Chapter 2548

Seeing that Old Mrs. Jiang's son had returned, Chen Zekai's first reaction was to find a way to stop him, so as not to delay Ye Chen's conversation with Old Mrs. Jiang.

However, Ye Chen had already persuaded Old Mrs. Jiang to move to Shudu, so he walked out the door and said across the courtyard: "Old Chen, come in!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Zekai knew that Ye Chen had finished his business, so he said to Old Mrs. Jiang's son: "Let's go, let's go in!"

The two entered the courtyard, and Old Mrs. Jiang's son shouted happily: "Mom, look what I hunted! Two pheasants!"

Old Mrs. Jiang hurried out and said with a smile: "My son, you are truly amazing. In just this short while, you managed to hunt two pheasants."

After saying this, she invited him inside.

It was late, and visibility in the courtyard was low. Old Mrs. Jiang's son did not notice anything unusual about his mother. But when he entered the house, by the dim, yellowish light of the tungsten bulb, he was surprised to find that his mother had suddenly become much younger!

He said with a face full of horror: "Mom... you... how did you become so young?! Even your hair has turned mostly black. This... this is too miraculous..."

Old Mrs. Jiang lowered her voice and said: "Son, don't make a scene. The distinguished guest who came brought Mom some supplements and foreign health medicine. After Mom took them, my hair turned black. But you must never tell anyone else, do you understand?"

Old Mrs. Jiang's son nodded without hesitation and smiled: "Don't worry, Mom, I won't tell anyone."

Old Mrs. Jiang nodded slightly and immediately said: "Son, go pack your things. You are going on a trip with Mom."

"Now?" Old Mrs. Jiang's son asked with a surprised look: "Mom, shouldn't we kill the chickens and eat dinner before we go?"

"No need to eat," Old Mrs. Jiang instructed: "You just throw the chickens in the courtyard first."

Old Mrs. Jiang's son said hurriedly: "These two chickens are almost dead. If I throw them in the courtyard, the weasels and other wild animals will snatch them away at night. Wouldn't that be a waste?"

The old lady said: "It doesn't matter. Let them take them. Since we have decided to leave, we must hurry, lest things change."

Ye Chen also nodded and said: "It is late now, and it is more than an hour's journey down the mountain. Even if we set off now, drive down the mountain, and rush to Shudu, it will be the second half of the night when we arrive. If we kill the chickens and cook, I am afraid it will be dawn by the time we get there."

The old lady made a prompt decision and said to her son: "Son, hurry up and pack. We must set off immediately."

Seeing the old lady's firm attitude, the son did not insist anymore and said hurriedly: "Then I will go pack now."

The old lady added: "Only bring the essentials; don't bring anything else."

Ten minutes later.

The old lady used a ladle of well water to extinguish the firewood in the stove and walked out of the house with Ye Chen, Chen Zekai, and her youngest son.

The old lady looked back at the dilapidated house with reluctance. She knew that once she left this time, she would never return.

Her son, however, did not know that leaving home this time was a permanent farewell. At this moment, under her instruction, he carefully locked the door without making a sound.

According to the old lady's wishes, since they were leaving, it was best not to alert others to avoid being stopped and questioned, or causing suspicion. Simply vanishing into thin air was the best way.

Fortunately, at this time, the village was already completely dark, and the dozen or so households were all at dinner time. From the moment they left the house until they left the village, they did not encounter anyone else.

After walking for more than an hour on the mountain road, the four arrived at the village where the off-road vehicle was parked. Chen Zekai drove, and they headed north, straight toward Shudu.

Although the mountain road was rugged, fortunately, once they reached the country road and got on the highway, the journey would be smooth.

The off-road vehicle sped along and arrived at a villa area outside the Southwest Second Ring Road of Shudu around midnight.

This villa area was very close to the city center, adjacent to the ring road, and there was a subway station at the entrance of the community, making the location very convenient.

The villa area was not large, and the house types were not big either. They were basically three-story small villas of over two hundred square meters, each with a small courtyard of about forty square meters.

Members of the Ye family's branch in Shudu had been out looking for houses since early this morning. One of the business managers chose this community, found several real estate agencies, and made a list of the dozen or so houses listed for sale in the community to view them all at once.

Since the community had only been delivered for three or four years, most of the houses here were relatively new, and there were even unfinished houses that had been bought but never renovated.

After the business manager screened all the listings, he found that one villa listed for sale was the most suitable.

