The younger generation, starting from where the wind blows...

Chapter 213 The Yang Family Ancestral Home, a Feng Shui Treasure Trove

For the next two days, the state government took care of all the arrangements for the delegation's itinerary.

I climbed Cangshan Mountain, swam in Erhai Lake, and explored the ancient city.

The state even invited the delegation to visit Shuanglang and Xizhou.

Early on the third day, the loudspeaker at the entrance of Yunmiao Village blared out.

The village head called on all villagers to put on traditional clothing and go to the village entrance to welcome the inspection team.

The most enthusiastic responders were the grandmothers and aunties who usually liked to gather at the village entrance for a chat.

The welcoming crowd was noticeably unbalanced in terms of the ratio of men to women.

Not only are there far more men than women, but the majority of the men are elderly, and even then, the village head had to personally intervene to bring them in to make up the numbers.

Even though we invited Grandpa Yang, he was eccentric and didn't like crowds, so he didn't come.

Among the young and middle-aged people, only "Old Peacock" Yang Deqing came; the others were either working in the fields or working away from home.

As for young people, they are either in school or working away from home.

Only Yang Muyi wore a tie-dyed blue vest, blending into the crowd.

After waiting for about half an hour, a minibus slowly drove towards the village entrance.

The village head quickly led the invited "actors" forward, beating drums and gongs to welcome them.

The first to get off the bus were the reception staff sent by the prefecture, followed by the town leaders, and finally the members of the inspection team.

Zhu Suosuo, Jiang Nansun, and their group of students got off first, followed by Dai Qian, Ye Jinyan, and Professor Dong.

Ye Jinyan's white hair and aura made it clear without introduction that he was a key figure in the inspection team, the big boss that Yang Muyi had mentioned earlier.

The village head stepped forward and shook hands with each member of the inspection team.

The receptionist sent by the prefecture then introduced the members of the inspection team to the village head one by one.

Zhu Suosuo, with her sharp eyes, spotted Yang Muye mixed in with the crowd at a glance and pulled Jiang Nansun along as they ran over.

Upon meeting, Zhu Suosuo handed the camera bag back to Yang Muye.

That was like getting rid of a hot potato.

The reason was simple: Yang Muye had given her a camera that was too expensive.

The "Rolls-Royce" in the camera.

At first, Zhu Suosuo did not realize the value of the camera. When she took it out to take pictures, Jiang Nansun saw it.

Jiang Nansun didn't know anything about cameras, but he did know the Leica brand.

Given Yang Muye's wealth, it's perfectly normal for him to use an expensive camera.

Zhu Suosuo didn't take it seriously at first, until Wang Yongzheng saw the camera, borrowed it, and played with it as if it were a treasure. In the end, he reluctantly returned it to Zhu Suosuo.

It was from Wang Yongzheng that Zhu Suosuo learned that this Leica had just been released overseas and was not yet available in China.

Wang Yongzheng said he had been eyeing this camera for a long time, but couldn't afford it due to budget constraints.

Wang Yongzheng's own SLR camera and lenses cost tens of thousands of yuan, which he couldn't even afford, demonstrating just how expensive this Leica camera was.

Zhu Suosuo used to be quite comfortable using this camera, but ever since she found out its price, she immediately put it back in her bag and never took it out of her sight, for fear of it being stolen.

Using Zhu Suosuo's words is tiring; you're worried about breaking them if you use them, and you can't afford to lose them if you don't. It's more tiring than serving your ancestors.

So as soon as Zhu Suosuo saw Yang Muyi, she promptly returned this "ancestor" to him.

Among the crowd, Aunt Gui noticed early on that Zhu Suosuo and Jiang Nansun were two incredibly beautiful girls.

She nudged Yang Deqing beside her with her elbow.

At this moment, Yang Deqing was craning his neck to look at the main members of the inspection team, and then turned to ask Aunt Gui what was going on.

"Deqing, have you seen those two beauties who came to find Muye?"

Yang Deqing looked in the direction Aunt Gui was pointing.

Then he was stunned.

Jiang Nansun and Zhu Suosuo were just as beautiful as Yang Muye's mother, Gao Yunyue, when she was young.

Even more beautiful.

Aunt Gui then asked, "Do you know what their relationship is with Mu Ye?"

Yang Deqing was about to say that he had no idea, but then he felt that it would be too embarrassing to say that.

"Both of these beauties like Muye, but because of my brother and sister-in-law's divorce, Muye doesn't have any feelings for them yet."

Aunt Gui's eyes widened in surprise.

"You like both? You're just bragging!"

Upon hearing this, Yang Deqing immediately objected.

"Muye has been popular with girls since he was little, you know that. If you don't believe me, go ask your Xiaoxi if she has ever secretly liked Muye."

"I bother!"

Aunt Gui spat out, "Our Xiaoxi has only just started high school. I'm warning you, don't talk nonsense! Don't young girls have a reputation?"

