Alas, even after climbing so many steps, this residence was only at an altitude of 350 meters. The ground below 500 meters in the future would be submerged underwater, and this house was far from meeting the standards for flood resistance.
Gu Qingcheng scanned her surroundings; there were no higher mountains nearby. Only from the front of the house, a distant mountain appeared to be at a higher elevation, visually estimated to be above 500 meters.
Gu Qingcheng asked Sun Sanniang what that mountain was opposite.
Sun Sanniang informed her that it was the renowned Jinsha Mountain, and the town was named after it.
Upon hearing this, Gu Qingcheng abandoned the idea.
The large-scale mining of gold ore on Jinsha Mountain was common knowledge. Mining constantly hollowed out the mountain's core. Even if its peak was above 500 meters, if the areas below the mountainside were submerged, the hollowed-out parts would surely be unable to withstand the flood's erosion, and the entire mountain might collapse.
If they moved to Jinsha Mountain to live, they would be waiting to be buried alive!
It seemed that Jinsha City could indeed only be their temporary residence.
What a shame.
However, regardless, resting and recuperating here for a period was necessary.
Only by understanding this world more here and improving their health could they better survive.
Rushing blindly to the south now would certainly decrease their chances of survival.
Sun Sanniang took the brass key and opened the courtyard gate.
The gate was a thick cypress wood door. Pushing it open, they saw that the courtyard was also overgrown with shoulder-high weeds, giving it a desolate appearance.
Sun Sanniang smiled awkwardly and said,
"When my family first moved away, I still came to manage it more often, but it's quite far from town, and it's always tiring to climb up here, so I only came once every two or three months.
There's no helping it; the weeds in the mountains grow fast. If you don't tidy them up, they just grow back. But it won't take long to clean up. I'll grab a sickle and help you cut them down."
The house had been on the market for years with no takers, mainly because of its remote location.
Finally, a "great sucker" had arrived, and Sun Sanniang didn't want to miss this opportunity!
It was just that she hadn't expected guests to suddenly want to buy it, and she hadn't had time to tidy it up beforehand. She was afraid of making a bad first impression and losing the sale.
Gu Chaobei shook his head and said,
"No rush. Show us the interior structure first. If the deal goes through, we'll hire people to clean it up."
While no one was paying attention, Sun Sanniang secretly glanced at Gu Chaobei again. She found this man to be dignified and imposing, with a pleasant disposition and no hesitation. Her impression of him improved further.
Sun Sanniang, taking their suggestion, led them on a tour.
It was a courtyard with a single entrance. Upon entering, they found a courtyard about twenty square meters in size. Ideally, there was a well in the courtyard.
The mountain springs here were abundant, and water could be found at shallow depths. Although the surface of the well water was covered with some fallen leaves and branches, it appeared that after cleaning, it could be used normally, which would greatly facilitate their lives.
Moreover, if the well water was spring water, the colder the weather, the warmer the water. Even in extreme cold, it would not freeze, making it convenient for daily use.
To the left of the courtyard was the kitchen. The large stove was intact, but there was no pot, and the dining table was broken.
To the right of the courtyard were two side rooms.
From the courtyard to the central hall, there were three steps. After climbing the steps, there were two passageways on each side. Each passageway had a room, which was usually used as a bedroom. The central hall was the living room where the family usually gathered.
This was the simplest farmhouse courtyard. Although it appeared dilapidated due to being uninhabited for a long time, the walls were built with blue bricks, and the beams and pillars were thick cypress wood, about the thickness of a bowl, which had been smoked and carbonized for protection against termites. The overall structure was quite sturdy.
Gu Chaobei opened the door leading to the backyard and saw that about three meters further back was the base of a cliff.
Standing in the backyard and looking up, they saw a bare cliff face about fifty to sixty meters high.
Gu Chaobei pointed to the cliff and asked Mr. Sun what mountain it was.
"This is Ya Mountain. The entire mountain is a sheer cliff, incredibly treacherous. No one has ever ascended it; only those who don't value their lives would try," Mr. Sun said with a smile.
Gu Qingcheng and her father exchanged glances, very satisfied.
The backyard's location was excellent, receiving ample sunlight, and with no one looking from above, it was perfect for installing solar panels.
After discussing with his wife and daughter, Gu Chaobei felt that the residence met their requirements. Thus, he asked Mr. Sun how much it would cost to buy it.
Mr. Sun glanced at Sun Sanniang and said, "20 taels of silver."
"What? 20 taels of silver? That's too expensive! This isn't a bustling market street, and it's inconvenient to get to and from. 20 taels of silver is a bit too much. I think 16 taels would be more appropriate."
Gu Chaobei couldn't help but bargain.
If he agreed too readily without bargaining, he might be perceived as a naive buyer and overcharged. Furthermore, it wouldn't fit his current identity as an ordinary person.
For ordinary folks, every penny counted. For a major purchase like a house, with so much money involved, how could they not bargain?
"Well, although the house is a bit remote, it was built for personal use, using genuine materials. Even glutinous rice paste was used to fill the wall cracks, making it very sturdy. I helped my uncle build it back then, so I know all about it," Mr. Sun said, patting his chest to praise the quality of the house.
"How about we both compromise? I'll add two taels, and you reduce by two taels. How about 18 taels?" Hu Lanfang chimed in.
Since Gu Qingcheng and her mother both wore veiled hats, Sun Sanniang hadn't seen Hu Lanfang's face clearly yet.
However, listening to her voice, which was gentle and polite, she couldn't help but secretly envy her for marrying such a distinguished husband.
"Sanniang, this is your family's house. You decide if you want to sell it," Mr. Sun finally asked Sun Sanniang to make the decision.
Sun Sanniang agreed to 18 taels of silver.
In fact, the house had been stuck with them for five years without selling, which indicated that not many people were interested in it. 18 taels was a reasonable market price.
Gu Qingcheng had budgeted 100 taels of silver for buying a house. Seeing that it only cost 18 taels, well within her budget, she felt immensely pleased.
The system promptly awarded ten "pleasure points" for the successful negotiation!
Seeing that both parties had settled on a price, Mr. Sun was also pleased and led them back to the intermediary office.
He told Gu Chaobei that after signing the contract, if he was in a hurry to change the property deed, he could get the transfer procedures done by the government by the next afternoon for an additional one tael of silver for unofficial expenses.
Gu Chaobei had no objections and gave Mr. Sun one tael of silver.
After signing the contract for the house sale with Sun Sanniang, he gave Sun Sanniang 9 taels of silver. Until the property deed was finalized, he could only pay half the money in advance.
With this matter settled, Gu Chaobei didn't want to bother Mr. Sun further. He asked Mr. Sun if he could help arrange for some people to go up the mountain to clear the weeds around the house and the courtyard, clean the house thoroughly, and also clean the well. If these tasks were completed within a day, each laborer would be paid 100 copper coins.
In addition, he needed some basic furniture: a bed, a table, chairs, pots, bowls, ladles, and basins. He also needed to purchase daily necessities. He asked Mr. Sun to handle these as well, offering him one tael of silver for his trouble.