CH 26

Chapter 26 Cunningly Seizing Wealth and Power (Part 1)

Although the incident just now had caused Lin Wanrong to blush, the time it took for his face to return to normal was only a matter of microseconds. In a moment, he had regained his composure.

The new shoes that Qiaoqiao had made for him fit perfectly. After walking a few steps back and forth, he felt extremely comfortable. Qiaoqiao was truly skilled with her hands.

Beside him was also a new set of clothes, obviously made for him as well. Thinking about how busy Qiaoqiao had been during the day, it was clear that she had stayed up late to make these clothes and shoes for him. Lin Wanrong was moved by this and felt a slight sense of remorse for his earlier indecent behavior.

Wearing his new clothes and walking back and forth, Lin Wanrong felt as if the clothes were made specifically for his body. He wondered if it was due to Qiaoqiao's skill or if he was just naturally suited for clothing. He shamelessly thought to himself.

Suddenly, there was a light sound, and Dong Qiaoqiao walked out, trying to suppress her shyness. The blush on her face was still clearly visible.

"Qiaoqiao," Lin Wanrong smiled at her apologetically.

Dong Qiaoqiao didn't say anything. She walked over to him and gently adjusted his clothes. She carefully looked over him from front to back, left to right, before nodding in satisfaction.

As he looked at her shy face, her crystal-clear complexion, and the fragrant scent that emanated from her, Lin Wanrong felt a surge of desire, wishing he could embrace her and kiss her deeply.

Taking a deep breath, tightening his abdominal muscles, lifting his breath, and squeezing his buttocks, Lin Wanrong silently recited the breathing technique, suppressing his arrogance and desires.

"Big brother, you'll be going to the Xiao family tomorrow, take care of yourself. I'll make two new sets of clothes for you, come and get them when you have time," Dong Qiaoqiao said softly.

Lin Wanrong, who was in a fierce struggle with the dragon head, felt a warm feeling spread throughout his body when he heard her words, and the stubborn dragon head immediately crouched down.

This Qiaoqiao girl was so gentle and kind, it was really not right to treat her like this. Lin Wanrong's conscience was pricked, and he felt a little guilty. He was also dissatisfied with the performance of the dragon head under him. "It's all your fault, causing trouble for me."

That night, Lin Wanrong slept soundly and dreamt of countless beautiful women. When he woke up the next morning, the dragon head was still standing tall.

He was quite pleased with his morning erection. "It's quite prominent," he thought to himself with a sense of promiscuity.

Feeling dampness in his underwear, he reached down and realized that he had actually had a wet dream. This phenomenon had rarely occurred since he had started dating at eighteen years old, but he didn't expect it to happen in this world. Lin Wanrong was a bit helpless and couldn't help but cry and laugh, it was evident that yesterday's stimulation had been quite significant.

"Washing my underwear at six in the morning, this is not a good omen," Lin Wanrong sighed in his heart.

He arrived early at the Xiao family's entrance and saw that there were already countless diligent people gathered around two red lists, making a lot of noise.

Lin Wanrong squeezed forward and took a look, only to find that it was a list of names for those participating in the Xiao family's servant preliminary test. The big red list was filled with countless names, dense and crowded.

Thanks to Lin Wanrong's good eyesight, he finally found his name in an inconspicuous corner - Lin San.

These two characters looked so awkward, Lin Wanrong remembered Old Man Wei's trickery, and became angry. However, looking at the names beside him, there were all sorts of names: Zhang Gousheng, Xia Shiren, Liu Yuejing, compared to these names, being called Lin San was considered fortunate (These names literally means: Gousheng = Leftover Dog; Shiren = Historical Benevolence; Yuejing = Refined Cross; Lin San = Lin the Third). Lin Wanrong secretly broke out in a cold sweat. It seemed that Old Man Wei was still a decent person after all.

"I never thought that I wouldn't even have a chance to take the initial exam and be eliminated like this. Heaven is against me," a household servant-looking fellow next to him sobbed.

"Why are you so sad, my friend?" another fellow asked.

The sobbing fellow replied, "I didn't realize that yesterday's registration was the initial selection. Unfortunately, I was distracted by the maidservants and missed my chance."

"My friend, you must choose the right time to pursue a lady. Once you get in, there will be plenty of opportunities. Oh, I truly feel sorry for you," the other fellow lamented.

