Collecting is no longer moving, inner strength is full of face...

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  Alright, I've never seen the big world, haven't eaten pork but have at least seen pigs run, the Suzhou gardens on TV are way more beautiful than this... Lin Luoran tried to convince herself like that, but as soon as she thought that this was the house she came to see and might even buy it, she immediately surrendered to the beauty in front of her.

  In the backyard, a small ring-shaped island was dug out and a wooden bridge was built. In the center of the island stood two small bamboo houses, surrounded by a circle of emerald green bamboo. A stone path led from the corner gate to the wooden bridge, with half-person-high camellias on both sides of the path. Along the wall, a grape arbor was set up, and many bamboo poles were placed, seemingly for growing vegetables like hyacinth beans and calabazas.

  On the left side of the backyard, there is a delicate embroidery building, and going upstairs can overlook the street scene. The carved beams and painted buildings are exquisite, and small copper bells hang from the eaves, ringing in the wind, which is indescribably beautiful.

  In the empty space between the wall and the small pond, the owner has planted vegetables. In winter, they can harvest a lot of Chinese cabbage, with several rows of it.

  It's both bamboo and vegetables, elegant and vulgar mixed together, with a strong sense of ancient rural mansions. The problem is, it's the 21st century now, R City is also a metropolis of steel and concrete, but there's such a place on the second ring road, isn't this too weird?

  "Wang sister, this house... how much does it cost?" Lin Luoran swallowed a mouthful of saliva in a very unladylike manner. She estimated that there was less than five million left, and even these wooden houses couldn't be bought with that amount, let alone the two acres of land in front and behind.

  Lin Luoran still remembers that the year she graduated, her school sold an old campus inside the 1st Ring Road for about 8 million yuan per mu. Now, the land price within the 2nd Ring Road is probably as high as that of the 1st Ring Road a few years ago.

  Wang Miao'e shook her head and pointed to the vegetable field: "You should ask the master about this."

  Lin Luoran and Baojia then saw a figure hiding in the mountain tea branches, hearing Wang's words standing up, others saw him - an old man with a grass hat, white hair and beard, red face.

  Wang Miaoyao transformed into a rarely seen delicate and lovely woman, rushing up to shout "Uncle Jia".

  Lin Luoran saw the old man rushing towards her with a straight smile, and she scratched her head and called out "Master Jia", suddenly shocking everyone, even Wang Miaoyu was stunned.

  "Do you know Uncle Jia?"

  Mr. Jia nodded, "This is a new apprentice I've just taken in."

  Wang Miao'e was shocked, her family and Old Master Jia had been friends for generations. She had known about the old master's true abilities since she was a child. When she and Cui Pangzi first got together, she even brought Cui to meet the old master, hoping he would take him under his wing. The Wang family elders naturally agreed halfway.

  Of course, Cui Pangzi didn't have the qualifications, but he still wouldn't give up, speaking wildly and asking Old Master to take a big stick and beat him out personally.

  Past events are always beautiful, Wang Miao thought back to the past and couldn't help but smile from ear to ear, "This is like a flood sweeping away the Dragon King Temple, sister, we actually had this kind of relationship, it's true that we have a predestined bond as sisters!"

  Mr. Jia bowed and invited the three of them to a small bamboo house on the island, where there were bamboo tables, chairs, and stools, which turned out to be a small tea room.

  Bao Jia had always been used to a rough and tumble life, but now he was subdued by the elegant and refined old gentleman and the beautiful bamboo building, his every move becoming more graceful.

  Lin Luoran's face turned red: "Master Jia, I didn't know this was your house..." It was her first time visiting Master Jia's home, and she had come empty-handed, which made her feel very embarrassed.

  Mr. Jia seemed to see through her thoughts, and while pouring tea for the three of them, he replied calmly: "This is not a problem, you don't have to be too polite, I still understand your character quite well. To say nothing of the past, just that ginseng plant, you were able to take it out and give it to this half-way master, how could you be a petty person?"

