After viewing the inside of Lin Mansion, Mo Zi discovered it was even better than she’d imagined. From outside, at least the land area was neither too large nor too small, perfectly meeting Wangqiu Tower’s requirements. As for inside, she thought at worst they’d just completely reorganize the structure, spend more silver demolishing old and building new.
Qiu Sanniang temporarily couldn’t consider other options. Besides the two estates with fixed income, Wangqiu Tower was the only money-making business. The initial investment had long been calculated in.
Therefore, when Mo Zi finished viewing Lin Mansion’s layout and knew they could completely utilize its existing pavilions, towers, blue lake and spring gardens to create the quiet yet beautiful atmosphere aristocratic guests loved—moreover, they only needed to move the main gate to the back wall, add a street-facing restaurant main hall, adjust the décor of the scattered courtyard rooms in the garden to make various sized private rooms. The original front garden could become an independent courtyard for the Ge Qiuniangs to live and study their arts—minor repairs plus interior walls would suffice. The servants’ and stewards’ courtyard could serve as lodging for guards and restaurant staff—if wanting to save money, no changes needed at all, just move right in.
This Lin Mansion, in Mo Zi’s eyes, seemed perfectly custom-made for Wangqiu Tower, potentially even a grade higher than Luo Zhou’s Wangqiu Tower. But she deeply understood one principle—in front of sellers, even if you loved their goods desperately, you absolutely couldn’t let them see your eyes gleaming. That way, the price negotiation advantage would be in their hands.
So as Xiao Ma and Young Master Lin watched Mo Zi’s expression grow increasingly indifferent, they thought this person was disappointed and probably wouldn’t have much interest in the land or house.
Xiao Ma’s selling enthusiasm had never been high. Seeing Mo Zi like this, he thought privately—this Brother Mo says he doesn’t care about feng shui, but actually still does. Thus, he also lost energy for praising.
All previous house viewers had been driven out by the stubborn sister. Young Master Lin finally saw someone who could afford it, so naturally he didn’t share Xiao Ma’s casual herding-sheep attitude. Since Xiao Ma kept silent, just following behind Mo Zi and Cen Er, completely ignoring Young Master Lin’s frequent hints, determined to stay quiet, he forced Young Master Lin, the one holding the deed, to speak up himself.
“Gentlemen, though my home’s front and back gardens aren’t large, can’t compare to great mansion estates, they excel in being compact and exquisite. My father spent big money hiring the capital’s best landscape architect for the gardens—they have the refined beauty of Jiangnan gardens and the grand atmosphere of Tang Dynasty legacy. The two styles fuse, each with unique merits complementing the other’s deficiencies. Beauty within dwelling, dwelling within beauty—truly comfortable. If you find it small, you could buy it as a villa—appreciate the lake in summer and snow in winter. It’s quiet amidst bustle—step out the gate a few paces and you’re at Tongyu Street. Whatever you want is convenient.” When Young Master Lin spoke praise, he still carried some scholarly refinement.
Mo Zi felt his description was quite good. Seemed the talk about spending big money on this garden was true.
Cen Er now also had some opinions. He thought since the place was a private residence, living there was fine, but doing restaurant business seemed forced—after all, it deviated from the bustling main street center, at most catching the tail end. So he pulled her aside and whispered, “Brother Mo, this land size is good, but the location is somewhat quiet. Building a restaurant hall at the gate—no one passes by. And the feng shui…” Hauntings and such.
He hadn’t yet thought that Mo Zi planned to reverse front and back, nor did he know Mo Zi’s heart was set on building the back garden as a leisure entertainment “club” with extraordinary taste.
Mo Zi looked at Xiao Ma and Young Master Lin curiously staring at them, not wanting to explain in detail to Cen Er here. She just smiled and said four words—”Be patient, don’t worry.”
Cen Er could only wait.
Young Master Lin thought their whispered conversation meant they were leaving. Anxious, when Mo Zi walked up to him, he said, “How about this—if you two sincerely want to buy, I’ll sell for two thousand taels of silver. Truth be told, not counting the house, just this land alone could sell for two thousand five hundred taels.” That debt of his was fifteen hundred taels. With five hundred taels remaining to buy a small courtyard, he could continue living.
“Two thousand taels?” Cen Er glanced at Mo Zi. “Honestly, we’re opening a restaurant. This place is so far from the main street—I’m worried we can’t attract business, yet you’re selling for two thousand taels, so expensive?”
Hearing it wasn’t for living but for business, Young Master Lin looked at Xiao Ma. He also thought—then why come to his mansion? This place clearly looked like a private residence.
Xiao Ma shrugged, indicating it wasn’t his wish.
Now Young Master Lin felt the sale was dead. His shoulders slumped, losing motivation to continue praising.
When sellers give up, that’s the best time for buyers to negotiate price.
Mo Zi finally spoke: “If it could be cheaper by five hundred taels, I think we could consider it.”
Fifteen hundred taels—in the capital’s most prosperous ward where every inch was gold—to buy this kind of garden, even doing nothing, leaving it empty for ten years until those feng shui and ghost rumors settled cleanly, then reselling could multiply the value several times.
Young Master Lin hadn’t expected Mo Zi to give him a price. Though a full five hundred taels less, it still showed the other party had buying intentions. Hope immediately arose.
