Chapter 99

Chapter 99

Jiang Xingchen never expected to find himself in such a situation.

In front of the buyer, he was clearly a few years older, yet he now felt like the junior, almost wanting to steady himself against the doorframe for fear his legs would give way and he'd lose his composure in front of others.

It must be because the young buyer was far too composed, giving off an air of maturity beyond his years—definitely not because he looked so much like his great-great-granduncle.

The agent had also briefed him on the buyer's background, letting him know the buyer's family was loaded.

After all, he'd been overseas for years and didn't know much about what was going on back home.

But nobody had told him this Mr. Jiang looked like *that*—a dead ringer for his great-great-granduncle!

"I—I'm Jiang Xingchen."

Would a typical young person even like this house?

Jiang Mansion really did look like a classic Republic of China–era building. Houses from that era were influenced by foreign styles, mixing the trendiest styles of the time—French, English, etc.—in both design and materials. The outside still looked classy even by today's standards, but the inside was full of furniture most young people today wouldn't want.

In today's terms, it looked a bit old-fashioned. But with some remodeling, it could easily pass as new Chinese-style furniture.

Jiang Xingchen had figured the buyer would be middle-aged, but the guy was barely in his twenties—clearly younger than him.

Jiang Yicen noticed Jiang Xingchen seemed tense. After seeing him, his expression got weird, and then he even looked away, avoiding eye contact. It felt like he had something to hide.

Could he know that Jiang Yicen was *the* Jiang Yicen from the Republican-era Jiang family?

But that possibility was too unlikely—the thought barely crossed his mind before he dismissed it.

Who would believe something that ridiculous? This was an age of science and materialism.

"Want to sit down and talk? You're the owner—I'd like to know more about this place."

Jiang Xingchen was a bit dazed: "Oh, uh, sure. But I've never actually lived here—what you see is what you get."

In his head, he was thinking about the great-great-granduncle his family had talked about. If he were alive, he might've looked just like this young guy—bookish, refined, with features as elegant as a painting. He was different from the Chinese people he'd met—they were all too modern, but this guy had a unique charm, like a dusty pearl with an old-world vibe.

The house hadn't been lived in for ages, and dust was everywhere. Even the chairs in the study had clear plastic covers on them, so there was nowhere to sit.

The two went back to the front of the house, where the caretaker had set up a patio umbrella and some chairs on the lawn.

Since nobody usually stayed there, there was naturally no tea ready. But the agent had said he'd go grab coffee so the buyer and seller could sit and talk first.

Since the Jiang family was rarely in the country, they left everything to the agency. A sale like this would keep the agency fed for a year, so they had to stay polite to both the owner and the buyer—can't afford to offend either side.

Since the agent still hadn't come back, Jiang Yicen sat down first and studied Jiang Xingchen. This was genuine Jiang family blood. Looking at Jiang Xingchen, he couldn't help but think of his older brother's family—when his sister-in-law had taken the kids out of Lincheng, they'd been so little.

His brother had three kids. The oldest had been fourteen back then, and the youngest just over two. Now they'd be around eighty or ninety—a bit younger than Liu Tan—and they might already be gone.

His sister-in-law had written to him later, saying the family had drifted at sea for a month before reaching America. He'd sent plenty of people to escort her and the others over, and given them a lot of silver to get settled. He'd told her that once things settled down back home, he'd personally go to America to bring them back.

Unfortunately, that wish never came true. He didn't even live to get his sister-in-law's fifth letter, so he never knew what his nephews and nieces looked like all grown up.

Jiang Yicen asked Jiang Xingchen, "I have some ties to the Jiang family. If you don't mind me asking, which branch are you from? Was your great-grandfather Jiang Zichen or Jiang Ziyu?"

Jiang Xingchen was surprised at how much he knew about his family. No wonder he'd been staring at him earlier.

No wonder his last name was Jiang and his name was also Jiang Yicen—so he had some connection to the Jiang family. Maybe he really was a descendant of his great-great-granduncle? It wasn't unheard of for a great-grandson to look like an ancestor; traits could skip generations.

Facing the handsome Jiang Yicen, who had a gentle smile, Jiang Xingchen couldn't put up any guard. He answered whatever was asked, feeling weirdly like he was talking to an elder in his own family—such a strange feeling.

Jiang Xingchen said, "My great-grandfather was Jiang Zichen. My grandfather was Jiang Mengchuan, and my dad was his oldest son."

