After carefully listening to the details about the land, Da Lang was pleased to learn it had no connection to either Prince Wei’s mansion or Princess Qinghua. With this errand complete, He Zhizhong excused him from shop duties. With half a day free, Da Lang happily headed to the cold noodle shop in the East Market, planning to buy some as a treat for his wife and children.
Just as the shopkeeper finished packing the food boxes, Da Lang spotted Zhang Wu Lang approaching, looking around curiously. Today, Zhang Wu Lang wore a pale moon-colored fine gauze robe with slits at the hips. Instead of his usual fine gauze headband, he wore a proper blue gauze headscarf. His sleeves hung neatly at his wrists rather than being rolled up high as usual. He seemed less aggressive and unruly, appearing more refined. Da Lang was secretly amazed and greeted him with a smile: “Where are you coming from, Wu Lang?”
Zhang Wu Lang seemed slightly uncomfortable. He greeted Da Lang politely and said with a smile, “I heard you were heading this way, brother, so I came looking for you.” Noticing the large food boxes in the hands of He’s servant, he smiled slightly: “Brother, you bought so many cold noodles. Are you in a hurry to take them home?”
Da Lang’s impression of him had improved since Zhang Wu Lang had helped him last time without taking credit, only accepting a meal as thanks and refusing the gifts He Zhizhong had prepared. He hadn’t mentioned it again afterward. So Da Lang spoke casually and warmly: “Indeed, I can go home early today, and knowing they all love it, I came here especially to buy some.” He then instructed the servant to take the food boxes home and invited Zhang Wu Lang into the shop for some cold noodles.
Zhang Wu Lang didn’t refuse and ate with Da Lang openly. They chatted idly about business in the market. Seeing Zhang Wu Lang speak and act so civilly, Da Lang couldn’t help but ask, “What good things have happened to you recently, Wu Lang?”
Zhang Wu Lang replied seriously, “Speaking of that, I wanted to ask for your advice and help, brother.” He then stood up and bowed formally to Da Lang.
Da Lang quickly stopped him, saying with a smile, “No need for such formalities. I’ll gladly help if I can.”
Zhang Wu Lang said worriedly, “My brothers and I thought that we couldn’t just idle about forever, so we pooled our resources and opened a rice shop. But we don’t know how to run a business properly. It’s easy to open, but hard to manage. No one’s coming to buy rice. Could you help me think of a solution, brother?”
No wonder he’s dressed like this, he’s changed his profession, Da Lang thought with a smile. “Let me be frank, Wu Lang, and please don’t take offense. People are probably afraid to come to your shop.” He explained that wealthy families had their rice supplies, and most who bought rice from shops were common folk. Given Zhang Wu Lang’s notorious reputation as a local bully, people would be afraid to complain if they were shortchanged, so they’d avoid his shop.
Zhang Wu Lang wasn’t angry and scratched his head, saying, “I thought it might be something like that, but we can’t force people to come buy, can we?” In truth, he wasn’t being entirely honest. On opening day, they had no customers until closing time. Thinking it was a bad omen, they had forcibly dragged an old man from the neighboring rice shop to make a purchase, scaring him so badly that he fainted. They had to pay his medical expenses to settle the matter.
Unable to think of a quick way to change people’s perceptions, Da Lang consoled him, “Business isn’t easy. Otherwise, wouldn’t everyone be a businessman? Your intention is good. The key is to trade fairly, prioritize credibility, and as people see this, business will gradually come.”
Zhang Wu Lang deflated for a moment, then suddenly cheered up as if struck by an idea. He slapped the table, rolled up his sleeves, and said loudly, “Brother, someone gave me two freshly caught fish, very plump. I’ve been wanting to repay you for the meal at your house but haven’t had the chance. This is perfect. Please don’t refuse, I’ll have them cleaned right away. Could you invite Uncle He, Si Lang, and the others? Let’s all enjoy ourselves together.”
Seeing Zhang Wu Lang instantly forget his refinement and revert to his old self, Da Lang finally felt the strange feeling subside. Suppressing a smile, he said, “I’m sorry, Wu Lang, but I can’t today. I have some business to attend to. Another day, I’ll host and treat you and your brothers to a meal.”
Zhang Wu Lang belatedly realized his slip. Thinking there was no point in pretending anymore, he rolled his sleeves up even higher and grinned at Da Lang, saying, “I’m used to being rough, brother. I tried to be refined, but I just couldn’t do it. I must look foolish to you.”
Da Lang found his frankness endearing. He poured Zhang Wu Lang a cup of tea and said with a smile, “Wu Lang is Wu Lang. What a refined person! I can’t be refined either.”
Zhang Wu Lang loved this response and said happily, “Wait here a moment, brother.” He then ran off with large strides.
