Edward Carter nodded, and the attendant, beaming, welcomed the two of them into the shop.

Inside, the shop was small, with only a few cabinets piled high with property contracts and three or four long tables.

The attendant picked an empty table and invited the two to sit, then served them tea.

Soon, a broker in his forties came over, first cupping his hands to Edward Carter, then sitting down and asking:

“May I ask, sir, are you looking to buy property or rent a house?”

“To rent,” replied Edward Carter. Even though he had fallen on hard times, he still habitually maintained a reserved, laconic manner in front of working people.

“Judging by your appearance and bearing, you must be a scholar from the Imperial Academy?” The broker could tell at a glance that Edward Carter was a bookish type. And the nearby Nanjing Imperial Academy was, after all, a gathering place for bookish types from all over the country.

However, in daily life, the people of Jinling wouldn’t specifically add “Nanjing” when referring to local government offices, but would instead prefix those in the capital with “Beijing.”

“That’s right.” Edward Carter nodded.

“Then you must be looking for a place convenient for attending the Academy.” The broker picked up a stack of property listings, flipping through them while sizing up the father and son’s attire. He saw they wore well-tailored, high-quality Lake silk robes, though they were dirty and looked as if they hadn’t been washed in some time.

“Exactly.”

“How about this place, sir?” The broker had already made up his mind: these two were either long-distance travelers or had just suffered a major family upheaval. Naturally, he aimed high rather than low, recommending to Edward Carter a three-courtyard residence adjacent to the Imperial Academy, located on Chengxian Street.

“Not bad.” Edward Carter looked at the detailed description on the listing, along with the agency’s promotional phrase “peaceful amidst the bustle, all new furnishings,” and couldn’t help but nod in satisfaction. “Let’s take this one.”

“Excellent, sir! You are indeed decisive!” The broker was full of respect.

“How much is the monthly rent?” Henry Carter asked quietly, a bit helpless.

“One hundred and twenty taels per year, plus a twenty-tael deposit.”

“Hiss…” Hearing the broker’s answer, the father and son both gasped. Even if they sold themselves, they couldn’t afford such an expensive place.

Chapter 12: Only My Virtue Is Fragrant

In the Jingji Real Estate Agency.

The broker recommended two slightly cheaper residences, but seeing the father and son still not respond, he realized they had no money.

He discreetly put away the property listings in his hand and asked calmly, “Sir, just shake your head if you’re not interested. It seems my recommendations don’t meet your standards.”

“Your recommendations are all very good,” Edward Carter stammered awkwardly, “but alas, ‘the whole family shivers in the autumn wind, and September’s clothes are yet to be tailored’…”

“Uh, what does that mean?” The broker was completely baffled. “It’s only February—why are you talking about September?”

“What my father means is, we don’t have much money and can’t afford expensive places,” Henry Carter explained helplessly.

“I see.” The broker shook his head, feeling a bit disgusted. These poor scholars were so obsessed with saving face, even the way they admitted being poor was so roundabout.

He picked up another set of property listings and handed them to the father and son. “The houses on this list couldn’t be any cheaper. Please take a look yourself, sir.”

With that, he left without another word and went to the back to drink tea.

“What an attitude!” Edward Carter grumbled in annoyance. “Even people who usually ignore us dare to put on airs.”

“You’ll get used to it,” Henry Carter consoled, carefully flipping through the stack of listings.

Edward Carter wasn’t one to worry about such things. Seeing this, he looked away and sipped his tea leisurely, soon forgetting his displeasure.

After a while, Henry Carter made up his mind and pointed to a listing. “Let’s go check out this one.”

……

More than half an hour later.

The broker drove a carriage, taking the father and son to Caijia Alley, ten li outside the Imperial Academy.

Henry Carter and his father jumped out of the carriage and followed the broker into a narrow alley. After a few steps, they arrived at a dilapidated little courtyard.

“This is it.” The broker took out a key and started fiddling with the rusty iron lock on the door.

Looking at the drafty, rotten gate and the crumbling mud-brick walls, both father and son looked uneasy.

At last, the broker got the lock open and pushed the door with a creak.

“Come in and have a look—what a spacious courtyard.”

The two of them braced themselves and entered, only to see the yard full of broken branches and fallen leaves, the house missing windows and tiles, drafty and leaky, in a state of unimaginable disrepair.

“Can anyone even live here?” Edward Carter coughed repeatedly, asking the broker in shock.

“This is Nanjing! You can’t even rent a decent place for two taels a month!” The broker rolled his eyes. “A standalone courtyard with three main rooms, two side rooms to the east and west, less than ten li from the Imperial Academy, and I’m only charging you one tael of silver a month—what more do you want? Live here for free?”

“Watch your tone! Don’t get sarcastic!” Henry Carter snapped coldly. “Say one more word and we’ll go rent somewhere else.”

“Alright, alright…” The broker couldn’t afford to offend the agency, and besides, he’d already spent money on the carriage—why ruin the deal over a few words?

“This place is really too run-down, completely uninhabitable.” Henry Carter seemed very dissatisfied and said to Edward Carter, “Let’s keep looking.”

“If you want anything cheaper, you’ll have to go outside Nanjing.” After dealing with these two paupers for so long, the broker was already impatient and had no desire to spend more on carriage fare.