Basement Level One!

After touring the entire first basement level, Sicong and his two companions slumped into their chairs, looking as if they’d lost the will to live. This was especially true for Sicong, who was practically drooling with envy.

"Old Su, this courtyard home of yours... ahem... would you consider selling it to me?" Sicong asked tentatively.

Su Chen gave him a speechless look. "What do you think?"

"Hmph. It’s not like I’m desperate for it. I’ll just go buy my own courtyard home in a couple of days and renovate it!"

Su Chen just smiled, saying nothing in response.

Sicong knew he was just talking big. Finding a courtyard home in a location this good was like winning the lottery.

Besides, could you really build a courtyard home like this in a place like Shichahai without some serious power and connections?

Sicong, at least, knew he couldn’t.

After all, there were only a few hundred courtyard homes for sale in the entire Imperial Capital. Most were the type tucked away in narrow alleyways, and not very large—a few hundred square meters at the most.

Su Chen’s courtyard home was adjacent to Shichahai with a main road right outside its gate. That alone would place it in the top tier of all such properties on the market.

During the tour, Sicong had noticed the immense effort and expense poured into the basement. Practically all the tables and chairs were made of top-grade mahogany.

He did a quick mental calculation. The mahogany furniture alone had to be worth tens of millions, at the very least.

"Sir," a voice called out. Just then, Jiang Hui rushed out of the elevator.

The group’s conversation came to a halt. Su Chen turned to Jiang Hui and asked, "What is it? Why the rush?"

"Sir, you have visitors," Jiang Hui said, bowing.

"For me?"

Su Chen frowned. ’The only person who knows I live here is Xiao Chen. If it were him, Jiang Hui would have brought him straight in, since they’ve met before.’

’It must be someone Jiang Hui doesn’t recognize to make him hurry like this...’

Su Chen excused himself to Sicong and the others, then stood and walked toward the elevator with Jiang Hui.

"How many people?"

"Two. They both look very young and have a certain distinguished air about them."

’Distinguished air?’ Hearing that, Su Chen had a good idea of who his visitors might be.

Sure enough, when Su Chen reached the central courtyard, he saw Jiangyang and Chen Yao in the pavilion, playing with Yuanbao.

"I was just wondering who it could be. I didn’t expect it to be you two gentlemen. Sorry to keep you waiting!" Su Chen said with a cheerful laugh as he walked over.

Seeing Su Chen, the two of them politely stood up.

"Young Master Su, hope we’re not interrupting! We wanted to come hang out, but we didn’t realize you already had company," Jiangyang said, surprised at the coincidence.

Ever since they’d last had a meal together, Jiangyang and Chen Yao had been planning to find a time to visit Su Chen’s home to chat and strengthen their connection.

It was rare for both of them to have a free day, so they’d decided to drop by, hoping to have dinner and a few drinks with Su Chen. They’d even brought a little gift...

A case of 20-year-aged collector’s Maotai and a case of 1974 Romanee-Conti.

Su Chen noticed the two cases set to the side. After his experience with Xiao Chen’s gift, he had made a point to educate himself on such matters... especially top-shelf liquors and red wines.

He didn’t want to be at a dinner or business function in the future and not recognize what he was drinking. That would be too embarrassing.

He recognized what they’d brought at a single glance.

He was a little surprised. ’Are all the second-generation heirs in the Imperial Capital this extravagant...?’

’Bringing million-yuan gifts just to hang out.’

A single bottle of 1974 Romanee-Conti went for around 200,000 yuan, meaning a case of six was worth about 1.2 million.

As for the Maotai, its price was harder to pin down. There was a huge difference between what was sold on the open market and the special-supply batches.

"If you two don’t mind the company, we could all have dinner together tonight. I still have some of the whole Wuzhumuqin lamb I brought back from Li Fei. We could have lamb hot pot!"

Jiangyang and Chen Yao exchanged a look, then nodded in agreement.

They were also curious to see who Su Chen’s friends were.

Seeing them agree, Su Chen called Jiang Hui over and instructed him to buy some other meats and ingredients, things like Angus beef and Iberian black pork.

With enough money, you could buy any ingredient in the Imperial Capital; it just took a little time to procure them.

After giving his instructions, Su Chen prepared to head down to the basement to get Sicong and the others.

Jiangyang and Chen Yao asked if they could go down as well. They’d heard Xiao Chen rave about the courtyard home but had never gotten the chance to see it for themselves. This was the perfect opportunity.

When Jiangyang and Chen Yao saw the hidden elevator, they were surprised, though not entirely. It was the sort of thing they had expected.

Upon arriving at the basement level, the two of them finally understood why Xiao Chen had praised the place so highly.

As the three of them stepped out of the elevator, they naturally caught the attention of Sicong’s group.

The moment he saw the two men with Su Chen, Sicong shot to his feet and hurried over. "Brother Jiang! Brother Chen! What are you... doing here?!"

"I was wondering who Young Master Su’s friends were. So it’s you, Sicong," Jiangyang said, equally surprised to see him.

"I didn’t expect to see you either!"

Sicong genuinely hadn’t expected to run into these two. They were true movers and shakers, not like the second-generation rich kids who were all over social media. These guys were genuinely low-profile; you could barely find any information about them online.

