Chapter 117 Luoan Courtyard
"Understood, I'll take care of it!" Chen Yannian had no objection to Ye Mingsheng's request, and nodded and said:

"Farewell, Commander!" Seeing Ye Mingsheng was about to leave, the soldiers on the parade ground spontaneously bowed to Ye Mingsheng and said goodbye.

Ye Mingsheng was definitely not a good official, but for this group of ordinary soldiers, Ye Mingsheng was definitely a good commander. He did not abuse the soldiers, often arranged extra meals, improved the food, and did his best to fight for welfare benefits for his subordinates.

The most important thing is that he is generous and not stingy, and often gives out rewards. Therefore, Ye Mingsheng is still very popular among the hundreds of soldiers under his command.

Waving to everyone, Ye Mingsheng took Ye Kui and Ye Ju out of the training ground and headed towards Luoan West City.
In order to avoid complications, two hours ago, when entering Luoan City, Ye Mingsheng arranged that Ye Tie, Ye Dong and a few others would not follow the main force, but would go ahead and return to his home in Yongpingfang in the west city of Luoan with Pei Zhixiu, who was dressed as a man, and his hidden cash and gold bars.

Luo'an, the capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty, is the most prosperous and populous city in the entire known world. There are as many as six hundred thousand or seven hundred thousand permanent residents in the city, not to mention the caravans that come and go.

It is precisely because of this prosperity that the current housing prices in Luoan are extremely high. The most expensive areas are the Dongcheng District close to the imperial city. In the Dongcheng District, where several high-ranking officials and aristocratic families live, such as Tai'an and Xingqing, you cannot buy a house there just because you have money.

Officials of all ranks living in Luoan are proud to live in the East District of Luoan. Logically, Ye Mingsheng, a seventh-rank commander, should also live in the East District, but he is short of money...

As an outsider from Liaoyang, Ye Mingsheng received hundreds of taels of bounty a year in addition to benefits such as rice, flour, and cloth. He was definitely considered a high-income earner in Luoan.

But even so, he still couldn't afford to buy a house in Luoan. He could only rent a house. For example, the small courtyard he rented in Xicheng District cost thirty taels of silver a year. If it was in Dongcheng District, it might cost fifty taels of silver a year. This would greatly affect Ye Mingsheng's daily living standard and his interactions with his colleagues in the army.

After walking for about an incense stick of time, Ye Mingsheng returned to his home in Yongpingfang and looked around the familiar courtyard in front of him.

The courtyard he rented was in Yongpingfang. It was neither too big nor too small. It had two north rooms and two east and west wing rooms. Before he went to the palace to fight, Ye Mingsheng lived in the north room, and his nine bodyguards lived in the east and west wing rooms.

Although it is still a large dormitory bed, compared to the military camp where more than a dozen people live together, sleeping in a side room as a personal soldier following the commander is undoubtedly more comfortable, and the personal space is relatively larger.

In the yard, the kitchen is next to the east wing, the toilet is on the side of the west wing, and in the middle of the yard, there is a jujube tree planted. According to the agreement between Ye Mingsheng and the landlord, the jujubes on the tree belong to Ye Mingsheng.

Looking around the yard, although one could see traces that the yard had been cleaned not long ago, Ye Mingsheng could still sense the thick dust and a smell of decay in the yard...

Shaking his head helplessly, Ye Mingsheng turned to Ye Dong, who was packing his things, and said:

"Go to the west wing and pack up their things, then go get some silver from Ye Tie, add the money together and ask someone to return it to their fellow villagers and give it to their families." "Understood!"

Ye Dong nodded in response. Before, several of them, the Ye family's personal soldiers, all lived in the east wing, while Ma San, Feng Biao, Chen Changlin, and Wang Hu, four personal soldiers from other families, lived in the west wing. Now that the four of them were dead, this place naturally had to be vacated to make room for everyone.

Returning to his room, Ye Mingsheng wanted to take a rest, but seeing Pei Zhixiu meticulously cleaning the dust from the furniture with a feather duster, Ye Mingsheng hurried over and said with some distress and embarrassment:
"Miss Pei, you are tired from the journey. Sit down and take a rest. Let Ye Tie and the others handle these matters!"

"It's okay!"

Pei Zhixiu shook her head slightly at Ye Mingsheng's kindness, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and continued to clean the dust on the furniture. With her efforts, the furniture that was originally covered with a thick layer of dust has now returned to its former glory.
Seeing that Pei Zhixiu was determined to do it, Ye Mingsheng couldn't force her, so he could only clean up his room with her. After a while, he saw that Ye Dong and others had cleaned up the west wing, and without his instructions, they consciously moved their things into the west wing and vacated the east wing for himself. Ye Mingsheng nodded with satisfaction, and then said to Pei Zhixiu beside him:

"My humble abode is simple, please rest in the east wing, Miss Pei!"

“Isn’t the east wing where Brother Ye Tie and the others live?” Pei Zhixiu said doubtfully, “The west wing is empty, so I should sleep there…”

"They have all moved into the west wing! You can move into the east wing!" Ye Mingsheng waved his hand and decided:

Although Ye Mingsheng did not give an explanation, the smart Pei Zhixiu understood the reason after curiously looking around the west wing. She bit her red lips and nodded, agreeing with Ye Mingsheng's decision.

Seeing that Pei Zhixiu understood the key point, Ye Mingsheng showed a bit of helplessness on his face. The west wing was next to the toilet, so it was usually okay, but in the summer, there would be some smell coming out.

Therefore, Ye Tie and others can only be wronged temporarily, but fortunately, if Ye Mingsheng's plan goes well, he will be able to be sent out and return to Liaoyang before summer. By that time, the sea will be wide for fish to leap and the sky will be high for birds to fly. The living environment of those around him will be improved...
After sweeping the dust off the furniture, Pei Zhixiu wanted to do other work, but seeing that she was so tired and out of breath, Ye Mingsheng ignored her opinion this time and forced her to go back to the east wing to rest.

After explaining Pei Zhixiu's matter, Ye Mingsheng, looking tired, took a nap in the room. When he woke up, he saw Ye Tie and others still working hard.

Ye Mingsheng originally wanted to join in the labor, but just as he picked up the broom and was about to clean up the fallen leaves scattered on the ground in the yard, the broom was immediately snatched away by Ye Kui and others, who didn't let him move at all.

(End of this chapter)