A rental agreement.
A letter of intent to buy.
The shopkeeper at the broker's office has never encountered a client like Lin Miao, but these two contracts are beneficial to the broker's office, at least allowing them to offload the "burden" of this haunted house.
Usually, such "haunted houses" are prepared for the children of fortune, and Lin Miao also wants to test if he is that person.
No matter if Lin Miao can eventually come up with three thousand taels of silver to buy this house, as long as he lives safely for half a year without incident.
The house won't continue to depreciate, and neither the broker nor the homeowner will lose money.
But how Lin Miao earns three thousand taels of silver within half a year to buy this house, that's his task.
Actually, it's not absolutely necessary to buy it.
The shopkeeper signing this letter of intent is also a kind of momentum building or speculation to stop the current depreciation of the house, provided Lin Miao lives there for half a year without problems.
If Lin Miao has no ability to buy the house, he could reclaim it, whether through continued leasing or selling it off, at least no lower than three thousand taels.
And if Lin Miao really can gather three thousand taels to buy it, what does that say? It indicates Lin Miao is a young man of abilities.
To associate with such a capable young person, who cares about this immediate interest?
Don't underestimate a poor youth.
Being young means infinite potential.
Eight taels of silver per month, this is even more expensive than staying at an inn as one tael of silver can exchange for about twelve to thirteen hundred wen.
Eight taels of silver is nearly ten thousand wen, calculating over thirty days, staying at an inn with three people in three rooms is merely three hundred wen per day, amounting to nine thousand wen for thirty days...
Such spendthrift!
The contract is signed, half year's rent is paid, upon hearing this news, the two women felt a black-out moment, exchanged glances, sighed, and realized the deed was done, what else could be done?
Alright.
Move to the new house.
The mood was quite good.
At least for the upcoming six months, they won't have to worry about having no place to stay.
Especially after seeing the courtyard, Sun Youwei and Yun's dissatisfaction and grievance instantly vanished to Java.
This expansive courtyard with two entrances, five main rooms, two wing rooms on each side, side rooms, and accessory rooms, with a small garden in the backyard to plant some flowers or such.
Separate kitchen, utility room, and servant rooms...
Though smaller compared to Herbal Hall in area, the architecture is more exquisite, built with green bricks and tiles, indicating the builder put in considerable thought.
Upon entering, there's a screen wall, five main rooms, a reception hall, the other four rooms have one turned into a study, and each of the remaining three is a room for each person.
First, tidy up these five rooms, as for other rooms, take time to sort them later.
The East is honored.
The two eastern rooms, one is made into Lin Miao's bedroom, and the other into a study, while Sun Youwei and Yun chose the two western rooms, conveniently next to each other, they can keep company.
The middle room is a reception hall, separating both sides.
The rooms inside and outside are connected, with a corridor linking the inner and outer gardens.
The first thing upon entering is placing Master Sun Simiao's memorial tablet centrally on the altar in the reception hall.
"Master, please bless Senior Sister to be free from illness and disaster, and protect this disciple to succeed in the 'Medical Practitioner' exam!" Lin Miao knelt on the prayer mat, solemnly offering three bows to Sun Simiao's tablet.
Sun Youwei also knelt down subsequently.
Yun, however, stared somewhat dazed at Sun Simiao's tablet, her eyes slightly red; she admired this man but lacked the fate.
"Senior Sister, we have a place to live now, next is to consider a trade." Lin Miao, Sun Youwei, and Yun returned to the reception hall to sit and talk.
"Junior Brother, do you have any plans?"
"People rely on food as the sky, I plan to research a kind of snack and promote it widely; if it becomes popular, it will provide us with a stable income." Lin Miao said.
"Mr. Lin has a good idea, but even if we make the snack, we're just three people, how much can we produce and sell in a day?"
"That's simple, once the items are created and become popular, you'll understand." Lin Miao said.
The first pot of gold, he already decided, it is: stinky tofu.
Of course, he didn't know if it would succeed, but this kind of strong-flavored delicacy that was popular in his past life should also satisfy people's appetite in this world.
This world has the species of soybeans and can already produce foods like tofu, so on this basis, creating delicious fermented stinky tofu is naturally not a problem.
"Mrs. Yun, what I want to make is a kind of tofu snack, so, from now on, Mrs. Yun, I need your help."
