Chapter 29.1 Ye Family House No. 444 02
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Shen City stood as a bustling metropolis, rivaling even the capital city. As they stepped out of the airport, they received word that Su Li, the supervisor of Ziyang Palace, had dispatched her senior disciple to welcome them.
Mao Xiaoli: “I’ve heard Ziyang Palace enjoys great popularity and admiration from female worshippers in Shen City. It’s not easy to secure an audience with Supervisor Su.”
Chen Yang: “What are you trying to say?”
“Do you ever wonder what kind of vehicle Supervisor Su will send to fetch us?” Mao Xiaoli, leading the way with a suitcase in tow, walked backward. “Aren’t you even the least bit curious?”
Zhang Qiudao, having indulged in the luxuries of first-class travel and worldly experiences, disclosed, “It will be an SUV.”
“A splendid luxury car,” Kou Xuanling, who had witnessed the grandeur of the world, remarked confidently. “Considering the esteemed reputation of Ziyang Palace in Shen City, they can surely afford the expenses of a luxury vehicle without compromising their prestige.”
Mao Xiaoli: “What does this have to do with reputation?”
Kou Xuanling: “You don’t understand, do you?”
“Stop keeping us in suspense and tell us already,” Mao Xiaoli impatiently urged, always eager to speed things up.
“When two sects interact, especially when receiving members from another sect, they make a considerable effort to maintain a superficial glory. It’s about saving face. In the past, when I came to Shen City to collaborate with the Master of Baiyun Temple, do you know what kind of vehicle they sent to pick me up?”
Everyone shook their heads. Kou Xuanling raised his hand and made a gesture. “Bentley. That’s a figure in the tens of millions.”
Wow!
Chen Yang and the others were amazed. The most they could get from taking an order was just over ten million. For them, a single car costs tens of millions, an extravagance beyond measure.
“That’s nothing,” Kou Xuanling waved it off nonchalantly, “When people from Baiyun Temple visit our head office, we have several luxury cars worth tens of millions in a convoy. And let me tell you, the next time I go there, their luxury cars have upgraded. That’s what it means to save face. If you lose, you lose your dignity.”
Zhang Qiudao and Mao Xiaoli looked excitedly at Chen Yang. “Brother Chen, ask what kind of vehicle Supervisor Su has sent?”
Chen Yang calmly gestured for them to be quiet. Then he asked Supervisor Su, “We have three people. Will the vehicle have enough space? Can it accommodate seven or eight people? Oh, I see. Good.”
After expressing his gratitude and inquiring about the distinguishing features of Supervisor Su’s senior disciple, Chen Yang ended the call and turned to Kou Xuanling. “There are seven or eight available seats, but what kind of vehicle is it?”
Kou Xuanling: “It’s a Lincoln limousine.”
The three of them knew that a Lincoln limousine was the epitome of luxury cars, so they eagerly anticipated its arrival as they stepped out of the airport. Spotting a tall and beautiful girl waving at them, they approached and introduced themselves to each other.
As they drew closer, they noticed that the girl was even more stunning, almost as tall as Zhang Qiudao. She wore flat shoes and sunglasses, with light makeup and red lips, exuding a captivating and elegant aura. She introduced herself, “I’m Hu Yingnan, the senior disciple of Ziyang Palace.”
“Chen Yang, Manager of the Dafu Branch Office.” Chen Yang also introduced the other three behind him to Hu Yingnan one by one.
Hu Yingnan nodded and said, “My master sent me to pick you up and take you to a hotel near Ziyang Palace. The palace doesn’t accommodate male guests, but there’s a devout follower who runs a hotel nearby. The environment is quite nice, and you can stay there.”
Chen Yang expressed his gratitude. Zhang Qiudao and Mao Xiaoli eagerly followed Hu Yingnan, and then they all saw a big bus parked in front of them. They came to a sudden halt, staring at the yellow bus with air conditioning in silence.
Hu Yingnan turned back and asked, “Aren’t you getting on?”
“……”
Chen Yang and the other two turned their heads simultaneously, looking at Kou Xuanling. Where was the luxury car?
Kou Xuanling’s values had undergone a tremendous shock, leaving him in a state of reevaluation, unable to provide an answer.
