Duke of Zhenguan

After seeing off the officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, the two stood at the gate of their new residence. Cheng Yaojin reached out and patted the vermilion gate, smiling as he said:

"This house was originally granted to the Marquis of Wugong County, but the Marquis of Wugong County actually engaged in selling official positions in the Ministry of Personnel. He only lived there for a year before committing a crime and taking his whole family to Yazhou."

You've really gotten a great deal, kid!

"Thanks to Uncle Cheng!" Lin Chuan said with a smile.

"Even if I don't ask, His Majesty will reward you!"

"Since you've made a contribution, it wouldn't be right not to reward you. But we just bestowed a title upon you, and it's unlikely that you'll be promoted again. Giving you a mansion is the most appropriate thing to do!" Cheng Yaojin said softly.

"Thank you for your guidance, Uncle Cheng. I will ask someone from the Imperial Workshop to come and make some repairs. I'll invite you to come and visit me another day!" Lin Chuan said with a smile.

"I'm definitely coming, but you'd better prepare some good wine!" Cheng Yaojin said with a smile.

"My nephew will definitely prepare the best wine!"

With a new house, Lin Chuan naturally had to go back and tell Li Shi and Er Ya. After saying goodbye to Cheng Yaojin, Lin Chuan returned to Tiechi Lane in Yanshoufang. When he entered the house, he found that no one was home.

Lin Chuan knew that Li Shi and Er Ya must have gone to help out at the noodle shop again, so he changed his clothes and rushed to the West Market.

Lin's Noodle Shop was quite busy at this time. Lin's cousin, Lin Shan, was busy at the front. Lin Chuan went to the backyard and saw Li Shi and Er Ya, dressed in hemp clothes, washing dishes.

Looking up and seeing Lin Chuan, Li Shi looked somewhat embarrassed and asked hesitantly:

"Big Brother..."

"Big brother, sister-in-law said she can't stay idle..." Aunt Tian, ​​who was standing to the side, also felt a little embarrassed and spoke up to explain.

"Ninth Aunt, it's alright. My mother came to the shop to help out, what can I say?" Lin Chuan said with a smile.

Only after their complexions returned to normal did Madam Li ask softly:

"Why is Dalang back so early today?"

"His Majesty has bestowed upon me a new house. I'll take you and Er Ya to see it when I return!" Lin Chuan said with a smile.

"A new house? Where is it?" Mrs. Li asked in surprise.

"In Tonghuafang!" Lin Chuan replied.

"We must go and see! Sister-in-law, go quickly!" Madam Tian said with a smile.

"Today I'll take Mother and Er Ya to familiarize ourselves with the area first. The house still needs some repairs. Once it's finished, I'll invite Aunt Jiu and the others over!" Lin Chuan said to Madam Tian with a smile.

"That would be great!"

After leaving the noodle shop, Lin Chuan smiled and said to Madam Li:

"Mother, take Er Ya back to change into clean clothes. I'll go to the West Market to buy some tea. The Yan family also lives in Tonghua Ward. We'll be neighbors when we move there. Today is a good opportunity to take you and Er Ya to meet them!"

"Visit Elder Yan's house? It's getting late, wouldn't it be too abrupt to go at this time?" Upon hearing this, Madam Li hesitated.

"The Yan family are all very kind and won't mind, Mother, don't worry!" Lin Chuan comforted her.

Only then was Li relieved. She took Er Ya back to change into new clothes and followed Lin Chuan to Tonghua Ward.

Standing at the gate of the new house, looking at the two huge stone lions, and touching the vermilion gate, Li's eyes were filled with disbelief. She softly asked Lin Chuan:

"Brother, is this house really ours?"

"Mother, this house was bestowed by His Majesty, so it naturally belongs to our family!" Lin Chuan took out the imperial edict and keys from his bosom and handed them to Madam Li.

"I never even dared to dream of such a magnificent house!" Madam Li exclaimed with a smile, holding the imperial edict and keys.

"Let's go in and take a look!" Lin Chuan said with a smile.

Pushing open the gate and entering, Li was so shocked by the luxury and spaciousness of the house that she was speechless for a long time, not knowing where to look.

