Steven Howard's suggestion was immediately approved by Edward Brooks.

Ma Xing Street was a place of mixed crowds, and Edward Brooks happened to be in the awkward situation of a fallen phoenix being worse off than a chicken, lacking some of his former deterrent power. Nancy was delicate and frail, and really not suited to stay in the shop. If trouble were to arise, it could cause problems. Edward Brooks always felt somewhat guilty towards Nancy.

After all, he had taken over another man's body.

Even though Nancy was always a bit cold towards Edward Brooks, she was, after all, his wife in this life.

Any man would dislike his wife showing her face in public and being gossiped about. In the Northern Song, although Neo-Confucianism had already emerged, it was not accepted by most people. After all, Neo-Confucianism advocated suppressing human desires in favor of heavenly principles, which was somewhat contrary to the spirit of the times. And the Song dynasty happened to be an era of great material abundance, so naturally Neo-Confucianism was not widely accepted.

If someone else could take her place, it would actually be a good thing...

Nancy said softly, "But hiring someone costs money."

That's right, they were already trying to cut expenses, and adding another wage would indeed be troublesome.

Edward Brooks thought for a moment, then suddenly had an idea.

"Sister Jiu'er, don't we still have two empty rooms at home?"

"Yes!"

Edward Brooks smiled, turned to Steven Howard and said, "Little Steven, could you help me ask around? I can hire Sister-in-law Yang, but as for the wages... she and her husband can move into my house. After all, there are two empty rooms at home, so I might as well give one to them. As for the rent... let's not charge them, and count it as their wages. How about that?"

Steven Howard was dumbfounded, staring at Edward Brooks, unable to speak for a long while.

"What, is it not possible?"

Edward Brooks looked at Steven Howard in confusion, puzzled by his expression. Did I say something wrong just now?

"It's possible, of course it is!"

Steven Howard smiled wryly, "If Old Yang and his wife knew, they'd be overjoyed. Little Ethan, you truly have a heart of gold, Little Steven admires you."

Edward Brooks was stunned!

After moving the fresh meat into the shop, Steven Howard hurried back to his place to discuss with Old Yang and his wife.

"Nancy, did I do something wrong?"

Nancy Johnson couldn't help but laugh, "Little Steven says you have a heart of gold, but in my opinion, you're just a muddle-headed Bodhisattva."

Volume One Xuanhe Year Six Chapter 011: Seeking Another Way (Part 2)

Edward Brooks was truly confused!

It turned out that as Kaifeng Prefecture developed, land prices were soaring.

When Edward Brooks's family bought their house, it only cost a few dozen strings of cash. Now, it was worth nearly five hundred. The skyrocketing land prices had also caused housing prices in Kaifeng to become astonishing... Many officials who had worked in Kaifeng their whole lives could only barely afford a place to live with all their life's savings. For this reason, the rental market in Kaifeng was extremely developed, and even became an important source of government revenue.

Steven Howard lived in Yongqing Lane in the East Second Wing, a commoners' area.

A single room, at the official rental price, cost 5 strings and 97 coins per month, and the environment was terrible, with the houses not being very good either.

A dyer's monthly wage was only three or four strings, not even enough to pay the rent.

Edward Brooks's house was next to Guanyin Temple, in a great environment. At the very least, it was a hundred times better than Yongqing Lane.

If rented at the official price, a room of that size would be impossible to get for less than ten strings...

"So, we can rent out rooms too?"

"Of course you can, but you have to register with Kaifeng Prefecture. I hear the procedures are quite troublesome, and you never bothered before because you liked peace and quiet. Why, are you thinking of renting out your house?

Let me be clear, I won't allow you to rent to all sorts of riffraff.

Also, you've already promised the Yang family one room. If you rent out more, it'll get crowded."

"Registration, huh... forget it!"

In his previous life, Edward Brooks didn't like dealing with officials.

Now, having come to the Northern Song, he was even less inclined to interact with the authorities... It was a nice courtyard, and if he rented it out, all sorts of people would come and it would be a headache. Lending a room to Old Yang and his wife was just because he appreciated Sister-in-law Yang's skills, and Edward Brooks didn't want to pay wages, so he made a snap decision.

Besides, one room is ten strings, two rooms is twenty.

At most, that's forty strings in fifty days, which doesn't really help... and it could bring a lot of trouble.

Forget it, let's put this aside for now and think about it later.

"Sister Jiu'er, when the Yang family comes over later, take them home.

No need to come at noon, just have Sister-in-law Yang come over. Tonight, I'll go straight to Wulidian, you don't need to come with me."

Nancy Johnson smiled slightly, not agreeing directly, just humming in response.

After a while, Steven Howard brought a couple in ragged clothes to the shop.

Judging by their age, the Yang couple were in their early forties.

Their skin was dark and rough, clearly from years of farm work.

Old Yang's name was Nick Young, and he spoke with a strong Xiangzhou accent; his wife's surname was Zhang, and Steven Howard said her name was Second Sister Bolton.

"Little Steven has told you the terms.

I don't have many requirements... just be diligent and work hard. Are you willing?"

"Willing, willing..."

Nick Young agreed eagerly.