"You forgot I'm in antiques?" Li Zhonglou explained with a smile, "How else would I do antiques without money?"
"It's not much, but it's enough to buy a house."
In fact, Li Zhonglou had more than just that in mind.
He was someone who refused to be defeated.
Li Hanlong had first placed him under house arrest, then threatened him with his mother and wife, creating a mortal enmity.
Without avenging this, he would never slink back to Qin Zhou.
But to deal with him, he first needed to establish a foothold in Yong'an.
The best way was to settle down or open a shop, and these two points weren't mutually exclusive.
Settling down was easy; buying a house would complete half the task, and they could let his in-laws live there.
Opening a shop was his top priority.
To open an antique shop in Yong'an, he needed to familiarize himself with the circle.
When Ning Lang took him to the appraisal fair, he had this intention.
He secretly planned to get a two-story shop. Once the shop opened, he would renovate the upper floor into bedrooms, and his mother would have a place to live.
Doing business while accommodating the An family would be perfect.
Of course, opening the shop wasn't urgent; it could wait until after tomorrow's appraisal fair, once he had familiarized himself with it.
"Alright, everyone has their own secrets, right? I won't pry, but I also can't let you buy a house for my parents." Jiang Yuxin frowned slightly upon hearing this and said with determination, "Consider this money borrowed. I'll repay you once I find a job in Yong'an and earn some."
Li Zhonglou smiled and nodded in agreement.
Jiang Yuxin was still a person who valued her pride. Even as husband and wife, she didn't want to take his money for free.
This concerned her self-esteem.
It was merely a matter of face; whether she actually repaid it or not was unimportant.
Why break this unspoken understanding?
After chatting for a while, Li Zhonglou had Jiang Yuxin help him with the hospital discharge procedures.
According to regulations, Li Zhonglou's current injury meant he shouldn't be discharged.
However, he was going to the appraisal fair with Ning Lang tomorrow and couldn't miss it. Moreover, while his injury looked serious, it wasn't that severe for him.
He called Ning Lang and asked him to use his connections to help him get discharged early.
Upon returning to the large courtyard, to avoid worrying his mother, he had Jiang Yuxin lie that he had fallen.
Then he sent Zhang Dongxu to meet with the two foremen, Zhang Chang and another, while he stayed in the study with Ning Lang.
"Four professional assassins with perfect aim?" Ning Lang's eyebrows shot up upon hearing this.
Guns were strictly prohibited and controlled weapons in this era.
Possessing firearms privately was a serious crime, let alone using them to kill.
This matter had escalated to such a degree.
Unless there was external intervention, the police would definitely investigate.
As long as the other party wasn't foolish, they wouldn't send anyone to silence him in the next few days, as they might very well run into the police.
Even so, Ning Lang couldn't help but feel a chill hearing Li Zhonglou describe the scene.
He was no stranger to intense situations, having experienced sword fights and gun battles, but he had never encountered assassins with such incredible marksmanship.
It was sheer luck that Li Zhonglou had survived.
"What about that item? Did you get it?" Ning Lang pressed.
"It was destroyed." Li Zhonglou spread his hands.
He only revealed a part of the truth, not because he wanted to deceive Ning Lang, but because he didn't want to cause any further trouble for Liu Pinger and the others because of himself.
Ning Lang let out a sigh of relief, "That's good then."
"With your injuries, can you still make it to the appraisal fair tomorrow?"
"Obviously, there's no problem. I'm fine." Li Zhonglou patted his other thigh and laughed.
"Pretending. If you're fine, walk a bit. Walk..." Ning Lang chuckled.
A moment later, laughter echoed from the study.
Lin Ying sat in the courtyard, brewing tea alone. Hearing the laughter, a hint of relief bloomed on her face.
How difficult it was to find a true friend in life. Her junior brother, however, repeatedly encountered close friends.
This was good; at least he wouldn't be as lonely as herself.
Her junior brother stayed in Yong'an to seek revenge. As long as Li Hanlong was alive, he would have no peace.
She stayed in Yong'an, firstly to protect Li Zhonglou, and secondly to track the whereabouts of the base.
It had been within reach, yet all traces had vanished.
Was this what her father called destiny?
If it were true, then this destiny was twisted.
That night, after Li Zhonglou and Jiang Yuxin helped their mother to sleep, they returned to their room.
Ning Lang knew they were married and had deliberately arranged only one room.
Upon entering the room and seeing the single bed, Jiang Yuxin's face turned bright red.
Since their marriage, they had never slept in the same bed.
Now, at a friend's house, they were expected to share a bed.
This...
Although she had prepared herself mentally, her face still felt hot and her body tense.
"How about I sleep on the floor?" Li Zhonglou said jokingly, seeing her reaction.
"No, you're injured!" Jiang Yuxin decisively refused. "You sleep on the bed, and I'll... I'll sleep on the floor."
"If others knew you slept on the floor, what would that make me?" Li Zhonglou laughed. "Let's both sleep on the bed. Don't worry, I'm injured now, so I definitely can't do anything bad."
The mention of it made Jiang Yuxin's face flush even redder, like a ripe apple.
Her beautiful eyes shimmered, and she lowered her head to tidy the bed.
Seeing her shy demeanor, Li Zhonglou felt an immense sense of satisfaction.
Melting an iceberg was every man's pursuit; teasing her was incredibly enjoyable.
