The elderly man didn’t send the housekeeper this time; instead, he personally went to retrieve a box from his room and returned to his original seat.
"My old friend’s house is even larger than mine, and it’s located nearby, with the farmland and shop right next to mine.
We went to see the property together and made the decision at the same time. He was a bit stronger financially, so naturally, he bought a bigger one: 11,000 taels.
However, he had one requirement: the ancestral tablets are in the Buddhist Hall, and the new owner should not disturb them, and must go to burn incense on the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month!"
"This house of mine doesn’t have such a rule. You can renovate, and you can also go to burn incense in the Buddhist Hall there, but I hope you won’t disturb the Buddhist Hall."
Ye Shiqi... This requirement is a bit odd. Who buys a house and doesn’t place their own ancestors there? Worshiping someone else’s ancestors, it would be strange if it sold!
If there is a profit to be made, some people might outwardly comply but secretly do otherwise, not disturbing that Buddhist Hall, and just not go worship there, possibly constructing their own family’s Buddhist Hall!
Such a strange stipulation, could it be that their family made some noble sacrifice?
Hongji... Should we buy it?
Mrs. Li... It might not be great to buy a house where people have died!
The elderly man remained silent, and together with the housekeeper quietly awaited, while his friend’s house was still waiting for a destined buyer without any public advertisement; only those who knew came to inquire.
With such harsh conditions, wealthy moguls and officials dare not buy, pondering various concerns!
The elderly man and the housekeeper actually knew as well, anyone who bought the house would definitely want to place their own ancestral tablets. How could they worship someone else’s ancestors!
It’s just that his old friend’s family, having left for abroad for over a decade and not returned, initially asked him to watch over the house, and now had even written a letter upon hearing of his retirement, asking him to sell the house.
The elderly man was also helpless; his tenure as an official here for over a decade had been quite challenging.
Possibly because of taking sides, people believed he was aligned with his old friend’s faction, and although his son and grandchildren had the capacity to hold office, they were impacted and weren’t able to achieve high positions.
Rather than living unhappily here, he resigned from his position and used his connections to transfer his son and grandchildren back to their hometown for office positions.
Seeing this family so pleasing to the eye, aside from feeling fond of them, he was even more drawn to their regional accent, which was from the county next to his hometown.
Perhaps they might meet in the future, and he felt an inexplicable trust towards this family.
The elderly man was puzzled by his own senses; why did he feel such a strong familiarity with this family?
Observing Hongji’s appearance brought a familiar sensation, and even more so when looking at the girls before him, feeling as if they resembled an old acquaintance. After thinking it over, it might be his old friend.
Thus he tentatively set such stringent requirements. Apart from the demanding requirements for the house, the shop and the estate seemed almost like gifts to them; 11,000 taels was a price that might not even buy a house in the Capital City.
Like his current house, it was practically being given away, and other properties were being sold off cheaply as well, also because he favored this family.
The elderly man had a bit of knowledge in Face Reading—the astrologically inclined often had some understanding of this.
Looking at the facial features of this family, they seemed to carry good fortune, particularly this commanding young girl before him, who had the appearance of great wealth and honor. Her fate was very peculiar; even he couldn’t see it clearly, as if it had been altered from the time she was born.
As for one of the women, her current face bore signs of fortune, letting him see something different. Originally of short lifespan, how had she come to possess such a fortuitous appearance—it must be that someone had altered her fate!
As for the others, their fates had also changed a few years ago.
Ye Shiqi had no choice but instantly agreed to the demands, curious about how strangely the old man spoke; she wanted to see whose ancestors were worshiped in the Buddhist Hall.
It wasn’t that she distrusted people, but the elderly man and the old housekeeper didn’t seem like bad individuals.
However, every dynasty has its upheavals, along with those belonging to the Demon Sect, insurgents, and revolutionaries.
They couldn’t easily make promises; being implicated one day could mean not just losing wealth and status—this was the Capital, where their entire family could be executed at any time, implicating nine degrees of kin!
Ye Shiqi could enrich her family and transform them with spiritual water, but faced with powerful individuals, they were too weak to offend or resist.
One has only one life, which can’t be recovered once lost; one can treat illness, but with decapitation—everything is over.
"Elder, you mentioned the house is not far from here? Could you take us to see it, to let us whom you ask to burn incense verify whether it’s worth doing so?"
The elderly man nodded and went back into his house, then emerged with a box which probably contained the keys.
He led the housekeeper and the group to another house.
The Ye family had yet to have time to observe this house, only knowing it was very large.
The housekeeper and the elderly man left the door open, leaving some of their people there.
The entire Ye family, Zhong Xingwang, Li Zhihao, followed the elderly man, accompanied by the person who introduced them to the other house.
Ye Jiaxing... Where had they gone?
They just crossed a street, which was essentially just next door—the two houses were very close, only separated by a street.
Both houses being so large, walking from this house to that took a considerable amount of time.
Despite the proximity, it still took them two minutes to reach the neighboring house.
Looking at this house, they only saw a large plaque above the front door saying, "Ye Residence."
Ye Family... If they bought the house, they wouldn’t need to make a new plaque!
Ye Shiqi... Bearing the same surname, indeed of the same clan, we should offer incense as fellow villagers.
Thus, she had already decided in part; her family’s faces were a bit more relaxed, seemingly assured that if there wasn’t a major issue, they could accept.
The elderly man opened the door, and they helped push it open; as they entered the house, it was evident that someone had cleaned it—everything was tidy.
The courtyard also had flowers and trees, clearly tended to regularly.
"There is an old housekeeper here; he has been managing this place, and someone has been hired to clean it, though the elderly man is a bit too old now. If you don’t want the elderly man to stay here, we can take him away!"
The elderly man at the door pointed to a stooped old man standing there watching them.
"Brother Ye, I brought people to see the house according to your family head’s wishes, mentioning that they wanted to see the ancestors worshiped in the Buddhist Hall!"
The stooped old man nodded, then fixed his gaze on the newcomers, seeing in their eyes familiar faces, as if the masters and their descendants had just walked in.