ebookland Chapter 219 is progressing smoothly.
Chapter 219 is progressing smoothly.
The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Lin Xi eagerly set out to find a real estate agent—a middleman—to buy a house. He hurried along the way, his mind racing with his plans.
Following the broker, Lin Xi inspected several courtyards. Some were spacious but poorly laid out; others were somewhat old and required considerable effort to repair. After comparing and considering various options, Lin Xi finally settled on a two-courtyard house. This house not only had a sufficient number of rooms, but the flowers, plants, and trees in the courtyard were also meticulously maintained, bringing joy at first glance.
After settling into his accommodation, Lin Xi immediately began searching for a suitable shop. He wandered through the streets and alleys, carefully observing the location, foot traffic, and surrounding environment of each shop. His efforts paid off; after a long search, Lin Xi finally selected a shop in a fairly good location. This shop was situated on a corner of a bustling street, with many pedestrians passing by, and not many competing businesses nearby. Lin Xi secretly calculated that if he opened a shop selling writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones here, business shouldn't be too bad. Moreover, this would give him more free time to spend with Liu Ji and the others.
After a busy morning, Lin Xi finished handing over the house and shop before rushing to the restaurant he had visited the day before. Entering the restaurant, Lin Xi, familiar with the place, ordered some delicious food and fine wines. Just as he picked up his chopsticks to enjoy the meal, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye. Looking closer, he saw it was Liu Ji! Liu Ji was still wearing the same coarse linen clothes as yesterday, followed closely by Lu Wan and Fan Kuai.
Lin Xi quickly stood up, waved, and shouted, "Brother Liu, over here!"
Upon hearing the shouts, Liu Ji immediately looked in the direction of the sound and walked quickly towards Lin Xi with a smile. When he got closer, Liu Ji laughed heartily and said, "Haha, I was wondering if Brother Lin would stand me up today! I didn't expect you to come so quickly."
Lin Xi smiled slightly and replied, "How could I, Brother Liu! We made an agreement yesterday, how could I go back on my word?"
Liu Ji pulled Fan Kuai and Lu Wan to sit down together, and then introduced his two friends to Lin Xi one by one: "This is Fan Kuai." He put his right arm around a burly man with a full beard.
With his left arm around a refined-looking scholar, he introduced, "This is Lu Wan. They are all my sworn brothers!"
Lin Xi nodded and said, "Hello, both of you."
Then, Liu Ji turned to Fan Kuai and Lu Wan, pointed at Lin Xi and said, "This is Brother Lin Xi. Don't let his young age fool you, he's a very successful boss now." After exchanging a few pleasantries, everyone began to drink heartily.
To further bridge the gap, everyone raised their glasses and took a few sips of wine. At this moment, Lin Xi, with a smile and a relaxed tone, said, "Oh, please don't flatter me. I'm hardly a big boss; I just run a small business. Speaking of which, I've had some good luck today, finding a shop I like. When it officially opens, I hope you all will come and support my humble shop!"
Upon hearing this, Liu Ji asked with great interest, "Oh? I wonder what kind of shop Mr. Lin runs?"
Lin Xi humbly replied, "Actually, we just sell stationery items like brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones."
Hearing this answer, Liu Ji was clearly surprised and couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Haha, I originally thought Boss Lin would open a restaurant. That would make it much more convenient for us to have drinks in the future, and we would always have a good place to go."
Upon hearing this, Lin Xi laughed and replied, "To be honest, I know nothing about brewing. But if Brother Liu enjoys drinking, you can purchase some fine wine and come to my humble abode for a drink when the time comes."
Upon hearing this, Liu Ji immediately perked up and quickly asked, "Oh? Judging from what Boss Lin said, have you already decided to settle down in Pei County?"
Lin Xi nodded slightly in affirmation: "That's right, exactly. Pei County is a treasure land with outstanding people and beautiful scenery. I love it very much, so this morning I specially bought a small two-courtyard house. From now on, I plan to settle down and live a happy life here."
Liu Ji laughed heartily, his voice echoing in the air. He said happily, "That's wonderful!" Then, the group raised their glasses and drank them down in one gulp.
Time slipped by unnoticed, and before they knew it, darkness had fallen. Only then did the group bid each other farewell and begin their journeys home. Before parting, Lin Xi made sure to leave his detailed home address so they could contact him later. Having done this, he turned and left, his figure gradually disappearing into the night.
When Lin Xi returned to the inn, the others had been waiting for a long time. They sat together and began to discuss their achievements of the day. After a long day of travel, they had finally made an important discovery—they had successfully confirmed that Xiao He was indeed a member of the Xiao family. Moreover, their understanding of the Cao family was almost complete; it was clear that both families possessed profound family backgrounds.
At this moment, Lin Xi suddenly suggested that she needed to move into the newly purchased house. This suggestion was unanimously agreed upon by everyone present, and no one expressed any objection.
Nothing happened that night. At dawn, as the sun rose, its soft rays bathed the earth, everyone rose early and began their tasks. Lin Qi arranged for men to disguise themselves as servants and infiltrate the Xiao and Cao families; meanwhile, Lin Xi was busy with the meticulous renovations of their newly rented shop, thoroughly enjoying himself. Occasionally, he would take some free time to go out with Liu Ji, find a small tavern, leisurely enjoy a couple of drinks, and chat about their life ideals.
Days passed by, and before we knew it, more than half a month had gone by.
Over the past two weeks, Lin Xi's shop finally opened for business. However, business wasn't as booming as she had hoped; it was only lukewarm. Despite this, Lin Xi wasn't discouraged and continued to manage her business diligently.
Meanwhile, Lin Xi's relationship with Liu Ji and other friends grew increasingly close and profound. They often gathered together, chatting and drinking, and their friendship deepened.
Meanwhile, Lin Qi's men, after some twists and turns, finally managed to meet Xiao He and successfully became servants in Xiao He's courtyard. These servants, with their cleverness, intelligence, and diligence, quickly won Xiao He's trust and appreciation.
Meanwhile, things were going quite smoothly for Cao Shen as well, with Zheng Zhong successfully becoming Cao Shen's coachman. Zheng Zhong was Lin Qi's man planted by Cao Shen's side, tasked with persuading Cao Shen to go to Qin and serve the state when the time was right.
Overall, everything is progressing smoothly and in an orderly manner, and everything is moving steadily according to plan.