The old steward explained, “This land is quite good. My master acquired it by chance when he first arrived in the capital. At that time, there was only the residence, no garden. Following a friend’s advice, my master invited the renowned feng shui master Song Youdao to assess the property. Following Song’s suggestions, we built this garden. He said ‘Without water, there’s no life,’ so we spent a great deal of money and effort to bring in this water source. At that time, my master held a low official position and wasn’t wealthy. Although we nearly exhausted our family’s resources on this garden, it indeed brought several promotions and prosperity.”
“This good fortune lasted for about twenty years,” the old steward sighed. “When my master first fell from grace, someone came to buy this property. My master, thinking he would return one day, refused, unknowingly offending that person. Later, when we wanted to sell, they offered a low price. My master couldn’t swallow this insult and refused to sell to them at any cost. They then spread rumors that the house had bad feng shui. Although they’ve now lost their influence and no longer live in the capital, the rumors have spread tenfold, causing people to develop superstitions. The price we’re asking, 666,000, is just my master’s way of wishing for good fortune and dispelling bad luck. If you think it’s too expensive, there’s also an orchard of peach and plum trees outside the wall that will soon bear fruit. We’re willing to include that as well.”
He Zhizhong remained silent after hearing this. As a businessman, he believed in feng shui. While the quality of a residence couldn’t be determined by a few casual remarks, practices like yin-yang and feng shui were essential. It made no sense to spend money on a property that could bring ruin to a family.
Seeing He Zhizhong’s silence, the old steward guessed the deal might not go through. He sighed and offered an alternative, “If the customer finds this house unsatisfactory, perhaps you’d like to buy the land across the river? If it’s too small, I can negotiate with the neighbors to include the adjacent ten mu, though the price would certainly be higher.”
He Zhizhong neither agreed nor disagreed, “No rush. I’ll bring someone to inspect the house tomorrow. We can discuss further then.” He then gestured to the garden, “You don’t mind if we look around, do you?”
The old steward, realizing they probably wanted to measure the property, smiled and said, “Please, take your time. I’ll have someone boil some water in the kitchen.” With that, he left them alone in the garden to talk.
Mudan was the first to speak, “Father, since it’s just a rumor, why worry? The price is reasonable, why not agree to it?” How could one become a high-ranking official just because of a house, or lose everything because of it?
He Zhizhong replied, “A house has five virtues and five flaws. A large house with few people is the first flaw; a large gate with a small interior is the second; incomplete courtyard walls is the third; incomplete well and stove is the fourth; and much land with few buildings is the fifth. This house has a large gate with a small interior and much land with few buildings, so it already has two flaws. Even if we buy it, we’ll need to renovate, which isn’t cost-effective. Moreover, you want to create ponds and hills, which also require expert advice on positioning. If it’s not convenient to move earth, this purchase would be in vain. I suspect he’s only telling half the truth, so we must be careful. Be patient, let me invite a feng shui master to assess it before we decide.”
Mudan felt worried. It was truly not easy for the ancients. Buying a house and digging a pond involved so much trouble. When she builds her garden later, would she need a feng shui master to supervise the entire process after the design is complete? If they say it’s not right and ask her to forcibly change the water flow, would she have to comply?
Seeing her frown, Yuhe guessed her thoughts and whispered with a smile, “Is Miss Dan worried? When we built your house recently, we also invited a feng shui master to check the layout before moving any earth. This is a crucial matter that can’t be taken lightly.”
Mudan sighed softly, “Back then, didn’t Mother and Sister-in-law handle everything? It didn’t trouble me, so I didn’t realize how complicated it was. Now that it’s suddenly fallen on me, I suppose I’m in for quite a headache.”
Suddenly, they heard Da Lang shout towards a nearby golden-edged daphne bush, “Who’s there?”
A moment later, a girl around ten years old and a boy about five or six timidly poked their heads out from behind the branches. The girl’s lips were tightly pressed together, while the boy looked pitifully at everyone. Seeing Da Lang’s fierce expression, the boy quickly ducked back, his eyes instantly filling with tears.
Mudan guessed these children probably belonged to the forty-something man who had opened the gate earlier. She said, “Brother, don’t shout. These children are probably from the caretaker’s family. They saw us coming to view the house and were curious, so they came to watch. Don’t frighten them.”
Da Lang smiled slightly and said, “If that’s the case, it’s perfect.” He patted his clothes but found nothing, so he took out a small piece of agarwood from his pouch and kindly beckoned to the two children, “Come here, uncle has something for you to play with.”
Mudan immediately understood Da Lang’s intention – perhaps they could learn something from these children. She smiled and said, “That’s hardly a good gift.” She untied a blue silk cord with a plum blossom knot from her waist sash, removed the jade ring attached to it, held the cord in her palm, and called to the girl, “Come here, I have a few questions for you. If you answer well, I’ll give you this cord.”
The boy tilted his head and stared intently at the cord in Mudan’s hand, his face full of desire, but he refused to move, firmly hiding behind the golden-edged daphne bush. Mudan took a step forward, holding the cord closer, but the boy, like a startled rabbit, quickly ducked back and hid in the girl’s arms, motionless. The girl glared at Mudan and the others with hostility.
Yuhe, disliking the girl’s unfriendly gaze, smiled and said, “Looking at them, they probably haven’t seen many strangers and might not know anything. Let’s give up, it would be unpleasant if we made them cry.”
Mudan said, “Not necessarily. Don’t underestimate children.” Adults often think children don’t understand and do things openly in front of them, not realizing that children understand everything. Yuhe thought for a moment, then took off a peach wood pendant she was wearing and placed it in Mudan’s hand, smiling, “If you come over and answer, I’ll add this for you.”
The boy softly said, “Do you promise not to hit us?” He glanced nervously at Da Lang and He Zhizhong as he spoke.
He Zhizhong smiled kindly and said in a gentle voice, “You haven’t done anything to upset us, why would we hit you?”
He Zhizhong, being older and plump, looked very benevolent when he smiled. The boy smiled back and was about to step forward when the girl grabbed him, whispering warningly, “You want to ask about this house, right? I’m telling you, this house can’t be bought. Last year, someone came to view it, and they lost their official position just after paying the deposit.” With that, she didn’t wait for any gifts but quickly pulled the boy away and ran off.
The group looked at each other in bewilderment. A moment later, a tremendous crying and shouting came from next door, seemingly the voices of those two children. He Zhizhong hurriedly said, “Let’s go see.”
Before they reached the moon gate, the old steward angrily dragged the gatekeeper by the arm, pushing him in front of everyone. With his white beard quivering, he spoke incoherently, “Hu Dalang, you’ve gone too far! The master rewarded your family with food, and even after going to Lingnan, he kept you here to watch the house so you’d have food to eat. Is this how you teach your children? I’ve been wondering why this house never sells, and now I know it’s because your family has been sabotaging it all along!”