After the three of them boarded the bus, they waited in place for a while. Hu Yingnan had rented two buses and was also recruiting customers. It wasn’t until the buses were full that she instructed the driver to start the journey. Hu Yingnan turned to Chen Yang, who was sitting at the back, and said, “The first principle our master taught us is to make the most of everything.”
Chen Yang silently nodded. Never before had he heard someone speak so refreshingly about being frugal.
Because they had other passengers on board, the bus took a longer route, taking more time than if they had taken public transportation directly. Surprisingly, the driver had no complaints. Upon inquiring, they learned that both the driver and his bus company had received favors from Ziyang Palace. Furthermore, Hu Yingnan would still share half of the money earned from carrying passengers with the driver and donate the other half.
Hu Yingnan: “Make the most of everything, there’s always something to gain. And when you gain, make the most of it, to the best of your ability. But you shouldn’t build your generosity on the suffering of others. In other words, don’t take advantage of others’ generosity.”
At this point, Chen Yang and the others had a favorable impression of both Hu Yingnan and Ziyang Palace. Mao Xiaoli even affectionately called Hu Yingnan “Sister Hu.” She had a sweet tongue and would refer to people she admired and respected as “brother” or “sister.”
Shen City had many Daoist temples, mainly divided into the two major Taoist sects of Zhengyi and Quanzhen. Ziyang Palace was one of the main Quanzhen Daoist temples, specifically known for its female practitioners, commonly known as “Daoist nuns.”
Initially, the four of them had no expectations for the hotel mentioned by Supervisor Su, assuming it would be decent. However, it turned out to exceed their imagination. It was a distinctive boutique hotel that was quite famous even in Shen City, with a barbecue area in the courtyard.
Chen Yang said to them, “We’ll have a barbecue tonight, and I’ll do the grilling. You guys prepare the ingredients.”
Mao Xiaoli and the others had tasted Chen Yang’s culinary skills before, so they immediately cheered. Chen Yang also invited Hu Yingnan to join the barbecue dinner, paused for a few seconds, and asked, “Daoist Hu, do you eat meat?”
Hu Yingnan: “Drinking alcohol is not a problem for me. I’m just a converted disciple, a lay practitioner, without any precepts. There’s no need to abstain from meat and fish.”
The Quanzhen Sect, although not predominantly composed of fire-worshipping Daoist priests like the Zhengyi Sect, allowed its members to marry and have children. In reality, the sects had two categories: monastic disciples who received ordination, and lay disciples who lived at home. The lay disciples, while taking refuge in the Daoist tradition, were not required to reside in temples and could practice their beliefs at home. Consequently, they were still permitted to marry, have children, and were not obligated to abstain from meat.
“Alright, let’s do it together tonight.”
Hu Yingnan nodded and readily agreed, giving them directions to where they could buy affordable barbecue equipment and find fresh and delicious ingredients. It conveniently solved Mao Xiaoli and the others’ dilemma.
Afterwards, each person found a room to settle in and placed their luggage. Chen Yang stayed in his room to organize his belongings. He brought a large suitcase containing his and Du Shuo’s clothes and personal items.
Du Shuo found the inn based on the information provided by Chen Yang. Just as he was about to step inside, a group of people hurriedly passed by him and entered the inn before him.
These individuals were dressed in green robes and wore black overcoats with hoods. They covered themselves completely, not revealing any trace of skin. They even wore large and peculiar bronze masks on their faces. Despite their strange attire, they didn’t attract any attention from passersby. It was as if they were naturally dressed this way, appearing entirely ordinary.
Du Shuo stood in place, observing them for a while, then continued walking towards Chen Yang’s room inside the courtyard. The group of strangely dressed people quickly booked rooms without negotiating the price. They hastily threw down money, took the keys, and left. Among them, the apparent leader suddenly turned back and looked towards the spot where Du Shuo had been standing, his gaze filled with reverence and curiosity.
“Great Master, what are you looking at?”
“Nothing,” the man turned around, “Let’s go.”
As they left, it was as if a gentle breeze had passed over the surface of the lake, barely causing a ripple that quickly returned to calm, leaving almost no trace. The innkeeper lowered her head to check the records and discovered reservations for three additional rooms, which surprised her as she had no memory of it. She checked the day’s accounts and the money matched up. So, she put her mind at ease and thought she would investigate later. However, before long, she forgot about it.