Yang Deqing snorted coldly: "Whether your Xiaoxi has ever secretly liked Muye or not, you, as her mother, know in your heart. But your Xiaoxi is definitely not good enough for Muye. Putting aside everything else, just looking at her appearance, can your Xiaoxi compare with those two beauties?"

"I think you're really something wrong with me. I'm too lazy to talk to you anymore." Aunt Gui waved her hand and walked away irritably.

Yang Deqing wanted to continue observing the movements of the inspection team when Aunt Feng, carrying a basket on her back, walked over.

Aunt Feng was supposed to go to work in the mountains with Uncle Chang today.

But then I heard from the villagers that the inspection team that came today was invited by Yang Muye.

Aunt Feng's son, Xie Qiang, is working at Yang Muye's father's factory in Shenzhen. His family owes Yang Muye a great favor.

That's why Aunt Feng responded to the village chief's call and came to the village entrance to join in the fun.

Just then, they ran into Yang Deqing, and Aunt Feng stopped him to ask what the inspection team was doing in the village.

"An inspection tour? What can you possibly do?"

Yang Deqing was clearly lying, because he saw several people around him prick up their ears and eavesdrop on the conversation.

This also includes Aunt Gui, who had just left.

Seeing that Yang Deqing refused to tell the truth, Aunt Feng didn't bother to ask any more questions.

Just then, the village chief led Ye Jinyan, Professor Dong and his group toward the old village. The crowd that had gathered at the village entrance to watch the excitement was about to disperse, so Aunt Feng prepared to go to the mountains to find her husband, Achang, to work together.

They hadn't gone far when Yang Deqing caught up with them.

"Didn't you transfer all your mountain land to other families to farm? What are you doing following me?"

"Didn't you ask me what the inspection team was here for? There were too many people at the village entrance just now, so it wasn't convenient to talk."

Yang Deqing had already learned the purpose of Ye Jinyan and his group's visit from Yang Muyi.

We need to find a place in the village to build a library.

In addition, we need to find a few families whose old houses are well-preserved and rent them to build homestays.

The reason why the news wasn't spread around the village was twofold: firstly, Grandpa Yang had given the order that if Yang Deqing dared to spread the news in the village before the inspection team arrived, Grandpa Yang would break Yang Deqing's legs.

The other is related to one's own interests.

In addition to their ancestral home, the Yang family now owns an old house and a newly built house in the new village at the foot of the mountain.

The new house in Shanxia New Village is registered under Yang Deyuan's name, and is currently occupied by Grandpa Yang and Yang Deqing.

The old house on the mountain was registered under Grandpa Yang's name, and it had been vacant and uninhabited ever since Yang Muye went to university in Yenching.

Yang Deqing was thinking that if his old house were to be converted into a guesthouse, his family could collect rent every year. However, almost every household in the village has an old house on the mountain, and some families still live in their old houses.

All the old houses on the mountain are potential competitors.

Although Yang Muyi promised to give priority to his family's old house, Yang Deqing was still worried.

This is also why he has been able to keep quiet these past two days.

Now that the inspection team has arrived, Yang Deqing, the old peacock, can no longer contain his boastful nature.

While it's not allowed to be publicized, it's perfectly fine to leak some information to someone privately.

Moreover, Aunt Feng isn't as talkative as Aunt Gui. As long as Yang Deqing tells her not to tell anyone, Aunt Feng will definitely keep her word.

After venting his frustrations to Aunt Feng, Yang Deqing left with his hands behind his back, completely satisfied.

After walking a few steps, he turned back and called to Aunt Feng again, telling her once more not to tell anyone the news.

After Yang Deqing had completely left, Aunt Feng was about to continue walking into the mountains when Aunt Gui suddenly appeared from the fork in the road ahead.

Aunt Feng covered her chest and complained to Aunt Gui that she was too old to play "hide-and-seek," saying it was terrifying.

"Ah Feng, what did Deqing just say to you?"

Aunt Feng immediately became alert.

"I didn't say much, just mentioned my son Aqiang's situation in Shenzhen."

Aunt Gui had a speechless expression on her face that said, "Do you think I'm stupid?"

Would a lazy bum like Yang Deqing take the initiative to care about Xie Qiang's current situation working in Shenzhen?

Furthermore, Xie Qiang's job was arranged by Yang Deyuan out of consideration for Yang Muye, and had nothing to do with Yang Deqing.

However, Aunt Gui also knew Aunt Feng's personality and knew that she owed the Yang family a favor, so she would not easily betray Yang Deqing.

Aunt Gui stopped asking questions and decided to follow Yang Deqing to see what was going on.

After parting ways with Aunt Gui, Yang Deqing took a shortcut to the Yang family ancestral home on the mountain and then wandered around the area.

Aunt Gui was secretly hiding in the distance, wondering what Yang Deqing was doing at this abandoned old house when she saw the village head leading the inspection team along the gravel road toward them.

