Chapter 110: A New Sensation from the Water-Repelling Pearl

Zhu Senlin slowly took out his phone and looked through it. Then, while continuing to browse, he used the shop’s landline to make a few calls. They were all acquaintances of his, and from his tone, Zhang Can knew he was looking for a master chef.

After thinking for a moment, Zhang Can said quietly, “Old Zhu, you should have an idea of what salary to offer. You decide. Whatever figure you name is fine with me.”

When he finished speaking, he also took out his phone to call Wang Qian. Afraid that Zhu Senlin might misunderstand, he slipped out of the shop and made the call outside.

“Brother Wang, I came back and spoke with Old Zhu. He doesn’t object to my going to the Tianshan Mountains with you, but he says he’d like to come along too, to travel and broaden his horizons. Would that be a problem?”

Wang Qian gave a low chuckle. “He thinks this is a sightseeing trip? Heh. Still, if you want him to come, then let him. More people can make things more interesting.”

“Good. I’ll tell him, then!” Zhang Can replied with a grin. Wang Qian had indeed raised no objections. Judging by the fact that Wang Qian intended to go to the Tianshan Mountains, he was probably pursuing some sort of objective. It surely wasn’t merely a pleasure trip.

After ending the call, Zhang Can strolled back into the shop. Zhu Senlin had also finished making his calls. The moment he saw Zhang Can, he smiled.

“It’s settled. I invited an old friend of mine. His name is Gu Jiulong, and his skills are quite good—his foundation is even stronger than Old Su’s. I tried hiring him before, but we couldn’t agree because of the price. This time, when I offered him an annual salary of two hundred thousand, he actually accepted. Hehe. Brother, I suspect it may be because our shop’s recent performance has been astonishing. Everyone in Jincheng’s trade circles is envious and amazed, so he decided not to haggle.”

“Gu Jiulong?” Zhang Can was stunned for a moment. He had heard of the man, who did indeed have quite a reputation. Offering him two hundred thousand was no overbid at all. Given his status and skill, his salary should have been at least four or five hundred thousand. Two hundred thousand was practically half the proper figure.

Zhang Can nodded. “That’s good, then. With a master chef here, we can finally breathe a little easier, and we’ll be able to leave without worry. Old Zhu, since you’re coming too, hurry home and arrange everything. We’ll be gone for at least ten days or so!”

Zhu Senlin immediately rose and headed out of the shop.

“All right. After you take Zhang Hua home, make the arrangements there as well. Let Zhang Hua and Little Qin come work here. Old Gu can handle the technical side, and Little Qin and the others can take care of the accounts. That should be enough!”

Zhang Can nodded and glanced at the time. It was already half past four. He decided to wait until half past five, when everyone at the shop had finished work, before taking Zhang Hua home. The family arrangements would be easy enough. Previously, Liu Xiaoqin’s greatest concern had been her father’s illness, but Zhang Can had secretly cured Liu Dongsheng already. There was no longer anything for Liu Xiaoqin to worry about, so she would certainly be able to leave with peace of mind.

There was little business during the final stretch of the afternoon. Zhang Can sat drinking tea, quietly thinking things over while waiting for Zhang Hua.

At half past five, he dismissed the shop assistants punctually, then drove Zhang Hua home to their new residence in the southern district.

Zhang Hua was puzzled and asked from inside the car, “Second Brother, why are you bringing me this way? Are you planning to buy something here?”

“No, heh heh!” Zhang Can chuckled. “Third Sister, Second Brother bought a villa in Imperial View Garden in the southern district. We’re giving up the house over there tomorrow. From now on, you’ll all be living here.”

Zhang Hua stuck out her tongue. Around the newly developed district, many of the high-rise buildings displayed sales advertisements, but even the cheapest properties cost more than twenty thousand per square meter. Zhang Can had said “a villa,” not “an apartment,” and the difference between the two was enormous.

A villa and an apartment were worlds apart, both in price and in size. As Zhang Hua looked at the scenery, streets, and buildings around her, she saw that everything had been constructed according to the new district’s modern plans. It was all far more beautiful than the old city. Watching the sights pass by through the car window, she had to admit that the area was pleasing to the eye. Living in a place like this would certainly be wonderful.

Zhang Can said nothing, merely smiling as he let Zhang Hua try to guess where they were going.

The farther south they drove, the more upscale the residential developments became, and the higher the prices rose. Zhang Hua saw that her second brother was still driving in that direction and grew increasingly bewildered. The houses farther ahead cost thirty or forty thousand per square meter—prices she would never even have dared imagine.

Only when Zhang Can drove into Imperial View Garden did she finally understand. Surrounded by magnificent, luxurious villas, she scarcely dared believe her eyes. From the advertisements displayed above the sales center, she had clearly seen that the villas here started at forty-eight thousand per square meter. She understood what “starting at” meant: the actual prices could only be higher.

Zhang Can parked in front of a villa, got out, and smiled broadly.

“Third Sister, come on out. This is the one!”

“Second Brother… this… how much does this house cost? At least… at least several million, right?” Zhang Hua asked timidly. To her, several million was already an unimaginably vast sum.

“More than thirty million.” Zhang Can did not hide the truth from her. He simply smiled and led her inside.

In the grand hall, Liu Dongsheng and his wife, Chen Huiyu, were arranging the furnishings.

When they saw Zhang Can and Zhang Hua return, Liu Dongsheng smiled and pointed upstairs.

