Visiting Old Liu

"Brother Zhou, how about it? With this matter, are you treating us tonight?" Chu Chen asked with a smile.

"Xiao Chen... this... well..."

Hearing such news, Zhou Wenping could no longer remain calm, his speech becoming incoherent. He was so excited that he didn't know what to say. After waiting for a while, he finally calmed his emotions, patted Chu Chen's shoulder, and said:

"Xiao Chen, I won't say much. From now on, as long as there's anything I can do, you just name it. No matter how difficult, I'll definitely handle it perfectly for you."

Hearing this, Chu Chen said with some dissatisfaction, "Brother Zhou, I did this for you entirely because of our friendship. If you say that, it makes us seem distant!"

Hearing this, Zhou Wenping said a little sheepishly, "It's my fault, Xiao Chen, please don't be upset. Anyway, from now on, you are my real brother. We'll be like family. Don't be polite with me about anything."

"Okay, Brother Zhou, I'm satisfied with those words." Chu Chen smiled happily.

Old Wu saw the two of them laughing so happily and came over to ask, "Hey, you two, what good thing happened that you're laughing so hard?"

When he learned that Zhou Wenping's entire family could have their household registration moved to Beijing, he was truly envious. He said to Chu Chen, "Not bad, Xiao Chen, your connections are quite something. You managed to accomplish such a big thing without anyone knowing."

"How about this, Fifth Brother, I've already troubled my friend for this. When the time is right next time, I'll help you with yours too." Chu Chen had thought before that since Old Wu might also be asked to help in the future, he couldn't just help Zhou Wenping's family move their registration and not help Old Wu's family as well. He would find an opportunity to do it for them.

Hearing this, Old Wu became excited and said, "This... how can I accept this? This will cost a lot of money, right? How much is it? Just tell me. Old Wu won't make you pay for it, will he?"

Zhou Wenping also reacted to Old Wu's words and quickly said, "That's right, Xiao Chen, you haven't told us how much it will cost yet. You're not going to pay for it yourself, are you? What would that make me?"

Chu Chen looked a bit exasperated and said, "I say, you two, why are you worrying about this? My friend has a strong background, and such a small matter is just a matter of a few words. If there were any costs, would I not mention it to you? Am I some kind of living Lei Feng from the new century?"

The two of them thought about it and laughed. After laughing, Old Wu said enviously to Zhou Wenping, "Not bad, Old Zhou, you're the first to become a Beijing resident! No way, you have to treat us tonight!"

Zhou Wenping said with great bravado, "Okay, how could I not treat you on such a joyous occasion? Let's be extravagant today and go to that Eight Treasures Jade Food place."

Eight Treasures Jade Food was the private kitchen opened by Zhao Qirui, its full name being Eight Treasures Jade Food Private Kitchen. The first time Chu Chen saw the name, he thought, "What a bold name. I wonder if the food inside lives up to it." To his surprise, after eating there once, he found it lived up to its name. And after yesterday, he had even less doubt.

When Zhou Wenping mentioned this, Old Wu's mouth immediately started watering. He had been conquered by the deliciousness of the dishes there last time. However, Chu Chen poured cold water on them. He chuckled and said, "Let's forget it. It's already past three o'clock. Do you think we can still book a table?"

It turned out that the private kitchen was holding an opening celebration, so they didn't limit the number of guests. Starting from yesterday, the restaurant had limited the number of tables per day, and reservations were required to book a spot. Given the environment and the deliciousness of the dishes, even though the price was a bit expensive, the spots were usually fully booked.

When Zhou Wenping and the others learned of this situation, they couldn't help but sigh. They wondered when they would be able to eat those mouth-watering delicacies again. Thus, Zhou Wenping had to book another well-known restaurant.

Actually, if they were to go to Eight Treasures Jade Food, Chu Chen could still book a table because he had a gold card. However, considering that Zhou Wenping's financial situation wasn't very good, the cost of treating them there would not be much less than last time. Even with the discount card, it would still be several thousand. In a regular restaurant, it wouldn't cost that much, so he didn't mention it.

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The next day, Chu Chen woke up unusually late. He lay in bed, still somewhat shaken from yesterday's dinner. In the heat of the moment, the three men had repeatedly toasted each other, and Chu Chen was the main target. In the end, he even fought against two of them alone. The battle was truly fierce.

Old Wu, needless to say, was a seasoned drinker. And although Zhou Wenping hadn't drunk much since Sister-in-law Zhou fell ill, his tolerance for alcohol was not small before.

Under the combined assault of the two, Chu Chen drank a full five jin of baijiu. Even with his excellent physique, he was completely out of it. However, the other two weren't much better off, both collapsing under the table. The two wives were also shocked by their fierce battle. Today, if nothing unexpected happened, they would surely not have an easy time at home.

