Bai Yan was true to his word and really gave the car keys to Lu Zhenping. The couple drove around Shangjing for several days, mainly Shen Meng, because Shangjing is the capital city, where many foreign tourists and overseas Chinese come to visit attractions.

This sight made Shen Meng even more determined about her idea of starting a company.

If it were another city, she might have some concerns, but not in Ning County. That's her base, where she has both policies and connections, so generally, no one would dare to get on her bad side.

After they had breakfast and returned to the guesthouse, they saw Bai Yan carrying a folder and standing in front of the car. When he saw them coming back, he hurried over.

"Are you back? Got any plans for today?"

"We've been touring for several days, so we plan to rest today. Why?"

Bai Yan handed the folder to them. Shen Meng gave him a look, took it, and saw that it contained information on several courtyards under the Imperial City.

"What's this?"

"I'm not a fool. When you mentioned buying a courtyard house before, I figured it wasn't just for that kid Ming Kai. Nowadays, Shangjing is full of foreign guests, and private businesses are increasing. Big cities like Shangjing, Hai City, and Yangcheng are all building commercial housing. With this trend, housing prices are bound to rise. Even though I don't know how high, there's definitely potential. These are the materials I've gathered. If you're free today, let's go check them out together."

"Sure, why not? Let's go."

Lu Zhenping nodded, took the folder from Shen Meng, looked through it carefully, then handed it back to Bai Yan.

"Besides looking at courtyards today, there's something else to do. We need to take care of the paperwork for the house Grandma left, register it under my name first, and transfer it to Ming Kai when he comes to Shangjing."

"Heh, I thought you'd register it under your wife's name!"

Lu Zhenping shook his head and said, "Since it's the old lady's, neither of us should keep it. It's best for Ming Kai. But if we register it under Xiao Meng's name now, Miss Bai and the Yuan Family might cause trouble again. We don't want to waste time, so registering it under my name for now is the best option."

Shen Meng thought the same, and she was already planning on opening a company. She was thinking of returning to Ning County in a few days; the kids at home probably missed them too.

After getting in the car, Bai Yan drove towards the nearest courtyard.

Shen Meng had a bit of admiration for him. After just a simple dinner last night, where she revealed some subtle information, Bai Yan picked up on the key points from those details. A true soldier, indeed sharp-minded.

If any new policies come out, the first to know would be the people of Shangjing. It seemed he had some thoughts too but didn't dare due to his family's circumstances.

They looked at four courtyards in the morning, but all of them had residents. Some were dilapidated, with all sorts of mixed smells. One two-part courtyard housed eight families, with even makeshift shelters set up in the yard.

At lunch, Shen Meng frowned slightly at the courtyard yet to be seen.

"Are you tired? Let's eat first and then see it in the afternoon."

"No need. After lunch, Zhenping and I will head back to the guesthouse. We've bought tickets for the day after tomorrow and plan to visit Uncle and Aunt tomorrow to say goodbye."

Lu Zhenping poured a cup of hot water for Shen Meng.

"Ah, leaving now? Well, okay. My parents could at least see you, so our families are connected, not in vain. Oh, when you leave, check on Aunt... alright, alright, no need if you're not going. It's too vexing. But aren't you going to see the remaining courtyards this afternoon?"

Lu Zhenping placed the beef noodles in front of Shen Meng, along with chili oil and vinegar on the side for her to add as she pleased.

"No need, they're pretty much the same. After the registration in the afternoon, we'll head back to the guesthouse. We can afford two courtyards, but buying now might come with a pile of issues. The occupants can't move out immediately, and some might refuse to leave altogether. It's better to wait, or you could find some individual sellers. We're not in Shangjing, and don't have much time to waste on idle talks. If we're going to buy, let's buy straight away, and not deal with subsequent problems."

"That's our point too."

Shen Meng slurped the noodles and added that when they left with Bai Yan in the morning, they thought he specifically found some individual courtyards, not realizing they'd all be occupied by people of various backgrounds.

"These were only recently gathered. You have no idea how many unemployed young people are in Shangjing these days. Every winter, you see young people skating everywhere in Shichahai. At night, there are even more brawls, and it's with these courtyards, thanks to some connections, that I managed to gather them. These are private, but there's no way to evict the people living there, and if they were evicted, they'd have nowhere to go."

"That's why I said there's no rush to buy now. Anyway, you're in Shangjing. Just keep an eye on it. We're taking an early train later. You have Zhenping's public security bureau number; if there's news, just call. I'll come over then."

Bai Yan: "....."

If there's news, why wouldn't I buy it myself? Why would I tell you, unless I didn't have money???

Yes, I do indeed not have enough money!

In the afternoon, after the transfer, Shen Meng and Lu Zhenping went back to rest. In the evening, Lu Zhenping took Shen Meng to the cinema.

"You old rascal, I didn't expect you to suddenly be so romantic."

"This is a rare trip, we shouldn't just deal with business. While doing the paperwork in the afternoon, I overheard a couple of young people saying that 'Love in Lushan' was showing tonight. You watched it last year and have been talking about it since. Now that it's showing again, how about we go see it?"

"Sure."

Old movies have a certain charm, especially since it's just her and Lu Zhenping. They're usually really busy, and the last time they went to the movies, they had four kids with them, so there was no atmosphere, especially during the scene where the heroine kissed the hero.

Ming Kai actually said it was a good kiss, like when mom kisses dad.

Shen Meng, hearing suppressed laughter from both sides, wanted to dig a hole and hide in it, never to come out again.

The cinema was quite crowded. As Lu Zhenping and Shen Meng entered to find seats, they suddenly saw a familiar figure flash by.