At first, the Wen family was full of complaints about their elderly patriarch insisting on relocating to this distant place. However, after finishing a bowl of hot tea, their minds were consumed with awe from witnessing Hu Defu pull out a large ledger from the small pouch at his waist.
Before, all they knew about immortals and the Lingxian Sect were rumors, like something out of stories, feeling distant and unreal, almost like fiction.
But now, seeing it with their own eyes was a different story—it left them utterly amazed!
As Wen Xiangzhi sipped his tea slowly, Hu Defu finished reviewing the options and announced that there were quite a few suitable houses available. He had already filtered out the more expensive ones, which were meant for wealthy families and not suitable for the Wen family's needs.
"Here in Shuishui City, the housing prices are comparable to the capital. I have several homes that would suit your needs, but they're closer to the central area... You should know that the closer you are to the central district in Shuishui City, the more expensive the houses become because many facilities related to immortals are located there." The central district he referred to was the area at the foot of the Lingxian Sect's mountain, now primarily known as the Shuishui Residential Area.
He then pushed the ledger towards Wen Xiangzhi, showing him the house prices near the central area.
"Although it's closer to the immortals, the other areas aren't bad either. Shuishui City has public transport, so you can get anywhere for just one copper coin—it's fast and comfortable," Hu Defu added.
Though he didn't say it outright, his message was clear: if the Wen family didn't have an urgent need to be near the central area and didn't want to spend too much, they didn't need to buy a house there.
Currently, most of the residents in the central area were the original villagers from Shuishui Village and neighboring villages, along with early settlers and the families of Qingyun Peak disciples who had moved down from the mountain.
The rest were mostly cultivators, many from other sects.
Wen Xiangzhi, aware of his own financial situation, skimmed over the prices for the central district and flipped to the pages Hu Defu had bookmarked with his fingers. These listings were more in line with his expectations, and after a glance, he said, "Please take us to see these properties, Hu Nephew."
"Sure thing! Shall we rest a little more or head out now?" Hu Defu asked.
Wen Xiangzhi signaled to his eldest son, Wen Lao Da, who pulled out a string of coins from his pouch and placed it on the table. "Paying the bill!"
He assumed this tea pavilion was probably a side business set up by the agents to earn some extra money, so he didn't bother asking the price. The extra money was meant to show goodwill toward the agent.
To his surprise, Hu Defu, who had just stood up to lead them to the properties, noticed the clink of coins, smiled, and tossed the string of coins back to Wen Lao Da.
"This tea pavilion is set up by Shuishui City to provide travelers with a place to rest and refresh. We can't charge for it! If the immortals at the City Lord's Mansion found out, the tea server here could lose his job!"
From the other side of the pavilion, the tea server sent a grateful glance toward Hu Defu before rushing over and saying, "Please take your money back. The tea here isn't anything special, just a refreshment for travelers. We don't charge for it."
The Wen family was astonished by this.
Wen Xiangzhi, curious, asked the tea server, "If you don't charge for the tea, aren't you just serving water for free? Tea leaves may not be expensive, but they're not free either. Even if you don't charge for the labor, why not at least charge for the tea?"
At this, the tea server proudly patted his chest and said, "Sir, you should know that I was handpicked from dozens of others to serve in this role by the City Lord's Mansion, thanks to my quick wits and hard work. I get paid a monthly salary by the City Lord's Mansion, so we don't live off the tea money. The tea leaves are also bought by the City Lord's Mansion."
The salary offered by the City Lord's Mansion was substantial and stable, not something he'd risk losing for the occasional small tip from travelers.
Hearing this, the Wen family was once again deeply impressed.
They hadn't expected Shuishui City to be so generous, even setting up a free tea pavilion at the city gates to welcome newcomers.
When Hu Defu had initially led them to the tea pavilion, the Wen family had assumed it was a customary trick to squeeze some extra money from travelers.
Seeing the pavilion empty of patrons, they figured others were just unwilling to pay.
Unbeknownst to them, the previous visitors had thought similarly, assuming the tea pavilion was a ploy by the agents to extort money. As a result, many who were short on funds declined the offer of tea, wanting to find a place to settle down as quickly as possible, leaving the tea pavilion mostly deserted.
The tea server had even considered brewing some extra tea and bringing it to the city gate to serve directly, since at the current pace, the City Lord's Mansion's supply of tea leaves would last indefinitely!
Perhaps because the Wen family was a large group, a few more families who entered after them accepted the agents' invitation to rest at the tea pavilion.
Once they had figured out the situation, the Wen family followed Hu Defu away from the city gate to look at properties.
Along the way, Hu Defu explained that the houses they were going to see were in the western part of the city, about sixteen or seventeen li from their current location. Hearing this, the Wen family prepared to get back into their carriages.
There was no way they were going to walk that distance on foot.
But before they could call for their carriages, Hu Defu stopped and asked Wen Xiangzhi, "Master Wen, the carriages move quite slowly in the city. How about letting your family take the carriages slowly to the west, while we go ahead to see the houses?"
Wen Xiangzhi was puzzled. How were they supposed to "go ahead" without the carriages? Was Hu Defu planning to run there? Could he run faster than a horse?
Before Hu Defu could explain, they heard a "ding ding" sound from up the road, and a large box-shaped vehicle, about the size of a carriage, sped toward them.
"That's the public bus! Quick, gather your family and get some money ready. It's one copper coin per person," Hu Defu said, pointing to the vehicle and then at a signpost standing nearby. "We're at the South City Gate stop now. There's a bus stop every two or three li, so it's very convenient."