Chapter 40: Renting a Place

The sun was already slanting westward as they emerged from the third courtyard.

Old Zhou, the broker, wore a professional smile. "Master Wang, you have seen all three places thoroughly. Well Lane is affordable and quiet; Locust Alley is bright and convenient; and as for Wutong Lane... it is elegant, practical, and reasonably priced. Which one catches your fancy? If you are satisfied, I shall go find the landlord to draw up the contract and affix our seals, so as not to let things drag on."

Although Wang Mingyuan was already leaning toward the small courtyard in Wutong Lane, five taels of silver was not a small sum, and for a four-month lease, it totaled twenty taels. He glanced at his elder brother, Wang Daniu, whose dark-skinned face showed the exhaustion of their long journey, though his eyes held the characteristic caution of a farmer.

"Old Master Zhou," Wang Mingyuan said, cupping his hands in a salute. "I appreciate your efforts in introducing these places to us. However, the cost is quite high. Allow my brother and me to discuss it overnight; we will give you a definitive answer first thing tomorrow morning."

A flicker of disappointment, subtle and fleeting, crossed Old Zhou’s eyes, but he quickly returned to normal and nodded repeatedly. "Only right, only right! Settling into a new home is a serious matter that requires careful consideration. Around the hour of the snake tomorrow, you two may come to the Zhang Family Tea House by the West Market archway to find me. If you decide on a place, I guarantee to handle everything for you perfectly!"

After a day of traveling, their legs were sore and weak. The brothers found a steaming "Zhang Family Noodle Shop" at the end of the alley. Wang Mingyuan ordered a bowl of plain noodle soup, but after barely eating half, he set down his chopsticks.

Beside him, his elder brother had already stacked three empty bowls, and the fourth was nearing its bottom. Daniu wiped the sweat from his forehead, smacked his lips as if still hungry, and cast a longing glance at the steaming pot of broth. His Adam's apple bobbed, but he pushed the bowl away. "Full! I'm full!"

"Brother, have another bowl," Wang Mingyuan said, noting that his brother’s stomach clearly wasn't full.

"No more!" Wang Daniu lowered his voice, as if speaking to himself. "Food in the prefectural city is too expensive! One bowl here costs as much as two back in town! From now on, we’ll cook for ourselves; we must save where we can!" Seeing his brother’s concerned gaze, he forced a smile onto his dark face. "I eat fast, like a mountain pig eating fine bran; I can't even taste the difference. Cooking ourselves is more substantial and keeps one full! Don't you worry about me! Besides, you eat whatever you like; don't mind me. We have money!" He patted the pouch at his waist, and Wang Mingyuan knew it held a fair amount of loose silver.

Wang Mingyuan felt a slight ache in his heart and could only nod.

Back at the humble inn where they were staying, Wang Daniu soaked his swollen feet in hot water while still muttering, "Third Brother, I’ve been thinking. Broker Zhou seems honest, but this city is deep, and we are strangers here... Should we find another broker tomorrow just to ask around? What if there’s something better? As the old saying goes, 'Compare three shops and you won't get cheated.'"

Although Wang Mingyuan felt the Wutong Lane courtyard was a rare find and that Old Zhou had been recommended by a fellow student, he looked into his brother's stubborn, insistent eyes and understood the weight of this massive expense. He could not bring himself to refuse. He nodded firmly. "You are right, Brother. Then tomorrow... let us look at two more places."

The next morning, the brothers found another large brokerage near the Academy Gate district. The broker who received them was surnamed Sun, a man in his thirties wearing silk robes with an oily, powdered face. When his eyes swept over the simply dressed and travel-worn brothers, they held undisguised disdain.

"By the prefectural school? A quiet courtyard? Five taels a month?" Broker Sun scoffed, twisting a few sparse hairs on his chin. "Two masters, what time do you think this is? The prefectural examination is right upon us, and every young scholar in the prefecture has flooded into Chang'an City! After the prefectural exam comes the qualifying exam; that’s over half a year of testing! Do you think this is a village market? And you still want a good courtyard at this price?"

