Professor Xie, isn't this a case of forcing customers to buy products that don't match the

The 24th day of the twelfth lunar month.

Deep in the mountains, the helicopter's rotor blades stirred up the cold mist as it landed on a flat area in a valley.

The wind was biting, and the snow was falling softly.

Xie Jing stepped down the gangway, his black overcoat billowing in the wind and snow.

Lin Zhou and two others waited quietly to the side. When he came down, they bowed in unison without saying a word.

Xie Jing walked up the stone steps in the empty mountain, straight into the snow-white and dark forest.

The ancestral home's architecture blends almost seamlessly with the mountain scenery, its dark tiles and gray walls silently nestled in the mountains.

There are no grand gates, no plaques, no superfluous decorations, only a silence that has been accumulated over countless years.

Inside the ancestral hall, the light was dim, with only the ever-burning lamp and the dim yellow candlelight.

Several clan elders stood by, dressed in old-fashioned clothes, with wide sleeves and silent faces.

Upon seeing Xie Jing, they performed a cupped-hand salute according to ancient customs.

Xie Jing walked to the main desk.

The sacrificial offerings on the main altar were extremely simple.

Seven tripods, clear water, vegetarian fruit, and several scrolls of plain bamboo slips personally written by Xie Jing, recording the list of books that the family had completed in the past year in terms of the preservation and collation of classics.

Behind the main altar are layers upon layers of memorial tablets.

The name at the very top has been blurred in the long river of history. It was the Xie family ancestor who, when China was sinking and the dynasty was about to decline, took his books, craftsmen, and followers and fled into the deep mountains.

Below, in rows, are the names of the heads of the Xie clan who were responsible for guarding the storehouse.

The bottommost memorial tablet belongs to his grandfather.

Wash your hands, burn incense, kowtow, and recite.

He recited the ancient sacrificial text in a low voice, but in an ancient accent.

After reciting the eulogy, he moved to a smaller offering table to the side.

There are only two memorial tablets side by side above.

The paint was new, and it bore the names of his parents.

His expression remained unchanged as he washed his hands, offered incense, and bowed in the same manner.

The ancestral hall was so quiet that you could hear the mountain wind penetrating to your very bones.

After the ceremony, he turned to the clan elder and nodded slightly: "Thank you for your hard work."

The elders returned the greeting, their voices steady and aged: "Master, you've worked hard."

He turned and walked out of the ancestral hall; the wind and snow continued outside.

Lin Zhou followed silently.

He walked along the old corridor and headed straight for the library behind the courtyard.

Xie Jing walked silently among the tall bookshelves.

The bookshelves here are made of rosewood, and the book boxes are almost all made of specially crafted nanmu wood, some even wrapped in antique brocade or leather.

He stopped in front of a bookshelf and carefully took down several marked book boxes.

These book boxes contain either dark-colored bamboo slips or fragile fragments of early silk manuscripts.

"These need to be taken back to Xishan for careful processing. They are severely acidified and brittle, and conventional methods are ineffective." He lightly brushed his fingertips across the book box. "On the third shelf of the Bing section, those volumes of Warring States bamboo slips have rotten bindings, and the order of the slips may be disordered. They need to be reanalyzed and pieced together. Carefully take them out and bring them with you."

"Yes." Lin Zhou gestured for someone behind him to come forward and carefully put the item away in a specially made box.

He then moved to another area where the books were closer together, mostly Ming and Qing dynasty documents. Although they were also very valuable, they were clearly not the most important items that the Xie family was protecting.

He quickly inspected several volumes and pulled out two boxes: "These local gazetteers and medical books have insect damage and water stains, but are generally in good condition. Send them to the Department of Restoration at S University as teaching and research samples. Inform Professor Li that the restoration plan needs my approval. File the copies, and return the originals after restoration."

"clear."

He stayed in the library for nearly three hours, explaining all the books he needed to take with him before leaving.

Lin Zhou did not follow.

He returned to his courtyard alone.

The interior was simply furnished with a table, a chair, a couch, and an empty bookcase. Outside the window were steep cliffs and boundless forests.

Dinner was extremely simple.

One bamboo shoot, one mushroom, one bowl of rice, and one soup.

He finished eating quietly.

Later that evening, Lin Zhou came over and quietly reported on several tasks involving the mobilization of overseas resources. After listening, he only gave some brief instructions and said nothing more.

After Lin Zhou left, he did not light a lamp.

He sat in a chair by the window, gazing at the all-encompassing blackness of the mountains, listening to the wind and the rustling of the pines, a mournful lament.

He did not approach the low couch until the night was deepest.

The next morning, the helicopter circled and left the valley.

Upon returning to Xishan, he first went to the processing room and personally watched as the books in those boxes were sent to the constant temperature and humidity warehouse for temporary storage before returning to the main courtyard to bathe and wash up.

Hot water washed away the mountain chill, and after changing into a comfortable cashmere sweater and trousers, the calmness in the eyes of the person in the mirror remained unchanged.

When Xie Jing came out of the bathroom, Lin Zhou happened to be waiting outside, holding a tablet in his hands.

"Master, the gift list for visiting the merchants has been drafted. Please take a look."

Xie Jing took it and glanced at it with his eyes lowered.

The top of the list consists of decent but not excessive tonics.

The ginseng, lingzhi, and bird's nest have clear origins, excellent quality, and unpretentious packaging.

He nodded slightly; these were the proper courtesies for a junior meeting an elder, and there was no way he would make a mistake.

He stopped scrolling down.

Those were several property title documents to browse.

There is a newly built quiet alleyway community in Shangsong's hometown, with fairly large apartment layouts.

Lin Zhou also included a background check report, specifying that the community was neither too far nor too close to the old town where Shang Song's parents currently lived, offering convenient living conditions while remaining relatively quiet.

There are also several shops in Shangsong's hometown with good locations.

Xie Jing handed the tablet back, saying, "It's too much trouble, and it's not suitable."

Lin Zhou, observing the man's expression, immediately understood the family head's concerns. Such a direct transfer of real estate, which still required procedures such as property transfer, would indeed bring pressure and even undermine the purity of this visit.

"Then... how about investing in gold bars?" Lin Zhou quickly adjusted his thinking: "The size is just right, packaged in a red velvet gift box, no need for transfer of ownership, avoiding legal hassles, and it also suits the elders' preference for gold."

Xie Jing pondered for a moment, then finally nodded: "Alright. The other gifts will remain the same."

While gold bars are certainly valuable, they are more like a "red envelope" than real estate.

It is not unusual to give gifts to one's partner's elders during festivals.

"Yes." Lin Zhou noted it down and turned to make the arrangements.

Just then, Xie Jing's phone screen lit up on the table.

It was a message from Shang Song.

The joy he couldn't hide was evident between the lines:

"I've packed my things! Come pick me up from my apartment on the 28th, it's a holiday! It's a 3-hour drive to my place!"

"Oh, and remember to change the model of the lead and rear-end vehicles, don't scare my parents!"

It also ends with a cheerful, jumping cat emoji.

Xie Jing's expression softened slightly, his fingertips twitched, and he replied:

"Okay. The car model will be changed. I'll pick you up downstairs at 1 PM on the 28th."