Mingguang Street is one of the few streets in Nanyuan of Shaocheng. It is a wide and straight street with many shops and merchants on both sides. It is also only one street away from the official market opened by the imperial court in Nanyuan, so the street is very lively with people coming and going.
Yunlai Inn is located in the south of Mingguang Street. It is in a quiet location and elegantly decorated. You can see Jinjiang River from the second floor looking south.
Yang Qing woke up naturally from his sleep, ordered hot soup, finished washing, opened the window and took a deep breath, feeling refreshed.
He went down to the lobby on the first floor and found a table by the window, slowly sipping the weird-looking tea and eating some local snacks.
my country's tea culture has a long history, but in the pre-Qin period tea was mainly used for medicinal purposes. After the Han Dynasty, tea gradually became a beverage in specific areas. Especially in Shu, the custom of drinking tea has a long history. Tea has become one of people's daily drinks since at least the Western Han Dynasty. However, most of the tea at this time was mixed with various strong seasonings and cooked together, and the taste was very different from that after the Tang Dynasty.
Yang Qing tasted the tea soup and felt an indescribable smell. He took a few sips and put it aside. I don’t know how people can get used to drinking at this time, but he can’t drink anymore.
He almost ate all the snacks on the table. Although there were not as many condiments as later generations, the fragrance of the ingredients themselves was greatly highlighted, giving them a unique flavor.
After the meal, Yang Qing walked around the inn and felt that the environment of this inn was indeed good. If he had money, he could book a room here for a long stay. However, after taking stock of his money and remembering the rent price mentioned by the store last night, he still felt that renting a cheap house was the long-term solution.
"Excuse me, shopkeeper, where is the dental shop in the city? Are you planning to rent a room?" Yang Qing asked the shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper was a fat middle-aged man. He squinted his small eyes and said with a smile: "The guest is asking me. Not to mention all the teeth on the ground in Chengdu, I know nine out of ten. I'm easy to teach. The guest learned that the boundaries of each dental shop in the city are different. May I ask where the guest wants to live? "
Not only is this shop owner naturally enthusiastic, but you should also know that the dental shop will pay you for introducing customers to the dental shop. This is also a rule in the market, and it is mutually beneficial to both parties.
Yang Qing secretly thought, logically speaking, living in a big city is the most beneficial to future plans, but survival is still the first priority at the moment, but he can't make a fool of himself, otherwise it will be unsightly.
"I plan to live in the south gate of Shaocheng." After leaving the Nanyuan gate and walking east, you can reach the south gate of the big city, which is considered a convenient road.
The fat shopkeeper glanced at Yang Qing and said: "Then the customer has come to our store at the right time. I am familiar with the dental shop here. I will ask the people below to lead the customer there later to ensure that the customer does not suffer any loss and finds a good fortune." A great place to be.”
Yang Qing understood what the store owner was thinking, but this was a win-win situation for both parties, and it was as it should be. He cupped his fists and bowed in salute: "Thank you very much to the store owner."
"I don't dare to say thank you. The guest is away from home, so I should take care of him." Seeing Yang Qing's solemnity, the store owner quickly returned the favor.
Yang Qing followed the clerk from Yunlai Inn to Nancheng Yahang, met the person in charge, rewarded the clerk with a hundred and five bahts, and sent him back.
The person who came out to receive the Yahang looked about eighteen or nineteen years old, and was a little younger than Yang Qing. People who knew him called him Ma Xiaolang. Although he was young, he had been in the Yahang for many years and was used to observing people's words.
He saw that although Yang Qing was dressed simply, he spoke elegantly and politely, and looked tender and rosy. He did not look like someone who had done rough work. He knew that this man was a man who had studied and could not be said to be a rich man in trouble. Sir, people like this cannot be fooled.
Ma Xiaolang put away his initial thoughts and asked enthusiastically: "May I ask the guest's name, where he is from, and how long is the lease term?"
"A certain person named Yang, from Jiangzhou, came to Chengdu to study. He will probably stay here for a long time, so I will plan for a year first."
"It turns out to be Mr. Yang. I wonder what Mr. Yang's requirements are for the house?"
Yang Qing pondered for a while and then replied: "Yang doesn't like liveliness, so it's best to find a secluded place to live, preferably a private courtyard. As for the owner of the house, he hopes to be an innocent family without much right and wrong."
He was afraid that asking for someone would be too high, so he added: "Of course, the price would be better if it's cheaper."