The previous owner had moved in for less than two years. The renovation was very new, and the appliances and furniture were very complete. Because he needed funds for business turnover, he listed it for urgent sale, requiring a full cash transaction as quickly as possible.

Coincidentally, when the previous owner bought into this community, he also bought a commercial storefront of nearly one hundred square meters at the street-level shops at the entrance. Because he was in a hurry to cash out, after the original tenant's lease expired last month, the previous owner did not renew it but left the shop vacant, wanting to sell it as soon as possible.

The shop happened to be on the road from the community to the subway, with high foot traffic, making it perfect for opening a small supermarket or convenience store.

Since the house was move-in ready and the renovation was of a high standard, and the owner happened to have a shop for sale, Chen Zekai's subordinates bought the house and the shop at the entrance in full, in the name of the Shudu branch.

The previous owner did not expect to meet such a straightforward client who paid in full in one go without waiting for bank loans. For someone like him who was in a hurry to cash out, this was simply the best client, so he made many concessions on the price, and the overall cost-performance ratio was very high.

When Chen Zekai arrived at the entrance of the community, he first parked the car in front of the shop that had been bought. Seeing the four get out of the car, two young men immediately stepped out of a Mercedes-Benz business van at the entrance. The two walked quickly to Chen Zekai, and one of them said respectfully: "Hello, Mr. Chen, I am the General Manager of the Shudu Bai Jinhangong, my surname is Li, and my name is Li Haobin!"

The other also said respectfully: "Hello, Mr. Chen, I am the Business Manager of the Shudu Bai Jinhangong, my surname is Wang, and my name is Wang Yimin."

Ever since Ye Chen became the head of the Ye family, Chen Zekai had been the person in charge of Buckingham Palaces worldwide and the direct superior of all local Buckingham Palaces. Although the General Manager of the Shudu Bai Jinhangong had never met Ye Chen, he knew that Chen Zekai was his direct superior, so he was naturally extremely respectful.

Chen Zekai nodded slightly and glanced at Ye Chen. Seeing Ye Chen shake his head slightly, he knew that Ye Chen did not want to reveal his identity, so he asked Li Haobin: "Manager Li, take us to see the shop we bought first."

Li Haobin pointed to the locked shop behind him and introduced: "Mr. Chen, this is the shop we bought today. I inquired about it; it used to be a convenience store, and business was very good. However, because the owner was in a hurry to cash out, he did not renew the lease with them, and it has now been vacated."

Chen Zekai nodded and said: "Take us to see it."

Li Haobin said respectfully: "Please, Mr. Chen."

As he spoke, he hurried forward two steps, opened the shop door, and turned on all the lights inside.

Because the shop had been vacated a month ago, and the original owner had specially hired someone to clean and repaint it to get a good price, it looked bright and spacious. In this location, whether for catering or retail, it was a very good choice.

Ye Chen went in and took a look around, and he was very satisfied with the shop. For such a shop, the monthly rent would not be less than twenty thousand yuan. Even if Old Mrs. Jiang and her son did nothing but rent it out, the rental income would be enough for the two of them to live on.

Old Mrs. Jiang, who was on the side, was also surprised. She had originally thought that the small shop Ye Chen mentioned would be about twenty or thirty square meters, just enough for a small kiosk. She did not expect it to be nearly one hundred square meters. The unit price of such a shop would be at least thirty to fifty thousand yuan per square meter or even higher, so it would cost several million to buy.

Thinking that Ye Chen wanted to give this shop to her and her son, Old Mrs. Jiang could not help but feel a little nervous. In her view, this shop was indeed too valuable, and she could not afford to accept it.

At this moment, her son had not realized that this shop was about to belong to him and his mother, and just couldn't help but exclaim: "Mom, this place is really spacious!"

Ye Chen nodded and said: "It is indeed spacious, suitable for a medium-sized supermarket. There are many residences nearby, and it is close to the subway, so the future foot traffic will definitely not be bad. Just selling cigarettes and water alone will probably be a considerable income. If you open online delivery, business will likely be even better. If you work hard, making a profit of thirty to fifty thousand a month should be easy."

Old Mrs. Jiang's son asked with a smile: "Is this shop yours?"

Ye Chen shook his head: "No."

After saying this, he looked at Old Mrs. Jiang and asked: "Grandma Jiang, are you satisfied?"

Old Mrs. Jiang said nervously: "Benefactor... this... isn't this too expensive..."

