Qiao Guifa was orphaned at a young age, born into extreme poverty, forcing him to live under the patronage of his maternal uncle. Eventually unable to bear the humiliation of dependence, he ran off with others to Baotou in Inner Mongolia to pursue business. After decades of relentless effort, he founded the Fusheng Gong Trading House, whose business stretched across Baotou, even giving rise to the local saying: "First came Fusheng Gong, then came Baotou City."

Hao Baolai spoke expansively, "As the Qiao family descendants meticulously managed the enterprise, figures like Qiao Zhi-yong, the Confucian merchant, emerged. The Fusheng Gong Trading House naturally flourished day by day, and the family’s hoard of gold, silver, jade, and antiques became incalculable."

"The ancients, naturally, adhered to the tradition of returning home in glory. The Qiao family was no exception. Having amassed such wealth, they naturally returned to their ancestral home to build their grand residence. This estate is none other than the renowned Qiao Family Compound—they even filmed a TV series there; have you seen it?"

Noticing Wang Guan and Gao Dequan nod, Hao Baolai chuckled again, "But as the saying goes, no person is flourishing for a thousand days, nor is any flower beautiful for a hundred. The Qiao family's situation was similar. After the Xinhai Revolution, the impact on the Qiao trading houses wasn't significant. Even during the era of warlord conflicts, though they suffered some losses, they managed to grit their teeth and pull through."

"The most severe blow came during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. When Baotou was occupied by the Japanese army, the northwest trade routes were essentially severed, the market plummeted, and the Qiao family's businesses suffered a fatal impact. From then on, the Qiao family’s vitality was severely damaged, and they could never fully recover."

At this point, Hao Baolai’s expression grew slightly odd, "Of course, given the Qiao family had two centuries of foundation, even after such a serious blow, they could barely cling to life."

"It wasn't until the victory of the War of Resistance that various shops began applying to resume operations. But the good times didn't last long. Then came the founding of New China, and after that, the situation you all understand—private enterprise was no longer permitted, so..."

Unwilling to dwell on that period, Hao Baolai glossed over it and continued, "Speaking of the Qiao family in Jinyang, strictly speaking, they were only a branch line of the Fusheng Gong Qiaos. By the generation of Qiao Si, they likely had little connection left with the main Fusheng Gong line."

"As for the rise of Qiao Si in Jinyang..." Hao Baolai hesitated, observing that no one was passing by nearby, then lowered his voice, "Wang Guan, when you think of Shanxi Province, what is the first thing that comes to mind?"

Wang Guan pondered for a moment and replied softly, "Coal bosses?"

"Exactly."

Hao Baolai nodded, his expression complex, seeming to hold both longing admiration and jealous resentment, "These people were situated in China's energy province and coincidentally caught the wave of rapid economic takeoff, becoming overnight successes. Qiao Si of the Jinyang Qiaos—no, perhaps we should call him Master Qiao Si—was one of those lucky ones."

"After decades of development and acquisition, who knows how many coal mines the Qiao family controls. But what is certain is that they are absolutely among the top major mine owners, and the miners digging below them number tens of thousands."

At this moment, Hao Baolai smirked, a glint in his eye, "Now you should understand why the Qiao siblings kept mentioning burying people earlier. It truly is inherited family tradition."

Hearing this, Wang Guan couldn't help but frown slightly, recalling various rumors about coal bosses: BMWs and luxury cars saturating the city, multi-billion dollar dowries for daughters, grieving families of mining accident victims weeping for justice... Such news, Wang Guan figured, one would inevitably hear if one paid attention to social reports.

Whether these stories were true or false, Wang Guan dared not judge definitively, but he assumed there must be elements of fabrication and exaggeration, yet it was undeniable that there must also be kernels of truth.

"Don't overthink it," Gao Dequan laughed. "Let's go. We should head back and properly admire the Heiding Tea Cups; I haven't seen enough yet."

"Indeed," Hao Baolai quickly agreed, smiling, "Let's take a group photo right away when we get back, lest others disbelieve that I have seen such rare treasures..."

As they spoke, the three strolled back to Yuebao Tower, enjoying tea and admiring the cups—a truly pleasant interlude.

Not long after, Bei Ye also arrived in Shanghai. Wang Guan drove to pick her up, and then they spent a night in the suite provided by Hao Baolai. The next morning, the group gathered their congratulatory gifts and, driven by Hao Baolai, headed for the docks.

Seeing Hao Baolai park by the seaside, Wang Guan was naturally surprised, "Why are we at the port?"

"Heh, it seems Brother Wang has never visited the Su family," Hao Baolai said, stepping out of the car with a smile. "The other members of the Su family might have residences in the city, but Old Master Su lives on a private island villa."

"An island villa?" Wang Guan was momentarily stunned, then comprehension dawned.

In recent years, there had been a surge of 'island master' fever along the coast. Given the Su family's financial standing, securing an island as their private backyard was hardly a difficult feat.

Of course, as hosts, the Su family certainly wouldn't expect guests to pay for boat rentals to the island. Instead, they thoughtfully arranged several passenger ferries near the port. Guests only needed to present their invitations, and someone would transport them to their destination.

