Chapter 35
“Yeah. I don’t like elevator apartments. The building land is on the decrease these days. Those commercial residential buildings that have fewer floors are always located in the suburb. It is so hard to find a nice one.” Even the bead can’t do anything to help Lin Luoran find a house.
Wang Miao’e smiles, “I know about a house on sale, which perfectly meets your requirements. But it is quite expensive. Would you like to see it some day?”
Holding the hands of Wang Miao’e, Lin Luoran expresses her gratitude, “You really help solve a big problem of mine. I have been worried sick about it these days. It’s okay that the house is expensive. I still have a raw stone and I will be able to pull the down payment together.”
Hearing that Lin Luoran still has a raw stone, Wang Miao’e feels assured. She knows that Lin Luoran earned 6 million yuan last time, from which she can predict that the raw stone Lin Luoran owns may also worth a lot.
Wang Miao’e waves her hands and says in a low voice, “The vegetables you sent me are so much better than those my husband bought. They taste very good. I feel that my stomach is refreshed and the acnes on my face are all gone. These vegetables are more effective than all the luxury skin care products. Thank you so much, Luoran... These vegetables must be quite expensive. Are they cultivated by some new technology?”
Lin Luoran thinks to herself, “I can’t tell her that these vegetables are grown by myself in a mysterious space.” Thus, she just goes by Sister Wang’s words and keeps her secret by not saying yes or no.
In fact, Lin Luoran and Wang Miao’e have been friends for only a short time, which is less than two months at the very most. Although there is a huge gap between their ages, the two of them have a lot in common. Wang Miao’e is like a big sister and she has helped Lin Luoran several times without expecting anything in return.
Lin Luoran knows that Wang Miao’e is unsatisfied with her appearance and she has been hoping to return the favor in this respect. Lin Luoran has looked up many materials recently and has already got a plan in mind. It’s just that she hasn’t pulled it off so she can’t give Wang Miao’e too much hope. Lin Luoran just mentions it vaguely.
“Sister Wang, I have a gift for you later. You must accept it—It will be a surprise!”
Though Wang Miao’e is curious, she knows what kind of person Lin Luoran is, so she understands that Lin Luoran will not tell her what the surprise is. She has to suppress her curiosity and makes an arrangement with Lin Luoran that they are going to see the house the day after tomorrow.
The next morning, Lin Luoran goes to see Master Jia with the wild ginseng. She takes out the gift box after they finish practicing and hands it to Master Jia reverently.
Master Jia is surprised. He didn’t expect Lin Luoran to remember saying that she would give him a master-acknowledging gift. He sees that the gift box is fancy and knows that his apprentice must have elaborately chosen it. Master Jia accepts the gift with an indifferent face without looking at what’s inside, but deep down, he does feel very pleased.
A 60-year-old wild ginseng which weighs over 50g is worth at least hundreds of thousand yuan in the market, being sold on grams. Vegetables grown in Lin Luoran’s space have medical efficacy, let alone that this ginseng is grown from a seed filled with Reiki.
Still, Lin Luoran worries that this gift may not be presentable. It is mainly because that what Master Jia has been teaching her is not the simple Tai Chi she thought it would be!
Leaving those mysterious descriptions out, Lin Luoran is surprised to find that the mental cultivation methods Master Jia taught her are useful though they are only breathing methods, which means that they may be cultivation exercises!
Lin Luoran can’t quite tell the reason. She can see Reiki so she certainly sees that Master Jia’s vital energy and blood are more vigorous than ordinary people. He doesn’t look like a cultivator, while he understands a simple set of cultivational breathing methods. Does this mean that the master or precedent of Master Jia is somehow related to cultivators? Is Master Jia himself a descendant of cultivators?
This set of breathing methods has solved Lin Luoran’s urgency. She believes that returning Master Jia’s favor with a ginseng is not enough. Thus, she doesn’t feel distressed about the high-quality ginseng.
...
Today is Lin Luoran’s day off. She thinks that it’s a pity that she hasn’t been driving her new car, so she sits on the drivers’ seat and goes to see the house with Baojia.
Sister Wang said she would meet them at Wuling Square. Lin Luoran arrives and sees Sister Wang’s outstanding Hummer.
