Chapter 167 - 166: Family Opportunity
Cangwu Garden. It wasn’t well-known, but Yang Shen had done his homework before coming.
Jianghuai City’s Main City District had five districts in total. Black Tortoise District was one of them, located on the west side of Jianghuai.
Around the time New Yanhua was founded, Black Tortoise District was massive. Later, for planning purposes, it was split into "Black Tortoise District" and "Qingcheng District."
The latter was akin to the suburbs, while the former grew more prosperous by the day, becoming part of Jianghuai’s mainstream Main City District.
However, in the urban planning of the last few years, the two were merged again.
So now, administratively, Black Tortoise District was huge, but only the eastern part could be considered the "Main City District" in the traditional sense. The former "Qingcheng District" area, despite seeing some development in recent years, was still a bit inferior.
Cangwu Garden was located in this part.
It covered a total of thirteen acres, surrounded on three sides by a half-dead, semi-commercial area with no foot traffic. The remaining side was bordered by an overpass...
The only businesses that could survive there were things like car dealerships and courier stations, which made the area seem very quiet.
Yang Shen, disguised as an ordinary citizen, walked down the small path leading inside.
’So far... I don’t see anything special...’
’Except that it’s "old" and "empty."’
’It’s a place in the middle of nowhere, with no residential communities nearby. I have no idea why they’d leave a park here all by itself... Not even the elderly would come here for their morning exercises...’
Five minutes later, he finally saw the only building in the area.
In the northwest corner of "Cangwu Garden" was a quaint, antique-style courtyard. It had a traditional Yanhua design, but it wasn’t an ancient building—just a replica.
A sign hung outside the gate: Cangwu Tea Garden.
"New Spring Tea now available. Special price 998. All are welcome to try~"
Yang Shen rubbed his chin...
’Tea for 998... Is this tea even legit?’
He hadn’t found anything in the park outside, so he walked in.
Inside, however, he saw someone completely unexpected.
Under an elegant, traditional covered walkway, at a small tea table, sat his own good disciple, the Eldest Sister of the Yang Family Army, Cao Wei, drinking tea...
Cao Wei had been bored out of her mind, but when she suddenly saw Yang Shen walk in, she thought she was hallucinating from thinking about him day and night!
"Master... Master Yang?"
Instead of the school uniform or sportswear she wore at school, Cao Wei was in a light blue sundress, a round sun hat perched on her head. Her delicate skin seemed to glow under the sunlight, revealing her snow-white shoulders and exquisite collarbones.
Her signature princess-cut hairstyle and long, straight black hair made her the very definition of a "lady." Sitting amidst the covered walkway with its carved dragons and phoenixes, she looked like a painting where the modern and classical intertwined.
Across from Cao Wei sat two men who looked to be around forty. One, dressed in a casual button-down shirt, held his teacup and sized up Yang Shen with curiosity.
The other man was a bit older and had a worried expression on his face.
Yang Shen was just as surprised. "What... what are you doing here?"
THUD. Cao Wei subconsciously dropped to her knees on the ground as she spoke.
Her fair, delicate knees made intimate contact with the concrete floor. With the constitution of a Marrow Refining cultivator, it was impossible for them to get scraped or bruised, but the visual was still quite shocking.
"I came with my father."
Cao Wei’s father must have been the one in the button-down shirt; his features bore a slight resemblance to hers.
At that moment, he froze, teacup in hand.
CRACK. A fissure appeared on the handle of his teacup...
He’d heard that his daughter had taken a classmate as her master at school. He’d also heard this master was quite capable, helping his daughter improve her scores significantly in just one month and even giving her the qualifications to apply to "Jiangti."
But he had no idea his daughter had been conditioned to this extent!
This was no longer a matter of having her keybinds remapped; her entire operating system had been wiped!
The corners of Mr. Cao’s mouth twitched as he forced a cheap smile. "You must be Wei’s classmate. Why don’t you join us?"
Yang Shen quickly pulled Cao Wei to her feet. ’Look at you, this is so embarrassing!’
Cao Wei, her "filial piety" instantly kicking into high gear, began wiping the chair and pouring tea for her benevolent master, looking for all the world like a gentle handmaiden.
"Benevolent Master, would you like some grapes? Shall I peel them for you?"
Cao Wei’s father watched this cringeworthy display...
’At home, she has the personality of a bona fide princess. Why is she acting like a lowly concubine in front of Yang Shen!’
’If he weren’t in the middle of a business discussion, he would’ve challenged Yang Shen to a duel!!’
Yang Shen declined Cao Wei’s fawning but didn’t reveal his true purpose for being there. He simply acted like a "normal benevolent master" and greeted Cao Wei’s parent.
After a few minutes of small talk, he started chatting idly with Cao Wei, as if he had nothing better to do.
Yang Shen learned that Cao Wei’s father was named Cao Yue, and the other man was the owner of this place.
The two men seemed to be in the middle of a discussion. Perhaps finding his daughter’s posture too unbearable to watch, Cao Yue forced the conversation back to the main topic.
The owner said, "President Cao, this ’Cangwu Garden’ has a long history. It has many decades-old trees and is the only urban green space within a dozen-kilometer radius."