  Lin Luoran's face turned even redder, and she muttered: "Sister Wang didn't say it was this kind of house before, I really can't afford to buy Master Jia's mansion..." She was also afraid that the old man would really wait for the money to be used, hoping that the greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment. It's better to make things clear first, and for now, she really couldn't afford this mansion.

  Mr. Jia smiled wryly: "How much money do you have now?"

  "Less than five million... *cough*... I guess I can only afford a wooden house here."

  Jia Shifu asked Lin Luoran about her work and family situation, and didn't laugh at her for being overambitious. When he heard that she wanted to buy a ground floor apartment with a garden because she was worried that her parents would be bored in their old age, he felt a bit more sympathetic towards her.

  The family is not very wealthy, with assets of only five million, yet they can afford to give their Tai Chi master, whom they've known for less than half a month, ginseng worth over 500,000. They are also good to their parents; apart from being purely filial, there's no other explanation.

  "This house, I've already entrusted Miao'e to sell it on my behalf. Originally, the price was 30 million, but since you're interested, 20 million is also acceptable... Don't rush to refuse for now, you can pay 5 million as a down payment first, and I'm not in a hurry to use the money. You can slowly pay the remaining amount to Su'e later."

  Although 200 million is a sky-high price for ordinary people, Lin Luo knew that the land alone could be sold at this price here, not to mention Mr. Jia's painstaking efforts on this mansion and those buildings that seemed to be antiques.

  Baojia almost spat out her tea, not because she thought the price was too expensive, but because with just one word "master", it could be 10 million cheaper. Such a good thing, why didn't she encounter it?

  The problem is, she knows that Lin Luo Ran doesn't have so much money, does he want to go gamble again? Although her good friend has become a bit mysterious recently, can he really be lucky every time... Bao Jia was also made anxious by this house.

  "Master Jia, you're not in a hurry to use the money, why sell such a good house?" This elegant old mansion was originally the most suitable place for retirement. Lin Luoran feared that the old man had some bitter intention, so he asked this question.

  "Don't worry about this, I've long had the intention to move out and live with a few old friends. This house is one of our ancestors' private properties, it's better to sell it to someone who will cherish it rather than leaving it to my children."

  Mr. Jia looked at Lin Luo and saw that she was deep in thought, so he didn't urge her on. He glanced at the time and stroked his white beard, saying: "The time is almost right, since you've come, I'll let you taste my culinary skills."

  Mr. Jia wanted to cook for the three young ladies himself, and even the usually brave Wang Miao'e couldn't help but feel anxious, hastily exchanging glances with Lin Luoran.

  Lin Luoran said that as a disciple, she couldn't let her master work hard, and Mr. Jia nodded in agreement to let her go help out.

  Unlike Qin Shuai who loves to eat large bowls of meat, Mr. Jia's diet seems to have the effect of nourishing his life.

  For example, this "Cloud and Mist Fragrant Ball", when you first hear it, you don't know what to eat, but it's actually made with freshly selected white and tender shrimp meat, with a good texture and even grains. The shrimp is first soaked in water seasoned with scallions and ginger for two hours to remove the fishy smell and add the flavor of scallions and ginger.

  After two hours, pick it up and chop it with a few slices of fat, soak the Zhongshan Yunwu tea to make it soft, mix it with shrimp paste, then stir-fry it with pine nuts until it's cooked. It also needs to be paired with tomato sauce for eating. Just looking at it gives people a sense of tranquility, subtlety and elegance, not to mention after eating it.

  The three of them didn't come out of Jia's residence until afternoon.

  Baojia rubbed her belly, and the bamboo shoots with fire-roasted ham on the table just now were very much to her taste. She heard Old Master say that they were produced from the bamboo in their backyard.

  "Xiao Ran, this house is too comfortable to stay in, why don't we just buy it?"

  Lin Luo Ran looked at the camphor tree that had grown out of the wall, the green bricks and black tiles, and the red pillars. It was really a heart-moving house, I wonder if Lin Dad and Lin Mom would like it too? The backyard is so big, and Little Rascal also has a place to play...

  Do I really have to buy it?