Chapter 429: Holy Cow, a Three-Courtyard Compound!

Chapter 429: Holy Cow, a Three-Courtyard Compound!

---

Noon.

The old residence of the Pei family in the capital city.

After lunch, while sitting in the courtyard drinking tea, Deng Shirong discussed the wedding guest list with Pei Father and Pei Mother.

"Relatives, how many guests from your side will be attending the wedding?" Deng Shirong asked, sipping his tea.

As the host of the wedding, it was important for him to know how many guests would be coming from the bride's side so he could make the necessary arrangements in advance.

Pei Father and Pei Mother immediately began to estimate.

After three minutes, Pei Father said, "I think I have about three tables' worth of guests."

Deng Shirong nodded and continued, "Relatives, are there any special dietary preferences among these guests? Or do they have a particular preference for a certain type of cuisine?"

Pei Father smiled and replied, "Not all of my guests are from the capital. Several of them are from different provinces. It would be quite complicated to cater to everyone's tastes, so you don't need to worry about that. Just arrange a variety of dishes as you see fit."

Deng Shirong pondered for a moment and said, "Then we'll focus on our hometown cuisine and add some signature dishes from other regions. This way, we can ensure that at least one dish will suit the taste of every guest at the wedding."

Pei Mother interjected, "Relatives, wouldn't that be too much trouble?"

Deng Shirong smiled and said, "Not at all, it's just a matter of hiring a couple more chefs. I'll take care of the details."

Hearing this, Pei Father and Pei Mother had no further objections. They were pleased that their in-laws were willing to go the extra mile to make the wedding better.

After discussing the guest list, Pei Mother asked, "Relatives, where is the wedding house you've prepared for them? I need the address to write the invitations."

Deng Shirong provided the address of the compound and then suggested, "Since we have some free time, why don't we go and take a look at the wedding house? We can see if there are any additional touches needed for the decoration and furniture."

Pei Mother glanced at her husband and then nodded, "Alright, let's go and take a look."

Thus, the group, led by Deng Shirong, headed straight for the compound.

---

An hour later.

Deng Shirong and the others arrived at the newly renovated compound.

Upon entering, Pei Father and Pei Mother's faces lit up with satisfaction. They had guessed correctly that their prospective in-laws had indeed prepared a two-courtyard compound for their son.

The compound, after repairs and renovations, now featured modern household appliances and a variety of beautiful flowers and trees. It looked even more impressive than the Pei family's old residence, and Pei Mother couldn't help but feel increasingly satisfied.

Pei Qinghua was also captivated. Deng Yongsong had mentioned to her earlier that the house was still under renovation and invited her to come and offer suggestions.

Although they had been dating and their parents had met to discuss their wedding, the wedding date hadn't been set yet. Even if it had, she couldn't really go and offer suggestions, as every suggestion could involve additional costs, which would make her feel uncomfortable. Moreover, she wasn't very knowledgeable about interior design, so she declined Deng Yongsong's invitation and didn't visit the house.

Now that the wedding date was set and the house was fully renovated, her feelings were quite different as she took a look.

As for Pei Father, given his status, he wasn't particularly concerned about such matters, but it was certainly a good thing that his daughter's future in-laws had such favorable conditions.

Soon, Pei Mother noticed the passage leading to the inner courtyard and exclaimed, "This... This is a three-courtyard compound?"

Pei Father and Pei Qinghua also looked over, their faces showing surprise.

The difference between a two-courtyard and a three-courtyard compound might seem minor, but it was actually quite significant.

In the past, one-courtyard and two-courtyard compounds were typical for ordinary people. Those living in a two-courtyard compound were only slightly wealthier than those in a one-courtyard compound. However, a three-courtyard compound was the standard and most typical type of compound, and only those with official positions and significant status could afford to live in one.

While modern times are not as rigid in terms of social hierarchy, the price of a three-courtyard compound is still far beyond that of one- or two-courtyard compounds.

Given the high cost of a three-courtyard compound, the Pei family was genuinely surprised to see that the Deng family had made such a grand gesture, purchasing this compound in the capital city several years ago.

It seemed that the Deng family was even wealthier than they had imagined.

At this moment, Pei Father and Pei Mother began to reassess the financial strength of the Deng family.

