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Chapter 9 - Chapter 6: Gaining a Dimensional Space

"Alright, you go to your father's courtyard first. There are rooms for you there, and I've already given the orders. I've also kept your father's study as it is, so let the butler know if anything needs to be repaired or supplemented."

After Mr. An, the couple lost interest in touring the garden, even though they made great efforts to create a joyful atmosphere in the main house. They couldn't ignore the fact that the elder wouldn't be with them for much longer.

The old house is quite large. Even with a quick glance, one could sense the deep heritage of a century-old dwelling. Fortunately, Mr. Zhang's courtyard isn't far from the main house; otherwise, it would be easy to get lost without someone to guide them.

Upon reaching the courtyard, it seemed very nice, albeit too spacious. Even if the whole family lived there, it would still feel empty. Thankfully, all around were ornamental trees and flowers; if it were filled with large century-old trees, towering and thick, Jiao Jiao wouldn't have the courage to live there alone.

Likely because the place is cleaned often, it's very tidy, and the luggage they brought has already been placed in the room.

The Zhang Family's butler, Uncle Guang, was very kind to the young couple. The elder, having never married, grew up with the current elder of the Zhang Family, which he referred to as "the elder young master." The little young master was also brought up by him, referring to National Day's father.

Now seeing the little young master finally return home, the elder secretly wiped tears of relief as he looked at Zhang Guoqing. Comforting the young couple, he said, "Little young master, you should rest first. I'll arrange dinner. Is there anything you particularly like to eat? You can tell Uncle Guang whatever you want. The study next to you is your father's. I've kept it untouched because I knew you would come back one day. If there's anything you need, be sure to tell Uncle Guang. I'll show you around the house when you have time."

Zhang Guoqing immediately helped Uncle Guang. He didn't dare to casually call him Uncle Guang, as he was an elder of the Zhang Family who grew up with Grandpa Zhang and watched over Mr. Zhang as he grew up.

With a smile, he said, "Grandpa Guang, you're getting older; don't tire yourself. There's plenty of time. We can take our time exploring the garden. Please assign tasks to others instead."

Uncle Guang was anxious and waved his hand vigorously, "Your Grandpa Guang isn't that old yet. I still need to help take care of the little young master. I can still lift 200 pounds without a problem."

Zhang Guoqing comfortingly replied, "Yes, yes, Grandpa Guang is indeed young. Look at what I'm saying; I just don't want you to tire yourself. We need you to stay with us for a long time."

"Alright, alright, little young master, in a few days you and your wife should remember to pay respects at your parents' grave. I've prepared everything. After more than 20 years, I finally waited for you to come back. Now, I can finally see you. In the future, when I pass, I can explain things to the matron and the young master. The old master was indeed unkind, not arranging for you to come back sooner. He's old and confused. As long as I'm here, let's see who dares to touch my little young master. You must not leave again. This is your home. No one else should think about taking it. Uncle Guang promised the elder young master to take care of this home."

Uncle Guang was worried. Who knew how hard the little young master's life had been? Now, he just wanted to see the little young master have children and grow up. Who knows what the second house was planning? Nothing could go wrong under his watch. He still needed to prepare for the child's birth and check if the old master's health could last longer. Alas, there were too many issues in the family. The people from the second house didn't want to leave yesterday. This is the little young master's home. He needed to live a few more years to support the little young master well.

"The elder is truly good to us. He genuinely cherishes our father. I can see in his eyes the full joy," she remarked.

"Hmm..." Zhang Guoqing was also troubled. So much had happened in the past two days, and he had been touched deeply. He never imagined that so many people would be concerned and make arrangements for him without him knowing. In truth, he was fortunate. He had loving parents, even though they were no longer of this world, a loving grandfather, a devoted old butler, a wife he loved dearly, and soon, a baby to be born.

In the evening, after chatting with the old master, the couple returned to organize the things in the study. Items of sentimental value, like the photograph of Zhang Guoqing's parents, needed to be collected and preserved properly. Some jewelry also had to be sorted separately.