"Mr. Lin wants to make tofu?" Yun covered her mouth in surprise, and Sun Youwei also widened her pure eyes to look at Lin Miao.
It was as if they were hearing a fantastical tale.
They had never seen Lin Miao make tofu, and moreover, they knew that Lin Miao's cooking skills weren't that great, not even as good as Sun Simiao's. (Yun hadn't tasted Lin Miao's cooking yet, but Sun Youwei had and was conquered.)
"Mrs. Yun, I will also improve some of the tofu-making techniques; the amount you made before was too small, and the quantity we might make in the future will likely be large..."
The small workshop style, even if done for a lifetime, is just a means to get by; the goal is factory assembly line production.
We want to create the product's source and monopolize the market.
"Mr. Lin, you've never been inside my tofu workshop, how do you know how to make tofu?" Yun was so surprised to hear Lin Miao's procedure for making tofu that her mouth opened wide enough to fit her fist; these were all secrets not passed down by her late husband.
This is her livelihood, and she makes tofu in the dead of night, with windows and doors shut tight, to prevent others from learning.
"Junior brother, how do you know these things?" Sun Youwei asked in shock.
"Senior sister, after drifting through life for sixteen years, it's time for me to wake up and take on the responsibilities I should bear."
"Junior brother, could it be that you have awakened some latent wisdom?" Sun Youwei exclaimed, covering her mouth in surprise; she had wanted to ask this earlier but never found the right moment.
"Latent wisdom, if you think it is, then it is," Lin Miao was troubled about how to explain the change in himself to Sun Youwei; he didn't expect Sun Youwei to link it to "latent wisdom."
This kind of legend is widespread in this world: many saints, during their youth, are known by nobody, and then one day, they shine brightly, achieving extraordinary feats!
And then, there's this saying of awakening "latent wisdom."
However, it's best not to always talk about awakening "latent wisdom," because if it spreads, it can lead to a calamity.
For now, act low-key, develop quietly.
"Mrs. Yun, I'll cook today, make a few dishes, and we'll celebrate. Starting tomorrow, we get to work!" Lin Miao said.
Cleaning and tidying the house were tasks left to the two women at home; most of the work was done by Yun, as Sun Youwei, due to her physical condition, was helpful enough just by wiping the furniture.
Lin Miao went out to buy some daily supplies and raw materials for production, and also ordered tofu molds.
Large wok, bellows, charcoal, water buckets, stone mills...
Silver coins flowed like water being spent.
In the evening, Lin Miao really cooked personally, making four dishes and a soup, none of which Sun Youwei had eaten before.
Braised pork, oil-braised shrimp, yam and rib soup, stir-fried fish fillet, and stir-fried kai-lan.
Previously at home, Sun Youwei rarely ate greasy foods; firstly, due to her father's teaching, her health was not good, eating too greasy would cause indigestion; secondly, she was a girl, afraid of getting fat and unable to maintain her figure.
Of course, there was a third reason — her father's cooking could hardly be called delicious, just edible.
Generally, her junior brother would light the fire at most, but never cook; however, she never imagined.
Her junior brother's cooking skills are so good.
It's truly unknown why the father and daughter suffered for so many years...
Braised pork, tender and flavorful, moderately seasoned, its taste almost brought tears of happiness.
One piece, two pieces...
Unknowingly, the three of them consumed the whole large bowl of braised pork, as well as the stir-fried fish fillet, oil-braised shrimp, and yam-braised ribs!
After finishing, they realized they had eaten so much in that one meal.
"Senior sister, after the meal, we should exercise a bit to aid digestion and ensure the nutrients are absorbed," Lin Miao said.
"Okay."
Lin Miao taught Sun Youwei health exercises—Eight Pieces of Brocade—a practice well-suited for girls; although Hua Tuo's Five Animals Qigong is also good, its movements look somewhat ungraceful.
Anyway, Sun Youwei doesn't need to become a martial arts master; she just needs to take care of her health.
One teaching earnestly, the other learning attentively.
Sun Youwei is very smart; basically, for each move, Lin Miao demonstrates once, then lets her perform it, guiding her on incorrect positions, and by the third time, she's almost able to complete it.
After dinner, one practiced Eight Pieces of Brocade, another practiced standing stance, and another was busy in the kitchen, each of the three having their own tasks.