elderly couple's property was all in the possession of their seven sons. After negotiation, the seven sons reached a consensus to divide the property into ten parts, with the eldest son receiving four parts and the other six sons each receiving one part.
The 3,700 mu of land happened to fall under the names of the six sons, so they entrusted their eldest brother to register the land with a real estate brokerage firm.
With taxes due on the wasteland next year, a few days ago their elder brother offered two hills next to the land and the manor on them as a bonus, promising that whoever bought the land would receive the hills and manor for free.
Wasteland is cheap, and out of 3,700 mu of land, 2,400 mu are wasteland—that's great! The wasteland can be used to build a horse ranch, and the remaining 500 mu of fertile land and 800 mu of dry land can be used to build a farm.
What pleased her most was that the cost of buying these 3,700 acres of mixed-use land was cheaper than the cost of directly buying 2,000 acres of fertile land, and she also got two hilltops and a manor for free.
A sly smile spread across Wen Yuxia's face. Buying this land was a sure thing; she was determined to buy it. She tried to suppress the smirk and said softly, "Mr. Wu, just tell me your bottom line. If it's suitable, we can sign the contract today."
Successfully selling this land, which had been listed for over two years, would not only bring in a substantial commission but also a bonus from the seller.
Wu Dongjia was a smart man. Not wanting to displease Wen Yuxia, his wealthy client, over the price, he took out a slip of paper from the inner room and handed it to Wen Yuxia: "Young Master Wen, please take a look. This is the lowest price written down by the seller himself."
After reading the price on the note, Wen Yuxia said decisively, "Mr. Wu, could you please take me to the site to take a look and contact the seller to sign the contract on-site? Oh, and I'd also like to buy twenty mu of fertile land, either twenty mu in one continuous plot or five mu in one continuous plot, preferably in the same village."
The market price for fertile land is 13 taels of silver per mu, dry land is 8 taels of silver per mu, and wasteland is 3 taels of silver per mu. The seller's price is 5 mace of silver less per mu than the market price.
With 3,700 mu of land, Wen Yuxia saved 1,850 taels of silver. Suddenly, she had a whim and decided to buy some land in the village.
Fancheng was also a prosperous city, and Wen Yuxia thought it would be good to settle Wen Dashan and the others there, since she had saved a lot of money buying land today.
If Wen Dashan and his family are willing to settle down in Fancheng, consider these lands as a housewarming gift from her to the families. If they are not willing to settle down in Fancheng, she can hand over these fertile fields to the horse farm manager.
Having endured a bumpy journey to the outskirts of the capital, Wen Dashan was unaware that Wen Yuxia had already helped them purchase land in Fancheng. Gazing at the high city walls, he exclaimed excitedly, "We've arrived! We've finally arrived safely!"
Fearing for their safety on the journey to the capital, Steward Li hired ten bodyguards to protect Wen Dashan and his family. Once they were safely delivered to the capital, the bodyguards' mission was complete.
The lead镖师 (bodyguard/escort) clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Master Wen, we've arrived in the capital. Our mission is complete. Farewell!" With that, the dozens of镖师 turned their horses around and galloped back the way they came.
Nan Er saw Wen Zibai driving a mule cart at the city gate. He quickly walked out of the gate, waved, and called out, "Second Master Wen!"
Wen Zibo saw Nan Er waving at him and turned to shout into the carriage, "Dad, come out and see if that person was sent by Da Ya."
Wen Dashan poked his head out of the carriage, squinting his old eyes as he carefully examined Nan Er, who had already run to the mule cart. He called out uncertainly, "Nan Er,"
Nan Er nodded slightly: "Your subordinate, Nan Er, is here to welcome the old master on the orders of the princess. Please follow me, old master."
After bringing Wen Dashan and the others back to the Princess's residence, Steward Tang instructed the maids to take them to the courtyard that had been prepared in advance.
Looking at the flowers and plants in the yard, Madam Wenlin couldn't help but mutter under her breath, "Such a big yard, it's such a waste to grow these pretty but inedible things instead of vegetables."
The maidservant serving nearby covered her mouth and chuckled, "Madam, these flowers can be exchanged for silver; not a single one is wasted."
The orchids sent by the Crown Prince's Consort were divided into many pots by the Princess using a method of division. With the Crown Prince's Consort's permission, all the divided orchids were sold to powerful and influential people in the capital.
Inspired by the orchids, the princess ordered many exotic flowers and herbs to be dug up from the deep mountains and planted in various courtyards of the princess's mansion. She also said that when the flowers bloomed, she would have people set up stalls outside the tavern to sell them!
After learning that the families had all settled in, Steward Tang went to the courtyard of Wen Dashan and his wife to inform them of Wen Yuxia's whereabouts and told Wen Dashan that he could send a maid to fetch him if he needed anything.
Wen Dashan smiled and said, "I will definitely come to Steward Tang if I need anything." Before coming to the capital, Steward Li had told him to come to the steward if he needed anything.