My domineering ex-husband is living off his wife in ancient times.

Chapter 94 Let's look at another shop

When Dr. Hu said he wanted to take Cheng Ruoan as his apprentice, the Cheng family mother and daughter thought it was quite absurd.

After all, they knew their own children's character well. They had absolutely no medical background, were old, and were already mothers of two. They couldn't even be apprentice medicine doctors.

Moreover, two months had passed without a formal apprenticeship banquet or even a formal apprenticeship tea ceremony. They assumed that Dr. Hu was just talking casually, but who knew he would take it so seriously now.

Cheng's mother quickly grabbed Cheng Ruo'an's hand and said anxiously, "I think Dr. Hu is truly kind to you. An'an, you must learn from Dr. Hu. Even if you can only learn the basics, it will benefit you and Sanlang's little family in the future."

"You can stay in the village; just leave the things in town to us."

"Yes, little sister, since Doctor Hu is willing to teach you real skills, even if it's just learning to gather herbs, you can only make your life better and better, and never make it worse."

"But Mother, we must take the initiative to hold a formal apprenticeship banquet; we must give Doctor Hu the respect and dignity he deserves."

Cheng Ruotong was also happy. Having a doctor in the family would be a great joy for any family.

"We'll definitely have a big display. We'll set it up as soon as we rent the yard." Mother Cheng's eyes crinkled with laughter.

Cheng Ruoan felt there was no rush: "I need to ask my master about the apprenticeship banquet first. Right now, the most important thing is where you and your mother live."

Cheng Ruoan took out the household registration documents that she had helped the Cheng family of three and handed them to Cheng's mother.

"Mother, the sooner we get things done, the sooner we can start doing business. You and my sister are merchants, and whether you do business or not, you still have to pay taxes."

To prevent merchants from evading taxes, the Great Xia Dynasty stipulated that the merchant tax started at two taels of silver per person, plus a commercial tax, with one-tenth of the tax paid every six months.

"Yes, yes, we've already wasted two months on the road, and we only have four months left to do business. We can't afford to pay taxes for nothing. Little sister, what size yard do you think would be suitable for us to rent?"

Thinking about it, Cheng Ruotong took out the silver notes from her pocket. They were the several hundred taels that Cheng Ruoan had given her to keep.

On the way, Cheng Ruoan would take her to buy medicinal herbs each time, and he would also let her keep the change. In total, there were 520 taels.

Cheng Ruotong felt that since the money came from her younger sister, even if her younger sister didn't come to live there, the size of the rent and where it was rented should be decided by her younger sister.

"Mother, eldest sister, do you know the approximate prices of two-courtyard and three-courtyard houses in this town?" Cheng Ruoan was thinking that the bigger the better, so that it would be convenient to get everything in one go.

After renting it for a while, Cheng Ruoan naturally planned to secretly buy it for them.

Cheng Ruoan's family was her support and reliance in this world.

Cheng's mother: "Where in this town can you find a three-courtyard house? Even two-courtyard houses are rare. Is it really necessary to rent such a big one?"

Cheng Ruotong: "Mother, whatever size my little sister says we can rent, we'll rent it. You just need to go and find out the price."

Cheng Ruoan: "If you don't know either, then let's just find a broker to show us."

The mother and her two daughters got to work immediately. After tidying up, they rushed downstairs and left a note with the waiter for Si Shaoheng and his two sons.

There are two brokerage firms in Huangyang Town, one in the east and one in the west, both of which deal in people, livestock, carts, and houses.

The three asked for directions and found the nearest brokerage firm in the east of the town. Inside, there was only one broker looking through the ledgers at the counter.

"Shopkeeper, do you have any courtyards with two or three courtyards for rent?" Cheng Ruoan asked directly as he walked in.

The broker was an ordinary middle-aged man with a face beaming with smiles. "Greetings, esteemed guests. I am not the shopkeeper. Please call me Zhong the broker."

