Chapter Seventy-Five: Entering Real Estate

Lin Miaomiao listened to Li Yanhe’s words and suddenly felt speechless; to her, Li Yanhe seemed the embodiment of a hopelessly traditional man. She glanced at him and asked, “So, is it possible or not?”

Li Yanhe, his expression calm, replied, “Let’s hear it, your immature little suggestion.”

Hearing this, Lin Miaomiao couldn’t help but chuckle. “Fine, I’ll tell you my immature little suggestion.”

She looked at Li Yanhe and said, “Let’s buy up this whole area of houses and build something new and innovative.”

“When the place develops in the future, we could sell the houses we’ve built here.”

Li Yanhe glanced at her. “Your little suggestion has quite the long timeline, doesn’t it?”

Lin Miaomiao nodded. “You’re right, it does.”

She nodded again, but as she thought about actually doing it, a hint of fear crept in—after all, she’d never done anything like this in her previous life. Building a neighborhood for the wealthy would require careful planning.

Li Yanhe noticed her sudden loss of enthusiasm. He placed a hand on her head and said gently, “Do whatever you want. Even if we don’t make money, I can provide for you.”

At that moment, Lin Miaomiao was deeply moved.

She looked at him, her eyes wide and earnest. For some reason, Li Yanhe felt an urge to pinch her cheek, as if she were a little girl.

He reached out and pinched her cheek. Lin Miaomiao, bewildered, stared at him in astonishment—she never imagined Li Yanhe would do such a thing.

“Why are you pinching my face?” she asked, utterly confused.

Li Yanhe looked at her and replied, “Probably because you’re just too cute.”

Hearing this, Lin Miaomiao almost suspected he, too, was a transmigrator.

“So, you know what ‘cute’ means?”

Li Yanhe nodded. “I know what it means. And you, you’re very cute indeed.”

Lin Miaomiao was caught off guard by his serious tone. She lifted her head stiffly and saw Li Yanhe looking at her with a broad, amused smile.

“I feel like you’re flirting with me,” she said, “but I have no proof.”

Li Yanhe arched an eyebrow. “What do you mean, flirting?”

Lin Miaomiao gave him a knowing smile, then with a wave of her small hand, she bought the plot of land.

She suddenly had plenty to do—she stopped reading the account books and no longer told bedtime stories to the two children.

Instead, she picked up her pencil and began to sketch the little Western-style houses she’d admired in the modern era.

Li Yanhe watched her as she drew. He realized he’d never seen houses like these before.

He pointed at her drawing. “Is this a two-story house?”

Lin Miaomiao nodded. “Yes, it’s two stories, one above and one below, with a staircase in the middle.”

She continued, “Can this actually be built?”

Li Yanhe pondered for a while before replying, “Perhaps we can give it a try—build a small one first. If it works, then we can expand on a larger scale.”

Lin Miaomiao nodded and carefully drew in an iron gate and a garden.

The next day, Li Yanhe found some cement. Seeing that they had cement available in this era, Lin Miaomiao relaxed.

Soon, Li Yanhe managed to construct a simple little Western-style house. Lin Miaomiao was overjoyed at the sight.

Jiang Luohan and Sun Ziwen came by and, seeing the small house, asked curiously, “This is a house?”

Lin Miaomiao replied, “Yes, it is! I just designed it. If we build many of them, don’t you think they’d sell well?”

Jiang Luohan pondered, stroking his chin, and said, “This house is really novel. I’m sure it would sell very well.”

Lin Miaomiao smiled prettily at his words and designed the rooms in the style of the Republican era.

Sun Ziwen, also stroking his chin, found the house quite impressive. “If you build these houses, I wouldn’t mind buying one from you.”

Lin Miaomiao rolled her eyes at him. “Hmph, I don’t feel like talking to you.”

Sun Ziwen glanced at Li Yanhe and began, “You’re not going to—”

But before he could finish, Jiang Luohan shot him a look and said, “Don’t stir up trouble.”

Lin Miaomiao watched the two about to argue and shook her head helplessly. She picked up her drawings and went outside.

She and Li Yanhe went to the land she’d purchased. Based on the terrain, Lin Miaomiao adapted her blueprints.

Although she wasn’t trained as an architect, with Li Yanhe by her side, many problems were easily solved.

When she finished the drawings, she handed them to Li Yanhe, who went out with them the next day.

He returned, sweating profusely. Lin Miaomiao instructed Cuiliu to boil some water for his bath. Afterward, he told her, “Today I showed your blueprints to some craftsmen.”

Lin Miaomiao’s eyes lit up. “And? What did they say? Is it doable?”

As she doggedly dried his hair with a towel, Li Yanhe found her utterly adorable.

He nodded. “Yes. This craftsman used to work in the palace, but now he’s getting old and wants to retire. I had someone show him your drawings, and he’s very interested. He’ll come to assess the site himself.”

Lin Miaomiao was thrilled—her golden opportunity was even better than she’d imagined.

She gazed at Li Yanhe with wide eyes. “Brother Li, you’re amazing! With you by my side, I’ll have smooth sailing ahead.”

Li Yanhe looked at her and said, “As a woman, how can you so casually cling to a man’s coattails?”

Hearing that, Lin Miaomiao was once again speechless. She sighed softly to herself—was this the so-called generation gap?

Still, she said to Li Yanhe, a hint of mischief in her voice, “I don’t care. I’m holding on to your golden coattails for life!”

For some reason, when he saw her like this, Li Yanhe’s heart softened. “All right, you may hold on,” he replied indulgently.

Lin Miaomiao nodded. “I’m so glad I met you. It feels like I can be successful without even trying.”

Li Yanhe smiled and said, “I haven’t really done anything.”

Lin Miaomiao giggled foolishly, prompting Li Yanhe to raise an eyebrow. “What are you laughing at?”

She replied, “You’re like the man behind every successful woman.”

Li Yanhe glanced at her, suddenly realizing this little girl was growing bolder—daring to tease him so openly.

Noticing his lack of a smile, Lin Miaomiao remembered that people here were more reserved, so she restrained herself and focused on drying his hair.

Li Yanhe lowered his eyes, lost in thought. Later, as Lin Miaomiao slept, he sat by her side and murmured, “Little one, hurry up and grow. If you marry me when you’re grown, then everything I’m doing now can be considered an engagement gift. If I ever have someone I love, everything I’ve accomplished will become your dowry.”

At his words, Lin Miaomiao turned over in her sleep, scratched her head, and kept snoring softly.

Li Yanhe felt a tender warmth fill his heart. He walked out of her room and turned to the shadowy figure behind him.

“How is it?” he asked.

Anba knelt down. “The Crown Prince has returned to the capital. His Majesty is indeed considering summoning you back. The capital is in turmoil—many factions are vying for power and doing their utmost to win over new forces. The Eastern Palace is under a lot of pressure; the third prince has made many moves to suppress the Crown Prince, and the seventh and ninth princes are also watching closely. The factions are locked in struggle, and the situation isn’t in your favor. So His Majesty wants you back to make things easier for himself.”

Li Yanhe nodded silently, and Anba withdrew.

Li Yanhe knew it was time to return—if he delayed any longer, his father would start to suspect.

Standing beneath a tree in quiet contemplation, he noticed Sun Ziwen lurking in the darkness.

Li Yanhe looked at him coolly. “Still not asleep, Mr. Sun?”

Sun Ziwen smiled. “How can I sleep before Your Highness does?”