Chapter 494 The Decadent Old House
Wan Qiqi did not express her opinion.
She made arrangements for the restaurant, instructing Xiao Liu to keep a close eye on things, and then left with the three of them.
The rain kept falling, which made business bad for many restaurants, including those catering to customers from all directions.
"Boss Pei, what brings you here?" Manager He took Pei Shi'an's umbrella, led him inside, and had the prepared ginger tea brought upstairs.
Before entering, Pei Shi'an glanced at Xinglong Restaurant and followed Manager He to the third floor, replying, "I came to check on the restaurant's situation."
"Everything is fine at the restaurant, but business isn't as good as in other towns. However, we haven't lost money lately..." Manager He followed Pei Shi'an and told him about the recent events at the restaurant, including the current situation of Xinglong Restaurant.
"Since the last incident, Xinglong Restaurant has been doing well and hasn't introduced any new dishes. However, it seems that the two owners are often not at the restaurant and their whereabouts are unknown."
Pei Shi'an paused, glanced at Manager He, and said, "Just have someone keep an eye on things, but don't make any rash moves. If anything happens to the restaurant again, don't blame me for turning my back on you!"
Thinking back to what happened last time, a fire ignited within me.
But his attitude towards Wan Qiqi has also changed.
If this kind of person were a man, he would definitely succeed in business.
Unfortunately, even if women are good at business, they cannot do everything with the same ease as men.
Even with her brilliant mind, it was all in vain under absolute rule.
However, the existence of such a rival excited Pei Shi'an, who wanted to compete with him in the restaurant business.
Manager He, unaware of his master's thoughts, simply replied, "Alright, we've been keeping an eye on things. That female manager seems to be up to something lately, constantly searching for something on the street."
"Just have someone keep an eye on them and report back immediately!" Pei Shi'an said.
"yes!"
After Manager Zhu acknowledged the order, he immediately sent someone to follow Wan Qiqi's carriage.
The carriage was something Wan Qiqi had prepared recently for rainy days, and it would also be convenient for Wu Gousheng to pick up the children on rainy days.
She knew how uncomfortable it was to catch a cold, so she didn't want her child to suffer like that.
She had a lot of money on hand, but there were many places to spend it, and the amount of money needed was also considerable, so she needed to calculate carefully.
But this also means that one must be good at calculations when it comes to children.
In her view, as long as money is spent in a reasonable way, it is an investment, and sooner or later it will be earned back tenfold or a hundredfold.
While ancient horse-drawn carriages were comfortable, they could never compare to the comfort of modern cars.
When the carriage stopped at the old house, Wan Qiqi almost vomited.
Chen Yongliang's complexion wasn't much better.
Only Wu Gousheng, who was rushing to catch the carriage, and Chen Yongnian, who was riding in the carriage, remained calm and unaffected.
Chen Yongnian reached over Wan Qiqi's shoulder and pulled her into his arms to protect her from the rain.
He himself was exposed to the rain for half a month.
It was already a bit damp after a short while, but he didn't care at all. He lowered his head and said gently, "Let's go in and take a look. If it's suitable, then we'll stay here ourselves and look for another place."
"We own so many houses, I don't know how much tax we'll have to pay." Wan Qiqi felt a headache coming on at the thought of having an extra house under her name and an extra tax.
Although restaurants have to pay taxes, the more taxes they pay, the more money they make.
But when it came to houses and land, she felt it was a loss and didn't want to pay so much tax.
"That's a bit much." Chen Yongnian nodded in agreement, then added, "I'll try to expedite the process so we can be exempted from all taxes!"
In ancient times, officials did not need to pay these various taxes; they could simply enjoy the profits from the land. This is why some people would take the imperial examinations in hopes of becoming officials.
Officials can not only be exempt from all taxes under their own name, but also exempt ten members of their family from corvée labor and taxes. This is a right that everyone dreams of.
However, the path to officialdom is arduous, and only a small number of people can enter the court.
Even if one enters the court, it's not so easy to maintain one's position; stumbling and falling are common occurrences.
Wan Qiqi turned her head to look at Chen Yongnian, shook her head and said, "I earn more, so I'm not worried about that. Stability is the most important thing. Besides, my second brother is already firmly established in his official career, so he will definitely consider me first. Therefore, it's not a problem for him to register more under my name!"
Her eyes curved into a smile, like a blooming white lotus swaying in the rain, swaying into Chen Yongnian's heart.
"My dear brother and sister-in-law, can we come inside and talk? Don't stand here in the rain." Chen Yongliang squatted at the gate, tilting his head to look at the two people still standing in the rain, and said helplessly, "Sister-in-law, my shoulders are all wet!"
Wan Qiqi then realized this, grabbed Chen Yongnian's wrist, quickly walked to the eaves in front of the gate, took out the key, opened the old lock, and tore off the seal.
At this moment, this house truly belonged to Wan Qiqi.
I don't know how long the house has been empty, but when I pushed the door open, it made a creaking sound.
Wan Qiqi's hands, which had touched the lock, also smelled of rust, which was rather unpleasant. She tried to wipe them off for a long time but couldn't get the smell out.
At this moment, Chen Yongliang and Wu Gousheng had already entered the house.
The house wasn't large, with its own yard of about fifty square meters, overgrown with weeds and its original appearance was no longer recognizable.
Next to the main gate is the rear building, which was originally intended for the servants by the owner of the house.
Behind the entrance is a covered walkway that connects the east and west wing rooms, and around the corner connects the east and west side rooms. The main house of the residence stands in the middle.
This house, even if it were a large family's residence, would only be the tip of the iceberg; even the courtyard is that big.
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