The only reason he knew them was that his own father had taken him along to pay a New Year’s visit to their families. They were around the same age and got along well, and with their families’ connections already established, they naturally became acquainted.

Su Chen was also surprised, but when he remembered who Sicong’s father was, it all made sense.

"Well, since you all know each other, I’ll skip the introductions," Su Chen said with a smile.

As for Deng Chao and Chen He, Su Chen didn’t introduce them to Jiangyang and his friend. Given the disparity in their statuses, it was actually better not to.

Jiangyang and Chen Yao also marveled at how small the world was. It seemed that no matter where you went, you ran into people you knew.

It was like the theory of six degrees of separation: you are only ever five people away from any stranger in the world. In other words, through a maximum of five intermediaries, you could get to know anyone.

Perhaps the person you brush past on the street is a friend of a friend.

-----------------

"Sir, dinner is ready," Jiang Hui said, approaching Su Chen’s side.

Su Chen nodded slightly. Seeing everyone deep in conversation, he clapped his hands. "It’s getting late. Time for dinner!"

Just as he was about to stand, Jiangyang thought of something and leaned in to whisper to Su Chen, "Heh heh... I heard from Brother Cheen that he gave you a case of collector’s-grade Maotai. Are you going to bring it out for a taste today?"

"Jeez, so you two came specifically for my private stash, huh?"

"Of course not! The drinking is just a bonus. We mainly came to see the place," Jiangyang replied with a self-righteous look.

Chen Yao chimed in from the side, "Right! We’re just helping you check if it’s expired!"

Su Chen was dumbfounded. ’Since when does liquor expire?’

He had half a mind to call them out on their flimsy excuse.

He shook his head with a laugh. "Fine. But only one bottle. I only have a few of them, after all."

Ever since Su Chen had learned of the liquor’s prestigious origins, he’d had Jiang Hui store it in his collection room.

He called Jiang Hui over and asked him to fetch a bottle of the collector’s Maotai from the collection room, then led the group up to the ground floor.

By this time, Aunt Tang had the dining table set up.

A large round table was set with two copper hot pots. Over a dozen platters of food covered the surface—in addition to the Wuzhumuqin lamb, there was an abundance of seafood, beef, and more, filling the entire table.

Su Chen nodded in satisfaction. ’Looks like Jiang Hui made some very thorough arrangements.’

"We’re all friends here, so please, sit wherever you like," Su Chen said, playing the part of the host.

Even though he’d said that, Deng Chao and Chen He knew their place, waiting for Jiangyang and the others to be seated before taking their own seats.

The two of them had initially planned on taking on the role of pouring drinks, but when they saw the butler, Jiang Hui, standing respectfully nearby, they knew their services wouldn’t be required.

"Come on, open it up!"

Jiangyang and Chen Yao’s eyes lit up with excitement when they saw the bottle of collector’s-grade Maotai in the butler’s hands.

Su Chen gave a helpless wave, signaling for Jiang Hui to open the bottle.

The anticipation was palpable. As Jiang Hui poured the liquor into a decanter, its distinctive aroma began to fill the room.

Even Su Chen, who wasn’t much of a drinker, couldn’t help but swallow.

"Amazing... That’s the stuff. The last time I had this was during the New Year. The old man was in a good mood and brought out a case, and I didn’t even get more than a couple of ounces," Jiangyang said wistfully.

The butler, Jiang Hui, poured everyone a small glass, about fifty milliliters each.

Su Chen took a sniff before taking a small sip. It was exceptionally smooth, warming his stomach instantly and spreading a pleasant heat throughout his entire body.

"This really is good liquor."

By the time Su Chen finished his thought, he noticed that Jiangyang and Chen Yao were already pouring their second glasses.

Meanwhile, Sicong, Deng Chao, and Chen He had already started digging in with their chopsticks.

"Mm? This lamb is incredible! Is it imported?" Sicong asked, his eyes practically glowing.

"Inner Mongolia. It’s Wuzhumuqin lamb."

"The texture is just as good as any imported lamb I’ve had. How have I never heard of this before?" Sicong shoveled in two more mouthfuls as he spoke.

"Internal competition," Jiangyang said, setting down his glass. "No matter how good the lamb is, it’s hard for it to make a name for itself."

In truth, the quality of Wuzhumuqin lamb could be ranked first in the entire country. Unfortunately, the local producers were so busy competing with each other that they failed to unite and build a collective brand, which is why it remained less famous than lamb from other regions.

The meal lasted for nearly three hours. They finished one bottle of Su Chen’s collector’s-grade Maotai, four bottles of the cellared Maotai that Jiangyang had brought, and three bottles of the 1974 Romanee-Conti. All told, the meal cost somewhere between two and three million yuan.

Of course, the vast majority of that cost was the alcohol.

"Alright, that’s far enough. No need to see us out, we have a driver," Jiangyang said, his eyes looking a bit hazy.

Chen Yao, who was being supported by Sicong, added, "Go on back inside. We’ll come find you again in a few days when we’re free."

Su Chen could see from their expressions that none of them were truly drunk, so he didn’t insist, simply turning and heading back inside.

Once outside the courtyard home, Sicong sent Deng Chao and Chen He on their way before getting into a Hongqi sedan with Jiangyang and Chen Yao.