Unable to stop him, Da Lang could only wait for his return. Shortly after, Zhang Wu Lang came back carrying two large river carp. Without a word, he thrust them into the hands of He’s servant, saying, “Take these home and cook them for Aunt, Sister-in-law, and the children!”
The servant looked to Da Lang for instructions. Knowing Zhang Wu Lang’s generous nature, Da Lang happily thanked him and told the servant to accept the fish. Zhang Wu Lang was overjoyed and personally escorted Da Lang to the street corner before leaving.
After walking a short distance, Da Lang suddenly realized something strange. Wasn’t Zhang Wu Lang usually close to Si Lang? Why did he come to Da Lang for business advice instead of seeking out Si Lang? Looking at the two plump fish, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was odd.
Upon reaching home, Da Lang instructed the servant to take the river carp to the kitchen and asked a maid to invite Mudan out to discuss the land purchase.
Soon, the sound of tinkling jewelry announced Mudan’s arrival. As the curtain lifted, a faint lotus fragrance wafted in on the breeze. Mudan entered, smiling, holding an ivory-handled peony fan. Da Lang’s eyes brightened at the sight. She wore a casual short jacket of pine-green silk with diamond-shaped floral prints, paired with a six-panel peach-red gauze skirt and agarwood-scented shoes. With her red lips and white teeth, she was captivating.
Delighted by his sister’s beauty, Da Lang praised her before getting to the matter at hand: “I asked about the estate you visited yesterday. It’s indeed not Prince Wei’s property but belongs to Prince Ning. The polo field there is famous in the capital for its smoothness, as it’s built with oil-treated earth. Many royal and noble families like to borrow it for polo matches. So, sister, you needn’t worry. Go ahead and buy it.”
Mudan immediately began calculating. If these people truly loved playing polo there, it could be an opportunity for her soon-to-open Mudan Garden. Polo, flower viewing, leisure, and flower buying would complement each other perfectly. She asked Da Lang, “When shall we go to see the land?”
Da Lang smiled, “Why wait? Let’s go tomorrow.”
At dinner, He Zhizhong noticed two extra dishes of sliced fish and asked with a smile, “Who’s so thoughtful, knowing I’ve been craving sliced fish?”
Da Lang quickly explained, “I met Zhang Wu Lang when I went to buy cold noodles in the East Market today. He gave them to me.”
He Zhizhong took a bite, savoring the sweet aftertaste, and said with a smile, “It’s still fresh. Why did he suddenly give you river carp?”
Da Lang replied, “First, he asked me for business advice, then said he wanted to treat me to a meal. When I said I was busy, he suddenly gave me the fish.” He then asked Si Lang, “Did you know about him opening a rice shop? Why this sudden change in character?”
Si Lang smiled, “Of course I knew. I even sent a gift. I heard he’s getting older and wants to settle down. Good families’ daughters won’t have him, and he’s not interested in those who would. He had to clean up his act and do some honest work.”
He Zhizhong took another bite of fish and said, “It’s good that he has such thoughts. The question is, how long can he keep it up?”
Si Lang laughed, “It might be difficult. They have no business. His bad reputation precedes him, people avoid him like the plague, let alone patronize his shop.” He then recounted how they had forced someone to buy rice, scaring them into fainting and having to pay compensation.
Er Lang shook his head and smiled, “Someone like him, running a rice shop? If he wants to make something of himself, he’d be better off joining the army.”
Liu Lang sneered, “He wants to get married. How can he do that if he joins the army? In my opinion, if he truly wants to find a way to make a living, he should go into cockfighting. That’s most suitable for someone like him.”
He Zhizhong snorted and scolded, “How dare you look down on people? Cockfighting is no respectable profession. Don’t speak of such things outside.”
Liu Lang, relying on being the youngest and usually not taken seriously, retorted, “How am I looking down on him? Isn’t it said nowadays that raising sons doesn’t require literacy, and that cockfighting and horse racing are better than studying? If I had no proper livelihood, I’d go into the chicken business too. There’s no faster way to make money. We toil at sea buying goods, barely return safely, then have to talk ourselves hoarse to sell them, battling wind and rain. It’s not as good as a few high-stakes bets.”
Zhang, Si Lang’s wife, hearing this, worried it might negatively affect her unborn child’s prenatal education. Fearing the baby might be influenced by such talk, she immediately left. He Zhizhong’s face darkened. Seeing this, Concubine Yang, who was serving nearby, frantically signaled with her eyes, and Liu Lang reluctantly fell silent.