As night deepened.
They lay side by side, fully clothed.
Jiang Yuxin pursed her lips without speaking, while Li Zhonglou had already closed his eyes, circulating the cultivation technique from the sheepskin scroll to heal his wounds.
He had important matters to attend to tomorrow and couldn't go into battle injured.
At the very least, he needed to ensure his movements wouldn't be significantly affected.
Seeing that he wasn't moving at all, Jiang Yuxin became curious. She waved her hand in front of him.
She thought Li Zhonglou had fallen asleep.
Her lips involuntarily pouted, and she mumbled, "What? You're really asleep?"
"Am I that unattractive?"
"Stupid man... Three years, and you've never had any improper thoughts about me. Is it that I lack charm, or are you just incapable?"
"You're such a block of wood!"
In the dead of night, with Jiang Yuxin believing she was the only one awake, her innocent, childlike nature hidden deep within her heart was revealed.
Li Zhonglou, whose six senses were not closed, nearly burst out laughing upon hearing this.
He thought he had gained a great insight today.
He never knew his wife had such a playful side.
He decided to pretend to be asleep and listen to Jiang Yuxin's complaints.
"Dead Zhonglou, are you really asleep?" Jiang Yuxin gently pinched his arm. Seeing no reaction, she became bolder.
She lightly rolled over and looked down at Li Zhonglou.
With her slender, jade-like fingers, she tapped his nose, her breath like orchids.
"Looking at you, you're not particularly handsome. Why did I choose you back then?"
"Perhaps I was looking for a man who wouldn't bother me. You've done quite well in that regard."
"But you're still so clueless about women now. What will you do in the future?"
"A man should bother women, shamelessly bother them. All women fall for that, understand?"
"Stupid block of wood, you don't understand."
"If you understood, how could you have fallen asleep so quickly?"
As she spoke, her jade hands gently stroked Li Zhonglou's face, as if caressing a precious toy.
She had never looked at her husband from such close proximity before.
In the past, to prove she was no less capable than men, she focused solely on her career, her mind unswerving.
Now, her career was gone, but her heart had gradually normalized.
At some point, Li Zhonglou, whom she used to find bothersome and distasteful, had slowly become pleasing to her eyes.
Was it because of the money or the house?
There were reasons related to that, but they were by no means the main factor.
Jiang Yuxin knew her material needs weren't strong; what she craved was irreplaceable emotion.
Li Zhonglou's past submissiveness and deference, she now understood as tolerance, compromise, and love.
If he lacked ability, it would be incompetence. But she had witnessed Li Zhonglou's capabilities firsthand.
How many such men could there be in this world?
As she pondered, Jiang Yuxin's gaze grew hazy, and her jade hand moved to Li Zhonglou's lips.
As if pulled by an invisible force, the distance between them slowly closed.
Finally, her soft, fragrant lips gently pressed against Li Zhonglou's mouth.
In an instant, it felt as if an electric current surged through both of them.
Li Zhonglou couldn't help but cease his cultivation, immediately embracing Jiang Yuxin and forcefully probing her red lips with his tongue.
"Mmm..." Jiang Yuxin was startled.
In that moment, her entire body felt scorching hot.
Her stolen kiss had been discovered, and she had been subdued in turn.
One could only imagine the panic and shyness she felt.
However, her delicate body was no match for Li Zhonglou's.
Encircled by his arms like iron clamps, she couldn't move. The numb sensation from his lips made every pore in her body feel as if it were bursting with pleasure.
She wished time could freeze at this moment, allowing her to savor this unprecedented bliss.
But the shame in her heart, like a demon, intensified to the extreme.
It compelled her hands to pat Li Zhonglou's chest.
"Cough, cough, cough... You've beaten me to death." Li Zhonglou feigned being hit, pulling away from her lips, his face contorted in pain.
"Are... are you alright?" Jiang Yuxin's face was like a ripe tomato as she quickly fumbled over Li Zhonglou, seemingly checking if he was injured by her.
Seizing the opportunity, Li Zhonglou caught her jade hand. "My heart is wounded."
"You teased me first, and now you won't let me move. There's no such thing as getting off scot-free in this world."
The words shamed Jiang Yuxin into tightly closing her eyes, unable to look at Li Zhonglou.
So, all her actions just now had been heard by Li Zhonglou.
He hadn't been asleep at all; he was faking it.
Bastard, pervert!
"You're bullying me..." Utterly ashamed, Jiang Yuxin couldn't help but shed two tears from the corners of her eyes, which fell onto Li Zhonglou's face.
This immediately stunned Li Zhonglou.
"Don't cry. I was just joking. Don't take it seriously..."
"I won't move you anymore. I promise I won't move around. My leg injury hasn't healed yet, so I can't do anything even if I wanted to."
"I was just joking with you, a little joke between husband and wife. Don't be sad..."
He feared girls crying the most, regardless of the reason; it always made him flustered.
His superhuman intelligence was utterly useless at this moment.
The saying that people in love have an IQ of zero was truly accurate.
He thought his rough actions had hurt Jiang Yuxin.
He quickly began to apologize.
"Pfft..." The next second, Jiang Yuxin broke into tears and laughter.
How could she possibly tell Li Zhonglou that this was tears of joy? That would be too embarrassing.
Seeing Li Zhonglou being so solicitous and apologetic, just like before, she could no longer feel any aversion towards him.