Chapter 226: The Mansion With Too Many Secrets
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Bai Cha smiled, “Those flowers and plants are worth some price. When the time comes, we’ll dig them up and put them in the back. When the house is repaired, we’ll plant them back.”
“If there is nothing valuable left around, it’s hard to guarantee that there is nothing underground. Moreover, the massacre of the family was either for revenge or over something priceless.”
This house had been haunted for a few years. It might have been caused by the mastermind.
Something was either taken away or still in the house.
If it was the former, everything would be fine, but if it was the latter, it would pose some problems. Therefore, it was best to find it and throw it out as soon as possible.
“Let’s get some people,” Heng Yi said.
Bai Cha thought about it, “Alright. I’ll buy some people and let them dig it themselves. We can take the things they found down and move them to repair the servants’ rooms afterward. We can also save some money.”
Moreover, these wood materials were better than those bought outside.
The problem was settled.
Bai Cha, Wen Yu, and Gu Jiu would do the buying. They had been out for a while and had sharp eyes.
The people chosen were all young and strong manservants.
Even the servants in Chenzhou City were much better than those in Puyi County.
There were even people who were once lords and councilors who were sentenced to be slaves after committing crimes.
These people were here either because of light or serious punishments, were exiled or their head family was beheaded.
If these people encountered the Emperor’s amnesty, they would have some money in their hands and their families would be kind. They could even redeem themselves and become good citizens.
Bai Cha was very generous. He bought 50 manservants at once.
The old woman who owned the Broker House was stunned.
“Fifty?”
“They all look quite capable.”
The old woman quickly got someone to find their indwelling contract.
Among these fifty manservants, there were quite a few who had good martial arts skills.
Bai Cha thought that it would be good to make them guards.
He chose ten old maids and twenty servant girls.
The old woman knew that this person was someone who held a lot of money. Once she found out that he was the second master of Qiaoyi Fast Food Restaurant, she immediately became more polite.
These people went straight to the new residence.
Although the servant’s room was old, it could still be tidied up.
Moreover, this house was huge. There was a garden and a lotus pond. There were twelve courtyards of various sizes, and each courtyard had a small kitchen.
The front yard had a living room, a large study, a dining room, and a small kitchen.
“The more 1 look at this house, the more I feel it’s worth it.”
The maids and old women were responsible for washing and cooking, while the manservants were responsible for tearing down the house and digging the ground.
According to Bai Cha, the pond was at least six feet deep, and the water in the pond had to be pumped out to dig up all the mud.
If nothing unexpected happened, they would have to live in this house for many years.
Han Qiao had no intentions of selling out her family easily
Therefore, it was best to find and clean up the dirty stuff.
On the opening day of the fast-food restaurant, Feng Xinru’s voice trembled when she spoke.
“I’ve never seen a shop with such good business.”
None of the customers who entered, came out empty-handed.
She didn’t even dare to think about how much revenue she had earned today.
Han Qiao was not surprised at all. After all, this was Chenzhou City, and there were many rich people. Even the commoners had money in their pockets. It would be cheaper to buy them a home than to open a fire.
“All-Qiao, how much revenue did you say we had today?”
“It doesn’t matter how much revenue we earn. We’ve invested a few hundred taels these days. We have to earn back the capital.”
Feng Xinru smiled and nodded, “You’re right. I was just wondering if 1 could earn 10,000 taels of silver in a month since business is so good every day.”
“The total profit is about the same.”
Feng Xinru was overjoyed.
30% of that amount was 3,000 taels.
If she opened a few more shops, she would earn even more of them.
On the twenty-eight, the construction of the new house started.
The fifty servants worked very hard. They tore down the house and found a person who specializes in repairing it.
Han Qiao had re-designed the servants’ quarters. They needed to build three rows of small courtyards. Each courtyard had four rooms, a central room, a small kitchen, a bathroom, and a latrine.
They could also plant some onions, garlic, and side dishes in this small courtyard.
These courtyards were all surrounded by walls. One door led to the back alley, while the other led into the house.
These small courtyards were for a family of several people, all servants in the residence.
The courtyards were mostly on the side of the entire estate with rows of rooms within. Han Qiao tried to design it in a way so that all the servants could have room for themselves.
The old servants’ quarters were demolished even faster.
Digging six feet into the ground was not an easy feat, even with a dozen people working for a whole day, they would not be able to dig much.
However, after digging, they found some things.
In the backyard where the servants lived, they found two dead babies, with their small limbs and all. After the coroner came to take a look, he said that they were at least eight or nine months old.
The other child was said to be one or two years old.
When Madam Feng heard the news, she quickly went to look for Han Qiao, “It seems that this family lost a young master in the past. He was only one or two years old and disappeared for some reason. Nobody could find him in the residence or in the city. How pitiful.”
Han Qiao’s heart mourned for the child.
She asked the Taoist priest to hand them over and buy coffins to bury them in a beautiful place outside the city.
They also dug out some small boxes in the backyard. Inside were filled with gold and silver, and there were also porcelain bottles containing poison.
“A wealthy family really has a lot of secrets.” Han Qiao sighed.
Han Qiao asked for the gold and silver to be donated and the poison to be destroyed.
“The items dug out from this house, the gold, and silver, will be donated to the poor people. The poison will be destroyed, and the books, porcelain, and jade will be handed over to the government.” Han Qiao and Heng Yi discussed.
A true gentleman who loves money would get them the right way.
Of course, Han Qiao and Heng Yi’s actions had gained the approval of the common people.
Qiao Yi Fast-Food Restaurant’s business was even better than before.
There were also two other wells in the backyard with one corpse each. They were both women and one of them was pregnant.
The Taoist priest sighed, “The heaven’s laws will manifest, and its retribution is unfailing. A family that has accumulated evil will suffer. These words are not casually said.”
When several corpses were dug out from the lotus pond, the entire Chenzhou City was in an uproar.
“That house is really unlucky.”
The broker was also afraid that Han Qiao and Heng Yi would leave the house.
Han Qiao and Heng Yi, on the other hand, were exceptionally calm. The bodies they dug out were all the bodies of priests who had been buried outside the city.
Some people said that they had accumulated great merit.
When the second fast-food restaurant opened, the business was even more popular. No matter what dishes were brought out, they were all sold out.
In the blink of an eye, it was already the middle of June. Han Qiao wanted to go back to Puyi County.
She received news that her cousin Han Xiaohong had given birth to a son on the twelfth of June.
Feng Xinru didn’t want to let her go, “Wait for the other two fast food restaurants to open up before you go back. 1 can’t manage them well.”
“Sister Xinru, Lan Cheng and Shopkeeper Zhu will be there to manage the restaurants. They will take care of it. By the end of the month, all the accounts will be sorted out.”
“I know. I just feel more at ease with you around.”
Feng Xinru was reluctant to part with Han Qiao.
The world was not always a lovely place. She knew that there were people who had died in many mansions, and many people drowned in their Master’s wells. There might be people who buried others in their own wells.
However, there were very few people like Han Qiao who were willing to spend money to find a place to bury their bones.
“Besides, when you go back this time, you have to give birth before you come back. It will be around October or November by then.”
Han Qiao smiled, “If the house here is built well, we might move here for the New Year.”
The main reason was that her tofu shop had not opened yet.
Now that she was pregnant, Heng Yi didn’t let her do many things.
The only thing she could do for now was move back and wait..