Jiang Yicen nodded. So he was a descendant of Jiang Zichen. Jiang Zichen was his older brother's oldest son—the one who'd stubbornly refused to get on the ship with his mom, insisting on staying behind to protect the family estate with him. But Jiang Yicen had already made up his mind back then. Afraid the kid wouldn't understand his choice, he'd had him forced onto the ship. The main thing was that staying in the country could get him killed at any moment; at least in America, he'd be safe.

Jiang Xingchen didn't look much like Jiang Zichen, but he did resemble his older brother a bit.

Unlike him, his older brother had gotten their dad's thick eyebrows and big eyes, while he'd taken after their mom, with softer features.

Jiang Xingchen actually looked a lot like his older brother.

Jiang Yicen skillfully steered the conversation, getting info about the Jiang family: "Are your great-grandfather and the others still alive?"

Jiang Xingchen nodded: "My great-grandfather's gone. Of the three siblings, only one great-granduncle is left. Most of my grandfather's generation are still around—our family's pretty big."

Jiang Yicen: "Has anyone come back to China?"

Jiang Xingchen shook his head: "No. The younger generation has all settled down over there. Nobody plans on coming back."

Jiang Yicen finally got the answer he was after: "I see."

They'd grown up there, used to the lifestyle and pace. Their families were all there, and they had no relatives here—no real reason to come back.

Jiang Xingchen: "How do you know about our family? Was your ancestor my great-great-granduncle's brother?"

Jiang Yicen smiled faintly. He was his great-great-granduncle's brother, not his ancestor.

Instead, he asked Jiang Xingchen, "Do you think we look alike?"

Jiang Xingchen took that as Jiang Yicen admitting they were from the same bloodline, totally missing the trap in his words.

"Totally! Our family kept a group photo from the Republican era. My great-great-granduncle looks exactly like you—no wait, *you* look exactly like him. Are you his descendant?"

Jiang Yicen gave him a vague answer: "Then we're family."

Jiang Xingchen's eyes lit up: "So you're my clan cousin! What a coincidence—I never thought I'd run into you the second I got back to the country."

But then another question hit him.

"But this house used to be managed by the Jiang family's caretaker. How come you don't know about it?"

Jiang Yicen shook his head, having to make up an identity: "I don't know either. Maybe I'm a descendant of your great-great-granduncle who got lost from the family. I was adopted—I don't know who my birth parents are."

Jiang Xingchen: "OH MY GOD! You've gotta be a Jiang through and through. My great-great-granduncle once had a fiancée—you're their descendant!"

Jiang Yicen never thought that even after being dead for so many years, he'd still be the subject of rumors started by his older brother's descendants.

This absolutely couldn't get back to Nan Shuyi, or he'd be pissed.

Jiang Yicen: "How'd you find out your great-great-granduncle had a fiancée?"

Jiang Xingchen: "I heard it from the old folks! Unfortunately, he died in battle before he could get married. You've gotta be the family's lost child—otherwise, how could two people in this world look exactly alike? And you don't even know who your parents are."

He'd naturally done his own digging too. The agent couldn't hide the buyer's identity, and info on Nan Shuyi and Jiang Yicen was easy to find. Plus, he had some friends in China.

Jiang Yicen smiled. It seemed that after decades of word-of-mouth, half the info about the Jiang family had been lost, and the descendants had started making up the rest.

Still, it had gotten him closer to Jiang Xingchen.

Jiang Xingchen naturally felt a fondness for Jiang Yicen, perhaps because he had heard stories about his great-great-granduncle since childhood and was quite curious about him.

This was probably what a young master from a prestigious family in the Republic of China era looked like.

Before he realized it, Jiang Xingchen had already come to regard Jiang Yicen as a relative from the same clan and lineage.

Their relationship gradually grew closer through conversation. With the groundwork laid, Jiang Yicen took the opportunity to ask, "May I ask why you want to sell the ancestral home? I feel like the elders in your family still long to return to their homeland."

At the mention of this, Jiang Xingchen's expression turned somewhat uneasy. He hesitated about whether to tell Jiang Yicen the truth.

Jiang Xingchen let out a sigh. They had been chatting so pleasantly just moments ago, but the worry that had been on his face when they first met came back.

"To tell you the truth, my mother is sick and needs a lot of money for treatment. On top of that, our business in the US has taken a big hit from policy changes—we've been losing a lot of money, and our family can't even afford to pay our employees' wages right now. We've scraped together every penny we could, sold whatever properties we could abroad, and even mortgaged the old manor we bought years ago."

In short, they were broke.

Jiang Yicen thought it over and felt that Jiang Xingchen probably wasn't telling the whole truth.