Chu Chen lay in bed and chuckled silently. Zhou Wenping and the others didn't have his special physique, where they could wake up energetic even after getting drunk. They must be feeling terrible right now, and on top of that, they would be punished by their wives. He had a look of schadenfreude on his face. Serves them right for thinking they could get me drunk when they couldn't handle it.

Just as he was about to get up, his phone rang. Seeing that it was Uncle Wu, he quickly answered, "Hello, Uncle Wu. Is there something you need so early in the morning?"

Uncle Wu's laughter and scolding came from the phone, "You brat, it's already half-past seven, and you call it early? Don't forget, we still have to visit Old Liu today. He goes to bed and wakes up early every day. If we're late, won't that be impolite?"

Chu Chen chuckled and said, "Uncle Wu, I really didn't know about this before. Wait a moment, I'll be at your place right away."

"Alright, then hurry up."

After hanging up the phone, Chu Chen quickly washed up and changed. He grabbed the bag containing the Tang Sancai fragments and the brocade box containing the Ding ware large plate, and without even having breakfast, he hurried to Uncle Wu's house.

When he arrived at Uncle Wu's doorstep, Chu Chen found that he was already waiting there.

Seeing Chu Chen's travel-worn appearance, Uncle Wu said somewhat irritably, "Next time you visit someone, you should learn more about the host's habits. Don't be so rash like this time. You haven't eaten breakfast yet, have you? Here, these are meat buns made by your aunt. Eat them on the way."

Seeing Chu Chen sheepishly accept the buns, Uncle Wu noticed the brocade box he was carrying and asked, "What's this? Are you really bringing an antique?"

Chu Chen said proudly, "Of course. Didn't you say it's best to bring something, Uncle Wu? This is the best piece I have with me right now. As for what it is, we'll find out when we get to Old Liu's place."

Hearing this, Uncle Wu became curious, "Oh, then I'll have to see it. But I hope it's really a fine piece like you said, otherwise we'll lose face. Alright, let's go if there's nothing else."

Old Liu lived in a high-end villa area in the eastern part of the city. It only took about ten minutes by taxi from Uncle Wu's house to get there.

Chu Chen had only heard of this high-end villa area. He heard that the residents here were either wealthy individuals with deep connections or powerful figures. This could be seen from the strict security measures at the entrance.

Even though Uncle Wu visited frequently, he still had to call Old Liu first and then go through layers of security checks before he could enter. This made Chu Chen believe the rumors he had heard even more.

Old Liu's villa, from the outside, did not have the grand courtyard layout, but rather a pastoral scene of small bridges and flowing water, exuding a strong natural atmosphere.

When Chu Chen and the others arrived at Old Liu's residence, a middle-aged woman was already waiting for them at the door.

Seeing this, Uncle Wu stepped forward and greeted her, "Qinshu, thank you for the trouble of waiting for us here."

This middle-aged woman named Qinshu was Old Liu's youngest daughter.

Liu Qinshu smiled and said, "There's no trouble at all. I just walked a few more steps, and it's good exercise for me. Is this young man your nephew, Ziping? He's so handsome."

Hearing this, Chu Chen shyly stepped forward and greeted her. Liu Qinshu chuckled at this and then led them into the courtyard.

As they walked, Uncle Wu asked, "What, are there other visitors to see Old Liu today?"

"Heh, you're talking about the owner of the car at the entrance, aren't you? Actually, you know her, she's that girl from the Li family."

"You mean Li Beibei? Why did she decide to come today?" Uncle Wu asked in surprise.

At this moment, Chu Chen was also somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected to meet her in person today, especially after mentioning her on the phone with Wu Ke just yesterday.

Liu Qinshu smiled and said, "It's nothing major. She's here to invite my dad to Old Li's eightieth birthday celebration."

Uncle Wu chuckled after hearing this. "It can't be that simple, can it? Old Li's eightieth birthday is still three or four months away. If there wasn't anything else, would she come this early?"

"Heh heh, Ziping, you really understand his personality. She's here this time for two reasons: inviting my dad is one, and she also wants my dad to help appraise a Tianhuang Shou Xing ornament. That ornament looks quite exquisite, but I don't know what the final result will be."

At this moment, Chu Chen and the others were walking along a path paved with cobblestones. Various flowers and trees were planted on both sides of the path, which extended to every corner of the courtyard.

From the outside, the courtyard walls blocked the view, so they couldn't see the whole picture. Once they entered the courtyard, they felt a sense of sudden openness. Looking around, they saw that the buildings in the courtyard appeared very ancient and natural. Within the vast courtyard, a gourd-shaped small lake, oriented east-west, had been reasonably created.