All of this happened in an instant. Hearing Pei Mother's exclamation, Deng Shirong smiled and replied, "Yes, it's a three-courtyard compound. It's conveniently located, not far from where you live or from their workplace. It's a practical and efficient choice for them!"

Pei Mother was extremely pleased, her face beaming with joy.

Despite having already approved of her daughter's engagement after learning that the prospective son-in-law's second older brother had reached the deputy department level and had a highly ranked father-in-law, she now found that the prospective son-in-law not only had a capable second older brother but also came from a family with even greater financial means than she had imagined, which made her even more pleased.

It took about ten minutes for the three of them from the Pei family to finish touring the three-courtyard compound.

Throughout the tour, Pei Mother was continuously praising the place.

The three-courtyard compound was already better than the two-courtyard compound of the Pei family's old residence, and with Deng Shirong's generous investment in renovations, its aesthetic appeal was undeniable.

After the tour, Pei Qinghua lowered her voice and said, "Director Deng (As mentioned before, different titles and contexts can convey different meanings), you really know how to keep secrets. It's a three-courtyard compound, and you didn't tell me?"

Deng Yongsong feigned innocence and replied, "Director Pei, you should be reasonable. I did invite you to come and check the renovation progress, but you declined."

Pei Qinghua pouted and said, "That's because you didn't explain it clearly. If you had told me it was a three-courtyard compound, I would have definitely come to take a look."

Deng Yongsong smiled and said, "Alright, it's all my fault for not being clear. But tell me, what do you think of the house? Are you satisfied?"

Pei Qinghua rolled her eyes, "You know very well. How many people in the capital would dare to look down on a three-courtyard compound?"

As the daughter of a high-ranking official, she had seen the mansions of dukes and princes with five or seven courtyards. Compared to those, a three-courtyard compound was certainly not in the same league, but in today's capital, most of those grand mansions had been confiscated by the state, and very few remained in private hands.

Therefore, for a private residence, a three-courtyard compound was already a very good house.

Seeing that his soon-to-be in-laws and his fiancee were all satisfied with the house, Deng Yongsong felt both happy and proud of his father.

He knew that his older brother's chain of supermarkets was now generating an annual profit of over 13 million.

While his second sister might not match his brother, her chain of hotpot restaurants still had an annual profit of two to three million.

His older sister and Xiao Hua also had their own successful businesses.

All of this was thanks to his father. Without his father, how could they have achieved such success?

...

After the tour of the compound, Deng Shirong asked, "Relatives, do you see anything else that needs to be added here?"

Pei Mother laughed and said, "Everything that should be here is here. What else needs to be added?"

Pei Father also nodded and said, "All the facilities are complete. Living here is more comfortable than living in an apartment. There's really nothing else to add."

Deng Shirong looked at Pei Qinghua and smiled, "Xiao Pei, if you see anything missing, just tell Uncle, and I'll add it for you. We're all family, so don't be shy!"

Pei Qinghua smiled and said, "Thank you, Uncle. But as my parents said, there really is nothing missing here."

"Alright, let's leave it at that for now. If you need anything in the future, we can always add it later."

At this, Deng Shirong checked the time and smiled, "Relatives, it's not far from where you live. If you have nothing to do this afternoon, why don't you stay here? I'll go buy some ingredients and cook for you, so you can try my cooking."

Pei Mother quickly said, "Relatives, you shouldn't say that. You came all the way from Guangxi to the capital, how can we let you cook for us!"

Deng Shirong laughed and said, "We're all family, no need to be so formal."

Deng Yongsong added with a smile, "Yes, Aunt, my father's cooking is really good. Everyone who has tasted it praises it. The beef jerky, beef brisket, and spicy crab cans we had before were all made by him. I haven't had his cooking for a while, and I'm really craving it!"

Pei Father and Pei Mother politely declined a few times before finally agreeing.

So, Deng Shirong went out and returned with a lot of ingredients.

Since they were using coal for cooking, the heat was not as strong as with wood, so Deng Shirong chose dishes that involved stewing, braising, and boiling, avoiding those that required high heat stir-frying.

Despite the limited conditions, as an excellent chef, Deng Shirong knew how to make the most of what he had, preparing several dishes that were both visually and flavorfully appealing, which earned high praise from Pei Father, Pei Mother, and Pei Qinghua.

After the meal, they sat and drank tea for a while before Pei Father got up to say goodbye, "Relatives, it's getting late. We should be going now."

