Chapter 29: The Orderly Villa

After the pickup truck drove out of Jurong County, the pedestrians on the road grew sparse. Only then did Zhu Yuanzhang ask, "Bao'er, tell me, what happened after you died?"

Li Wenzhong had finally shaken off his shock. "Nothing happened. I woke up on a bed, but the moment I came to, that Chen Lin knocked me out with a club and tied me up. Besides, that room was very strange..."

After listening to Li Wenzhong's account, Zhu Yuanzhang remarked, "It seems that lad didn't want you to see certain secrets. However, since you and the Empress both woke up in the same house, it means that room is Chen Lin's home in the world of the future."

"The world of the future? Your Majesty, do you mean Chen Lin is a man from the future?"

Zhu Yuanzhang sighed and briefly explained his hypothesis.

At this moment, Li Wenzhong suddenly said, "I remember something! My head was covered, but I heard a visitor arrive. It sounded like Chen Lin's landlord, coming to collect rent."

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes lit up. "Oh? Is that so?"

"It seems that lad isn't doing so well in the future world if he's still living in a rented house!"

Mao Xiang, sitting in the passenger seat, interjected, "Your Majesty, shouldn't we try to win Chen Lin over with wealth or an official position? If he isn't faring well in the future, if you grant him power, money, and beauties, he surely won't be able to speak ill of you anymore!"

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded. "That makes sense. Well put; you've done a service today."

"Your Majesty is too kind. Relieving your worries is my duty."

"Very good. But do not forget to keep him under surveillance. Every move he makes must be reported to me at once."

"Rest assured, Your Majesty. I have already dispatched elite men to monitor Chen Lin's every action..."

Elsewhere, Chen Lin and Chen Xiaolan were busy loading items from their restaurant into the pickup truck. As they worked, Chen Lin shouted into the surroundings, hoping to bait the secret Imperial Guards into coming down to help. Yet, no matter how much he hollered, no one appeared.

"Damn it. Once I get my hands on a gun, the first people I'm taking out are you paparazzi..."

After clearing out the useful supplies from the restaurant, the two drove the pickup through the streets, attracting stares as they bought pork, mutton, rice, and vegetables before leaving Jurong County.

When they returned to the construction site, they found the last mason about to leave after collecting his pay. Seeing the pickup truck, the workers gathered around to help unload.

"What are you staring at? Take your pay and get going!"

Seeing the mason still standing there, Shi Dazhuang hurried to shoo him away.

The mason scratched his head. "Well, sir, might I ask if you are still hiring craftsmen? The perimeter wall is finished, but surely you'll be building a mansion next?"

Shi Dazhuang's face hardened, but before he could drive the man away, Chen Lin intervened. "I don't hire day laborers. If you want to work for me, you must sign a deed of indenture."

"Huh!? A deed of indenture!?"

"Forget it then. Sorry to bother you, sir. I'll be on my way."

Watching the mason leave, Shi Dazhuang asked, "Young Master, do you want to hire more craftsmen?"

"Why, do you know some reliable ones?"

"I do, but it's hard to get these well-paid craftsmen to sign away their freedom."

Hard?

Chen Lin snapped his fingers. Chen Xiaolan quickly brought her brother to the back of the pickup truck and opened a crate filled with silver. "Brother, we have money. If it's difficult, we'll use money to smash through the obstacles. But the people must be reliable, honest, and loyal."

Shi Dazhuang looked at the gleaming silver and swallowed hard. "I understand, Brother... I understand..."

Chen Lin patted Shi Dazhuang on the shoulder. "Bring your wife and children over. Bring the families of the others as well. Build your own quarters outside the perimeter wall, and I will pay for everything."

Shi Dazhuang was stunned. He quickly led the ten servants to their knees, kowtowing repeatedly to thank their master for his generosity.

"Get up. Where are the maids and the old servants? Have them come over to clean up, and start a fire to cook. We're having a good meal today..."

As the sun set, the families, maids, and elderly servants arrived. Chen Lin used the chainsaw he had brought back to carve a path through the woods inside the wall. A group of people gathered in the clearing outside the villa, setting up large pots to cook.

After some inquiries, Chen Lin learned that the three maids and three old servants were also family members of the laborers. Since it was all in the family, Chen Lin didn't mind. He even took on the daughters and wives of the other laborers, all of whom were trustworthy. He didn't intend to let them in on his core secrets; at most, they would handle the cleaning in the villa courtyard, while the interior of the villa remained his private domain.

Once they were full, night had fallen. Chen Lin took some camping tents from the basement storage room and told his men to make do for a few nights until he could hire craftsmen to build their homes in the morning. He gave Shi Dazhuang another hundred taels of silver for the expenses; Shi Dazhuang was more than happy to oblige.

As for Chen Lin and Xiaolan, they naturally retreated into the villa to enjoy their time together.

When the main power switch was flipped, the entire villa complex lit up. In the darkness, it stood like a celestial palace atop the hill. Shi Dazhuang and the others were dazzled, kneeling outside the villa in utmost reverence.

Inside, Chen Lin was holding Chen Xiaolan in the security room, checking the monitors. Seeing everyone kneeling in devotion, Chen Xiaolan felt blissfully happy and gave him a peck on the cheek.

"Hey, hey, no surprise attacks!"

Chen Xiaolan blushed. "Young Master, I am so happy."

Chen Lin said smugly, "This is just the beginning. The best is yet to come!"

Over the next three days, Chen Lin focused on organizing the villa's equipment, repairing several broken security cameras. He gradually mastered the various facilities in the villa; as a purchasing agent who frequented hardware and electronics markets, this wasn't difficult for him. As long as it didn't require a major overhaul, he could solve most problems.

Chen Xiaolan was responsible for the cleaning. Since she couldn't do it all alone, after three days, she had only managed to clean the basement, the ground floor, and one master bedroom on the second floor. The rest would have to wait.

Under Chen Lin's tutelage, she also learned how to use various appliances—the robot vacuum, induction cooker, refrigerator, air conditioner, and washing machine. She mastered them all with ease.

Under her direction, the maids and servants cleared the weeds from the courtyard. After draining the swimming pool and scrubbing it clean, Chen Lin used the water pump he had installed to draw water from the Jurong River into a water tower, which then refilled the pool—perfect.

Installing the pipes to the Jurong River alone had taken Chen Lin two days, exhausting all the spare piping in his warehouse. He had just officially added the modification of the hydroelectric generator to his schedule when one of the servants came running over in a panic.

"Young Master! The Emperor... the Emperor is here!"