The Aloof Lord's Mysterious Wife
Chapter 250: Second Brother is a Real Estate Tycoon

Chapter 250: Second Brother is a Real Estate Tycoon

Upon returning to the manor, Nanli did not forget to inform Ye Siheng about Fan Guizong. Ye Siheng frowned deeply. "That man is narrow-minded and highly skilled in dark arts. He not only takes the time and effort to set up schemes, but he also has the determination to survive, even at the cost of cutting off his own arm. His escape will be troublesome."

Nanli nodded. "Exactly. I’m worried he might cause trouble for the Fan family again." Before she left, she set up additional feng shui formations at the Fan residence and buried talismans at various locations to form a protective array against evil spirits.

Ye Siheng understood her concerns. "Don’t worry, I’ll dispatch secret guards to track him down. As long as he’s moving around outside, we’ll find him."

Nanli acknowledged with a hum and took a sip of tea. After chatting a bit more, they headed out to the Mansion of Marquis Anyang.

At the Mansion of Marquis Anyang, everything was as usual. Chu Hanlin and Chu Ye were at the military camp near the capital. Nanli and Ye Siheng spent some time conversing with the old lady and Madam Shen. Then, Ye Siheng went to the palace while Nanli went to check Xiao Wanyi’s pulse.

Xiao Wanyi’s pregnancy was progressing well. Not yet three months along, the fetus was stable, and she had not experienced much morning sickness. She was eating and sleeping well, and her face had become rounder. Nanli adjusted her prenatal medicine, advising her to continue taking it daily.

Xiao Wanyi had already started making clothes for the baby but expressed her concerns. "Sixth Sister, only you can talk sense into Second Brother."

"What’s wrong with Second Brother?" Nanli asked quickly.

"Since I got pregnant, he sends things every other day—fabrics, toys, even books for when the child is three or four years old," Xiao Wanyi said, looking distressed. "Our courtyard isn’t very big, and the storeroom can’t hold everything."

Nanli found this amusing. She thought something serious had happened to Chu Shuo, but it turned out to be his old habit acting up. She asked, "Is he so free? Isn’t he busy preparing betrothal gifts?"

She had heard that in two or three months, their family would be engaged to the Lu family.

Xiao Wanyi sighed. "You know how capable your Second Brother is. If he wants to gather good things, it’s a piece of cake for him. He can manage his business outside, prepare betrothal gifts for his future wife, and still have time to find interesting items for his nephew. Mother-in-law often says that if he put this energy into studying or martial arts, he would achieve great things."

Nanli added, "Not only that, he often sends things to the prince’s residence as well."

Whenever she went out, Rainbow would come with a list, reporting that the second young master had sent items that had already been logged and stored.

Xiao Wanyi grabbed Nanli’s hand. "You really need to talk to him. With the amount of fabric he’s sending, it would last the child ten years."

Nanli thought to herself that it wasn’t for lack of trying. She had advised him many times, but to no avail.

Since Nanli had sent a message ahead of her return, Chu Shuo hadn’t gone out that day. Except for Chu Huan, who was on duty, the fourth and fifth brothers had arrived early, knowing that Sixth Sister would come to Second Brother’s place after visiting their sister-in-law. Tea and pastries were prepared.

Nanli greeted everyone and Chu Shuo quickly waved her off. "No need for formalities, have a seat. Do we still need these courtesies?"

Chu Yang and Chu Yan chimed in, asking if she was hungry and suggesting she have some pastries.

Nanli, having anticipated this, had left some room after visiting the old lady and Xiao Wanyi, so she could still eat.

After some food, it was time to talk. Chu Shuo immediately frowned. "You want me to stop sending so many things? How is that possible? I work hard day and night to earn money just to give you all good things. If I can’t do that, what’s the point of making money? What’s the joy in life?"

"..." Nanli was momentarily speechless, finding his argument surprisingly convincing.

Chu Yang said, "Sixth Sister, we should stop trying to persuade Second Brother. Asking him not to send things is harder than asking him to stop making money."

Chu Yan nodded in agreement. "Exactly, it’s his only hobby."

Nanli felt a bit frustrated. "I live in the prince’s residence, which is spacious with plenty of storage rooms, so I can manage. But Sister-in-law’s place is not as big. Sending her so many things ends up being a burden rather than a blessing."

"You’re right." Chu Shuo rubbed his chin and looked around the hall. Suddenly, he had an idea. "I think our Marquis Manor is too small. Each courtyard has only one or two storage rooms, some even less. The best solution is to move to a bigger estate, with each courtyard having three or four storage rooms. That way, no matter how many things we have, there will be enough space."

Excited, he clapped his hands and ordered a servant to bring the land deeds he owned in the capital so he could see if any were suitable. His siblings were stunned.

The servant went out and then came back, asking, "Young Master, which box is it?"

"Huh? The one with the plum blossom, I think?" Chu Shuo scratched his head, trying to remember. "No, no, the box with the capital deeds is the one with the orchid."

At this point, everyone realized that Chu Shuo not only owned land in the capital but had also purchased property elsewhere, hence the need to keep the deeds in different boxes for easy access.

Seeing their surprised expressions, Chu Shuo smiled sheepishly. "What can I say? I had too much silver and didn’t know what kind of business to invest in, so I bought land."

"Second Brother, how much did you buy?" Chu Yang asked casually.

"Not much," Chu Shuo said. Just then, the servant brought the orchid box. When opened, it contained a thick stack of deeds.

Chu Yang’s mouth twitched. Was this "not much"?

Chu Yan, accustomed to such sights, calmly sipped his tea.

Nanli felt a bit embarrassed. Her second brother was indeed a real estate tycoon. The rent collection alone must bring in a significant amount of silver each month.

Chu Shuo selected a deed and, with satisfaction, said, "Look, this is my latest purchase. I was planning to resell it, but it might be good for us to use."

Chu Yang took a look and frowned. "On Chaoyang Street?"

The estates there were enormous, typically inhabited by royalty and nobility.

"Yes, it originally belonged to the Duke of Ming. He was a prominent figure across three dynasties but had a useless son and a gambling-addicted grandson. Because of substantial gambling debts, the Duke was forced to sell the estate to repay them," Chu Shuo explained.

Chu Yang quickly shook his head. "Second Brother, I’ve been to that estate. It’s spacious but also very luxurious. We’re just a marquis family. Father and Eldest Brother have achieved merit, so we should remain low-key to avoid envy. Moreover, with Sixth Sister now being the Ninth Princess, moving into such a grand estate could easily invite criticism."

Chu Yan understood the reasoning and echoed, "Exactly, Second Brother."

Though adept at business, Chu Shuo lacked understanding of political sensitivities. He pouted, a bit deflated. "True, I won’t suggest this to Father then."

Earning silver and then having to spend it discreetly felt quite tedious. But his good friend Xie Beihan was about to get married, and he had been pondering what gift to give. Now, seeing these deeds, he had an idea.

Before returning to the prince’s residence, Nanli went to check on Zhi Mi’s studies.

Zhi Mi was diligent, managing the shop’s business while keeping up with his studies. He had successfully drawn several talismans.

Nanli looked at him approvingly. "Not bad. Has there been any strange activity in the capital recently?"

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