Steward Evans used to be a somewhat prominent figure in Songjiang Prefecture. People like Fifth, who were little more than street ruffians, would never have had the chance to interact with him. Although the Zhou family had fallen on hard times, Fifth was still quite pleased to see Steward Evans greet him with a friendly smile. He grinned widely, revealing two rows of yellow teeth, and said, “Steward Evans, you’re too polite. I’m just trying to make a living, nothing to thank me for. But this time, I’ve found a big client!”

“A big client? What big client?” Steward Evans was clearly a bit confused by Fifth’s words. The family only wanted to rent out a few courtyards, and the prices were fixed—what big client could there be?

But Fifth looked very excited. He raised his sparse eyebrows and said, “Steward Evans, you may not know, but there’s a Master Liu from Yangzhou, also a scholar. He used to be an official elsewhere, but now that he’s older, he wants to return home to retire. He’s taken a liking to the beautiful scenery here in Songjiang, and since it’s not far from Yangzhou, he wants to buy a residence here. I just got the news, so I came to discuss it with you. If your Zhou family is willing to sell the house, I can contact Master Liu’s people right away to come see it.”

Hearing that Fifth’s so-called big client was actually this, Steward Evans immediately shook his head repeatedly. “No, no, our Zhou family’s house was built up bit by bit by the master. It’s meant to be the ancestral home of the Zhou family in the future—it absolutely cannot be sold. There’s no room for discussion on this!”

At this point, Steward Evans realized his tone was a bit harsh, so he quickly softened it and said, “Brother Fifth, although our Zhou family has fallen on hard times for now, we’re not at the point of selling the house. We’re just renting out a few unused courtyards in the front, so I’ll have to trouble you to help with that!”

When Fifth heard Steward Evans flatly reject his suggestion, his smile became a bit awkward. Renting out a courtyard wouldn’t earn him much, but selling a house would mean a hefty commission—enough to feed him for months. Now that hope was dashed, he was naturally a bit unhappy.

However, neither Steward Evans nor Fifth noticed that, as they discussed renting the house, the young butcher nearby, who was busy slicing meat for customers, suddenly paused, his expression thoughtful. He turned to look at Steward Evans with a pensive look, as if wanting to say something. But seeing that Fifth was still there, he felt it wasn’t the right time to speak, so he lowered his head and continued working, though his eyes kept glancing over at Steward Evans from time to time.

Unwilling to give up on his commission, Fifth tried to persuade Steward Evans a few more times. But Steward Evans knew that the Zhou family’s house had already been mortgaged to Master Wang; it was only out of respect for the relationship between the two families that Master Wang hadn’t called in the debt. For this reason, the young master definitely couldn’t sell the house, so he firmly refused all of Fifth’s attempts to persuade him.

In the end, seeing that he couldn’t change Steward Evans’s mind, Fifth could only shake his head helplessly and leave. As for Steward Evans’s final request to spread the word about the rental, he acted as if he hadn’t heard it at all. This made Steward Evans so angry that, after Fifth left, he spat a few times and cursed him as a scoundrel.

“Excuse me, Steward Evans, I just heard you want to rent out a courtyard?” Just as Steward Evans turned around to continue buying meat, the young butcher unexpectedly stepped forward and spoke up, his greasy face beaming with a bright smile.

Seeing his expression, the shrewd Steward Evans immediately perked up and hurried over. “That’s right! So, young man, do you know someone who’s looking to rent a house?”

The young butcher nodded. “Yes, there is someone looking to rent. I just don’t know how big the courtyards you’re renting are, or what the location and quality of the houses are like?”

Sensing an opportunity, Steward Evans became extremely enthusiastic and introduced eagerly, “You can rest assured about the courtyards, young man. After all, our Zhou family used to be one of the most prominent families in Songjiang. We’re only renting out three small courtyards in the front this time, and each one is no smaller than what ordinary families live in. The houses are all newly built in recent years, so there’s absolutely no problem. The key is the location—it’s just two streets from the market, surrounded by the homes of other prominent families in Songjiang, with roads leading everywhere. And as you just heard, our Zhou family is unwilling to sell the house; otherwise, who knows how many people would be fighting to buy it?”

“Zhou family? Is this the home of the prodigy Zhou, who became a xiucai at just fourteen?” The young butcher had been working at the market for some time and had heard plenty of gossip, so he naturally knew about the Zhou family.

“That’s right! Since you know our young master, you must have heard about what happened recently. Our Zhou family is just going through a rough patch, so we want to rent out a few courtyards in the front to get through this. If you know anyone who wants to rent, please let them know. There will definitely be a good reward for you if it works out!” Steward Evans bowed to the young butcher. Judging by the way Fifth left earlier, he probably wouldn’t put much effort into it. Now that he finally had a chance to rent out the house, he was determined to seize it.