Chapter 253: Empty Building (Patreon)

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Since Yang Haoran had made a decision, Master Wu did not try to persuade him any further.

The two returned to the grocery store, and the scene before Yang Haoran was both gratifying and heart-wrenching.

Xiaokang had already finished his meal and cleaned the bowls and chopsticks. He was now arranging them neatly with a small stool.

Yang Haoran went over and ruffled the little guy's hair, smiling, "Xiaokang, well done."

It was the first time someone praised him, and the little one blushed. He didn't say anything but just smiled at Yang Haoran.

"Master Wu, you go attend to your own affairs. We'll meet again in the afternoon. By the way, for tonight's expenses, use it from the public funds," Yang Haoran said.

Master Wu awkwardly smiled, then spoke, "It won't cost much. You know, I'm not short of a few bucks."

"Hehe, I know you have money, but let's stick to the plan I mentioned," Yang Haoran chuckled.

Seeing Yang Haoran's firmness, Master Wu didn't say much. After a respectful agreement, he left the grocery store.

The so-called public funds of Yang Haoran were actually the income of all Death God Temples in Lecheng. This income was not a small amount, especially during festivals, making it quite substantial.

Yang Haoran didn't inquire about this money but entrusted it all to Master Wu. Money, for him now, was becoming less attractive.

"With an extra person at home, it seems like we need to buy a house. I don't mind, but I can't have this little guy squeezing on the same bed with me forever."

Thinking this, Yang Haoran had an idea and decided to handle it shortly.

"Xiaokang, take a look at the new clothes your Grandpa Wu bought for you."

Yang Haoran lifted the little one and approached the counter, casually checking the shopping bag Master Wu had sent. It was filled with children's toys and branded clothing.

These clothes, any one of them, surpassed anything Yang Haoran could find in his stall.

They were expensive, Yang Haoran could tell, but Xiaokang couldn't. However, Yang Haoran didn't mention it.

"These things were all bought by your Grandpa Wu. You must remember that. Come, Uncle Yang will get you into a brand new outfit."

With a few swift movements, Yang Haoran changed Xiaokang into a new set of children's clothes. The little guy was delighted and excited, though a lack of self-confidence made him slightly awkward in style.

But to Yang Haoran, that wasn't a problem. Given some time, he was confident he could instill confidence and sunshine in Xiaokang.

"Divine envoy, thank you. I owe you a great debt in this life, and in the next, I'll repay you even if I have to be a cow or a horse."

Inside the soul gathering bead, the female ghost expressed her gratitude, her voice choked with emotion.

Xiaokang didn't sense the emotion in his mother's voice. He was entirely caught up in excitement, showcasing his new clothes to the soul gathering bead, bouncing and cheering.

"Mom, look! Mom, look! New clothes! New pants! New shoes! Xiaokang is so happy!"

"Xiaokang! Did you forget how Mom taught you? What should you do now?"

The female ghost's voice still carried a hint of emotion, but when speaking to Xiaokang, it took on a stern tone.

Xiaokang hesitated for a moment, then realized and, holding Yang Haoran's hand, said excitedly, "Thank you, Uncle Yang! Thank you, Uncle Yang!"

Overwhelmed with joy and excitement, the usually timid boy completely forgot his shyness.

"Why are you thanking me? Uncle didn't buy these. It's your Grandpa Wu. If you want to thank someone, thank him," Yang Haoran said.

With that, he looked at the soul gathering bead and added, "One thank you is enough. I need to go out for a while and will be back soon. Xiaokang is temporarily in your care. If anyone causes trouble, scare them away."

"What if scaring doesn't work?" the female ghost's voice came from the soul gathering bead.

Yang Haoran smiled kindly, "Then make sure they don't leave."

Leaving the grocery store, Yang Haoran drove away. Two hours later, he returned.

During those two hours, he roamed around Lecheng, trying to find a place he liked to buy a house. However, after visiting several properties, none appealed to him.

Initially, he thought it was due to his elevated standards, but upon reflection, he realized the problem lay elsewhere.

The reason he couldn't find a suitable house was that he couldn't let go of the rundown grocery store.

He was accustomed to that street, accustomed to everything about the grocery store. It held his memories and promises.

It was his attachment to the grocery store that made any other house seem unsatisfactory.

Finally, he thought of a solution – the second floor above his shop!

If he could buy the second floor and connect it to the first, the grocery store could continue running, and he would have a place to live, killing two birds with one stone.