Lin Chuan wasn't particularly surprised, after all, this was just a marquis's residence, far inferior to the Cheng and Qin residences.

After strolling around the new house for about half an hour, and seeing that the sun was about to set, Lin Chuan finally led Li Shi and Er Ya to the Yan residence.

Lin Chuan no longer needed to announce his arrival at the Yan family's residence, but when the gatekeeper saw Lin Chuan visiting with his mother and sister, he quickly ran to inform Yan Shigu and Yan Xiangshi, who had just returned home.

When Yan Shigu and Yan Xiangshi heard that Lin Chuan had brought his mother and sister, they sent their servants to invite their respective wives out.

Lin Chuan and Li's two daughters sat in the front yard for a while, and then Yan Shigu and Yan Xiangshi arrived in the front yard with a group of people.

After exchanging pleasantries, Li Shi and Er Ya were invited into the central courtyard by a group of female relatives, while Lin Chuan, Yan Shigu, and Yan Xiangshi sat in the front yard to eat.

After the meal, the servants served tea, and only then did Lin Chuan begin to discuss the house with the two men.

Yan Shigu and Yan Xiangshi naturally offered their congratulations once again.

As night was about to fall, the family of three finally left the Yan family's house.

After walking in silence for a while, Li suddenly said softly:

"Big Brother, Er Ya and I don't understand anything, which makes the people in Old Master Yan's family feel uncomfortable..."

"Mother, it's alright, you'll get used to it. After we move here, you can take Er Ya over for a visit often. I've already spoken with Master Yan, and I've arranged for Er Ya to study with the young lady from the Yan family!" Lin Chuan said with a smile.

"Wouldn't that be too much trouble?" Mrs. Li hesitated.

"I still owe Master Yan a lot of favors, so owing one more won't hurt. I'll pay them back slowly!" Lin Chuan said.

"How can we keep owing it? We need to find a way to pay it back!" Mrs. Li said softly.

"I was just thinking about it. By the way, how's business at the noodle shop?" Lin Chuan asked.

"There have been far fewer customers lately, and the price of grain has risen so much that wheat is now selling for 200 coins per dou!"

When it first opened, it could make 20 coins profit on a bowl that cost 50 coins, but now it can't even make 10 coins.

If prices continue to rise like this, noodle shops will also have to raise their prices, but fifty dollars a bowl is already very expensive. If prices rise further, there will probably be fewer and fewer customers.

Your Ninth Aunt and Thirteenth Aunt haven't been able to sleep for the past few nights, worried that the noodle shop will have to close down. It's not easy to have a decent business.

Sigh, I wonder when the price of grain will finally come down!

When the topic turned to the noodle shop, Mrs. Li became more talkative.

Lin Chuan remained silent, never expecting that grain prices in Chang'an had risen to this level.

The next morning, Lin Chuan went to the Ministry of Works to report for duty and then went to the Imperial Workshop.

Fang Xuanling, taking advantage of Li Shimin's reward, also included the repairs, so Lin Chuan could directly find the Imperial Workshop to make the repairs without even having to pay.

March passed by day by day. After finishing his shift each day, Lin Chuan would occasionally go to the new house to check on the progress of the renovation, but he would still go back to Tiechi Lane most of the time.

Every day after returning home, Lin Chuan would see people coming to Li Shi to borrow money to buy grain.

Some of these people had helped the Lin family before, while others hadn't, and they didn't even have much contact with each other. But now they all had no choice but to shamelessly come to Li's house to borrow money to buy grain.

In less than a month, the price of grain rose from 200 wen per dou to 300 wen per dou.

Li was a kind-hearted person. She would lend money to anyone she knew, even if they weren't close.

Lin Chuan knew that borrowing money wouldn't solve the problem; the only solution was to bring down grain prices.

More than ten days later, grain prices still showed no change.

In the late evening of March, Lin Chuan and Cheng Yaojin came out of the Vermilion Bird Gate together, and Lin Chuan heard a piece of news from Cheng Yaojin.

More than ten large ships loaded with grain were hijacked a hundred miles west of Luoyang.