“Brother Mo—” following Xiao Ma’s address, “—truly has vision. Running a restaurant, you’ll definitely have abundant wealth flowing in.” Though from Young Master Lin’s understanding, he couldn’t imagine a restaurant with gardens. He didn’t know about Luo Zhou’s Wangqiu Tower, much less that having gardens and lakes was Wangqiu Tower’s essential condition. But he had only one goal—quickly sell this mansion for money.
“Like Cen Er said, the place is a bit too quiet, and we’d need to spend money building a three-story building. However, this garden should suit my employer’s taste well. You know—a thousand gold can’t buy what one’s heart desires. But I’m also hesitant—is the business important or is my employer’s preference important?” Mo Zi showed a very troubled expression. “So if the price could be lowered a bit more, I’d at least have something to tell my employer. Young Master Lin, this is my first time handling business for my employer—I can’t botch it right away, can I?”
Young Master Lin thought—so this is a greenhorn who knows nothing, just knows how to flatter the employer. A fool. Thought privately—there’s an opening.
“Brother Mo, you said yourself a thousand gold can’t buy what the heart desires. Your employer will definitely love this garden and will certainly reward you. I see you’re truly sincere. Fine, one price—eighteen hundred taels. Can’t go lower.”
Cen Er waited and waited, watching the two go back and forth with prices, feeling somewhat dazed.
Also dazed was Xiao Ma.
As for Zan Jin, he was purely Mo Zi’s follower, didn’t care about anything else.
“Eighteen hundred taels?” Mo Zi seemed not quite satisfied. She turned to look at the garden scenery for a good while, sighed, seeming reluctant. “If Young Master Lin really can’t go lower…”
Everyone stared intently at Mo Zi.
“Then let’s go with this price.” Mo Zi accepted.
Young Master Lin was overjoyed. Afraid Mo Zi would change her mind, he quickly said, “Brother Mo, pay a deposit first, or shall we exchange deed for silver cash today?”
“Young Master Lin can rest assured. My employer isn’t short of money. I’m carrying bank notes on me right now. As long as Xiao Ma has official seal certification from the authorities, writes the transfer deed document, stamps it—this deal can be done.” Mo Zi believed nights were long with many dreams. Moreover, Qiu Sanniang had given a discretionary amount of twenty-five hundred taels—sums within this could be decided jointly by her and Cen Er.
“Xiao Ma, do you have your seal certification on you?” Young Master Lin also believed nights were long with many dreams.
“My rice bowl—how could I not carry it?” Xiao Ma patted his belt where a cloth pouch hung bulging. “No missing characters.”
“Good, I’ll go get the deed right away.” Young Master Lin turned and ran. Really ran.
Xiao Ma shouted after him, “I’ll go with you—need to write documents.” Speaking, he also ran to catch up.
In the blink of an eye, both were gone.
Only then did Cen Er urgently object. “Brother Mo, how can you really want to buy? This place—I don’t think it works.”
Mo Zi understood his concerns. Though he was anxious, she spoke very slowly, enunciating each word. “Cen Er, the main gate currently faces very obliquely, but we can knock down the back wall, make it the main gate—directly opposite will be Tongyu Street.”
Cen Er’s voice caught. His mouth gaped open.
This didn’t have much to do with being smart or dumb. Cen Er calculated accounts quickly, had a numerical mind, and wasn’t bad at interpersonal relations. But he wasn’t an engineer. His environment growing up was relatively singular—he wouldn’t think in revolutionary ways to create something that didn’t yet exist. Like where a gate already existed, he couldn’t think to modify and open a new gate.
Engineers build from nothing to something, from ground up. Like Mo Zi herself—she saw a ship from an engine, saw the ship’s body shape from a piece of wood. Mo Zi hadn’t studied commerce, but besides shipbuilding, her greatest hobby was reading books—all kinds of books. Architecture, feng shui, marketing, biographies, supernatural, science fiction, odds and ends. Plus modern life experience—still applicable to life.
Mo Zi explained in detail her rough concept for the capital’s Wangqiu Tower to Cen Er. As Cen Er listened, his mouth closed and he began thinking seriously. It really was so—change the gate, reverse front and back, and it was Wangqiu Tower’s best layout. And those specialty private rooms Mo Zi mentioned, plus different services focused on different levels—truly might attract princes, marquises, generals, ministers, aristocrats and plutocrats.
“First we have the Ge Qiuniangs, second we have fine wine and food, third we have an atmosphere different from ordinary restaurants, fourth we have all the capital’s high officials and nobles—we should do even better than Luo Zhou.”
“After Brother Mo explained it like that, I feel like—why am I so stupid? To actually…” Not even think of changing the gate. Cen Er didn’t care about revolutionary thinking or not—he was quite annoyed at his stupid head.
“Everyone views from different angles, and learning has specializations, skills have focuses. I’m also speaking simply—actually doing it will require finding specialists to look it over before construction. I guess once the gate is changed, the feng shui will also change.” Speaking of shipbuilding, with her previous life’s learning and this life’s skills, she could handle it all.
“Maybe it’s just that the gate opened wrong.” Cen Er’s ability to absorb new things wasn’t bad.
Mo Zi was just talking nonsense. Seeing him take it seriously, she was secretly amused. “When we get to the employer, this land purchase decision was made by both of us together?” She still had the bottom line a soldier adhered to in her heart, but her body had also developed cunning that evolved from adapting to environment—she didn’t want to bear responsibility alone.
“Of course.” After Cen Er figured it out, he saw Wangqiu Tower’s beautiful prospects.
Ashamed—she’d become slick, for survival.