Deep into the night, when Zhang Guoqing showed no inclination to sleep, Jiao Jiao pulled out the ancestral necklace to examine it. Under the light, it appeared very ordinary except for its distinct antique feel. Surely, it was an antique with no peculiar features.

Jiao Jiao had a sudden thought and sneaked a silly smile. It was as if she'd read too many novels. Although she reassured herself otherwise, she still felt an inexplicable urge to try it. Weren't those novels always about ancestral items accepting blood to recognize their masters, especially when they looked unremarkable? Once the thought occurred, she couldn't suppress it, so she decided to give it a try.

Zhang Guoqing saw his wife laughing secretly, then staring into space, then clenching her hands, and knew she was up to something. He saw her grab a needle and draw blood from her finger, dropping it on the bead of the necklace. He chuckled to himself, "Ha, reading too many novels." Shaking his head, he said, "Honey, doesn't your finger hurt? Why not use my blood?"

Upon hearing this, Jiao Jiao thought maybe only the blood of a Zhang Family member would work. She hurriedly pulled Zhang Guoqing's finger, pricked it with the needle, and pressed out blood to spread on the bead.

Initially, National Day was only joking, but the couple was suddenly stunned. When Jiao Jiao's blood was applied, nothing happened. But after applying National Day's blood, the bead slowly absorbed it and flashed briefly.

The two exchanged a look, pondering if it was truly a space dimension. Could such a thing really exist? Zhang Guoqing tried calling in and out with no response, while Jiao Jiao took the necklace, held the bead, and with her left hand holding the pillow, silently thought "enter." She noticed the pillow in her left hand was gone. Suddenly, a hall-sized space appeared in her mind, containing only the pillow and two wooden boxes.

Jiao Jiao hurriedly retrieved the pillow and boxes. "Honey, it's really a space! I can open it. What should we do? I also got the two boxes inside. Open them and take a look. Let me be quiet for a bit; I feel like I'm dreaming. Yes, I also dreamt that you'd find your family and inherit a huge fortune, and um, there's a space... Let me be quiet for a bit longer."

Zhang Guoqing was speechless at his wife's antics. He knew this was how she would react, but eventually, she would come to her senses. He had confidence in his wife's psychological resilience.

He opened the two unlocked boxes. One box was filled with exquisite bolts of silk, along with a few sets of women's ancient costumes. Even after all these years, their brightness and color remained unchanged.

It seemed the space had preservation attributes, just like in the novels. The other box was more miscellaneous, containing only half a box of items: a few paintings and calligraphy pieces, some jewelry, ten gold bars, a few embroidered handkerchiefs, several delicate pouches containing intricately designed jade pendants, gold peanuts, gold seeds, and some broken silver pieces. Besides these, there was nothing else. It might have been what the Zhang Family ancestors used to establish their fortune, and later on, nothing additional was added.

"Honey, these are so adorable. They can be toys for our baby in the future. And these silks are so beautiful. If we have a daughter, they can be used, haha~," Jiao Jiao said with a silly smile, looking at the items.

Zhang Guoqing didn't know what to say. Inheriting such vast wealth didn't make her act so foolishly, yet these few gold peanuts and seeds did.

This little woman could be scatterbrained at times, but he loved her for it. Her happiness made him happy; her tears made his heartache. This was good—keeping things simple, a bit muddled, and with him being attentive and tolerant was enough.

But he knew he needed to remind her: "Jiao Jiao, calm down first! This space, besides the two of us, must remain a secret. Do you understand? Let's put the jewelry from grandma and the antiques, paintings, and photos dad left into this empty box and store it in your space. I was originally planning to open a safe deposit box at the bank. But now, this is better. We'll place all important things in here. Tomorrow, we'll convert the cash to gold bars and bricks at the bank for the space. Then, we can see if we can convert shares into materials. There's no need for money in the bank. Our shares will cover our needs. Once the clutter is dealt with, I'll return to work."

Jiao Jiao immediately understood her husband's intentions. This guy loved gold. His obsession was probably acting up again. She agreed since it was his assets, nodding her head.

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