TFWYH – Chapter 215 Go to see Zhuangzi

Madam Jiang soon figured things out, and with Tang Wan’s careful care, her little cold quickly healed.

That day, Yu Ziqing came by again. He placed another order with Ling Yue—five hundred jars of chili bean paste and two thousand catties of beef jerky.

He also told the sisters-in-law, “By the way, about that estate you two asked me to look into last time—there’s news. The Pan family’s estate is by the mountains and water, not far from town, and most importantly, they’re selling it cheap. Do you want to take a look?”

Tang Wan frowned slightly and didn’t respond at once.

Ling Yue, on the other hand, was thrilled. “Really? Where is it? How much?”

Yu Ziqing raised a hand, showing five fingers. “It’s small—about forty mu. Five hundred taels of silver. If you don’t want it, I’ll take it myself.”

“Huh?” Ling Yue was utterly shocked. “Only five hundred taels? That cheap?”

Yu Ziqing nodded with a smile. “So, do you want it or not?”

“Of course I do!” Ling Yue didn’t hesitate for a second. “At that price, I’d be stupid not to! Come on, come on—take me there right now!”

“Let’s go!” Yu Ziqing grinned and set off with her.

Halfway there, both suddenly felt like they’d forgotten something.

When they turned around, they saw Tang Wan still standing behind them, frowning in thought—and only then did they realize.

They’d forgotten a person!

“Sister-in-law, hurry up!” Ling Yue called out.

Tang Wan gave her a glance, then followed along.

Five hundred taels for forty mu of land.

If converted, one mu equals about 666 square meters.

That’s nearly twenty thousand square meters—almost the size of four football fields.

Small, yes, but for just five hundred taels?

Was that even possible?

The sisters-in-law boarded Yu Ziqing’s carriage and set off for the site.

It truly wasn’t far—about ten li past Xiangxi Town, up in the hills. With their snow-stepping horse, the round trip wouldn’t take long.

Tang Wan asked a few questions along the way about the Pan family’s situation.

Yu Ziqing replied, “They’re the ones who deal in fabrics in town. Used to do fine business, until that wastrel Pan Quan took over. Ever since then, it’s been loss after loss. Now the business is just barely hanging on. With that spendthrift in charge, it’s only a matter of time before he ruins everything.”

“Pan Quan?” Tang Wan suddenly recalled that lecher from Qingyuan Courtyard—the one who harassed Yuan Yuan. “Is he the fat one, always ogling women with that disgusting look?”

Yu Ziqing blinked in surprise. “You know him?”

Tang Wan shook her head. “Just saw him once. Tell me more about him.”

“Nothing much to tell,” Yu Ziqing said disdainfully. “He’s the definition of a wastrel. Ever since he inherited the family business, he’s been wasting money on wine, women, and extravagance. Eating through the family’s fortune day by day. Over the years, he’s already sold off a number of the Pan family’s estates and shops.”

“I see…” Tang Wan didn’t ask further.

It all sounded reasonable—but why did she have a bad feeling about this estate?

Soon, they arrived at the location.

They were greeted by a middle-aged man in a worn steward’s uniform—his surname was Li.

Ancient estates were usually quite large, often dozens or even hundreds of mu. Compared to that, forty mu was small—very small, in fact.

But—

Tang Wan quickly realized something was off.

This wasn’t a farm estate. It was a mountain villa!

A farm was mostly farmland—but here, there were pavilions, towers, artificial hills, streams, an orchard, and a bamboo grove. Clearly, this was the setup of a luxurious villa.

At one point, it must have been lavishly built.

But now, everything looked old and neglected.

The bamboo grove had grown wild from years of disuse, and the fruit trees in the orchard were withering.

The servants working there were all sallow and thin, each one looking like a refugee.