That’s right. Wang Miao’e runs her family business on herself and her personality has become tough like a man, so she keeps saying that only Hummer can match her... Baojia respects and worships Wang Miao’e, which makes Commander Qin glad that he has already arranged Baojia’s engagement. Commander Qin worries that Baojia may never get married as she is becoming more and more manly.
“Sister Wang, where are we going?” Baojia starts to butter up her idol.
Wang Miao’e waves, “Just follow me. I won’t kidnap you!” She says with the temperament of a commander. Lin Luoran has no choice but to obey these two hardy women.
In recent years, more and more private cars have been filling the roads of R City. Sometimes when traffic is busy, riding bikes may get you to the destination earlier than driving cars. Therefore, Lin Luoran parks her car in the parking lot nearby and gets on Sister Wang’s Hummer with Baojia.
“Sister Wang, I feel that your skin has become brighter lately.” Baojia is sitting on the front seat and checking on Wang Miao’e.
Wang Miao’e laughs so hard that wrinkles begin to crawl on the corner of her eyes, “Really? My husband said so and I thought he was lying. Seems that Luoran’s vegetables are really good stuff!”
Baojia nods with shared feeling. With talking and laughing, they arrive at the destination in no time.
Looking at the familiar buildings around, Lin Luoran realizes that they are still in the downtown. Granted that there is a house for sale here, it must be an elevator apartment, right? Lin Luoran wonders, while Wang Miao’e is smiling.
They walk in the newly-constructed tourist custom street. The street is an antique reproduction of the street in Ming and Qing dynasties. Tourists fill this archaic street.
Baojia has more faith in the choice of her idol. She pushes Lin Luoran, who is in a daze, and catches up with Wang Miao’e.
Two allies away from the custom street, Wang Miao’e stops at a scarlet gate and asks Lin Luoran jauntily, “What do you think about this one?”
Walls in this ally are made of old blue bricks, and the scarlet gate is so nice that Lin Luoran is dazzled. She doesn’t know that there is such a house in the downtown of R City.
“Is this a private house?” Lin Luoran can’t help asking, though she is a little embarrassed. It is not her fault. She has been a petty citizen all her life and she doesn’t know that this kind of old house can be traded. Lin Luoran always thinks that the house is a cultural relic!
Wang Miao’e bursts into laughter, “Silly, this house has been renovated. If it is a house with hundreds of years of history, which means even the tiles are antiques, are you able to live here in peace even the owner is willing to sell it to you?”
Lin Luoran blushes. Baojia laughs heartily at Lin Luoran’s embarrassment.
Since Wang Miao’e has made an arrangement with the owner that she will take the buyer here to see the house, the scarlet gate is unlocked.
Wang Miao’e pushes the door open and guides Lin Luoran inside. The threshold of the gate is removed perhaps to make it convenient for cars to go in. On the left side of the gate, there is a garage rebuilt from a large room, which seems big enough to park two cars.
A tall Camphor tree is growing in the corner across the garage. It is quite old, for it is more than twice as tall as the wall is. It is winter already, but the tree is still flourishing, casting thick shadows down the yard.
Several bushes of Chinese roses are planted along the foot of the wall. There is also a rockery and a fishpond. Fat fish are swimming around under the warm sunlight. Lin Luoran is stunned by the scene inside the house.
The yard is at least over 100m2. The floor is paved with blue bricks and a tall parasol tree is growing near the rooms. Under the parasol tree, there are several stone tables and chairs that may be used for the owner to enjoy the shade in summer.
Three two-storey wood houses in the style of Huizhou dwelling stand in the middle of the yard. On the side, there are three high-ceiling rooms with only one storey. The outermost one of the three is reconstructed into the garage, and the other two are used as the kitchen and the dining hall.
Inside the middle houses, the living room and study room are downstairs, and bedrooms are upstairs. The rooms are equipped with modern furniture and household appliances that suit the style of the house. Living in this beautiful house will be so comfortable and convenient.
Lin Luoran is very pleased with the house. Baojia also likes it and keeps saying, “This is too luxurious... How can poor people like me survive in the world...”
Lin Luoran feels that she has travelled through time and is now standing in a mansion from hundreds of years ago.
Wang Miao’e is satisfied with Lin Luoran and Baojia’s reaction. She drags them through the dining hall to a door that leads to the back yard.
Looking at the backyard, which is several times larger than the front yard, while being stunned, Baojia finally can’t hold back an impolite word—
“Shit!”