“Little Qin and Little Li are upstairs arranging the rooms. Today they bought six or seven sets of quilts and pillows for the bedrooms, along with some other daily necessities.”

Zhang Can pointed upstairs.

“Third Sister, go take a look. The second and third floors are all bedrooms. Choose whichever one you like. It’ll be yours from now on.”

Zhang Hua was utterly stunned. It took her a long while to recover before she began looking around and slowly climbed the stairs. The villa’s décor and furnishings made everything seem like a palace. In all her life, she had never seen anything better. When she had moved into the residence at Tianxin Square a few days earlier, she had thought it was the finest place she had ever seen. She had never imagined that the new house her second brother had bought would be many times better.

On the second floor, she found two rows of bedrooms, three on each side. She pushed open one door at random and went in, touching this and looking at that, feeling as though she were in a dream. She simply could not imagine that a room like this could ever belong to her.

After looking around the first room, she entered the second. Its layout, size, and furnishings were identical. Liu Xiaoqin and Liu Xiaoli were inside, making the bed and folding the newly purchased quilts. As soon as Liu Xiaoqin saw Zhang Hua, she asked with a smile, “Third Sister, which room do you like? I’ll help make it prettier for you!”

Zhang Hua shook her head. It took her a while to find the words.

“Any room will do. I already think this is the best place in the world. The rooms are so large that I feel frightened staying in them. Even the bathroom is as big as the living room in my family’s house. It’s far too spacious. I’m not used to it at all.”

Liu Xiaoli smiled to herself. Zhang Hua really was something else—a truly simple country girl. Nowadays, wealthy people always chose homes that were large and bright, yet she actually found the room too big and frightening. It was genuinely amusing.

Still, Zhang Hua had every right to show off. After all, Zhang Can was her own brother. He had money, and it was only natural for his younger sister to benefit from it.

Liu Xiaoqin, however, gave the matter no further thought. She continued making the bed seriously. She had already calculated how many people would eventually live in the house: the two sisters, Zhang Hua, their parents, and Zhang Can. Five rooms would be occupied, so she had prepared six. Once Zhang Can’s parents came over, she would arrange a room for them as well.

Zhang Can slowly came upstairs and peered into the room where the women were working.

“Which room has already been arranged? I’m going to take a nap first and think about the rest later!”

Liu Xiaoqin pointed to the right.

“The first room on the right is ready. Actually, all the rooms have already been designed and furnished. They were only missing bedding and a few personal items, so we bought those today. Go take a look and see whether anything else is needed.”

Zhang Hua grinned.

“Second Brother, which room will be your bridal chamber? Sister-in-law Xiaoqin might want to arrange it herself!”

Liu Xiaoqin’s face flushed. She had not expected Zhang Hua to say something like that. She was delighted inwardly, but she was far too embarrassed to show it.

Zhang Can laughed heartily and paid no attention to the three women. He casually pushed open the door of the room next to them, went inside, closed it, and threw himself heavily onto the bed.

Perhaps it was because Su Xue’s problem had finally been resolved. The two boxes of drugs that had weighed on his heart like mountains had also been dealt with completely and safely. Zhang Can felt unprecedentedly relaxed. He had purchased such a large villa, one that fully satisfied him, and from then on he could continue earning money securely. With his clairvoyant ability and his newly discovered power to cure uremia, he was more than capable of giving his entire family a comfortable life. How could he not feel lighthearted?

After lying there for a while, Zhang Can took out the water-repelling pearl he had kept hidden and examined it carefully from every angle. Then he placed it in his mouth and concentrated on sensing its energy.

But there was no water around him, and without moisture the pearl seemed unable to release much energy. The object was extremely strange. Only when his entire body was immersed in water could he feel the pearl inside his mouth radiating a distinct aura.

Its power thrilled Zhang Can just as intensely as the black-and-white vision he had gained with his clairvoyant eyes. Beneath the sea, he could dive through the depths like a fish without surfacing, and he felt none of the crushing pressure that water ordinarily imposed. At such depths, who else could accomplish such a feat?

Although the pearl had also led him into the incident involving Su Xue and the drug-trafficking network, Zhang Can still loved it dearly. Not only did it give him access to a strange and marvelous energy, it also allowed him to move freely beneath the deep sea. If he discovered sunken ships or other treasures, making a fortune would become all the easier.

Zhang Can had dealt in antiques for several years, and he truly believed that the treasures still undiscovered beneath the sea far outnumbered those on land.

The trouble was that salvaging a sunken ship or recovering treasures from the seabed involved countless difficulties. The greatest was, of course, depth. If he exceeded the limits his body could withstand, even the pearl might not be enough to help him.

After giving it some thought, Zhang Can went into the bathroom adjoining the bedroom and looked at the bathtub. He decided to fill it with hot water. The enormous, luxurious round tub was truly something one might find in a presidential suite.

He then returned to the bedroom door and locked it from the inside. Only afterward did he slide open the glass door and leisurely wait for the tub to fill. Once the water reached the proper level, he tested its temperature. The bathtub was equipped with intelligent controls, and the temperature and water mixture were adjusted automatically, so Zhang Can did not need to add either cold or hot water.

He quickly stripped off his clothes and stepped into the tub. The instant he lay down, the water-repelling pearl in his mouth seemed to come alive. He felt a rippling sensation in his mind, while the skin across his body seemed to be drinking in sweet rain after a long drought. The comfort was indescribable.

Zhang Can could not help letting out a soft groan before sinking his entire body beneath the water.