Deng Shirong also stood up and said, "Yes, you all have your work to attend to. I won't keep you any longer!"

Pei Mother looked at her daughter and asked, "Qinghua, are you coming home with us or staying with Xiao Song at his place?"

Pei Qinghua replied, "I'll go back to the office with Songge to avoid being late for work tomorrow."

"Be careful on your way home."

Pei Mother reminded them, then looked at Deng Shirong and said, "Relatives, we'll be going now!"

Deng Shirong nodded and smiled, "Alright, take your time!"

"Dad, Qinghua and I will head back to the office too!"

"Sure, go ahead!"

"Uncle, goodbye." "Goodbye!"

...

The next day, Deng Shirong began inspecting the other six compounds.

This time, the renovation project was not just for his third son's compound; the other six were also being renovated simultaneously.

The renovation team was very capable, working on all seven compounds at once. However, following Deng Shirong's instructions, they prioritized the third son's compound, which is why it was completed faster than the others.

The other six compounds were also mostly finished, and they were expected to be completed before the third son's wedding.

This made Deng Shirong very satisfied. Since the compounds were already ready, he decided to take advantage of the occasion of his third son's wedding, when all his children would gather in the capital, to distribute the other six compounds among his other children.

Initially, he had bought these compounds to provide a safety net for his seven children. Even if they failed in their businesses, having such a three-courtyard compound would ensure they could easily become billionaires in the future.

However, times had changed. Their family's development was smooth, and he had led the entire clan to establish the massive Deng Group. Additionally, he had obtained enough valuable resources from his connections, making the compounds less significant as a safety net. The true treasure for future generations would be the family's hidden wealth.

After setting the wedding date for his third son, Deng Shirong did not stay in the capital for long, returning after just a few days.

As for the festive decorations for the wedding house, he planned to handle them closer to the wedding date.

...

Upon returning from the capital, Deng Shirong received news that his youngest daughter was pregnant.

In his previous life, his two daughters had each had several children. Because their marriages were not ideal, they did not receive much nutritional support during their pregnancies and childbirth, leading to significant physical strain. Additionally, they had to work hard in their in-laws' households, accelerating their aging.

Before his rebirth, his two daughters had already shown signs of premature aging.

Deng Shirong only realized these issues in his later years, after reading countless web novels and absorbing a wealth of knowledge. Unfortunately, it was too late to reverse the damage to their health.

Knowing the importance of pregnancy and childbirth for women, Deng Shirong, in his rebirth, started providing nutritional supplements to his daughters and daughters-in-law from the beginning of their pregnancies. After childbirth, he ensured they received even more substantial nourishment.

The results were evident.

Whether it was his eldest daughter-in-law who had two children, or his eldest daughter and second daughter-in-law who each had one child, their health had recovered remarkably well, with minimal impact from childbirth.

Now that his youngest daughter was pregnant, Deng Shirong was equally concerned. He immediately called her in-laws and sent his fourth son to Guangzhou to bring her back for prenatal care.

At the same time, Deng Shirong returned to his hometown in Bobai and purchased a batch of free-range chickens from various towns.

Over the years, Deng Shirong had frequently bought free-range chickens. With this latest purchase, the number of chickens stored in his system space exceeded 100,000.

Chickens are excellent for replenishing vital energy, especially those raised in the countryside. Their nourishing effects far surpass those of chickens raised on feed.

In the future, many experts claimed that free-range chickens and feed-raised chickens had the same nutritional value, and the same applied to their eggs.

Anyone who believed this was foolish.

Free-range chickens from the countryside, whether in taste or nutrition, were far superior to feed-raised chickens.

Deng Shirong's current acquisitions were to ensure that he could still enjoy these free-range chickens in the future.

While free-range chickens would still be available in the countryside in the future, they would be much rarer, and their quality would generally not match that of the present.

This is because many of the free-range chickens in the future would be hatched from eggs laid by feed-raised chickens and then raised using free-range methods. Although they would taste good and be better than feed-raised chickens, they still fell short of the free-range chickens of the present.

The free-range chickens of today are hatched from free-range eggs, with a lineage of free-range chickens, making them inherently stronger.

For this reason, Deng Shirong took the initiative to acquire these chickens, ensuring that even if money could not buy such pure-bred free-range chickens in the future, he would still have them.

