Shopkeeper Liu's face turned ashen. This distant nephew of his was naturally not as important as selling the haunted house. The owner of the house had promised him an additional one hundred taels of silver if the house was sold.
For one hundred taels of silver, he decided to tolerate Ding Yaren for the time being and settle accounts with him later, taking back his money and kicking him out as soon as possible!
"Young Master Lu, Liu will settle Ding Yaren's twenty-five taels of commission for you now. Please wait." After speaking, Shopkeeper Liu hurried back to the counter, wrote out a commission receipt, and took out twenty-five taels of silver.
Ding Yaren's hands trembled as he took the receipt and silver. As the most bottom-tier agent in this real estate agency, he had endured humiliation for more than ten years, never expecting to meet such a benefactor in Young Master Lu.
With these twenty-five taels of silver, his family would be able to pull through.
After Lu Ye paid and received the receipt, Ding Yaren took him to the government office to change the white deed to a red deed, and the procedures for buying and selling the house were finally completed.
As they were leaving, Ding Yaren kowtowed to Lu Ye several times, saying that he was a great benefactor to their entire family. They would never forget his great kindness and virtue.
Although Lu Ye kindly offered a helping hand, he also had his own plans. He smiled and said, "Uncle Ding, do you want to leave that real estate agency? The atmosphere inside is not right, and you've suffered so much there without earning much money."
In fact, Ding Yaren's willingness to tell the truth to the buyer when selling the house, without deception or trickery, showed that he was a person of good character. Lu Ye had a very good impression of him.
Ding Yaren nodded with a dejected expression, "After I finish your business, I will submit my resignation. In fact, I've wanted to leave for a long time, but because I have to support my family, I've had to swallow my pride until now."
For the sake of survival, one had to bow their head and be a dog.
"Then, is there anywhere else?" Lu Ye asked. He actually wanted Ding Yaren to be the gatekeeper at the house. Such a large house could not be left without a gatekeeper. It was not trustworthy to find just anyone, and Ding Yaren was good.
Ding Yaren shook his head with a bitter smile, "Alas, for people like me, finding a job is difficult!"
Lu Ye immediately suggested, "If Uncle Ding really has nowhere to go, how about coming to help me look after the house in Yuhua Lane? Just be the gatekeeper, and I'll give you five hundred wen a month. Your wife and children—"
Ding Yaren was surprised but also a little hesitant. He said gratefully, "Thank you for your consideration, Young Master Lu. May I go back to discuss it with my family? My wife is mute, and I have a son and a daughter. My eldest son is 10 years old, and my youngest daughter is 8 years old."
Young Master Lu is a good person. It would be great to help him with his affairs, but... that house in Yuhua Lane is a haunted house. If he goes there, will he...
Lu Ye added, "If Aunt Ding can cook, she can come to my house to help with cooking and other household chores. That will also be five hundred wen a month. Your two children can also learn to read and write with my sisters."
Upon hearing the last point, Ding Yaren's eyes lit up. He made up his mind, "Alright, we'll go!"
To be able to have his children educated and taught to read and write, even if evil spirits were to take his life, he would agree. Moreover, sometimes evil spirits were not more sinister than humans.
"Remember there are a few small houses behind the woods on the left side of the main gate. If you don't want to commute, you can bring your family to live there from now on," Lu Ye said warmly.
When Ding Yaren heard this, his knees buckled, and he almost knelt down to Lu Ye again.
They didn't own a house and were renting a dilapidated small house in Qingshi Lane, where the four of them were squeezed into one room. The rent alone was six hundred wen per month. If Young Master Lu could provide them with accommodation, it would truly solve their family's difficulties.
Ding Yaren immediately called Lu Ye "Dong Jia" (Master). Lu Ye introduced Qing Feng, Wang Da Fa, and Lu Hua Ge Mei to Ding Yaren.
He also told them that Ding Yaren would be their gatekeeper from now on, and everyone should call him Uncle Ding.
Lu Hua originally wanted to persuade her elder brother that they could take care of the house and do the cooking and chores themselves, so they wouldn't need to hire anyone. However, she held back, remembering what her elder brother and Qing Feng ge had said before.
Perhaps her elder brother had his reasons for doing this. Having grown up in Huangsha Village and Hongshu Slope, she was used to living a hard life, and her ideas were formed in the countryside. In the capital, she couldn't just follow her own preferences.
Uncle Ding hurried back to inform his family and pack his belongings. He would move to Yuhua Lane tomorrow. His current rental period was also ending, so the timing was perfect.
When Lu Ye and the others returned to the inn, the sun had already set. After checking out, they took a carriage to Yuhua Lane.
They moved into the west side courtyard. After a thorough wash, Lu Ye took Qing Feng out to buy some pots, pans, bedding, and other necessities.
They would make do for the night, and whatever else was missing, they would buy tomorrow.
Wang Da Fa and Lu Hua Ge Mei were somewhat incredulous that they were living in such a luxurious mansion in the capital, and it was their Dong Jia's (their master's) house. The feeling of being adrift and alone in the capital completely disappeared.
Having their own house gave them a real sense of stability.
Dinner was at a small restaurant in Yuhua Lane. After dinner, upon returning to the west side courtyard, Lu Ye arranged the tasks for the next day.
Once Uncle Ding's family arrived, Uncle Da Fa, Xiao Hua Ge Mei, and they would thoroughly clean and organize the west side courtyard, as well as the large warehouse in the front courtyard. He and Qing Feng would be responsible for purchasing shelves for the warehouse. Once the suppliers delivered the goods, they would be placed in the warehouse.
Lu Ye was particularly fond of this large mansion, not only because of its many rooms, training grounds, and beautiful scenery, but also because it had a large warehouse in the front courtyard, which was perfect for storing goods and was very convenient.
Moreover, each courtyard had a well, making water usage very convenient. The eight thousand taels of silver were well spent.
As for whether it was haunted or not, Lu Ye wasn't afraid of people, so why would he be afraid of ghosts?
The next day, as soon as it was dawn, Lu Ye and Qing Feng drove the carriage to Qingshi Lane to help Uncle Ding's family move.
Uncle Ding's wife was a thin woman, not tall. Although she was mute, she was normal in other aspects and did not have any difficulty working.
She was also neat and tidy, likely a skilled homemaker.
The son and daughter, Ding Lei and Ding Xiang, were also very well-behaved and orderly.
Lu Ye felt relieved. When he returned to Hongshu Slope, leaving Xiao Hua and the others in the capital, the people hired to take care of their lives had to be honest and well-behaved.
His family valued character the most when hiring staff. If character was lacking, no matter how capable they were, they would cause chaos in the mansion.
However, despite trusting Uncle Ding, Lu Ye still planned to sign a long-term contract with their family, clearly stating everything in the contract to avoid disputes in the future.