The very next morning, Wang Youfu was set to visit the broker in town, and Wang Qingchen insisted on tagging along, leaving Wang Youfu no choice but to take him.

The primary purpose of Wang Youfu's trip was to buy land; after all, for farming folk, nothing felt more secure than acreage.

Upon reaching the town, Wang Youfu led Wang Qingchen into an establishment run by Qian Yaji, the town's renowned broker. Qian Yaji enjoyed a good reputation, so most people preferred seeking his assistance for any important transaction.

Wang Youfu stated his business. Qian Yaji pondered for a moment before saying, "You should reconsider. Buying land at this time of year isn't cost-effective. The crops have just been planted; generally, no one is selling now. Even if they are, the price will likely be higher than usual."

"I know that," Wang Youfu replied, "as long as the price isn't excessively high."

"How much land are you looking to acquire?" Qian Yaji inquired.

"Around twenty mu," Wang Youfu answered.

"Paddy field or dry land?"

"Paddy field would be best."

"Very well, I will keep an eye out and notify you as soon as I hear anything. Where is your residence?" Qian Yaji asked.

After giving his address, Wang Youfu and Wang Qingchen left. Though the land purchase hadn't materialized, Wang Youfu wasn't overly disheartened; he had already prepared for the possibility of not buying anything that day. The father and son returned home empty-handed.

Back at home, they heard that the main household had finalized the wedding date for Wang Qingyun and the Luo family's daughter. The date was set for after the autumn harvest, and the matchmaker had already delivered the betrothal gifts. Apart from the fifteen taels of silver, the other gifts were standard for farming families. Notably, the main household hadn't borrowed money from villagers; it was rumored the old madam had told the old master that the family had pooled every bit of money they had, barely scraping together the fifteen taels. Of course, few in the family—perhaps only the old master and Wang Youtian—actually believed this.

With Wang Qingyun’s wedding set, Wang Qinghua had been unusually quiet these past few days. He hadn't been one for excessive chatter before, but now his words had dwindled even further. Finally, Wang Youfu couldn't bear it anymore. He pulled Wang Qinghua aside and whispered a promise: he would ensure his eldest son found a wife this year.

Wang Qinghua considered this, seeming to come to a firm decision. "Father, I'm fine. I am still young; there's no rush."

"You and Qingyun are only a year apart. He's getting married this year, and you haven't even been engaged yet. How can you not be anxious?" Wang Youfu widened his eyes.

"Father, we still owe thirty taels of silver. Let's talk about my marriage after we pay that off!" Wang Qinghua looked up at Wang Youfu.

Wang Youfu was deeply comforted by his eldest son’s filial piety and sensible nature, but for a moment, he didn't know how to tell the boy that the family was now financially sound. "Don't worry about that thirty taels for now. I guarantee we will arrange a wife for you this year. Let me give you this much assurance now, so you stop overthinking things."

"I wasn't overthinking, Father," Wang Qinghua muttered.

"Then why have you been listless these past few days?" Wang Youfu pressed.

Wang Qinghua fell silent. He had indeed been feeling a quiet vexation. Qingyun from the main branch was only a year older, and they had grown up together. Now Qingyun was marrying, while he remained unattached. Moreover, with the debt of thirty taels, he figured his family wouldn't have the means for his wedding for several years. However, being naturally dutiful, he never resented anyone and certainly didn't want to burden the family further given their circumstances. But now that his father insisted he would be married this year, he felt utterly bewildered.

Wang Youfu reflected that if it weren't for the three hundred taels earned by his second son, they truly wouldn't have the money for his eldest's marriage. One son was sensible, the other useful; he felt quite content with both. As for his daughter, Caiyun, she had been largely ignored—in his mind, a daughter was always just an expense to offset.

Following that conversation, although Wang Qinghua didn't know why his father was so certain about finding him a wife this year, he didn't press the issue. He reasoned that getting married would be best, but if it didn't happen, he wouldn't blame the family.

Qian Yaji's efficiency proved true. Within a few days, he arrived at Wang Youfu's house in a carriage to announce that someone in Yunqiao Village was selling land—fifteen mu of paddy field—and asked if Wang Youfu was interested.

Yunqiao Village was a neighboring village to Wangjia Village, but in the opposite direction, one to the east and the other to the west, neither far from home. So, Wang Youfu prepared his bank notes and agreed to go look at the land first. Wang Qingchen, having seen Qian Yaji arrive, knew land was on the agenda and insisted on joining, which Wang Youfu permitted, considering Qingchen was already aware of the land purchase plan.

At the plot in Yunqiao Village, Qian Yaji pointed out the land for sale. The fifteen mu of paddy were contiguous. Wang Youfu alighted, examined the quality of the soil, assessed the surrounding water management, and was pleased with all aspects. He asked, "How much for these fifteen mu of paddy?"

"As you can see, this paddy is fertile, and water access is extremely convenient. Even normally, it would fetch eight taels of silver per mu. Plus, the rice is already planted. If their family weren't in urgent need of cash, they would never sell. They are asking for an additional five hundred wen per mu," Qian Yaji explained.