"There's got to be more to it than that, right? Your family's finances should be pretty solid, and you ran a manufacturing business before. It shouldn't have gotten to the point where you have to come back and sell the ancestral home."

Jiang Xingchen coughed awkwardly. At that moment, he remembered what the elders always said: don't air your dirty laundry in public.

He couldn't bring himself to tell Jiang Yicen, a guy he'd just met—it was just too embarrassing.

Just then, the agent came back with the coffee, breaking the awkward silence.

"Hello, gentlemen. I'm Feng Han. I got you both some coffee."

The agent was a friendly guy. After handing them their coffees, he asked Jiang Yicen, "Mr. Jiang, what do you think of the place? Would you like me to walk you through the house again?"

Jiang Yicen said, "No need."

Of the three of them, nobody knew the layout and history of this house better than he did.

Feng Han explained Jiang Xingchen's requirements to Jiang Yicen: "Mr. Jiang Xingchen requires full payment upfront. Is there anything you'd like to discuss about the price?"

Jiang Yicen had gotten a sense of Jiang Xingchen's difficulties, but he still needed to dig deeper into the specifics. The mom's illness and the company's problems were probably real—otherwise, he wouldn't have been so open about them. But he suspected there was another, bigger reason—he just couldn't figure out what it was.

Jiang Yicen said, "The price works for me."

First, it was in line with market value, even a bit below. Second, for him, no matter the price, he'd be willing to pay it as long as he could get the right to buy it.

Nobody knew how much the Jiang residence meant to him.

For Jiang Xingchen and his family, it was the ancestral home. For him, it was his home—he was just buying back his own home, getting a foothold in Lincheng.

Feng Han then asked Jiang Xingchen, "And what about you, Mr. Jiang?"

Jiang Xingchen replied, "No objections here. Let's just sign under the original terms."

Both sides came to an agreement.

Feng Han handed Jiang Yicen the purchase intent contract.

The purchase intent contracts are all issued by the state. Jiang Yicen looked over the terms for a bit, then, with Feng Han's guidance, checked off the conditions they'd agreed on.

Both sides signed the contract right then and there.

Jiang Xingchen's hands were shaking as he signed, but seeing Jiang Yicen's face, his lingering doubts disappeared.

Jiang Yicen wasn't worried about him backing out, but once Jiang Xingchen signed, he felt relieved too.

Feng Han had never seen such a decisive buyer—someone who signed without even haggling over the price once. It was refreshing.

Jiang Yicen told the agent, "Our lawyer will handle the follow-up."

Feng Han said, "Got it. I'll get in touch with your lawyer. There are a lot of people doing property transfers in Lincheng every day, so let me book a time slot for you two right now. When would work for both of you?"

Jiang Xingchen said, "My visa is time-limited, so I need to get this done as soon as possible."

Jiang Yicen said, "I'm good with anything."

Once everything was taken care of, Jiang Yicen and Jiang Xingchen prepared to leave the Jiang residence.

Jiang Xingchen looked really down—after all, he'd sold the ancestral home with his own hands.

As Jiang Yicen was about to get into his car, he asked, "Need a ride?"

Jiang Xingchen, who had been feeling down, looked up at the sound of Jiang Yicen's voice, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.

Jiang Xingchen said, "Is that okay?"

Jiang Yicen replied, "Then hop in. You're staying at a hotel, right?"

Jiang Xingchen got into the car with him. "I didn't expect buying a house would require booking an appointment just to process the transfer."

The hotel he was staying at was really close to the Jiang residence, so they got there in no time.

Still, the short drive was enough for the two to add each other on WeChat and say their goodbyes.

·

A few days later, Jiang Yicen got the property deed from his lawyer and held it tightly to his chest.

Since Jiang Xingchen was in a hurry to get back to the US, the property transfer went through quickly.

Jiang Yicen and Nan Shuyi got the keys and went back to the Jiang residence.

Having the house in your own hands was completely different from having it in someone else's—every visit felt different.

At the same time, Nan Shuyi brought in a professional team for old house restoration.

Nan Shuyi began giving them requirements: "We need to replace all the old curtains. Any tiles that have fallen off should be replaced to match the originals. The furniture in the house is all antique, so you have to be extremely careful during the restoration."

"Yes, Mr. Nan."

"And also..."

Jiang Yicen added a few requests of his own.

The two spent half a day at the residence, pointing out every spot that needed work to the restoration team.

Jiang Yicen and Nan Shuyi decided to move in here after that.

He talked with Nan Shuyi about how, since they'd be living there, they'd need new appliances. It would be better to store the old furniture somewhere safe so it doesn't get damaged.

