Leaving the Lin Estate, Ye Tian looked out at the endless stream of people on the streets once again, feeling better than ever before.
Though he was immensely curious about the exact amount of bank notes he was carrying, for safety's sake, he forced himself to hold back his curiosity. It wasn't until he was safely back in his inn room that he eagerly took all the notes out and counted them.
One, two, three... thirteen notes in all!
Each note was worth one hundred taels, making a total of thirteen hundred taels! Zhao Qinghuan had given him seven hundred taels, and Lin Wan six hundred—the two sisters had given him roughly equal amounts.
Though the gap in prices between ancient times and the modern era was vast and could not be converted with absolute precision, judging from the fact that a bowl of noodles in Luoyang City cost ten cash, and based on what he had learned yesterday, the purchasing power of a single tael of silver in Da Qian was roughly equivalent to more than a thousand yuan in later times.
Therefore, these thirteen hundred taels of silver were worth around one million five hundred thousand yuan in modern money.
With this sum of money, even if he lived in Luoyang City and refrained from spending recklessly, he could buy a small courtyard first for three or four hundred taels, and the remaining money would comfortably cover his food and expenses for the next twenty years, or even longer. And that assumed he lay completely flat and didn't earn a single copper coin.
Yet, relying on his memories, he now had not only capital, but also the protection of Lin Sheng. Naturally, countless ways to make money lay open to him.
Still, there was no need to rush. It was true that he was wealthy now, but no matter how large the sum sounded, if he actually used it to do business, it wouldn't take long to lose it all if things went wrong.
Therefore, just as before, he had to be cautious.
He would first choose a business that could generate stable profits and was safe from being snatched away or easily copied by others. Only when he had more capital and capability in the future would he consider those high-profit industries.
That evening, Ye Tian simply ate a humble, everyday meal at the inn. He didn't act like an upstart just because he had money now.
Although he knew public security in Luoyang City was very good and petty theft was virtually nonexistent, whether influenced by the original owner's habits or not, he still strictly adhered to the rule of never flaunting his wealth. He wanted to avoid any accidents resulting from carelessness, lest he ruin his hard-earned chance to change his destiny.
***
He slept soundly until he woke naturally.
After getting up, Ye Tian had breakfast at the inn just like before, then took a carriage to North City.
Through a brief investigation, he had roughly figured out the layout of Luoyang City now. To sum it up: East City was wealthy, West City was noble, North City was poor, and South City was lowly.
To explain further: East City contained several large warehouses and banks of Luoyang City, making it the financial and commercial center, and thus known as the rich district.
West City was called the noble district because most of the people living there were members of the imperial family, high-ranking officials, and ministers of the court. For instance, when he went to find Lin Wan yesterday, every single residence he passed was more magnificent than the last.
North City was considered poor because most of its residents were ordinary commoners. Even if they fared slightly better than peasants elsewhere, they were still the poorest segment of the population within Luoyang City, hence it was known as the slum district. This was precisely where Ye Tian was heading now, planning to buy a small residence for himself. It didn't need to be huge or fancy, as long as he had a home of his own before the Mid-Autumn Festival.
As for South City being called "lowly," it certainly didn't mean the people there lacked shame; rather, it was because it gathered people from all walks of life, such as ballad singers, street performers, and acrobats. In ancient times, these professions were regarded as humble, which was why people called it the lowly district.
If he possessed a vast fortune, Ye Tian would certainly have gone to East City to buy several luxurious mansions, but for now, it was best for him to honestly buy a modest house in North City.
About an hour later, Ye Tian successfully arrived in North City. Just as the rumors said, compared to the other three districts, this was indeed the poorest, and also the place with the highest concentration of ordinary commoners.
He hadn't walked far before he spotted a Yanhang on the roadside—an ancient brokerage, commonly referred to as middlemen, brokers, and so on.
"Welcome, honored guest! Please come right in. Boy, bring some tea!"
Before Ye Tian had even stepped all the way inside, the shopkeeper rushed forward to greet him.
Although Ye Tian didn't have any expensive items on him, he was dressed as a Xiucai, and the brokerage manager naturally didn't dare to be negligent. After all, this was Luoyang City; who knew what kind of background a young Xiucai might have behind him?
"Please take a seat, honored guest," the manager said flatteringly.
At the same time, a shop assistant hurried over carrying a cup of tea and respectfully placed it before Ye Tian.
"There's no need to go to such trouble. I'm just looking to buy a small courtyard here in North City. Do you have any currently up for sale?"
"Of course we do! I wonder how large a courtyard the honored guest is looking for, and what your budget is?"
"I live alone, so it doesn't need to be particularly large. Two or three rooms will do. As for the price, we can discuss it based on the place—just as long as it's not too expensive."
"A courtyard with two or three rooms... there happen to be three of them nearby. The cheapest one is two hundred and fifty taels of silver, and the other two are three hundred and twenty and three hundred and fifty taels respectively. If you have the time, shall we go take a look first? If you find something to your satisfaction, we can sign the title deeds right away. If you're not satisfied, we have other courtyards for sale and can go look at those instead."
"Alright, let's go take a look at these three nearby first."
***
After a brief exchange, Ye Tian followed the brokerage manager directly to the three courtyards on the neighboring street.
Just as the manager had said, these three properties were indeed not very large. The smallest one not only had a tiny courtyard, but also consisted of only two rooms and a kitchen.
However, since he was living by himself now, even the smallest courtyard was more than enough for his daily life.
"Honored guest, are you satisfied?" Once they had finished viewing all three courtyards, the manager once again asked for Ye Tian's opinion.
"It's alright. What's the absolute lowest price for that previous courtyard? Give me a solid figure, and if it works, I'll take it," Ye Tian asked.
"Well... if anyone else wanted it, three hundred and twenty taels of silver not a single cash less would do. But since you are a scholar, honored guest, and have already attained official rank, let's consider it a favorable affinity. How about a rock-bottom price of three hundred taels of silver?" the manager said after a moment of thought.
Actually, his psychological bottom line was right at three hundred taels. He phrased it that way precisely to make Ye Tian feel more comfortable with the deal.
"Then I'll buy that one," Ye Tian agreed readily.
Long before coming here, he had already roughly familiarized himself with property prices in this area, and the manager's quote fell well within his acceptable range. Besides, since the other party was running an honest business, they naturally needed to make a profit. As long as the price wasn't overly inflated and he was happy with the house, that was all that mattered.
In less than an hour, the brokerage manager had people complete all the contracts, and Ye Tian finally had a home of his own in Luoyang City.
According to Ye Tian's estimation, the courtyard he bought was just over a hundred square meters, containing a total of three rooms and a kitchen.
Aside from those, the courtyard only came with a few tables, chairs, benches, and two beds. Everything else would require him to spend extra money to purchase himself.
Fortunately, the house was cheap. All the daily necessities he needed could be fully furnished for at most ten taels of silver, so overall, everything was still just about perfect.