Cao Yue took a sip of tea. "And in that dozen-kilometer radius, there are also no people..."
The middle-aged man faltered. "But this is a rare green asset in the city! In Jianghuai City, every inch of land is worth its weight in gold. Just holding onto it will increase its value. If you can pull some strings... change its designated use... just imagine how much a residential complex built here would be worth!"
Cao Yue remained unmoved. "You’re right. The premise is being able to change its designated use."
Yang Shen absentmindedly ate the peeled grapes, but his attention was fixed on the two men’s conversation, and he managed to get the gist of it...
’This place... is actually for sale?!’
Yang Shen immediately connected this to his "ancestral home requirement." ’Could this be the "opportunity"?’
But then he found it strange... ’Just this... It doesn’t seem grand enough, does it?’
’Shouldn’t it be some kind of Treasure of Heaven and Earth?’
’Besides, knowing the system’s bullshit tendencies, it only ever makes quests harder. There’s no such thing as getting a pillow when you’re sleepy. The family opportunity was a reward from an old main quest, while the ancestral home is a requirement for a new one.’
’Would the system be this kind? Did it get gender-swapped?’
’Ah, no, I mean, did it have a change of personality?’
Yang Shen decided to look around anyway. He said to Cao Wei, "Are you familiar with this place? Can you show me around?"
Cao Wei would naturally fulfill her benevolent master’s request without question. She quickly informed Cao Yue and began to show Yang Shen around the courtyard.
The young woman walked with her hands behind her back, revealing her fine curves. Having run into Master Yang out here, she was a little nervous.
’It’s my first chance to fulfill my filial duties alone with him, and in front of my father, no less...’
’I’m a little excited!’
"I came here once with my father last year, so I’m not too familiar with it, but I know my way around."
"Why is this tea garden in the middle of a park? And why is it so big?"
Cao Wei thought for a moment, then said uncertainly, "I think they said the designated land use here can’t be changed. The Jianghuai City Government mandates that 90% of the area must not be ’hardened.’"
"Hardened?"
"Yes, as in hardening the ground. Things like paving roads or leveling the ground aren’t allowed. You can only build on this small spot where the tea garden is. The rest can only be used for planting trees."
Yang Shen said, "You know quite a bit."
Cao Wei said happily, "That’s because my family is in real estate development. We used to work exclusively in Jinshui District. We had a huge development project there, phase one, phase two, phase three... My father was busy with it for nearly ten years."
’As expected. The wealthy families who still remain in Jinshui are mostly there because they can’t get away from their businesses.’
"Is there any story behind this park? Why is it called ’Cangwu Garden’?"
Cao Wei shook her head. "I’m not sure about that. It’s not a very famous park. It’s probably just a historical name. Maybe it was called that several hundred years ago."
The two chatted idly as Yang Shen gave the place a cursory look. He was becoming more and more impressed with the construction of the "Cangwu Tea Garden"...
Although it was an antique replica, it wasn’t a wooden structure. It was more of a fusion style.
The entire courtyard had to be two or three thousand square meters. It featured flying eaves, dark tiles, red corridors, and painted pillars. The layout was deeply imbued with the wisdom of traditional Yanhua courtyards, alternating between enclosed and open spaces. It was divided into a front and back courtyard, connected by several bluestone paths.
The front courtyard was mostly single-story structures, renovated into tea rooms—about ten of them. The wooden windows were half-closed, their lattices carved with various patterns of flowers and Exotic Beasts.
The back courtyard, on the other hand, was two stories high and laid out in a hollow square. In the center was a lotus pond. The main building was four stories tall. This created a stepped, tiered effect from back to front, making it look exceptionally grand.
At the very back of the rear courtyard, there was also an empty plot of land... ’It could probably be used as the Yang Family’s Cultivation ground in the future.’
’Whoops, I got so absorbed that I started picturing it!’
’But this place really is perfect for an "ancestral home"!’
Never mind a family of six, even sixty people could live here for sixty years and it wouldn’t feel outdated.
’And it meets all the system’s quest requirements. I could even fence off an area in the back to grow Spirit Plants!’
’But... I don’t think I can afford it...’
’Even if I become the Champion Scholar and earn ten million in commercial income, it feels like it won’t be nearly enough.’
Yang Shen mentally bookmarked the location. ’Next time I move, I’ll look for a similar place. This is the kind of residence a prestigious family should have.’
’For now, though, I should first see what this "opportunity" is all about.’
Yang Shen had actually been following the location guide in his system the whole time. He intentionally guided Cao Wei as they wandered, and the two of them eventually arrived at a well in a corner of the "back courtyard"...
This well was also in a traditional octagonal style, but unlike the surrounding architecture, it seemed to be a genuine antique. It was severely worn, and a sign stood next to it.
"Pre-Qin Ancient Well: 2,300 years old..."
This caught Yang Shen’s attention.
The well was huge, twice the size of what Yang Shen would have pictured. Looking down, however, he saw it was already blocked up. Less than ten meters down was just decaying earth... The walls of the well were covered in moss...
==Teleportation Gate==
[Monthly Ticket]