"Hey, looking at your dress, haven't you already made it in the household servant world? Why did you come to participate in the selection again?" another older fellow asked curiously.

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The sobbing fellow snorted, "What's so strange about that? Nowadays, people aim for higher positions, and water flows to lower places. Can't I come and try my luck? Let me tell you, not only did I participate in the selection for the Xiao family's household servants, but I also participated in the 'Man of the Prefecture' held by the prefecture's master and the 'Rough Level Female Students' held by the Jinling Women's Society. I have passed the preliminaries and am now advancing toward the top 100."

"Excuse me, excuse me, my friend is truly formidable."

"Where, where. I heard that the capital is currently holding the 'Young Singing God Competition,' and I'm preparing to register for it. I'm planning to sing with the original ecological style. What do you think of me, my friend—-"

Lin Wanrong couldn't help but burst into laughter upon hearing this. Nowadays, anyone who has anything to do with talent shows is sure to become a hit. However, he was also a little puzzled. These guys were saying that there was still a pre-preliminary selection for selecting the Xiao family's house servants, but how did he unknowingly pass it?

Lin Wanrong was doubtful, could it be because of Old Man Wei? Old Man Wei was a senior servant of the Xiao family and clearly at the gold-collar level. He was recommended by him, so the Xiao family naturally had to give him face and directly let him advance to the preliminary round.

Looking at the red list next to it, there were only the names of talented scholars who had made it to the list. Although there were as many as two to three hundred of them, compared to the scale of the registration, two-thirds had already been eliminated.

The Xiao family obviously attached great importance and respect to these talented scholars. Each of their names was followed by the title "Gentleman", and their handwriting was neat and tidy, in stark contrast to the messy list of house servant candidates.

Lin Wanrong's preliminary round was scheduled for later in the afternoon, but he was not in a hurry. After waiting for a while, he saw Dong Rende walking quickly toward him.

They had agreed to meet the owner of Meiwei Restaurant this morning. After the embarrassing incident with Dong Qiaoqiao yesterday, Lin Wanrong didn't feel comfortable going to his house and so they agreed to meet here.

"Uncle Dong, did you bring the silver notes?" Lin Wanrong asked.

Dong Rende looked around cautiously and leaned in close to Lin Wanrong. "I brought them all, young master, a full five thousand taels."

Seeing Dong Rende's nervous look as he looked around, Lin Wanrong found it quite amusing. He patted him on the shoulder and said, "Uncle Dong, when we meet the boss later, follow my lead."

Dong Rende nodded. Lin Wanrong's status in the Dong family was extremely high, so whatever he said was naturally taken as truth.

Dong Rende led Lin Wanrong towards Meiwei Restaurant, passing through the bustling areas of Jinling City. As they walked along the street, they saw crowds of people and heard vendors shouting out their wares. Lin Wanrong felt as though he had returned to Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street.

Near the entrance of Xuanwu Lake, which was also the most prosperous area of Jinling City, stood a five-story pavilion with flying eaves and majestic buildings. Its imposing presence was evident at first glance.

Lin Wanrong took a quick look and was satisfied with both the location and the size. The only remaining question was the price.

Dong Rende led Lin Wanrong to the third floor, where they met the owner, an old man in his sixties or seventies who had met Dong Rende a few times before.

Dong Rende explained their purpose and then pointed to Lin Wanrong behind him, saying, "Mr. Wang, this is Young Master Lin from the capital. His father will soon be serving in Jiangsu, and Young Master Lin is planning to invest in Jinling. He heard that you are selling your restaurant, so he came to take a look."

"I see, a distinguished guest from the capital. Please forgive my impoliteness. I wonder if Young Master Lin's family is..." Mr. Wang, upon hearing that Lin Wanrong was from the capital, naturally did not dare to be rude. However, having run a restaurant for many years, he had met many people and was not overly nervous.

Lin Wanrong took a few steps forward, waved his right hand, and opened a folding fan with the four simple characters "Nan de hu tu" (难得糊涂) written on it.

(The phrase 难得糊涂 (nán dé hú tú) roughly translates to "hard to be smart" or "better to remain ignorant". It suggests that sometimes it's better not to overthink things and just go with the flow, as being too smart or too knowledgeable can lead to unnecessary worry or complications.)