in2ebook Chapter 146 Buying the Estate
Chapter 146 Buying the Estate
"How are the contracts handled here? How many years are they for?" Song Jiaojiao asked in a low voice.
Manager Lin replied, "The lease on land here will expire before the new year. As of now, the land on the estate has not been rented out, so Madam can rest assured."
Hearing this, Song Jiaojiao breathed a sigh of relief, fearing that if she wanted to take it back, those people would be relentless.
Song Jiaojiao was quite satisfied with the estate. The estate, which covered 300 acres, had over 200 acres of land, perfectly meeting her needs.
"Manager Lin, I have a general understanding of the estate. How much is your master planning to pay for this estate?"
"As you can see, the manor is in a very convenient location, close to the main road. There's nothing messy or chaotic about the manor. Once the manor is sold, the servants will leave. The master's asking price is 5000 taels."
How many?
5000 taels!!!
This price was unexpected for Song Jiaojiao. Even if we calculate it at five taels of silver per plot, 300 mu of land would only cost 1500 taels.
Moreover, most of the land on this estate is second-rate and not fertile at all.
There was no place to raise poultry on the estate, so it seems there was no plan for it at the time. After Song Jiaojiao took over, she must have needed to build a place to raise poultry.
The land here needs fertilizer, and the water source isn't far away; there's a large river nearby, so the village has irrigation canals.
I just don't know why they didn't choose to mine the field.
Song Jiaojiao glanced at Granny Xu, who immediately understood. "Manager Lin, Madam Song is genuinely here to buy. Your price is a bit too high."
“Old Mrs. Xu, you’re an expert, and you know the market price around here. This price is exactly the market price. Plus, our estate is the closest to the town, right next to the main road, so it’s very convenient for whatever we do,” Steward Lin said with a helpless expression.
"Alright, alright, this price is indeed too high. Madam Song really wants it, so let's not beat around the bush. Just tell me the lowest price you can ask?" Granny Xu was too lazy to play games with Steward Lin and asked directly.
"Well... how about this, we're old acquaintances, let's settle for 4800 taels." Manager Lin glanced at Song Jiaojiao, but couldn't discern any particular emotion in his expression.
The master hopes to sell the manor as soon as possible, since in the capital, where land is incredibly valuable, everything costs money.
The lowest price the master offered was 4000 taels, but he still wanted to take a gamble, so the extra money naturally went into his pocket.
Song Jiaojiao then spoke up, "Grandma Xu, I think it's getting late. Let's go check out the other houses first."
"Alright, let's go take a look first and make a comparison. After all, it's several thousand taels, so we need to think it over carefully."
After finishing her sentence, Granny Xu glanced at Steward Lin and started walking out with Song Jiaojiao. Others might not know, but did Granny Xu not know the intricacies of the situation?
This price is indeed too high; you could buy a whole estate in the county town for that price.
Seeing that Song Jiaojiao and her companion were about to leave, Butler Lin began to worry. "Oh, Madam, the price can still be discussed further."
Song Jiaojiao didn't say anything, she just walked out of the manor with her head down.
"Well then, Madam, 4500 taels is already a very low price. There's really no way to lower it any further."
"Manager Lin, I am fairly familiar with the situation on the estate. As you know, I bought the estate to grow grain, but look at the land on the estate, it has absolutely no fertility. No matter what kind of grain is grown on such land, the yield will not be high."
"It will definitely require a lot of effort to maintain the soil, and there will be no income for at least a year; in fact, we'll have to lose money. I really can't accept your price."
Song Jiaojiao turned her head and said helplessly.
Butler Lin's eyes darted around, and he said with a fawning smile, "Madam, how much do you plan to give?"
"3800 taels, that's the highest price I can offer," Song Jiaojiao stated her ideal price.
"3800 taels?! Madam, aren't you putting me in a difficult position? This price is unacceptable; I simply cannot explain this to the master." Steward Lin said with a wry smile upon hearing the price offered by Song Jiaojiao.
This is 200 taels less than the lowest price the master offered him, and I absolutely dare not accept it.
"Manager Lin, you've seen it yourself. There's nothing on this estate, not even the land. In the end, I'll have to fund the reconstruction myself. Apart from that courtyard, it's just an empty estate. All things considered, I feel like I've lost out."
"It would be better to just buy 300 acres of land and build my own estate. Even at 6 taels of silver per acre for top-quality land, it would only cost me 1800 taels. With the remaining silver, I could certainly build a decent estate! Don't you think that makes sense?"
“Madam, how can you calculate it like that? There’s so little land in this area. If it were really that easy to buy, you wouldn’t need to come out and look at the estate,” Steward Lin said embarrassedly.
"That's why I'm willing to pay more than half the price to see the estate. But since it's over the price, I think I'll keep looking. I'm not in a hurry; maybe one day it will come out!"
Song Jiaojiao said nonchalantly, "Even if I'm in a hurry and I'm keeping a close eye on this place, I can't reveal a single thing."
When Manager Lin heard Song Jiaojiao's words, he glanced at her but couldn't discern any expression on her face. It seemed that, just as she said, she wasn't in a hurry at all.
But he was in a hurry. His master had written to him a couple of days ago to inquire about the status of the estate and urged him to sell it as soon as possible.
"Madam, let's compromise. 4000 taels is the price, and we can complete the formalities tomorrow. This price really can't be lowered any further. If it still doesn't work, then we can only say that we are not meant to be."
Manager Lin seemed to have a "what's the use" attitude, as it appeared there was no way he could make any money from this estate.
Song Jiaojiao glanced at Granny Wang, who nodded slightly, indicating that the price was indeed reasonable.
It just so happens that Song Jiaojiao also likes this place. Although being close to the official road has both advantages and disadvantages, Yunshui Town is located in the middle of the Great Jin Kingdom, so generally nothing will involve this area.
"Alright, alright, let's just consider it making friends. We'll wait for Steward Lin at the town government tomorrow at Chenshi (7-9 AM)." Song Jiaojiao was satisfied in her heart, but she put on a helpless expression.
Seeing that the estate had finally been sold, Manager Lin quickly said, "I will arrive on time tomorrow."
The estate deal is settled; the next steps are to buy the property and find craftsmen to build the house.
"Granny Xu, I have another favor to ask you. The estate has been settled, but we need a lot of servants. We'll need at least two cooks, four servants, two women, and four maids. Also, do you know any craftsmen in town? We also need to set up a place to raise poultry on the estate."
Song Jiaojiao listed out the things she needed to do next. Thinking that there was still a lot to do, it seemed that she would have to go back today and bring Xu Da with her tomorrow, so that he would be in charge of managing the manor from now on.