Chapter 256: Chapter 249 Leveling Up by Killing Monsters Chapter 256: Chapter 249 Leveling Up by Killing Monsters After Mr. Jiao made his decision, he took Zheng Tan to the lakeside villa the next day after dinner.

Before going, he had called ahead, and the old lady had been waiting at home. When she saw Zheng Tan, her eyes squinted with laughter, making Mr. Jiao’s eyelids twitch.

What exactly had happened to make this old lady so affectionate towards her pet cat? This affection didn’t seem like that for an ordinary pet. Even if it were a particularly special cat, in the eyes of most people, it was just an animal. The old lady’s obvious over-affection made Mr. Jiao even more skeptical. What had this creature been up to when the family wasn’t aware?

Yan He had visited the day before and only mentioned many things in passing, without going into detail. Mr. Jiao was still skeptical. After all, it seemed a bit unbelievable to land such a bargain nowadays, yet it really happened. In recent years, Mr. Jiao had saved some money; he could afford a decent three-bedroom flat but might not be able to afford a villa here. The other party had lowered the price so much that any sane person would be suspicious.

Mr. Jiao was here today to get a clearer picture of things because he wouldn’t feel comfortable otherwise. No matter how big a bargain was, he wouldn’t make a move without a clear understanding. After arriving at the villa, Mr. Jiao became even more unsettled. The cars parked outside were valuable and bore South City license plates. Inside, there were servants and bodyguards, and even if they were dressed in plain clothes, their demeanor was unmistakably that of bodyguards. Mr. Jiao didn’t think they were just relatives of the two old people.

“Heitan, come here, I’ve prepared food for you!” the old lady called Zheng Tan over.

The old lady usually conducted herself very well regarding etiquette, but today she was too happy seeing Zheng Tan. Added to that, her life had been going well lately, so in her joy, she inadvertently relegated Mr. Jiao to second place. It was the old man behind the old lady who invited Mr. Jiao to take a seat.

Zheng Tan observed the old man’s series of actions, which was very much the posture of a host. It seemed the two elders had been communicating smoothly, and their affection for each other was progressing rapidly.

Realizing that her behavior might have been a bit inappropriate, the old lady voiced an apology. Mr. Jiao hadn’t even got the words “It’s okay” out when the old man next to him waved his hand and interjected, “It’s fine, he won’t mind.”

Mr. Jiao: “…”

The old lady gave the old man a reproachful look. It was too impolite.

They were there to talk about the house, which wasn’t Zheng Tan’s business at all, so he just stayed quietly on the side, eating and drinking what the old lady had specially prepared for him—not cat food, which indicated she had researched on Zheng Tan.

What Mr. Jiao mainly wanted to know was how Zheng Tan and the old lady had become acquainted; knowing this process would allow him to guess the rest.

The old lady slowly recounted the matter, her voice filled with emotion. The old man seemed reluctant to let her bring up the topic—understandably, since the old lady’s health had been pessimistic at the time, and she was at a crossroads waiting to make a decision. If the surgery hadn’t been successful and the old lady hadn’t made it through… The old man’s complexion turned pale with the thought, relaxing only after the old lady lightly patted his hand.

After discussing the matter, the old man didn’t let the old lady delve into details and directly moved on to the topic of the house. The old man took over the conversation and started discussing with Mr. Jiao.

Mr. Jiao had indeed intended to buy a house before, with house prices rising—planning to act earlier. Even if not living in the new place immediately, buying to have it ready seemed wise. He had not expected to stumble upon such a good deal. Once he understood the full situation, although he found the old lady’s decision somewhat baffling, he no longer had any other doubts about the house, and he began negotiating with the old man.

The old lady sat quietly on the side, listening to the two men talk, always with a smile on her face. Glancing over at Zheng Tan, she was reminded of the first time she met this black cat. That day, she was tormented with indecision about the surgery. The black cat had stirred memories deep within her, and when the black cat’s paw touched her palm, the old lady felt a sudden tremble in her heart—a strange sensation as if she had received a wish from the black cat. At that moment, she thought she might really make it through.

To others, it might seem like a mere psychological effect, but a patient’s mental state can significantly impact their health. Whether or not it was Zheng Tan’s touch that had an effect, the old lady felt she had made the right choice and had survived. Now, she had also met someone she had missed out on before, and her life had become better—all thanks to this black cat.

This cat did a great service!

The old lady had indeed set the house price very low, and moreover, the house’s various decorations were very suitable for residential life. The initial furnishings had been of excellent quality, including a piano left behind, and high-grade tables, chairs, benches, beds, and wardrobes—all in perfect condition. Taking everything into account, the Jiao family really did get a huge bargain, equivalent to a pie falling from the sky.

While discussing the house, the old man also sized up Mr. Jiao’s character. However, when the conversation turned to Mr. Jiao’s former mentor—Yuan Zhiyi’s father, Mr. Yuan—the old man sighed deeply. He had been acquainted with Professor Yuan, who had passed away. The old man was entangled in affairs at the time and unaware of the professor’s death, learning of it only later. By then, Professor Yuan had already been laid to rest in his hometown. Afterwards, Yuan Zhiyi’s career was mainly in the central part, and apart from business trips, he rarely went south. The old man hadn’t encountered Yuan Zhiyi and had lost contact. Only now, talking to Mr. Jiao, did he realize they were somehow connected after all.

