Chapter 179 - 166: Haven’t Seen a Pig Run, but Have Eaten Pork

Chapter 179: Chapter 166: Haven’t Seen a Pig Run, but Have Eaten Pork

The car glided smoothly down the road, its headlights casting two sharp beams that cut through the darkness and lit the way. Second Granduncle finally began to explain to Xu An why they were heading to Hai City.

They had received a sudden call from the higher-ups a little after six. The caller said they were very optimistic about the village’s enterprise development plan, but some details still needed to be discussed in person before final approval. That’s why they had been invited to this meeting. At the end of the call, they had specifically requested that Xu An, the person who first proposed the mudflat aquaculture, be brought along. They wanted to meet him.

A summons from the leadership was either very good news or very bad news. There was no need to fear good news, and no use hiding from bad. Second Granduncle hadn’t hesitated for a second. He’d told Uncle Dongliang to get the car, grabbed Xu An, and set off for Hai City immediately, without even trying to find out more.

Xu An, on the other hand, was dying to find out what was going on, just to calm his nerves. He fidgeted with his phone, but the only person he knew who could be considered a "big shot" was the old gentleman from the Hai City Machinery Equipment Exhibition. After that, Lu Shengnan and Lin Xu Yang also had some connections. But none of the three were people he could just call up for information. In the end, Xu An gave up and turned off his phone’s screen. Like his granduncle, he leaned back against the seat and closed his eyes to rest.

’What’s meant to be will be, and you can’t hide from it. Whether you face the axe now or later, it’s still an axe. A real man has nothing to fear!’

About ten minutes later, the car pulled up in front of a hotel that looked remarkably plain from the outside. The three-story building was a simple, straight-walled structure with no ornamentation, its walls painted a stark white. Even the sign—black characters on a mahogany-red background—was the kind you’d see on any roadside shop. A single spotlight installed above it, however, added an unexpected touch of elegance.

Second Granduncle was the first one out, striding ahead with a bold, imposing air. He pushed open the outer, vermilion-lacquered wooden doors, revealing a foyer. In the center of the foyer stood another large vermilion door, in front of which a page dressed in a navy-blue Hanfu was waiting. The moment he saw Xu An and the others enter, he stepped forward to greet them. His posture was impeccable, his back ramrod straight, and he wore a perfectly calibrated smile that felt incredibly welcoming. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ

"Excuse me, honored guests, are you here by invitation or with a reservation?" the page inquired in a cultured tone. His eyes swept over Second Granduncle’s imposing, almost thuggish build and his venerable, sage-like face, but his expression didn’t flicker. He just kept on smiling that same cordial smile.

Xu An couldn’t hear a single word of what his granduncle said to the page. He wasn’t sure if it was because his mouth was still numb from the spiciness of the Hellish Braised Flavor, or if his granduncle had intentionally lowered his voice. He just saw his granduncle’s lips move a few times, and the page respectfully opened the second vermilion door. A long, deep, and elegant corridor appeared before them.

Antique-style lanterns hung from the ceiling every few paces. They resembled the traditional kind, covered with fine paper and painted with scenes of flowers and birds. A hazy light filtered through them, casting soft, evocative shadows. The right-hand wall was a white canvas for a series of traditional landscape paintings. To the left, bordering the covered walkway, was a grove of bamboo. Through the gaps between the stalks, he could see a pond. At this time of year, its surface was a tapestry of lush green lotus leaves, dotted with beautiful pink buds. In the center of the pond stood a decorative rockery, with water gurgling down its surface...

With every step, the view changed, perfectly embodying the "a new scene with every step" principle of classical Chinese landscape gardens.

In his past life, Xu An had visited some of the nation’s most famous classical gardens, and the scenery here was every bit as stunning. Plus, this was the first time he had ever seen a landscape garden at night. Most of the ones open to the public closed by six in the evening.

But as they walked, Xu An started to feel something was off. His granduncle was navigating this obviously expensive hotel with such ease... how did he know his way around so well? Xu An tugged on Xu Dongliang’s sleeve, leaned in close, and whispered, "Uncle Dongliang, Second Granduncle seems to know this place really well. Does he come here often?"

Xu Dongliang shot a sideways glance at Second Granduncle up ahead. Once he was sure the old man hadn’t noticed their little conspiracy, he whispered back, "I’ll tell you later. If he hears me gossiping about him, I’ll never hear the end of it."

Just as Uncle Dongliang finished speaking, Xu An saw his granduncle spin around abruptly. He raised his right hand, curled his index finger, and rapped it sharply on Uncle Dongliang’s noggin. "Walk properly and stop whispering!"

After scolding him, Second Granduncle shot Xu An an ’I’ll deal with you later’ glare before turning back around and continuing on his way. Xu An looked at Uncle Dongliang and spread his hands with an innocent expression. ’He was too fast,’ his look seemed to say. ’It’s not my fault I couldn’t warn you!’

In the midst of this little scene, the page led them to a room named "Summer Lotus." He knocked gently on the door and, after receiving an answer from within, opened it. Turning sideways, he bowed slightly and gestured for them to enter.

Second Granduncle strode in first, followed by Uncle Dongliang, with Xu An bringing up the rear. Before he could even take in the room’s furnishings, Xu An spotted a familiar face: Professor Yu, the academic his granduncle and Uncle Dongliang had practically shanghaied. Sitting next to Professor Yu was another man in a striped polo shirt and gold-rimmed glasses. He had a slightly dopey smile, giving off the vibe of that one chubby, fair-skinned, good-natured, and utterly harmless classmate everyone had in school.