"Mr. Ye, Professor Dong, this is the largest old house in our village. It was built by a family that ran a horse caravan in the village. Looking at the whole of Dali, old houses of this size and age are very rare. The only regret is that this house has been in disrepair for many years and is no longer habitable."

Ye Jinyan looked up at the dilapidated mansion in front of her. From the gate and the nearly collapsed buildings inside, one could still vaguely see the wealth and grandeur of the former owner.

"This is a wealthy family!"

Ye Jinyan turned to the village chief and asked, "Since it's the ancestral home, haven't the descendants thought about renovating it?"

The village head explained that the old house was returned to the family's descendants by the village collective in the 1980s.

This family has another house in the village, and this ancestral home is usually just used to store miscellaneous items.

Over time, it has fallen into its current state of disrepair.

Ye Jinyan and Professor Dong exchanged a glance and immediately asked if they could go inside for a visit.

The village chief glanced back at the group behind him but did not see Yang Muye.

He took out his phone, ready to call Yang Muye.

Yang Deqing suddenly appeared from the side.

"Director, what are you doing?"

The village head put down his phone and turned to introduce Yang Deqing to Ye Jinyan and Professor Dong.

"He is Yang Deqing, the eldest son of the owner of this old house."

As soon as he finished speaking, Yang Deqing took the initiative to greet Ye Jinyan:
"Hello, Mr. Ye. I am Mu Ye's uncle. His parents went to Shenzhen a long time ago, and I watched Mu Ye grow up since he was a child."

Ye Jinyan looked Yang Deqing up and down a few times and nodded.

No wonder it looked somewhat familiar.

After shaking hands, Yang Deqing quickly took out his key, opened the gate of the ancestral home, and invited the inspection team inside.

The place was overgrown with weeds and in a state of complete disrepair.

Ye Jinyan and Professor Dong couldn't help but sigh and feel sorry for the sight, but Yang Deqing, the host, didn't care at all and just kept bragging about the glorious deeds of his ancestors who ran a horse caravan.

"Lillian, watch out!"

Zhang Anren reached out and helped Dong Yun walk down a series of uneven steps.

Wang Yongzheng, who was taking pictures nearby, put down his camera and glanced over.

Zhang Anren and Dong Yun have been getting very close these past two days, but Wang Yongzheng didn't initially take it to heart.

On the one hand, it was out of confidence in his own charm; on the other hand, Wang Yongzheng never regarded Zhang Anren as a rival at all.

In Wang Yongzheng's eyes, his only real opponent was Yang Muye.

Moreover, they are formidable opponents who are extremely oppressive and whose chances of victory are slim.

Fortunately, once they arrived in Dali, Yang Muyi separated from the inspection team, and Wang Yongzheng finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Wang Yongzheng was well aware of Dong Yun's intentions in getting close to Zhang Anren.

This is similar to Wang Yongzheng's simultaneous flirting with many girls and engaging in a power struggle.

However, Wang Yongzheng was very unhappy that Dong Yun used this tactic on herself.

Naturally, Zhang Anren, who willingly served as a tool in Dong Yunxiong's competition, was filled with contempt.

Given Wang Yongzheng's pride, he certainly wouldn't directly compete with Zhang Anren.

That's beneath me.

He thought that as long as he remained indifferent, Dong Yun would give up on her own in a couple of days.

As a result, the two of them became more and more addicted to the performance.

Zhang Anren, in particular, became even more eager to please Dong Yun after getting close to her through Dong Yun's connection and receiving some guidance from her.

Of the entire inspection team, Wang Yong was the first to notice that something was "wrong" with Zhang Anren.

Last night, Wang Yongzheng sent Dong Yun a text message, reminding her to be wary of Zhang Anren, as this person's motives were impure.

Dong Yun texted Wang Yongzheng, telling him not to meddle in other people's business.

Seeing Dong Yun and Zhang Anren getting closer today, Wang Yongzheng realized that his text message might have backfired.

After everyone had finished their tour, Professor Dong spoke.

“Mr. Ye, I’m very interested in this old house and would like my students to record its detailed construction parameters. Why don’t you go visit other places first? My students and I may have to stay here all day.”

Ye Jinyan nodded.

Professor Dong had the same idea as him.

Putting aside the historical significance and architectural value of the Yang family ancestral home itself, its location alone is unparalleled.

Backed by Cangshan Mountain and overlooking Erhai Lake, it is an absolutely auspicious place.

Yang Muye's plan to build Youfeng Courtyard in Yunmiao Village is definitely largely due to this ancestral home.

Seeing that Ye Jinyan and his group were preparing to go to the next stop, Yang Deqing seized the opportunity to speak:
"Mr. Ye, we have another old house in the village that is better preserved than this one. Would you like me to show you around?"

They learned that Yang Muye was the only person living in that old house.

Ye Jinyan immediately became interested.

"Okay, let's go take a look."

(End of this chapter)