While purchasing the chickens, Deng Shirong also informed his relatives and a few clan members about his third son's wedding.

Relatives, of course, would all be invited. However, among the clan members, Deng Shirong only invited a few. It’s not that he didn’t want to invite more, but the wedding venue was in the capital, and a round trip was truly difficult, especially since air travel still required an introduction letter, a rule that would only be abolished the following year.

There was no need to make people suffer and go through so much trouble just for a wedding.

Therefore, Deng Shirong only invited a few close clan members from the village, and the rest were not included.

---

That afternoon.

Sui Feng Restaurant.

Deng Shirong was drinking and chatting with Zhang Guangzong.

Back when the restaurant first opened, Deng Shirong had invited the elderly Zhang Guangzong to stay and be well taken care of, mainly to have him protect the restaurant from any troublemakers.

His goal was clearly achieved, as no one had ever dared to cause trouble at Sui Feng Restaurant since it opened.

Over the years of daily drinking and chatting, Deng Shirong and Zhang Guangzong had become true friends.

For his third son's wedding, besides his relatives and a few close clan members, Deng Shirong planned to invite a few friends, and Zhang Guangzong was one of them.

After some casual chat, Deng Shirong said, "Uncle Zhang, I have something to tell you. On May 14th, my son Yongsong is getting married, and the wedding will be held in the capital. I’d like to invite you to attend."

"Time flies. A few years ago, Little Song was still studying in Bobai, and now he’s about to start a family!"

Zhang Guangzong sighed, then asked, "Uncle Jiu, where is Little Song’s fiancee from?"

Deng Shirong replied, "She’s from the capital and is also his colleague. We chose to have the wedding in the capital because my son is busy with work and can’t take much time off to return to our hometown. It’s also a consideration for her side of the family."

Zhang Guangzong nodded, "Having the wedding in the capital does make things much easier."

Deng Shirong smiled, "When the time comes, Uncle Zhang, you can travel with my daughter and son-in-law. Master Zhang will also be going with us because I plan to serve our hometown dishes from Bobai at the wedding, and I need to bring Master Zhang along."

Zhang Guangzong, with a rosy complexion, said, "Sure, I haven’t traveled far in a long time, and I’ve never been to the capital. This time, I’ll take advantage of Little Song’s wedding to visit the capital."

---

The next day.

Deng Shirong personally went to County Magistrate Song’s office.

After exchanging greetings, Deng Shirong took out an invitation and handed it over, saying, "Old Brother Song, my son Yongsong is getting married on May 14th, and I’ve brought you an invitation."

"Congratulations, Uncle Jiu!"

County Magistrate Song smiled, took the invitation, and opened it, only to be surprised, "The wedding is in the capital?"

Deng Shirong nodded, "Yes, his fiancee is from the capital, and they both work there. So, it’s more convenient to have the wedding in the capital, and it won’t affect their work."

"If there’s no emergency, I’ll definitely find time to attend the wedding in the capital."

"Thank you. If you can find the time, you can travel with my daughter and son-in-law."

---

In the following days, Deng Shirong took care of his youngest daughter while preparing for his third son’s wedding.

Before he knew it, the lunar month of May arrived, and the wedding was less than half a month away. Deng Shirong naturally needed to head to the capital in advance to make the necessary preparations.

First, he needed to decorate the compound. He had already discussed the layout with the architectural institute’s President Huang and had him draw up a design. Following the design, he could decorate the compound to be festive and full of traditional charm.

Second, he needed to hire several chefs skilled in various regional cuisines.

Third, the other six compounds were already renovated, and he needed to inspect them one by one.

Thus, upon arriving in the capital, Deng Shirong got to work.

First, he inspected the compounds, which was the easiest task, just requiring him to visit a few places. After the inspection, he settled the final payment with the reliable renovation team.

Next, he hired the chefs, which was also not difficult. With money, he could find chefs anywhere, and he managed to solve this issue in just one day.

The most complex part was the festive decoration of the compound.

However, with the design as a reference and the magical capabilities of his system space, Deng Shirong could do the work of a hundred people. Therefore, he completed the decoration in just one day.

Of course, the various flowers for decoration were temporarily stored in his system space, ready to be brought out on the wedding day to ensure they were in their freshest and most beautiful state.

Thus, all preparations were complete.

---

PS: Got reviewed again, just for a simple sentence. Speechless.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end