Ye Chen lowered his voice and said with a smile: "If you compare it to the value of the Rejuvenating Pill or the Phoenix Bone Vine, this is not even one ten-thousandth of it. To tell you the truth, as long as I am willing to sell, even if I offered ten thousand shops in exchange for one Rejuvenating Pill, there would be plenty of people scrambling to beg me. But for me, the value of the Rejuvenating Pill is not as precious as the Phoenix Bone Vine bracelet you gave me. So, don't feel any pressure in your heart about me giving you these things; just consider it as me making up the price difference for the bracelet. With such a shop, if you manage it well, it can support three generations. You and your son can just work steadily; you will definitely be on the right track within three months."

Old Mrs. Jiang knew that Ye Chen was her benefactor. Regardless of the value of the Phoenix Bone Vine, the fact that he saved her and her son's lives was already something that no amount of money could measure.

However, she also understood the meaning of Ye Chen's words, knowing that Ye Chen did not want her to dwell too much on the value of the shop and hoped that she could accept it with peace of mind.

She also knew very well that all of this, just like when her ancestor was saved by Old Ancestor Meng, was something she should be grateful for. Although she felt grateful and ashamed toward Ye Chen, at this time, her best choice was actually to follow Ye Chen's arrangements, just as her ancestor followed Old Ancestor Meng's arrangements back then.

Therefore, she said no more, only saying with endless gratitude: "Thank you, benefactor! Thank you!"

Ye Chen smiled calmly and added: "Alright, Grandma Jiang, let's go see the house you will live in from now on."

After saying this, he gave Chen Zekai a wink, and Chen Zekai said to the two men: "Alright, you chose this shop well, and your efficiency is also good. Go collect three months' salary as a bonus later!"

The two were pleasantly surprised and hurriedly wanted to thank him, but Chen Zekai waved his hand to interrupt and said: "Let's go, take us to see the villa."

The villa chosen by the two was only three or four hundred meters away from the shop on foot. Because the payment was made quickly today, the previous owner didn't even eat lunch and began directing the moving company to move. Chen Zekai's two subordinates also did things very reliably. While the moving company packed the previous owner's things, they directed several cleaners to follow closely and start cleaning.

In addition, they also arranged for staff to purchase a batch of very exquisite daily necessities. Not only were daily items like pillows, quilts, toothpaste, and towels bought neatly, but even pots, pans, rice, oil, and salt were all fully prepared.

When Ye Chen and Chen Zekai first entered the villa, their first impression was that it was a model home left by the developer; it was perfect in every aspect.

This three-story villa equipped with a home elevator left Old Mrs. Jiang speechless with surprise.

She truly did not expect that the house Ye Chen said he would arrange for her would be a villa with luxurious decoration and cleanliness.

Ye Chen took her on a tour. While no one was around, he whispered to the old lady: "Grandma Jiang, from now on, you live on the first floor and let your son live on the third floor. With such a house and that shop outside, as long as you manage it well, your son will definitely become a hot commodity in the matchmaking market. It will be easy for him to get married within a year or two. If he gets married, the couple can live on the third floor. You will be separated by the second floor, so you won't disturb each other. If he has children in the future and the children need their own space, let the children live on the second floor. There are four bedrooms in total, which is enough for two children. In this way, you won't have to worry about the Jiang family's lineage anymore."

Old Mrs. Jiang also knew that with these material foundations, it would be no problem for her son to find a wife and have two children. His fate had been elevated by several levels, and his future life path would be much smoother.

Thinking of this, her eyes turned red, and she said: "Benefactor... I really don't know how to thank you..."

Ye Chen smiled: "No need to say thanks. If I have time in the future, I will come to see you again. If I am busy, I will arrange for people to come and take care of you often. My family also has some industries and manpower here. If there is anything, they can take care of it."

As he spoke, Ye Chen added: "I will have them help arrange the supermarket business. As for the property rights of the shop and the villa, let them take you to the Real Estate Management Bureau tomorrow to complete the transfer. However, I will have them take you to get a bank card and a mobile phone card locally tomorrow. Although the house and shop are settled, you still need to be prepared for daily expenses. After the card is handled, I will have someone deposit one million in cash into your card. The reason I don't give you too much money is that I am worried that too much money will bring trouble. However, if you have any difficulties, whether it is trouble, financial tension, illness, or an unfilial daughter-in-law, you can tell me immediately. I will definitely not sit idly by."

Old Mrs. Jiang said with some trepidation: "Benefactor, you have already done so much for us, how can I take your money..."

Ye Chen smiled: "Grandma Jiang, you don't need to worry; just listen to my arrangements."