However, Hao Baolai, being a wealthy boss and a local one at that, didn't board the ferries arranged by the Su family; he possessed his own private yacht.

"Let's go."

Once aboard the yacht, Hao Baolai gave a slight wave, and the vessel immediately cut through the waves.

Truthfully, there were no true sea islands near Shanghai, only riverine islands like Chongming and Changxing. Therefore, the yacht was headed toward the Zhoushan Archipelago region in Zhejiang Province.

The distance wasn't considerable, though. At the yacht's swift pace, after about half an hour, a scenically beautiful island could be clearly seen. As the yacht approached the shore, they could faintly make out a manor-like villa nestled halfway up the mountain.

At the island’s dock, seven or eight other yachts were already moored, indicating that some guests had arrived earlier. Furthermore, greeters, seemingly ushers, were waiting on the shore. The man leading them bore a resemblance to Su Wenyi—perhaps his brother, though Wang Guan didn't know for sure.

Regardless, as someone positioned on the front lines of welcome, the middle-aged man must have been incredibly smooth and adept. The moment he saw Wang Guan and the others disembark, he approached with an ingratiating smile.

"Brother Hao, welcome, welcome..." The middle-aged man was effusive, showering Hao Baolai with words of gratitude for coming.

After a round of warm pleasantries, another passenger ferry slowly approached. The middle-aged man quickly instructed an usher nearby to lead Hao Baolai’s group toward the manor while he hurried to greet the new arrivals. The ferry carried more guests, keeping him busy.

Under the usher's guidance, Wang Guan and his party slowly ascended the hill, finally having a chance to survey the island’s landscape.

Generally speaking, islands rarely support large forested areas. However, this island had clearly undergone transplanting. Around the manor, especially at the foot of the slopes, vast groves of mulberry and fruit trees had been moved. Perhaps due to scientific arrangement in transplantation and meticulous care from the gardeners, these trees had grown robustly, already beginning to resemble a small forest.

Of course, due to the limited land on the island, the trees were inherently constrained; they had likely reached their maximum potential growth and couldn't develop much further. Nevertheless, the lush greenery attracted many birds to nest there. As Wang Guan and the others walked, they heard many crisp, melodious bird calls.

Additionally, whoever designed the path deliberately avoided a straight route to the mid-mountain manor, instead incorporating a sharp, zigzagging corner. Strolling along this shaded, zig-zagging path allowed one to better appreciate the quiet elegance of this small jungle.

Considering the manor’s location on an island, enveloped by a serene grove, it felt isolated from the world. Breathing the fresh, oxygen-rich air every morning, one's body and mind should remain in a state of tranquility. Under such circumstances, longevity wouldn't be a mere dream.

Suddenly, Wang Guan thought of a practical issue: "Being on an island, obtaining and using water must be quite difficult, right?"

Although surrounded by the inexhaustible supply of seawater, the issue was that seawater was unusable for drinking. Thus, island environments could sometimes be akin to deserts, where water source was the biggest challenge.

"There is a spring source at the mountaintop," Hao Baolai laughed. "The spring water is sweet and cool, enough for drinking. Moreover, the Su family is willing to spend money; they installed a seawater purification system on the island, so there's no worry about water shortages."

As they spoke, the group emerged from the shaded path, and before them stood an exquisitely designed manor complex. The manor sprawled in sections, entirely in the style of Suzhou and Hangzhou gardens, yet with subtle variations that blended antique aesthetics with modern touches. It wouldn't be surprising to suddenly see a contemporary, large hall rising amidst a cluster of quaint bamboo and wood structures.

"Brother Hao, Brother Gao!"

Su Wenyi himself was waiting at the manor entrance to receive guests. Beside him, several young men and women were stationed in an orderly fashion—likely the younger generation of the Su family. However, Wang Guan found it strange that Su Yu was not among them.

"Brother Su..."

Hao Baolai approached, inevitably leading to another round of formalities.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the large group that arrived by ferry also appeared behind them. Hao Baolai was tactful; hearing the rising clamor behind him, he smiled, "Brother Su, the Old Master is inside, I presume? Please allow us to go in and pay our respects."

Su Wenyi naturally agreed and quickly instructed a young man to lead Hao Baolai’s party to see Old Master Su.

Entering the complex, they followed a winding cobblestone path, passed through a decorated archway, and rounded a corner, arriving before a small, exquisite, and elegant bamboo and wood structure.

At this moment, a group of people were gathered on the lawn in front of the small building. Wang Guan’s vision was sharp, and he immediately spotted Elder Yan's figure. And there was Su Yu...

Su Yu was dressed rather plainly today—though it was simplicity within luxury. She wore a pale white, belted cheongsam, devoid of excessive ornamentation, featuring only a single pink plum blossom embroidered near the hem, giving her an air of elegance and purity.

Her lustrous, jet-black hair was still swept high, and beneath her pure white, jade-like earlobes, two crystal-clear, dazzling earrings adorned her, accentuating her beautiful features with an even more refined grace.

However, at this particular moment, Su Yu was clearly not the focal point. Beside her sat an elderly man smiling gently, drawing even greater attention...