Chapter 200: Homestead
Lu Jingyao immediately noticed the change in Xu Youyou’s expression and asked, “Are you feeling unwell?”
He was worried that she might have been frozen by the snow and ice.
Xu Youyou shook her head lightly. “I need to go out for a bit.”
Lu Jingyao glanced around at the vast expanse of white and clearly remembered that Xu Youyou had not received any phone calls, nor had anyone come looking for her.
Such a sudden decision seemed to have only one explanation—it was made on a whim.
Still, something felt off to Lu Jingyao. Although the snowfall had stopped, the thick layer of snow on the roads made driving unwise. Given Xu Youyou’s usual prudence and caution, she wasn’t someone who would procrastinate until bad weather forced her to act.
Xu Youyou didn’t give Lu Jingyao much time to think. She had already called for Xu Fang and two bodyguards to head out with her.
Since the icy roads made driving inconvenient, the system unexpectedly showed some kindness and provided a rough estimate of the distance. Upon learning it was about three kilometers, Xu Youyou decided to walk.
As soon as she stepped outside, Lu Jingyao followed behind her. “The road is slippery in this snow. I’ll go with you.”
Xu Youyou hesitated for a moment. When she went out hunting for hidden treasures, she often kept it a secret—even from Xu Fang and the others. She disliked bringing unnecessary people along. Last time, He Zhiting had asked to come with her, and she had refused.
But this time, the one asking was Lu Jingyao.
“Alright,” she agreed before she could even think it through.
Lu Jingyao’s face lit up with visible joy. He didn’t know what Xu Youyou was going to do or whether it was right or wrong, but just being by her side seemed to be enough to make him happy.
Lu Jingyao’s entourage was quite large as well, and when combined with Xu Youyou’s people, their group looked quite imposing.
Walking side by side at the front, Xu Youyou and Lu Jingyao exited the orphanage gates and followed the road ahead.
The orphanage was in a remote location near the mountains, at a relatively high elevation. As a result, the first half of their journey was entirely downhill.
The snowy road was slippery, and Lu Jingyao never took his eyes off Xu Youyou, worried that she might lose her footing.
“Slow down, slow down,” Lu Jingyao urged, his heart nearly jumping into his throat when he saw Xu Youyou looking like she was about to slide down the slope for fun.
He never thought he could be this nagging, but he found himself wanting to warn her of every possible danger, afraid that one careless step might lead to an accident.
Meanwhile, Xu Youyou kept glancing at the flashing system notifications. She was anxious, unsure of what exactly she was about to “snatch up at a bargain price.” She feared that if she was too late, someone else might take it first.
But when she saw the concern in Lu Jingyao’s eyes, she inexplicably slowed her pace.
Xu Youyou’s bodyguards were used to their boss’s unpredictable actions. However, Lu Jingyao’s assistant Liu and his two bodyguards looked puzzled about their uncertain destination.
Unable to contain his curiosity, Liu asked, “Miss Xu, where exactly are we going? If it’s something simple, we could handle it for you—there’s no need for you to go through all this trouble.”
Liu’s suggestion was partly out of concern for Lu Jingyao, knowing he would be distressed if Xu Youyou got hurt, and partly out of worry that an accident might occur while they were out.
For people like them, their wealth and livelihoods were tied to Lu Jingyao and Xu Youyou.
If they fell, their bosses would probably classify it as a workplace injury, meaning they wouldn’t lose any pay.
But if Xu Youyou or Lu Jingyao got injured and lost business opportunities, their bonuses would take a real hit.
Xu Youyou shook her head. Since she still didn’t know exactly what the “hidden treasure” was, she couldn’t be too firm in her words. “I’d rather check it out myself.”
Liu groaned inwardly, but since Xu Youyou had spoken, he had no choice but to suppress his concerns and stay alert.
A three-kilometer walk wouldn’t take more than twenty minutes for someone in good shape under normal conditions.
But with the thick snow, the steep downhill slope, and their cautious pace, it took them nearly an hour before Xu Youyou finally stopped.
Their destination was a small village, filled with red-brick, white-walled, two-story self-built homes.
At the village entrance, a sign read “Chengjia Village.” Xu Youyou recognized the name—she had attended elementary school in this very village.
Chengjia Village was about eight kilometers from the city, which wasn’t exactly close. Judging from the single farmhouse-turned-restaurant, it was clear that tourism in the village hadn’t taken off.
Xu Youyou stopped in front of a courtyard and looked inside, spotting an old house with three large main rooms.
The house was in a state of disrepair. Much of the white paint had peeled away, exposing the old yellow clay bricks beneath. Among the well-maintained self-built houses, it stood out as particularly dilapidated.
With snow piling up on its roof, the house looked dangerously unstable, as if it could collapse at any moment.
The courtyard wall had partially crumbled, leaving a large gap big enough for an adult to step through with ease.
“Boss, a wise person does not stand under a dangerous wall. You and Miss Xu should step back a bit—what if the courtyard collapses further?” Liu cautiously reminded Lu Jingyao.
Xu Youyou obediently took a step back, her eyes fixed on the golden indicator of the system, which was pointing straight at the locked old house.
“Sister Xu,” Xu Youyou called.
Xu Fang immediately straightened up and asked, “Boss, what do you need?”
“Find out who owns this house and see if we can buy it,” Xu Youyou instructed.
Xu Fang quickly agreed and headed into the village.
Lu Jingyao gave Liu a glance, and Liu immediately said, “Miss Xu, I have nothing else to do—I’ll go see if I can help Sister Xu.”
Xu Youyou didn’t refuse. Liu was always competent, so she didn’t mind him assisting.
The two assistants entered the village one after the other.
Xu Fang had a clear goal and headed straight to the village committee office. Despite the snowfall and the fact that it was Lunar New Year’s Eve, there were still staff members on duty.
“The old house at the village entrance? That belongs to Cheng Laoshi,” the village chief said. “Cheng Laoshi had two children—his son passed away early, leaving behind a daughter, Qing Yatou. She was raised by her aunt, Cheng Chunhua, so the house was transferred to Cheng Chunhua’s name. She’s married and still living in the village.”
Xu Fang found the family ties a bit convoluted and asked, “Since Qing Yatou and her aunt still live in the village, does that mean no one is living in that house?”
“These days, every family is building two-story houses—they wouldn’t want to stay in an old house. But back in the day, that house was the finest one in the village. Many families dreamed of living there,” the village chief explained.
Xu Fang was curious. “Since everyone’s building new houses, why didn’t they tear down this old house and build a new one? Did they find another homestead to build on?”