Du Shuo knocked on the door, and Chen Yang opened it, pulling him inside. After closing the door, Chen Yang said, “Come try this on. I found a shirt that I liked.”
Chen Yang unfolded a black T-shirt with a thin white line resembling a dolphin on the chest, and the dolphin’s snout had two small letters embroidered on it: lo.
The T-shirt was quite fancy, definitely not the style Du Shuo would wear. He never even wore T-shirts, even in the height of summer. He always dressed in long-sleeved shirts and pants, appearing very composed. When Chen Yang used to sew clothes for him, he always made them in the style of traditional Chinese clothing. Even the clothes Chen Yang picked for him leaned towards a mature and dignified look. Du Shuo would never wear something as flamboyant as this.
Du Shuo looked up and saw Chen Yang’s sparkling eyes filled with anticipation. The refusal that was about to come out of his mouth turned into, “I’ll go change.”
Chen Yang handed him the T-shirt, assuring him, “I washed it before coming, so it’s not dirty.”
Du Shuo changed into the T-shirt, and it fit him perfectly. Chen Yang was familiar with his clothing size and wouldn’t make a mistake. After changing the top, it naturally called for changing the pants as well. Chen Yang took out a pair of pants and handed them to Du Shuo, who couldn’t find any words to object. Chen Yang then pleaded with a few words, holding onto Du Shuo’s waist, and the latter immediately gave in.
After Du Shuo had changed into the stylish and youthful attire, he appeared several years younger. His handsome face and tall figure were on par with the hottest celebrities, and although his dignified demeanor hadn’t diminished in the slightest, he seemed to attract even more attention.
Chen Yang happily picked up the clothes and went to change as well. He wore the same T-shirt as Du Shuo, but in white. On the chest, there was a black dolphin with two small letters embroidered on its snout: ve.
Du Shuo didn’t react to both of them wearing matching clothes until they walked out of the room and encountered Mao Xiaoli. Mao Xiaoli stared at their tops for a while before exclaiming, “Couple shirts, how romantic!”
Chen Yang looked up and met Du Shuo’s teasing eyes with a smile. “So, Yangyang, you planned for us to wear couple shirts all along. How long have you been plotting this?”
“There was no plotting. I just saw it and thought it looked nice, so I bought them.”
“My Yangyang claims there’s no plotting… Did Yangyang only pick out one set?”
“…Not too many, around four or five sets. Change one set every day, like changing clothes.” Chen Yang grabbed Du Shuo’s arm, as if meaning to say, “If you don’t wear them,” he would bite down. “You have to wear them with me. When we go out, everyone will know that we are a couple.”
Du Shuo was quite satisfied with the final statement, but he still chuckled and said, “I’ll wear them with you for these few days, but please don’t buy these fancy clothes in the future.”
Chen Yang smiled and replied, “Understood.” However, deep down, he thought, “We’ll see about that later.” On the surface, he agreed, but when it came to clothes he likes, he’d buy them anyway. He had tried to coax Du Shuo into wearing younger-looking clothes before, but he had always refused.
Du Shuo claimed they were too fancy! Even a simple brown coat, with a few additional decorative pockets and zippers, was deemed fancy and unattractive. The old man was so traditional and stubborn, refusing to wear it. The clothes Chen Yang bought ended up hanging at home, never worn even once. The colors were always black or gray, occasionally white, and the styles had to be the simplest, with long sleeves.
Ugly. Every time Chen Yang saw it, he couldn’t help but criticize, even though Du Shuo was a clothes hanger and could pull off any outfit, he still found fault with Du Shuo’s clothes. In his heart, he secretly plotted something else. This trip was a perfect opportunity to wear matching outfits. If Du Shuo refused, he would bite him!
Du Shuo pinched the back of Chen Yang’s neck and leaned down. “Your eyes are darting around so quickly, what are you plotting?”
“What sauce should we use for the barbecue tonight?” Chen Yang replied without changing his expression.
Du Shuo: “You little schemer.”
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They’re so cite together asdfghj
Thanks for the translation! Have a good day “))