Qian Yaji wasn't exaggerating. Good paddy usually sold for seven or eight taels per mu. This land's quality and irrigation were excellent, certainly commanding the eight-tael price. With the rice already established, adding five hundred wen per mu wasn't unreasonable. Wang Youfu decided, "I'll take these fifteen mu."

Soon after, Qian Yaji called over the selling family. After measuring the land and confirming the details, the three parties went to Qian Yaji's office, where he drafted the sales agreement. Wang Youfu went to the town bank to exchange his notes for silver, paying one hundred twenty-seven taels and five hundred wen. The sellers handed over the land deed and departed.

Wang Youfu clutched the deed and the contract, thrilled that these fifteen mu of paddy now belonged to him. Qian Yaji, however, was unfazed by his excitement. "This is only a private deed; the magistrate's office won't recognize it. It needs to be converted into an official deed."

Wang Youfu didn't fully grasp this, but Wang Qingchen understood somewhat: the private deed lacked legal validity and required registration, transfer, and tax payment procedures with the authorities. Though unfamiliar with the details, Wang Youfu felt the usual farmer's trepidation when the word "magistrate" was mentioned. He asked Qian Yaji to handle the conversion to the official deed as well.

Qian Yaji calculated the taxes and commission for Wang Youfu, totaling just over three taels of silver. After paying these fees, Wang Youfu was about to leave when Wang Qingchen stopped him.

"Father, let's buy a shop too!" Wang Qingchen suggested.

"A shop? What for?" Wang Youfu was astonished. Most farmers, upon acquiring wealth, thought only of buying land; few considered commercial properties.

"If we buy a shop, it will be convenient if we want to start a small business later. Even if we don't run it ourselves, we can rent it out and collect rent!" Wang Qingchen argued.

"Ha! You little one are quite shrewd!" Qian Yaji chuckled upon hearing Wang Qingchen’s logic.

Wang Youfu considered it. Since he couldn't secure land today anyway, buying a shop to try out seemed acceptable. He asked Qian Yaji about the available properties.

"I have a few shops, but what kind are you looking for?" Qian Yaji asked.

Wang Youfu was uncertain. "I don't really know. What kind do you think would be good?"

"If you have the means, I suggest you look for a shop with an attached courtyard and residence behind it. That way, if you decide to open a business, you have living quarters right there. I have two such properties," Qian Yaji recommended.

Both Wang Youfu and Wang Qingchen were intrigued and followed Qian Yaji to view the two shops. The first had previously been a restaurant. Its location was superior, situated in a busy part of town. Besides the two floors of retail space upfront, it included a courtyard containing five main rooms, plus a kitchen, a woodshed, and a storage room. The restaurant business had been stolen by the newly opened Xiang Man Lou, forcing the owner to sell. The asking price was one hundred taels. Wang Qingchen remembered that the place where Wang Youfu had sold the monkey-head mushrooms was none other than Xiang Man Lou.

The second property was currently rented out as a general store. The owner urgently needed cash, and the tenant couldn't afford to buy it out, so the owner wanted to sell the entire premises. While not as ideally situated as the former restaurant, its location was still good. It featured three street-facing storefronts. The backyard was divided by a wall: the front courtyard connected to the shops and contained two storerooms; the rear courtyard, separated from the front, held five main rooms, a kitchen, and a woodshed. A small door connected the two courtyards, and the rear yard also had a separate small entrance leading to a back alley. This shop was priced at ninety-five taels of silver.

Wang Youfu thought it over. His family wasn't planning any small business right now. Buying the former restaurant would mean finding a new tenant, whereas buying the second, already tenanted shop, was simpler. After seeking Qian Yaji’s opinion, Wang Youfu decided on the second shop but hoped to negotiate the price down further.

Qian Yaji contacted the shop owner. After some discussion, the owner agreed to drop the price to ninety taels, stating it couldn't go lower. Wang Youfu considered this and agreed to purchase the shop for ninety taels of silver. Once everything was settled, they had Qian Yaji draft the sales agreement. Wang Youfu paid for the shop, then paid Qian Yaji another five-plus taels for taxes and commission, waiting for Qian Yaji to handle the transfer and tax procedures at the yamen.

Qian Yaji was in high spirits, having secured two significant transactions for Wang Youfu in one day, and guaranteed he would handle the paperwork flawlessly.

Wang Youfu, meanwhile, was ecstatic from buying both land and a shop—things he had never dared dream of achieving so quickly. But he hadn't forgotten to invite Qian Yaji to the newly acquired shop to formalize a new rental contract with the current tenant, maintaining the original annual rent of seven taels of silver, and promptly collecting the first year's payment of seven taels.

Once all matters were concluded, Wang Youfu finally breathed a sigh of relief. With the money converted into tangible fields and property, he finally felt settled. It wasn't a dream. The tension that had coiled in his nerves for days finally relaxed.

However, no one noticed that immediately after the sellers of the shop left Qian Yaji's office, a couple intercepted them, inquiring about the details of Wang Youfu’s purchase.