"So that you may know, ladies, Huangyang Town isn't very big. There's only one three-courtyard house, but it's only for sale, not for rent. There are two two-courtyard houses available for rent, though. Would you ladies like to come and take a look?"

Cheng Ruoan nodded, "If it's on the way to the third place, let's take a look there as well."

Zhong Yaren's smile widened: "Alright, my lady, please wait a moment. I'll go to the accounting office in the back to get the key."

Cheng's mother and Cheng Ruotong were slightly surprised and asked Cheng Ruoan, "You treat browsing the house like shopping? Whether you buy anything or not, you can't lose out by just looking?"

Cheng Ruoan could only smile awkwardly, "Anyway, I have plenty of time today."

They can have lunch in Huangyang Town before going to Songshan County.

The three followed Zhong the broker out of the brokerage firm, and after several twists and turns, they arrived at the large boxwood tree in the middle of the town.

Zhong Yaren explained, "The two villages with two courtyards that we need to visit are both in the northeast of the town. Usually, people travel from the southeast to the northeast of the town by taking the main road outside the town, which is a shortcut that not many people know about."

"There are so many narrow paths in this town. If you get lost, it will take you forever to get out," Cheng Ruotong muttered.

Zhong Yaren turned around and said with a smile, "My wife, you're overthinking it. Many of the paths in town go through people's yards. If you're not familiar with the area, they won't let you pass. You won't be able to get lost and will have to take the main road outside the town."

Cheng Ruotong was shocked: "It's so troublesome?!"

"There's nothing we can do. In the previous dynasty, Huangyang Town was just a large market town where several villages traded with each other. Without the government dividing the streets, it naturally couldn't compare to a well-planned market town."

“Those who get to know each other well here must find it great that the area is so well-connected. As long as you have enough acquaintances, you can save time getting around the town.” Cheng Ruoan also thought that Huangyang Town was great in this respect; wasn’t it perfect for developing food delivery services?

Although Huangyang Town doesn't have a cargo terminal, all the vehicles and horses heading north have to pass through here, so the flow of people is quite significant.

After passing Huangyang Town, it takes about a hundred miles to reach the next town, Kaihuang Town.

So why is there only one inn in this town?

That's because all the other inns have been converted into guesthouses offering dormitory-style sleeping quarters.

Cheng Ruoan thought more and more that if she opened a "fast food restaurant" here that could provide takeout services, focusing on low-priced and convenient meals, the business would probably be booming.

That doesn't necessarily mean it has to be a two-courtyard house. A house with a storefront or a shop with a backyard would also be within her consideration.

Zhong Yaren led Cheng Ruo'an and her two daughters to see two courtyards, both of which were well-organized and suitable for living.

Both are located in Yushui Lane in the northeast of the town, which is relatively secluded. Moreover, Cheng Ruoan privately asked Zhong Yaren, who said that the owners of these two courtyard houses only rent them out and do not sell them.

Zhong Yaren said with a smile, "Ladies, if you want to run a tofu business, both of these courtyards are suitable. The rent is the same for both, ten taels a year, or one tael a month."

The price is very reasonable.

"It's actually pretty good, An'an, what do you think?"

Cheng Ruotong and her mother were quite satisfied, feeling that the courtyard was well-ventilated from north to south and had everything they needed, making it a place they could move into immediately.

Cheng Ruoan was naturally not very satisfied. "This courtyard is too deep in the alley. It will be troublesome for you to transport the tofu out after you make it, Mother."

"Zhongya Ren, that three-courtyard house you mentioned, are there any shops for rent or sale nearby?"

sell?!

Upon hearing those two words, both Cheng's mother and Cheng Ruotong's eyes widened.

"An'an, what do you want to do?!"

Zhong Yaren was overjoyed: "Yes, yes, yes! That three-courtyard house is on Tama Street in the northwest of the town. That's the liveliest street in our Huangyang Town!"

"Let's go take a look, and while we're at it, let's also find a suitable shop."