In Yang Haoran's memory, people used to live on the second floor of the shop. So, he hurried back, hoping to talk to the current occupant and see if he could buy the second floor, even if he had to pay extra.

If the second floor doesn't work out, then negotiate with the third floor, and the fourth floor!

"Uncle Yang, a man came to buy cigarettes just now. Here's the money!"

Seeing Yang Haoran return, Xiaokang quickly spoke and waved the cash in his hand, looking very happy.

Yang Haoran smiled and said, "Put it aside for now. Uncle Yang is not done with his work."

Each item on the shelf had a price tag, and with Xiaokang's mother around, there shouldn't be any issues in managing the store.

Of course, even if there were problems, it didn't matter to Yang Haoran. Running the grocery store now was for his own enjoyment, and whether it made money or not was irrelevant.

Heading to the second floor, Yang Haoran raised an eyebrow. Through his senses, he discovered that there was no one on the second floor. He then checked the third floor, finding it empty as well. Finally, to his astonishment, he realized that the entire building where his grocery store was located was deserted.

The building wasn't an elevator apartment; it was an old five-story building. Yang Haoran wasn't sure if it had been fully occupied before, but one thing was certain – there used to be residents, especially on the second floor, where he could hear activity every day.

With a sense of curiosity, Yang Haoran called the landlord of the shop to inquire about the situation.

After the call connected, an old man's voice came from the other end. "Little Yang, what's up?"

"Mr. Zhang, I want to ask you something. Is there no one living in our building now?"

Yang Haoran got straight to the point without beating around the bush.

"Oh! I almost forgot about this. I should have told you earlier. But you know, old age affects memory. Just the other day, I lost my false teeth. I can't remember where I put them. I've been searching, and I'm planning to check the bathroom again..."

Yang Haoran's mouth twitched a few times. He just wanted to inquire about something, but Mr. Zhang went off on a tangent, transitioning from the vacant building to his lost false teeth. Yang Haoran didn't want to interrupt the old man, so he reluctantly listened to over ten minutes of false teeth tales.

Maybe the false teeth story had been adequately explained, or perhaps the old man was genuinely tired of talking. He finally returned to the main topic.

"Oh! Right! I almost forgot again. Look at my memory!" Mr. Zhang seemed to suddenly realize and continued, "There's something I've been wanting to tell you. My shop, the one you're currently renting, was sold over a month ago, no, more than a month ago. Not only my shop but the entire building was sold for a high price. I meant to tell you earlier, but I forgot."

"The whole building was sold? Who has such deep pockets? Are we getting demolished here?" Yang Haoran asked with a smile.

"Demolished? No, it can't be demolished. My son has good connections. I checked it earlier. Otherwise, how could I have sold it? But I don't know what the buyer plans to do with the whole building. Anyway, the Wu Family has plenty of money; buying a building is nothing to them."

At this point, Mr. Zhang paused, then his voice turned surprised. "Oh! I found my false teeth! They were in my mouth all along! If I hadn't accidentally bitten my tongue while speaking just now, I wouldn't have noticed. Look at my memory, really..."

Seeing Mr. Zhang divert the conversation back to his false teeth, Yang Haoran quickly said, "Mr. Zhang, thank you for your information. I have something to attend to, so I won't keep you. Feel free to visit my store when you're free, and we can chat then."

After hanging up the phone, Yang Haoran sighed with relief, then a meaningful smile appeared on his face.

"Over a month ago, that was when I had just become a Burial Master."

"Wu Family bought the entire building, and the mighty and wealthy Wu Family in Lecheng is just one."

Thinking about this, Yang Haoran's smile became more pronounced, and he couldn't help but exclaim, "Hehe, the old man really knows how to do things. But isn't this a bit extravagant?"

With that, Yang Haoran called Master Wu again. The phone rang once and was immediately answered, with Master Wu's respectful voice coming through.

"Boss, what can I do for you?"

"There's an extra person at home, and I want to buy a house. I think the second floor of my grocery store is quite nice. I want to buy it, but the whole building is empty. I don't know if it will be haunted at night."

Yang Haoran said with a smile, not intending to mock or ridicule Master Wu, just making a joke.

On the other end of the phone, Master Wu's laughter sounded a bit embarrassed. "Hehe, I wanted to give you a surprise, Boss, but it seems you already know."

[Heartfelt thankyou for the support! SlaySaga]

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Next Chapter ->Chapter 254: Cooperation