Senior sister, stop working and go home for dinner.

Chapter 36 Taking Over the Stone Shop

Chen Anran sighed and raised his hands in surrender: "Fine, fine, I can't argue with you. Second Senior Sister, you win. If you want to take the exam, go ahead; if you want to study, go ahead. But!" He changed his tone, his voice becoming unquestionable, "You have to agree to a few conditions."

"you say."

"First, you absolutely cannot work as hard as before! You must ensure you get enough sleep and rest every day, and you can't completely neglect your cultivation. I will provide you with spiritual rice and medicinal herbs regularly to nourish your body."

"Secondly, the agritourism plan must continue, as it is an important industry and a window to the outside world for our sect. You need to participate in the planning and initial management, which will also be a learning experience."

"Third, and most importantly," Chen Anran stared into Wei Qingyi's eyes, "you must tell me immediately if you encounter any difficulties, whether academic or otherwise. You can't try to handle it all on your own anymore! We have money and connections now. Remember, you are not alone."

Looking at Chen Anran's serious expression, Wei Qingyi felt a surge of warmth in her heart. She nodded gently, "Okay, senior sister promises you."

Seeing that she agreed, Chen Anran's expression relaxed, and a smile returned to his face: "That's more like it. Let's set a small goal first. The first step is to completely get rid of your 'contract of servitude'."

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Anran's phone beeped with a text message notification. He took it out and saw it was a bank transfer notification; the long string of zeros was clearly visible. Fourteen million had been transferred to his current account by Feng Xiaolu.

"The money has arrived." Chen Anran turned her phone screen towards Wei Qingyi. "Senior sister, give me the recipient's account information, and I'll transfer it right away."

Wei Qingyi stared at the string of numbers, her eyes filled with a complex mix of relief and resentment. Silently, she took out her phone and pulled up the agreement that had burdened her for months, along with the designated bank account for receiving payments.

Chen Anran took the phone, checked the information, and skillfully started operating her mobile banking app.

When the final confirmation button was pressed and the "transfer successful" message appeared on the screen, Wei Qingyi let out a long sigh of relief, as if she were exhaling all the stale air from her chest.

The huge weight that had been pressing on my heart was finally lifted off my shoulders at this moment.

"Alright, senior sister, let's put this matter behind us." Chen Anran put away her phone, her tone light and cheerful. "From now on, the sky's the limit!"

"Yeah, it's over."

Having resolved their biggest worry, both of them felt much more relaxed.

Chen Anran, preoccupied with the three "magic treasures" that were undergoing "overtime" evolution in the museum, said to Wei Qingyi, "Senior sister, you should rest and recuperate here for the next few days and read some books. I need some time to 'prepare' things for Chairman Zhao, and also to plan the agritainment business."

"Do you need my help?" Wei Qingyi asked. She was used to being busy, and suddenly being relieved of her burden made her feel somewhat lost.

"Not for now, Senior Sister, your task right now is to rest and study," Chen Anran said with a smile. "But once the agritainment business starts preparations, we'll definitely need your help, you future top student."

Wei Qingyi smiled and nodded.

For the next two days, the retreat was quiet. Wei Qingyi followed Chen Anran's arrangement and did not go out to work again.

After settling the matter with money, Wei Qingyi regularly ate the porridge cooked by Chen Anran with the spiritual rice and medicinal herbs he brought, meditated to regulate her breathing, and spent the rest of her time burying herself in the pile of adult college entrance examination review materials.

With the nourishment of the spiritual rice and the relaxation of her mind, her complexion became rosy at a visible speed, and the weariness between her brows gradually disappeared, restoring her former aloof and otherworldly temperament. However, her eyes now held a more settled determination and clarity.

Chen Anran would occasionally visit that building stone shop, going three or four times a day. Each time he went, he would bring a few packs of cigarettes. The shop owner didn't have much business and was quite idle. After chatting a few times, the two became quite familiar with each other.

The shop owner is called Fatty Li, but that's just a nickname in the underworld. Nobody remembers his real name because everyone calls him "Fatty Li." Even he himself refers to himself as Fatty Li and never mentions his real name.

Fatty Li was shrewd; his small eyes were always habitually squinting, revealing the cunning and shrewdness of a stock market businessman.

Every time Chen Anran came, he would first offer her a cigarette, and the two of them would sit on the two old stools at the entrance of the shop, puffing away and chatting about everything under the sun.

Fatty Li was well-informed, having met all sorts of people from all walks of life. He could talk about everything from the origin and quality of stone to inside information about local engineering projects, and even some strange and unusual stories he had heard. Chen Anran mostly listened, occasionally interjecting a word or two to guide the conversation appropriately.

After a few visits, Fatty Li developed a liking for this young man. He felt that he wasn't like those arrogant or petty customers; he was calm, knew how to handle things, and, more importantly, he sensed that this young man possessed an inexplicable quality that set him apart from ordinary people.

Two days later, Chen Anran came again in the afternoon, and as usual, he offered her a cigarette first.

Fatty Li took the cigarette, lit it, took a deep drag, squinted at Chen Anran, and suddenly asked, "Little Chen, you don't seem like someone who's really planning on doing large-scale stone renovations. Why are you running around this dump of a place every few days? Is something up?"

Chen Anran smiled and didn't hide anything, "Boss Li, to be honest, I want to rent out your whole shop."

Fatty Li was taken aback at first, then overjoyed. He knew his shop was doing very poorly and he had wanted to sell it for a long time.

"Young Mr. Chen is truly a promising young man. Please come in and have a seat, let's have a chat!"

Fatty Li quickly ushered Chen Anran into the shop, deftly moved the clutter piled on the chair, and wiped the chair surface with his sleeve.

After the two sat down, Fatty Li poured Chen Anran a cup of tea.

"To be honest, Mr. Chen, although my shop's location is a bit out of the way, it's quite spacious, with a small courtyard and warehouse in the back. Business has been slow these past few years, but it's been quiet. I wonder if Mr. Chen intends to continue in the stone business after taking over this property, or...?"

"I took over the business mainly to deal in stone materials." Chen Anran put down his teacup and glanced at the various stones piled up in the shop. "However, I don't deal in ordinary home decoration and building materials."

Fatty Li's eyes lit up. "Oh? Mr. Chen means... to do high-end customization?"

Chen Anran smiled noncommittally, tacitly agreeing with Fatty Li's words. He didn't want to continue testing Fatty Li, so he said directly, "Boss Li, sell me your shop, its inventory, and your entire supply chain. Name your price."