He pulled a few rough scraps of paper from the table. "Look at this: a shared bunk bed, eight hundred coins a month, three streets away from the school, a half-hour walk! Or this: a tenement in the South City, one small side-room, one tael and two hundred coins a month, sharing a single well with seven or eight families—very lively! A proper private courtyard? Sure, we have one!" He pulled out a red slip and tossed it in front of Wang Mingyuan. "Here, three streets from the school, eight taels a month! Take it or leave it! Truth be told, at this price, by the time the exam arrives next month, even ten taels would have people fighting for it! By then, you won't even be able to get a side-room in a tenement!"

Wang Mingyuan looked at the crooked handwriting on the red paper and the absurd price, and a wave of heat rushed to his head. The face of this Broker Sun was worlds apart from the sincere and pragmatic Old Zhou! Wang Daniu was also flushed with purple rage at the undisguised mockery, his fists clenching until they cracked.

"Thank you for your trouble, Master Sun!" Wang Mingyuan took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, his voice turning cold. "This price is beyond the reach of scholars from humble families like us. Farewell!" He pulled his brother up and turned to leave. Behind them came Broker Sun’s contemptuous mutter: "Poor, pretentious scholars, what kind of honors are they trying to earn..."

Once outside the brokerage, the cool morning breeze calmed the stifling fire in Wang Mingyuan’s heart, replacing it with a deeper sense of clarity. Living in Chang'an is not easy. With the rental boom brought on by the approaching imperial examinations, rents would only grow more expensive.

"Brother," he stopped and looked at the still-fuming Wang Daniu. "No need to look further. The market is as it is; Old Zhou did not deceive us yesterday. The place in Wutong Lane is the best choice we can find right now. Delays lead to complications; let us go find him now!"

Wang Daniu slapped his thigh hard. "Done! I’ll listen to you! I can see it now—not many brokers in this city are good people! That fellow Sun had eyes that looked down on others! Old Zhou is the real deal!"

The brothers hurried toward the West Market archway. When they found Old Zhou sipping coarse tea in the tea house and declared their decision to "settle on Wutong Lane," a sincere smile bloomed on his face. He stood up briskly to lead the way. "Master Wang, you are a decisive man! Let’s go, let’s get the contract signed!"

Old Zhou efficiently summoned the landlord—a white-haired old man named Qi who walked with a cane. The lease was standard; Old Zhou read it clause by clause: "...Located at No. 3, Jia-zi, Academy Gate; three main rooms, one western study, one eastern kitchen and storage shed, one courtyard... four-month term, monthly rent of five taels of silver, one month's deposit... minor daily repairs handled by the tenant, structural damage to beams and rafters the responsibility of the landlord... no gathering for gambling or rowdiness... move-out requires half a month's notice, deposit returned after inspection..."

Wang Mingyuan listened carefully, confirmed everything was correct, and had his brother take out the heavy silver ingots: five taels for the deposit and five for the first month's rent. The three signed and sealed the contract, and Old Zhou happily accepted the extra five hundred copper coins Wang Mingyuan gave as a "brokerage fee."

A heavy brass key, cold with the unique touch of metal, was placed in Wang Mingyuan’s hand.

Wang Daniu immediately rushed off to the warehouse to retrieve their luggage. Wang Mingyuan stayed behind to clean. He had just dusted the writing desk when the courtyard gate was pounded with a loud *bang-bang*.

"Is anyone home? The new neighbors?" A high-pitched middle-aged female voice pierced through the door panels.

Wang Mingyuan opened the door to find a plump woman in a coarse indigo tunic with a round face and eyes that darted about, clutching a bunch of uncleaned, wilted spinach. "Oh! What a handsome young scholar!"

Her gaze swept over Wang Mingyuan like a brush from head to toe, then she stretched her neck to peer into the courtyard. "Just you alone? Where are you from? What’s your name? Are you here for the prefectural exam? How many people in your family? Are you betrothed?..."

