Chapter 40 The Life of an Immortal

“Shujie, I’m at your new house, where are you?” Cao Tiemin didn’t find Cao Shujie, so he pulled out his phone and called him.

Learning that his childhood friend had arrived, Cao Shujie said, “Stay right there, I’ll come find you.”

Before long, Cao Shujie came down the mountain carrying his daughter Mengmeng, with his wife alongside him.

Seeing Cao Tiemin, Cao Shujie said loudly, “I just took them up, and you came right after. Did you speed on the way here?”

“Speed your grandmother’s leg,” Cao Tiemin instinctively raised his fist.

But seeing Cao Shujie holding his daughter, he held back. If they started roughhousing and accidentally hit the child, that wouldn’t be good.

“Mengmeng, say hi to uncle,” Cao Shujie instructed his daughter.

Mengmeng looked at Cao Tiemin for a moment, then smiled and said, “Hello, uncle!”

“Hey!” Cao Tiemin replied and muttered, “I left in such a rush, didn’t bring any gifts for Mengmeng.”

As he spoke, he pulled out a 100 yuan note from his pocket. “Here, buy something for the kid.”

Cao Shujie and Cheng Xiaolin quickly refused, and even Mengmeng didn’t take it.

“Shujie, look at you acting stingy. What’s wrong with me giving my niece a little money? Don’t make it awkward,” Cao Tiemin grumbled.

Cao Shujie chuckled, “Tiemin, come on, let’s go inside and check it out. Help me decorate this place a bit nicer.”

“How nice do you want it? What’s your budget?” Cao Tiemin asked. “That can vary a lot, you know.”

“I know. That’s why I asked you to do it,” Cao Shujie said as he entered the gate.

His wife followed closely behind.

Cao Tiemin and the two people he brought went in as well.

A big courtyard, two-story house, a room on the east side connected to a small two-story section on the north—used as a kitchen.

Cao Shujie also planned to place a small boiler here for heating.

The staircase was on the left side of the corridor, already equipped with railings.

The bathroom was on the south side, a separate room.

Most importantly, there was a row of shorter rooms against the west wall, divided into sections.

Cao Tiemin was puzzled. “Shujie, these aren’t for people to live in, right?”

“Dog kennels. I’m planning to raise several dogs here. Isn’t that great?” Cao Shujie was quite fond of the idea.

As soon as Mengmeng heard “dog,” she shouted, “Pretty ones!”

“Yes, yes, let Uncle Tiemin decorate the kennels nicely too.”

Cao Tiemin couldn’t even be bothered to reply. The more he looked around, the more he liked the place. “Shujie, this place is really something. How much did you spend in total?”

Honestly, he was tempted to get a place like this in his hometown—looked really comfortable.

But the problem was, he didn’t have that much money. He also had to think about his kid’s schooling and his family’s livelihood. It wasn’t as simple as it looked. He didn’t have the kind of carefree attitude his buddy Cao Shujie did.

Cao Shujie held up two fingers. “Went a little over budget, but it’s okay. It’s not like we’re tearing it down in ten years.”

“Good point.”

Cao Tiemin went inside and looked around. He discussed with Cao Shujie and Cheng Xiaolin where to place furniture and how to design things for better spatial flow and a layered look.

In this area, Cao Shujie and Cheng Xiaolin weren’t too knowledgeable. They just stated their needs.

As they went up the stairs, Cao Tiemin held onto the metal railing and said, “I’ll wrap the outside in wood veneer later. It’ll look good.”

“Sure, do as you see fit.” Cao Shujie was open-minded. Some things would definitely go over budget, but that was fine—he’d earn it back eventually.

The second floor had a central living room, with four rooms on each side. When Cao Tiemin entered the master bedroom, he exclaimed, “Shujie, damn, you really know how to live. You even added a shower room inside the bedroom?”

“Isn’t that the whole point of building a house? Now I don’t even have to leave the room—take a shower and go straight to bed. So convenient,” Cao Shujie replied.

Cao Tiemin agreed, nodding. “Two hundred thousand, totally worth it!”

At this point, he wasn’t just envious anymore.

“Shujie, be honest—can you really make money at home?” Cao Tiemin hesitated before asking.

Cao Shujie smiled, “It depends if it suits you. Your mindset matters too. I’ve let go of things, and I can handle it. Can you?”

Hearing that, Cao Tiemin immediately gave up on the idea that had been forming in his head. “Forget it. I’ll stick to my renovation work outside.”

Every person has their strengths and weaknesses, their limits and blind spots.

That’s just how people are—no one is good at everything.

Cao Tiemin just couldn’t deal with the lonely waiting involved in orchard work.

After touring the place, he asked the couple if they had any other requests.

“Honey, see if there’s anything else to add,” Cao Shujie said to his wife, indifferent himself.

Cheng Xiaolin thought seriously for a moment, then made a few requests, which Cao Tiemin noted down carefully.

In the end, Cheng Xiaolin smiled and said, “That’s all.”

“Alright then, let the house air out for two or three months. I’ll use this time to draw up a design. Once it’s finalized, I’ll prep the materials. Come July or August, I’ll come back to start work,” said Cao Tiemin.

Cheng Xiaolin was surprised. “It’s going to take that long?”

She’d hoped to move in soon!

Cao Shujie, however, knew better. He put his hand on the wall and said, “The house is newly built, too damp. It needs to dry out first.”

“Shujie’s right. If you rush the decoration now, the walls might blister, crack, peel, or grow mold. This isn’t a short-term thing—be patient,” said Cao Tiemin.

Cheng Xiaolin felt a little embarrassed. Cao Shujie didn’t mind at all.

After finishing the tour, they stepped out together. Cao Tiemin glanced up toward the mountain and got curious. “Shujie, what does it look like up there now? I want to take a look.”

“No secrets here. Let’s go,” said Cao Shujie, carrying his daughter and leading the way.

Cheng Xiaolin saw her husband carrying Mengmeng the whole way and was worried he’d get tired. “Shujie, let me carry Mengmeng.”

But to her surprise, Mengmeng didn’t want her. She wrapped her arms tightly around her father’s neck and held on. “I want Daddy to carry me.”

“Hah! Guess you’re off the hook,” Cheng Xiaolin laughed. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to help her husband.

She teased, “Mengmeng, you really love your daddy.”

“I like Daddy!” Mengmeng mumbled, still too young to understand how complicated words could be.

Cao Tiemin couldn’t help but laugh.

Kids around two or three years old really are the cutest.

When they arrived at the orchard on the mountain, Cao Tiemin immediately saw over thirty people weeding and leveling the land. He also spotted Cao Zhenggang and others digging pits, as well as Han Dingping’s team drilling for a well in the distance.

At that moment, Cao Tiemin suddenly realized how big the gap was between him and his childhood friend Cao Shujie.

“You planning to spend the rest of your life here?” Cao Tiemin asked instinctively.

“Yeah!” Cao Shujie smiled. “Isn’t it great? I get to spend every day with my wife, kid, and parents. Next year, I’ll bring my grandfather back too.”

He pointed at the large orchard. “I leased this for 30 years. After the initial investments and setup, with 80-plus acres taken care of, I can just sit back and make money. Isn’t that perfect?”

“Shit, this is the life of an immortal!” Cao Tiemin blurted out.

(End of chapter)