Chapter 123: Want to Stockpile Houses

Early the next morning.

Wu An rose early, freshened up, and messaged A Qing, saying they should meet at home.

Walking to the gate, he happened to run into Wu Yingwei and Wu Ping heading out.

He called out and greeted them.

Sister-in-law Mei Yueqin was in the kitchen; seeing him come, she brought out the breakfast just placed in the pot: "Just in time to eat."

Breakfast was plain congee with simple toppings—crab meat, dried scallops and the like—tasting incredibly fresh and sweet, plus steamed salted fish, mixed seaweed, and the leftover braised dishes from yesterday.

He hadn't even taken two bites.

A Qing arrived.

Mei Yueqin handed him a bowl and chopsticks.

Wu An glanced at him without saying anything; A Qing isn't stupid—when meeting at Lao Wu he knew to bring food, and when meeting at home he knew there would be food.

The two ate while Mei Yueqin busied herself in the courtyard.

Duan Dajie came over for a visit, saw A An there, and quickly put on a smile to greet.

Wu An nodded.

Mei Yueqin watched, and a smile also appeared on her face.

It's really different now.

Back when Wu An was undisciplined, Duan Dajie would always glare at him whenever she saw him at home, never showing a pleasant expression, and whatever she said would be sarcastic and unpleasant.

Now.

Upon seeing Wu An, Duan Dajie welcomed him with a smile and spoke kindly.

After Wu An and A Qing finished eating, Mei Yueqin quickly said to leave the bowls and chopsticks, and she would clean up later; Wu An nodded, and told A Qing to pull the car out of the shed.

The two got into the car.

They set out.

After Wu An left, Duan Dajie asked, "Why are you out riding your car so early every morning, busy all day?"

"Who knows? As a woman of the household, I shouldn't pry too much." Mei Yueqin deliberately sighed and said, "You know as well as I do—I'm just a layabout; in this household I have no say."

Duan Dajie twitched her eyelids, thinking, "Just don't show off."

Others don't know, and even this neighbor doesn't realize that Mei Yueqin is the one who actually runs this household; before, the house was dilapidated and poor, and being the head of it meant nothing.

Now it's different.

Wu An can make money, and he still buys things for the house.

Besides, Wu An was raised by Mei Yueqin, so it's impossible for him to treat anyone badly, let alone Mei Yueqin.

Duan Dajie didn't take the bait, saying, "Wu An is quite the troublemaker."

Mei Yueqin continued, "Yeah, I think it's just like you said—pointless messing around."

"…" Duan Dajie's mouth twitched; there was no point in chatting today.

……

Wu An rode his car into town to pick up Lao Mai.

Lao Mai lives in Lao Wu, whose walls are all coral stone, looking very beautiful; Wu An couldn't help but glance a few more times, and Lao Mai noticed, saying, "These are all old houses with over a hundred years of history."

Wu An nodded: "Really not bad."

He took two photos, thought they were good, and planned to call Gu Anran another day to come over and take a few shots, which might go viral if posted online.

It's really photogenic.

The push for cultural tourism hasn't reached here yet, but it's still pleasant; he remembers that this place will indeed become a tourist check-in spot in the future.

Lao Mai said, "If you like it, just buy a set."

"Nowadays everyone is moving to the city, and many houses are empty."

"If it weren't for my retirement, I probably wouldn't have come back."

Wu An felt a stir in his thoughts and sighed that opportunities to make money were everywhere.

If he had money, he would buy a house here; even if not developed into a storefront, once tourism picks up running it as a guesthouse would definitely make money.

In his previous life he was truly a blind fool, muddling through and accomplishing nothing.

He nodded: "All right, Lao Mai, help me inquire."

"If the price is right, I'll buy."

"As for the location…… it doesn't matter."

Anyway, the old houses in this area will all be preserved, becoming an important calling card for tourism; even the most remote houses will appreciate in value.

Lao Mai was somewhat surprised: "You…… aren't planning to live there yourself, are you?"

Wu An chuckled: "Do you know that everywhere across the country they're developing tourism?"

"Look at these mountains, waters, sea, and old houses."

"Not developing tourism here is simply intolerable."

Lao Mai listened to his words, his eyes flickering: "Hearing you say that, it sounds pretty good."

Wu An patted his shoulder: "If you want to do it, we can cooperate."

Lao Mai smiled and said nothing.

Wu An also didn't mind; with nothing set in stone yet, he was just talking.

Just as he was about to head out.

Lao Mai's grandson Mai Hangyu walked out of the house; after mutual introductions, learning that Lao Mai was going out to sea, the college student said he wanted to eat shrimp.

Lao Mai frowned: "It's not the time yet; if you want to eat, I'll go to the market to buy shrimp."

Around here, wild mantis shrimp are mainly caught by net; after the fishing season opens, the fishermen's initial catches are mostly shrimp, which is one of their main sources of income.

Nowadays, the market only has farmed basa shrimp; occasionally fishermen catch some wild shrimp while foraging, but the quantity is tiny, and as soon as they reach the market, food lovers scramble for them.

Mai Hangyu shook his head: "I don't want to eat bas shrimp at all."

Lao Mai: "This…"

Wu An said, "Then let's go foraging; if the tide's out, we might find something by the shore, and if we're lucky, we could get a plateful."

Today our luck is not bad—we have 55 points.

We just don't know where this luck value will land—whether fishing or foraging—but unfortunately the sea hasn't opened yet, otherwise he'd have more ways to spend his luck.

With so much luck value, he feels some pressure, wondering if he can use it all up, and there's no 'crab migration or butter crab' to quickly drain it.

Mai Hangyu said: "Then I'll have to rely on you."

Lao Mai frowned: "Impolite—you should call him brother."

Mai Hangyu pouted: "He just calls you Lao Mai too."

Just as Lao Mai was about to speak, Wu An chuckled: "What's the big deal? We're roughly the same age—just call each other by name."

Starting school as a sophomore?

I'm really envious; if I hadn't dropped out, I'd be a sophomore too.

Mai Hangyu wondered: "Why did you drop out?"

Not studying well, huh? Lao Mai said your grades are pretty good.

Just so-so.

The two started chatting, and they got along better and better.

Mai Hangyu's major is still tourism—not a vocational program, but from a prestigious university.

Upon learning Wu An wanted to buy a house for investment, Mai Hangyu greatly admired it, and he also said that, from his professional perspective, this place is very suitable for tourism and vacation.

All that's missing is opportunity.

Wu An smiled, indicating that in the information age, opportunities can be created even if they don't exist.

Hearing him, Mai Hangyu's eyes lit up.

The two exchanged ages—they're the same year, Wu An born in July, Mai Hangyu in November; without Lao Mai's reminder, they both started calling each other 'brother' right away.

As Wu An was leaving, Mai Hangyu said he'd come over for a meal next time, and Wu An agreed.

After going out.

Lao Mai smiled and said: "This grandson of mine is very arrogant, spoiled by his parents since childhood, always swaggering around at home and talking big—I think only you can keep him in check."

Wu An smiled.

He has the vigor of youth and insight far beyond ordinary people; chatting with Mai Hangyu, it's not as exaggerated as a dimensional crushing blow, but at least he can handle things with ease.

A Qing scratched his head: "But can we actually catch shrimp today?"

We've been at it so long and still haven't caught many shrimp.

Lao Mai quickly said: "He's not a kid—it's no big deal if he doesn't get shrimp."

Wu An smiled but gave no reply; don't listen to Lao Mai's words—he actually dotes on this precious grandson. Earlier, when Mai Hangyu said he wanted to eat wild three‑knife fish, Lao Mai went out fishing everywhere when he couldn't buy it.

In the end, he managed to catch it, fulfilling Lao Mai's wish.

While they were talking, the group arrived at the bald boss's fishing‑tackle shop.