Nan Shuyi agreed with Jiang Yicen's idea. He immediately sent people to the residence to handle everything—storing away all the old, expensive furniture for safekeeping, then redecorating the house. Jiang Yicen had no objections. As long as the Jiang residence was in his hands, he was happy.

His home was back in his hands.

He figured Jiang Xingchen would be heading back to the U.S. soon to get on with his life.

The house had been bought back successfully, and Jiang Xingchen was indeed returning to America.

Next, the renovation team got to work. Nan Shuyi kept an even closer eye on things than Jiang Yicen, and was more proactive about it—whether he had time or not, he swung by every day to check on the progress.

A week later.

Jiang Yicen received a message from Chen Zhicheng asking if he was free, saying Jiang Xingchen wanted to grab a meal with him before flying back to the U.S.

·

Today's meeting spot was the Cuizhu Restaurant, which Jiang Xingchen had never gotten around to trying. A few days earlier, the line had been so long he couldn't be bothered to wait in it. To his surprise, when he made the reservation, there was no line at all. It wasn't until he asked Chen Zhicheng that he found out the restaurant belonged to the very person who wanted to see him.

When the two of them met again, Jiang Xingchen's eyes nearly popped out of his head.

He nearly jumped out of his skin: "Wait, why didn't you tell me you two know each other?"

Chen Zhicheng was even more lost: "What do you mean?"

Jiang Xingchen said, sounding a bit put out, "They're my buyers."

Chen Zhicheng put two and two together.

Jiang Yicen smiled. "That's right."

This meal was basically a family dinner for the Jiangs.

Nan Shuyi looked at Jiang Xingchen the way an elder would, handing him a lifetime VIP card: "I heard you haven't been able to eat here these past few days. Next time you come back with family, no need to wait in line—just walk right in."

Jiang Xingchen was unexpectedly moved, his eyes welling up: "I never expected you all to treat me so well after I came back."

Jiang Yicen said, "From now on, we're family. You can tell us anything. You're a Jiang, and so am I. I don't know who my parents are, but if you don't mind, I'll treat your family as my own."

Jiang Xingchen nodded. "Okay, we're all family. Yicen, you have to come to the U.S. and meet my elders—they'll love you."

Jiang Yicen said, "I will, for sure."

During the meal, Jiang Xingchen, caught up in the moment, told Jiang Yicen that his mother's illness required extremely expensive medication—one shot cost thousands of dollars, and she needed it every week.

There was also another matter, one Jiang Yicen had guessed before: their company wasn't going bankrupt because of poor management, but because their business partner had run off with the money. That's what had gotten the honest, hardworking Jiang family into trouble.

These past few years, business in the U.S. hadn't been easy either. There was still discrimination against Chinese people, and they'd thought a friend's involvement would bring new opportunities—only to be deceived and robbed.

Jiang Xingchen had been drinking and was a bit tipsy, whining through tears: "We misjudged people. Who would've thought a friend of over ten years could screw us over! Damn it, that bastard, that scumbag, that piece of trash! FUCK! When I find him, I'll—I'll tear him limb from limb!"

Chen Zhicheng felt the same way—his family had gone bankrupt too—and the two hugged each other, crying.

"Brother Xingchen, we're in the same boat!"

Jiang Yicen could only console them: "Don't worry, things will get better. The Jiang family's fortunes will slowly turn around."

Jiang Xingchen was too drunk to keep his generations straight: "Uncle! I believe in you!"

And surprisingly, the title seemed right again.

Nan Shuyi called Lu Xiao directly, and before long, Lu Xiao showed up and took Chen Zhicheng away.

Meanwhile, Nan Shuyi and Jiang Yicen took Jiang Xingchen back.

On the way back to the hotel, Jiang Xingchen started rambling.

"I'm heading back to the U.S. the day after tomorrow. Uncle, you've got to protect our ancestral home from now on! Leaving it to you puts my mind at ease, and my family won't be sad anymore!"

"Even though the great-great-granduncle never married his fiancée, you're still family to me!"

Nan Shuyi, who had been lounging lazily against the seat, sat bolt upright at his words.

"Which great-great-granduncle of yours had a fiancée?"

Jiang Xingchen's mouth moved faster than his brain: "The great-great-granduncle with the same name as my uncle! They looked so alike—his fiancée must have had a kid out of wedlock..."

Jiang Yicen silently pinched the bridge of his nose, wishing he hadn't volunteered to take Jiang Xingchen back to the hotel.

This kid was making stuff up about him.

Nan Shuyi's gaze turned cold as he looked at Jiang Yicen: "A fiancée?"