He Zhizhong coldly snorted, “Why don’t you mention those who lose everything to cockfighting, even selling their wives and children? Saying such things in front of the children, aren’t you afraid of corrupting them? I don’t care about others, but if any son of the He family dares to engage in such improper activities, I’ll break their legs and throw them out! They won’t get a single coin of inheritance.”
Seeing He Zhizhong’s genuine anger, Liu Lang dared not speak further and hunched his shoulders, eating silently. He Zhizhong was still angry, finding even the fish unappetizing. Mrs. Cen, noticing this, quietly ladled him a bowl of chicken soup and said softly, “The children are still young. Why rush? Just teach them gradually.”
He Zhizhong sighed, unable to express his feelings. Liu Lang was barely in his twenties, the youngest, and not close to his brothers. He only knew how to curry favor with He Zhizhong, but wasn’t reliable. Now that he had such thoughts, He Zhizhong worried about his future after his death.
Thinking of this, he turned his worried gaze to Mudan, who was removing fish bones for He Chun. He silently resolved to find a good match for Mudan before he passed away.
Mudan, focused on de-boning the fish for her nephew, suddenly felt He Zhizhong’s gaze. She looked up and gave him a sweet smile. Seeing her adorable smile, He Zhizhong’s mood lightened considerably. He said gently, “Daner, are you going to view the land tomorrow? Father will accompany you.”
Mudan was delighted by this offer.
The next day, He Zhizhong and Da Lang took Mudan out of the city on horseback, heading straight for the area near the Yellow Canal. They rode past Prince Ning’s estate and continued for about ten more li before reaching their destination.
Taking a small path to the right for about half a li, they came upon a plot of dry land around 100 mu in size. Willow trees surrounded the dry land, separating it from other areas. If they wanted to prevent outsiders from entering, they could simply plant thorny shrubs or wild roses to connect the willows into a continuous line. A clear, small river for irrigation flowed from the Yellow Canal, winding along the left side of the willows towards the distance. If Mudan wanted to create ponds, the water source would be very convenient.
Da Lang thought this plot was perfect, but Mudan wasn’t very satisfied, mainly because the terrain was too flat.
In modern peony specialty gardens, such flat terrain is usually arranged in a regular pattern, dividing the area into regular planting pools to grow various peony species, forming an overall neat geometric pattern. This arrangement is orderly and uniform, convenient for inter-species management and research, and is the best layout for professional peony gardens aimed at viewing, production, and species resource preservation.
However, Mudan felt that in this era where gardens emphasized changing scenes with each step, such a regular garden wouldn’t be popular. It could only be used for specialized planting areas and wasn’t suitable for ancient people who wanted gardens for leisure and flower viewing. She desired a terrain with undulations and changes, with peonies as the main feature, harmoniously integrated with other flowers, plants, trees, rocks, and buildings to achieve a natural, ever-changing landscape that seemed heaven-made.
Seeing Mudan’s silence, Da Lang grew anxious: “Daner, do you not like it?”
He Zhizhong also asked, “What exactly do you want? You need to tell us so your eldest brother can arrange it.”
Mudan blushed slightly. Imagining was one thing, but doing it was another. She knew it wasn’t easy for Da Lang to find this plot of land, and it was her fault for not explaining clearly beforehand. So instead of directly saying she didn’t like it, she smiled and said, “I think it’s a bit small and too flat, but let’s look around first.”
The seller was an official family surnamed Zhou. The head of the family had been demoted and sent to Lingnan with no set return date, and they needed money to smooth things over, which was why they were selling the land. Today, their old steward accompanied the He family to view the land. Hearing Mudan’s words, he wasn’t worried but rather pleased, and smiled, “If the young miss thinks it’s too big, I can’t help, but if you think it’s too small, I have a solution.”
Hearing that he might have better land, Mudan quickly asked, “What do you mean?”
Da Lang also said, “If you have any good land, don’t hold back.”
The old steward didn’t explain everything at once, but smiled and led them forward, “Please follow me.” He led them across the dry land, through the willows on the right, and stopped by the small river. Pointing to the other side of the river, he showed Mudan and the others: “Actually, the land across the river also belongs to us, including this river, which my master had dug to bring water here.”
Previously, they were too far away and the willows obstructed their view. Now Mudan could see that willow was also planted on the other side of the river, and about twenty zhang away, there was a row of white walls with blue tiles, seemingly someone’s residence.
He Zhizhong inwardly began to understand; the old steward wanted to sell both the land and the residence to them. With a businessman’s acumen, he realized that if the land and residence perfectly suited Mudan’s needs, it might not come cheap. So he probed, “The land on this side isn’t very wide, is it? Only about twenty mu? Whose residence is that?”
The old steward smiled slightly, “It also belongs to my master. Since the customer only mentioned wanting land earlier, not a residence, I didn’t show it. Would you like to take a look?” He led them downstream, where a simple bridge made of pine wood spanned the river, just wide enough for two people to walk side by side.