The barrage of questions left Wang Mingyuan dizzy. He could only respond vaguely: "This humble student is Wang Mingyuan, from Yongle Town, Xianning County. I’ve just arrived to prepare for the exams... I still have my parents and my elder brother and his wife back home..."

"Oh! I knew it! One look and I could tell you have the face of a scholar!" She slapped her thigh, laughing until her eyes disappeared. "My husband's surname is Ma; we live right next door! Everyone in the neighborhood calls me Auntie Ma! Just shout if you need anything! If you’re short on salt or vinegar, just come and take some! And there isn’t a single thing in these alleys by the Academy Gate that I, Auntie Ma, don’t know!"

Without waiting for him to reply, she continued, "And where is that elder brother who came with you? Why isn't he here? What does he do for a living? Is he married?..."

Sweat beaded on Wang Mingyuan’s forehead. It took great effort to finally send this overly enthusiastic and boundary-less neighbor out the door. Closing it, he leaned against the panel and let out a long sigh. Having such a neighbor would likely make peace hard to come by; he didn't know if this was a blessing or a curse. But thinking of the damp, cramped Well Lane and the noisy chaos of Locust Alley, this little courtyard was already the best choice.

When Wang Daniu returned and unloaded their mountain of luggage, he briskly stoked the fire and boiled a massive pot of thick noodle soup. He dripped plenty of lard into the broth and sprinkled it with coarse salt and scallions, the aroma drifting right into their noses. He was just holding a bowl larger than his own head, ready to feast, when a head suddenly poked through the gap in the courtyard gate.

"Oh! Are you Mingyuan’s elder brother?" It was Auntie Ma from next door, her eyes wide as she stared fixedly at the massive bowl in Wang Daniu’s hand. "What are you cooking? ...So fragrant? ...Cooking so much? ...Do you have many guests? ...Do you have relatives in the city?..."

Wang Daniu was choked by this sudden "greeting"; the mouthful of soup he had just swallowed caught in his throat, making him cough until his face turned bright red. He waved his hands frantically. "No... no guests! Just... just me eating!"

"What?!" Auntie Ma’s voice shot up an octave, like a panicked hen. "You alone?! Eating this whole basin?! Good heavens!" Her expression was as if she had seen a ghost; she recoiled in shock and her footsteps thudded away into the distance.

Wang Daniu held the bowl, staring at the swaying gate, and looked in confusion at Wang Mingyuan, who had come out to see what the noise was. "Third Brother... what... what happened to her?"

The next morning, Wang Mingyuan went out to buy paper and ink. As soon as he stepped into the alley, he felt the atmosphere was off. Several old women sitting at their doors shelling vegetables looked at him in unison, then quickly huddled together. They lowered their voices, pointing and whispering, their eyes filled with fear and curiosity. The old man selling steamed buns nearby even had his hand tremble as he handed over a bun.

"Did you hear? A giant like a black iron tower moved into Old Master Qi’s courtyard! He can eat a whole pot of rice in one sitting! A pot that’s not much smaller than a bathtub!"

"And that’s not all! Auntie Ma saw it with her own eyes! She said his eyes look like copper bells when he glares, and his arms are thicker than our house beams!"

"Scary! Could he be... something from the mountains? Back home, the elders say there are mountain ghouls that specifically love to eat people..."

"Oh, heavens! This is terrible! Better watch the children!"

...

The rumors grew wings. In half a day, they had evolved from "big appetite" to "frightening appearance," and finally settled on "suspected man-eating mountain ghoul." When Wang Daniu walked down the alley carrying a new bag of flour, every household kept their doors and windows tightly shut. Occasionally, a child would peek through a crack, only to be dragged away in terror by an adult.

"Brother..." Wang Mingyuan looked at his brother, who was aggrieved and stifled, nearly crushing the bag of flour. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and it eventually turned into a long sigh. "Auntie Ma’s mouth... is just too fast..."