Ma Xiaolang thought for a while and had a general direction in his mind: "I already understand Yang Langjun's request, but I hope Langjun can explain the price more clearly."
"The rent should be around 1,000 yuan per month, and no more than 1,500 yuan at most."
Yang Qing had just learned from Ma Xiaolang that the housing prices in Chengdu at this time were no different from those in later generations. The price was related to the location, size, newness, etc. of the house. The kind of mansion with a central pavilion and a back building is worth hundreds of millions of dollars, and an ordinary residence costs tens of thousands of dollars. There are also thousands of dollars, but it goes without saying that the remote location and dilapidated condition cannot be avoided. Of course, this is the price of purchasing a property, and the rental price of more than a thousand dollars in the southern area of Shaocheng is actually considered high. After all, one stone of corn on the market in Chengdu costs about two to three hundred yuan at this time. This is still the result of the intervention of the imperial court, otherwise it would be higher. The price of food for the Han Dynasty has not been low in the past two years.
"I understand, sir. Please wait a moment, sir. Let me check and make sure I find a satisfactory residence for you." After saying this, Ma Xiaolang walked to the shelf in the house and took down a few bamboo slips to read.
Yang Qing didn't wait long when he saw Ma Xiaolang walking over with a smile and a roll of bamboo slips.
Ma Xiaolang put the bamboo slip on the desk in front of him and pointed: "Yang Langjun has been waiting for a long time. I found a place according to Langjun's request. This family's house is located to the east of our store. Not to mention the place is secluded, and it happens to be a small place." The owner of the courtyard is also an innocent family. It is said that the owner of the family was still an official but passed away two years ago. Therefore, the family was somewhat in decline, so the partial courtyard was rented out to support the family."
Yang Qing nodded: "Oh, since there is a suitable house, please ask Xiaolang to take me to see it."
As Ma Xiaolang arrived at the location, Yang Qing stood outside the door and looked around. The family lived deep in Osmanthus Alley. The main part of the house was a courtyard with three entrances, and there were two small courtyards on the left and right. The one on the right was ready to be rented out. Although the house is not a luxurious compound, it is not affordable for ordinary people. Yang Qing was still looking around, but Ma Xiaolang had already invited the owner of the house over.
The person who came was an old woman, and her steps were vigorous and neat. As she approached, she looked at Yang Qing carefully and said with a smile, "I heard that Yang Langjun wants to rent my small courtyard?"
Yang Qing hurriedly replied: "Exactly. Ma Xiaolang must have explained the situation to his wife."
"I dare not trouble you to call me that. I am just a servant, and others call me Aunt Gu." Aunt Gu introduced herself and then said, "I wonder if Yang Langjun is satisfied with this place?"
It turned out to be just a servant of this family. He thought it was the master who came in person, but thinking about it, officials generally would not deal with such trivial matters personally.
"The location is quite what I like, but I don't know what it's like inside the building?"
After hearing this, Aunt Gu immediately took out the key, opened the courtyard door and led Yang Qing and Yang Qing into the courtyard.
The courtyard is not big. The main room is in the eye, with wing rooms on both sides. The living room is in the middle of the main room, the bedroom is on the left, and the study is on the right. Although the courtyard is small, the layout is elegant. An osmanthus tree stands in the southeast corner of the courtyard and exudes a faint fragrance. The falling leaves are scattered all over the tree. Even the well on the side has to be covered with a log board.
Yang Qing had already made up his mind after entering the hospital, and without any ink at the moment, he directly said to Aunt Gu: "Auntie, I am very satisfied with this place. How much is the rent?"
"Mr. Lang is such a happy person, and my family doesn't bully anyone. How about 1,200 yuan a month?"
"Can."
The three of them returned to the dental shop and settled down on the documents. Yang Qing settled the fees at the dental shop, and then paid another 2,400 yuan for the house. Originally, Aunt Gu asked to pay half a year's rent in advance, but Yang Qing persuaded the old woman to give her two months, otherwise the deal would be difficult to continue.
Yang Qing went back to Yunlai Inn to pay his bills, thanked the owner profusely, took his luggage and went to Osmanthus Alley. Although Aunt Gu had said that she would clean the courtyard every now and then, he thought it was a place where he wanted to live, so he spent more than an hour tidying up the front and back of the house.
He went to the street to buy half a month's worth of corn, oily noodles, etc., and sat on the stone bench in the courtyard. Yang Qing looked at the bright moon and stars in the sky, and felt satisfied in his heart. Today he had settled down in Chengdu, which was 1,800 years ago.