Because of this connection, the old man became much friendlier towards Mr. Jiao, his smiles more genuine, and their conversation flowed more smoothly. Especially when talking about the recent red rat incident, any small irritations the old man might have felt completely dissipated by the end.

“Since I’ve chosen to sell to you, whether you live in it or rent it out is up to you,” the old lady said.

Old Han didn’t join the conversation, but his smile became more restrained.

“Don’t worry, we’ll definitely take good care of the house if we live there, and even if we rent it out, we’ll choose someone who cherishes it,” Mr. Jiao said earnestly. He meant it—everyone in the Jiao family cherished their homes. The house in the courtyard might have been small, but it was well-organized and tidy, exuding a warmth of a cozy household. They had grown accustomed to it. And if they were to rent out the villa, Mr. Jiao didn’t want to let anyone whose personal life was a complete mess damage his property.

After Mr. Jiao said this, Zheng Tan noticed that the restrained smile had returned to Old Han’s face, indicating his approval of Mr. Jiao’s words. Zheng Tan sneered internally: That damned old man really sticks his nose into everything, one might think he has a deep love for this land.

Old Han handed Mr. Jiao a business card, suggesting he and Yuan Zhiyi could visit when they get to South City. It wasn’t a business card for commercial purposes but his private one.

“Sure, we’ll definitely pay Uncle Han a visit when we go to South City,” Mr. Jiao responded.

Zheng Tan glanced at the card. The old man’s surname was Han, and his name was Han Fei. To Zheng Tan, it sounded too much like “bandit.”

Old Han was eager to leave Chuhua City to return to South City. Once the decision had been made, he quickly took care of everything, with nothing left for Mr. Jiao to worry about. After the matters were settled, Jiao Ma and Mr. Jiao came to check out the villa, opting not to mention it to the kids for now. It’s better to keep such matters low-key. After all, Mr. Jiao had enough attention this summer; speaking out about this matter would only stir up envy from those with sour grapes.

Even though they didn’t bring it up, Mr. Jiao subtly probed his children about it. Jiao Yuan liked big houses but still preferred staying in the courtyard, as all his friends were there and it was convenient. Little Youzi felt that as long as everyone was together, the location didn’t matter.

Zheng Tan personally leaned more towards the courtyard—it was convenient for walks, and though the campus area wasn’t absolutely safe, it was still much better than outside.

Since everyone wanted to stay in the courtyard, they decided to rent out the villa. However, they would have to be very picky about the tenants.

The new school term was about to begin, and with it, there were plenty of people looking for rentals. Mr. Jiao wasn’t in a hurry to rent it out—the important thing was to assess the potential renters.

In the last two days of August, the campus was already bustling. Everywhere you looked, you could see people carrying bags big and small, as well as some parents dropping off their children for the first time at university.

Zheng Tan perched high in a tree, watching the comings and goings below, and also catching sight of the new cute girls arriving.

Every year, from June to September, was a time of transition between old and new. From late April to early June, the campus broadcasts were full of sentimental reminiscing and “brothers in my bunk bed” testimonials. But towards the end, the school couldn’t wait to stamp the word “GO” on your leave paperwork: to get you out quickly and make room for the new students.

In September, the atmosphere was completely different. The campus broadcasts brimmed with energy and positivity, stirring excitement, leaving impressions on new students that “senior sisters are wonderful, senior brothers hard-working,”
Next to the plane tree where Zheng Tan was perched, there was a large flower bed where many people sat along the edge, enjoying the shade of the large pine tree in the center. A freshman carrying a wheeled suitcase, finding no space on the edge, sat down on his suitcase in the shade, propped up his feet, and pulled out a palm-sized MP4. He started reading an e-book.

“What are you doing, buddy?” someone next to him asked.

“Reading a novel,” the person with the swinging feet showed his MP4 to the questioner, eagerly sharing the plot of the story.

“Oh, that kind. I’ve heard of it—just some monster-killing and leveling up stuff. My cousin loves it, but I think it’s nonsense,” the person next to him said with a hint of disdain, thinking the other’s taste in literature was too low.

The person didn’t agree with that.

“What’s wrong with killing monsters and leveling up? Are you discriminating or what? Isn’t your life just a series of battling monsters and leveling up? Grinding homework for various subjects, taking all kinds of tests, after finishing primary school you change maps for the middle school exam, after that you switch maps again for the high school entrance exam. During all this, you occasionally farm ‘small monsters.’ Maybe you have good qualities or you’re fortunate in the moment, leveling up all the way to graduate student… only to realize, oh, undergraduates are a dime a dozen, graduates as common as dogs. Life, isn’t it just farming monsters to level up and beat the game?”

Swinging his flip-flops, the guy sat on his suitcase filled with unknown contents and continued to read his e-book on the MP4, unfazed by his own speech and seeing nothing wrong with it. Meanwhile, not far behind him, the expressions of the staff at the graduate reception were nuanced as they silently watched him.

Zheng Tan thought that the reception staff were probably thinking: Dammit, which faculty is this guy from? Better not fall into my hands, otherwise I’ll make sure he regrets it! (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it, both recommendation tickets and monthly tickets, on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep