Chapter 1909: Met in 1938

After Lai Qinghua checked into the executive building, he had been waiting for Ye Chen to contact him.

Coming to Jin Ling this time, he knew he didn't have the economic strength to compete with these top wealthy people, so the only purpose of coming to Jin Ling this time was to see Ye Chen.

Therefore, when Chen Zekai contacted him, he said without hesitation, "Please tell Young Master Ye that I am waiting for his arrival at any time."

Upon hearing this, Ye Chen didn't delay and directly let Chen Zekai take him to the executive building and came to Lai Qinghua's room.

Upon meeting, Ye Chen said respectfully, "Old Mr. Lai, we meet again."

Lai Qinghua hurriedly cupped his hands and bowed, saying respectfully, "Young Master Ye, I pay my respects!"

Ye Chen hurriedly reached out to support him, saying, "Old Mr. Lai is too polite. How can I accept your grand salute!"

Lai Qinghua said with a serious face, "Young Master Ye, your destiny is already above mine, and you have a kindness toward me. It is only right and proper for me to salute you when I see you."

After saying that, he hurriedly said to Ye Chen, "Young Master Ye, please come in and talk!"

Ye Chen nodded and turned to Chen Zekai, "Old Chen, I'll chat with Old Mr. Lai for a while; you go back first."

Chen Zekai said respectfully, "Okay, Young Master."

After saying that, he said to Lai Qinghua, "Old Mr. Lai, this junior will take his leave first."

Lai Qinghua cupped his hands at him, "Take care, Mr. Chen."

After Chen Zekai left, Ye Chen followed Lai Qinghua into the room he was staying in.

This was an executive luxury suite with an area of over 200 square meters; the living room alone took up nearly 100 square meters.

At this time, a set of purple clay tea sets was already placed on the coffee table in the living room, and in addition, there was a bronze incense burner.

Lai Qinghua invited Ye Chen to sit on the sofa, while he himself burned water to prepare tea, and at the same time took out a piece of wood the size of a palm, and then used a delicate silver knife to gently scrape some powder off that piece of wood.

Subsequently, he took out a set of exquisite copper tools, first using the tools to press the incense ash in the incense burner flat and solid, then poured the powder scraped from the wood onto the incense ash, and used the tools to press it into the shape of a lotus flower.

Ye Chen recognized the set of things he was using; this was the famous seal incense.

Most people who like burning incense buy processed coil incense or stick incense directly, but there are still some particular people who like to press seal incense themselves.

Most of what is used to press seal incense is scraps of agarwood or old sandalwood, which can be considered waste utilization, and the cost will not be too high.

But what Lai Qinghua used was a large piece of agarwood, which surprised Ye Chen quite a bit.

Because the price of large pieces of agarwood is still very expensive in the market; if calculated by weight, it is much more expensive than gold.

If such a piece of agarwood were carved into Buddhist images like Buddha, Bodhisattva, or Tara, it could sell for at least hundreds of thousands to start.

At this time, Lai Qinghua, while using a match to ignite the seal incense pressed into the shape of a lotus flower, said to Ye Chen with a smile, "Young Master Ye, you shouldn't be repelled by the smell of agarwood, right?"

Ye Chen smiled slightly, looking at the wisp of blue smoke rising into the air, and also smelled the unique fragrance when the agarwood was ignited, feeling exceptionally comfortable in his heart, so he said, "Old Mr. Lai is indeed elegant. I only smelled this kind of seal incense when I was a child with my mother, taking advantage of her. After so many years, smelling it again, it leaves a lingering aftertaste."

Lai Qinghua nodded and said earnestly, "Your mother was extremely famous in the United States. It is said that when she was alive, she spared no effort to promote traditional Chinese culture in the United States. Many noble ladies in the American upper class took pride in being able to imitate her. I have liked seal incense for many years, and the price of agarwood in the United States has been very stable for decades, until your mother's seal incense was highly sought after in the upper class, and the price of agarwood in the United States has more than quintupled within a year."