Da Lang moved to help He Zhizhong, but He Zhizhong waved him off, “I’m not at that stage yet. Go help Daner.” With that, he steadily crossed the bridge. Da Lang had no choice but to turn back for Mudan, only to see her already running across the bridge, making a face at him as she hurried to catch up with He Zhizhong.
Da Lang couldn’t help but laugh, shaking his head, and said to Yuhe, “Daner is becoming more and more childlike.” The old steward, skilled at reading people, observed this interaction and realized that this was a father and brother buying property for a favored daughter of the family. As long as Mudan approved, the deal would be sealed. From then on, he became even more attentive to Mudan, answering all her questions thoroughly.
After crossing the bridge, they found a path about two zhang wide, paved with pebbles, leading straight to the main gate of the residence. Old locust trees lined both sides of the path, blocking most of the sunlight. Standing in the shade, they felt a cool breeze and heard the chirping of cicadas, creating a pleasant atmosphere.
Mudan was already impressed just walking along this path. The old steward went forward to knock on the door, and a man in his forties lazily came to open it. After glancing at Mudan and the others, realizing they were here to view the property, he said nothing more, just opened the door, and stepped aside.
The residence was a two-courtyard, four-sided compound with a central hall, back courtyard, and main bedrooms built in a standard layout. The furniture was neither new nor old, and the style was unremarkable. The curtains and hangings were very old or missing, and the paint on the doors and windows had mostly peeled off. At first glance, Mudan was slightly disappointed, muttering to herself, “The house didn’t look this small from the outside, why does it seem so cramped inside?”
However, He Zhizhong, with the old steward’s permission, had inspected the wall bases, rafters, pillars, doors, and windows, finding them all still sturdy. He was somewhat satisfied but, being an experienced businessman didn’t show it on his face, allowing Mudan to express her disappointment.
The old steward, who had been observing Mudan’s expressions, became a bit flustered and quickly led Mudan to the adjacent area, smiling apologetically, “If you think it’s too small, there’s a large garden next door with pavilions and water features.”
Mudan’s eyes lit up, and she followed him through a moon gate on the right side of the back courtyard. Behind the moon gate was a garden of about ten mu, which, as the old steward had said, included streams, a lotus pond, pavilions, artificial hills, and various flowers and trees. However, like the house, it seemed neglected: weeds grew waist-high, last year’s decaying lotus leaves remained in the pond, the railings were covered in dust, and much of the paint had peeled off.
Mudan noticed that despite its dilapidated state, the overall layout was quite good. In the future, she could separate this garden from her living area, use it as a starting point to gradually expand, and build a nice garden. As for the land across the river, besides using it as a seedling base, she could plant other flowers and trees to attract visitors even after the peony viewing season. She could also allocate some land for growing vegetables and create a rustic charm with proper planning.
Just as Mudan was about to speak, He Zhizhong said with slight displeasure, “What’s the story with this residence? Did your master never live here? How did it become so run-down? It looks like it’s been neglected for years.”
The old steward’s expression became slightly uneasy, but he quickly replied, “My master went to Lingnan last year. I was left here specifically to manage these properties. Since we’ve been planning to sell for a while, no one has lived here. With other matters to attend to and limited staff, it’s fallen into this state. But the foundation is still good; it just needs some tidying up. Look, the garden’s layout is excellent, designed by a famous architect. These lake stones were expensive to acquire, and the plants were valuable too, including peonies. They just look unremarkable because no one has tended to them. If you’re interested, we can negotiate the price.”
Though his explanation seemed reasonable, He Zhizhong sensed something different. He calmly asked, “How much are you asking for this residence and the land across the river?”
The old steward, having anticipated this, answered without hesitation, “My master is an honest man and truly wants to sell. We’re asking for 666,000 cash. Just the stones alone are worth quite a bit.”
Mudan found this price acceptable, but He Zhizhong didn’t allow her to speak. This price was not only not high but slightly cheap. Even if they were eager to sell, it shouldn’t have fallen to them to get such a bargain after so long. Thinking this, He Zhizhong became even more cautious: “From what I know, many people want to buy property in this area. Your garden is so nice, the price isn’t high, and you’ve been wanting to sell for a while. Why hasn’t it sold yet?”
He paused, then smiled, “666,000 cash, why such a specific number? What’s the reason behind this? Also, who sells land in separate pieces? Aren’t you afraid you won’t be able to sell this part if you’ve already sold the land across the river? If you want to close the deal, tell us the truth. Otherwise, I can find out later anyway.”
The old steward hesitated for a while, then slowly began to explain.