Ye Chen asked curiously, "Has Old Mr. Lai ever seen my mother?"

"I have." Lai Qinghua nodded slightly and said earnestly, "Young Master Ye, actually, I have been friends with your maternal great-grandfather for many years. When we met, your maternal grandfather was still in swaddling clothes. I was invited by your maternal great-grandfather to drink your mother's full-month wine."

Ye Chen's maternal great-grandfather was his maternal grandfather's father and the founder of the An family.

However, Ye Chen had never met this maternal great-grandfather; Ye Chen hadn't even been born when he passed away.

Hearing Old Mr. Lai reveal this hidden story, Ye Chen asked in surprise, "Old Mr. Lai, were you and my maternal great-grandfather friends?"

"Yes." Lai Qinghua smiled indifferently and explained, "Your maternal great-grandfather was about the same age as me. I met him in 1938. At that time, he and I took the same boat to the United States. We hit it off at first sight, broke through thorns and thistles all the way, and supported each other. We could be considered close friends."

"So that's how it is!" After saying this, Ye Chen stood up and bowed to Lai Qinghua.

Lai Qinghua hurriedly stood up, somewhat flattered, and said, "Young Master Ye, you have the destiny of a dragon; how can you salute me... It should be me saluting you!"

Ye Chen said earnestly, "You were a close friend of my maternal great-grandfather, so naturally you are also my elder. As a junior, it is only right for me to salute you!"

Lai Qinghua said very seriously, "Young Master Ye, I believe in the destiny of heaven. From the perspective of destiny, you are the monarch and I am the subject. Even if I am over a hundred years old, I am still a subject when I see you."

Seeing his firm attitude, Ye Chen didn't argue with him anymore and hurriedly said, "Old Mr. Lai, then let's skip this set of etiquette and just consider it a friendship between generations, how about that?"

Lai Qinghua was slightly startled, then nodded with a smile and said, "Good, good, good. Since Young Master Ye has said so, I will naturally obey."

Subsequently, the two sat down again.

Ye Chen remembered something and asked Lai Qinghua, "Old Mr. Lai, you helped me promote the Rejuvenation Pill in North America. I wonder if my maternal grandfather has ever asked you about it?"

"Your maternal grandfather..." Lai Qinghua said here and couldn't help but smile, "He doesn't believe in destiny. When he was young, he often had 'My destiny is up to me, not heaven' on his lips, and he didn't take destiny to heart at all. He even had many prejudices against me before, always feeling that I was a charlatan, so we actually had little contact, especially after your maternal great-grandfather passed away, we had even less intersection. I believe that even if he were interested in the Rejuvenation Pill, he wouldn't come to me to ask."

After saying that, he asked Ye Chen curiously, "Young Master Ye, you must have the entire list of applicants. I wonder if anyone from the An family has signed up to participate?"

"No." Ye Chen shook his head and said, "Among all the registration information, there is no one with the surname An."

Lai Qinghua nodded and smiled, saying, "Your maternal grandfather has a very arrogant personality. There is a high probability that he won't join in this kind of fun. Unless he knows the efficacy of the Rejuvenation Pill first, he won't come in person."

After saying that, Lai Qinghua looked at Ye Chen and praised, "But having said that, Young Master Ye, the rule you set that the successful bidder must take the Rejuvenation Pill on the spot is truly amazing. Not only can it let everyone participating in the auction witness the magical efficacy of the Rejuvenation Pill with their own eyes, but it can also make all the big shots who want to get the Rejuvenation Pill appear in person! I believe that by the next Rejuvenation Pill auction, many capital giants hiding in the depths will take the initiative to show their faces!"

Speaking of this, Lai Qinghua looked at Ye Chen and said earnestly, "Maybe at next year's auction, your maternal grandfather will appear on the registration list!" ===== CHAPTER 1910 =====