He had, of course, also bought a washing machine—a fully automatic, front-loading washer-dryer combo. The only issue was that modern washing machines had far too many complicated functions. His grandmother said she didn’t know how to use it. After Li Xiang taught her a few times, she found it too troublesome, so Li Xiang just bought another, slightly simpler top-loading washing machine.

The first one had cost over ten thousand, while this new, ordinary one was just over a thousand. His grandmother said the cheaper one was better. It was simple to operate, convenient, and quick, and she wouldn’t feel bad if it broke.

There were plenty of other home appliances and kitchenware, too. Some he had bought himself, while others were "housewarming gifts" from the guests he’d invited over today, such as an oven, a microwave, an air fryer, a juicer...

Some were even duplicates. For example, there were several air fryers, as well as multiple soy milk makers and juicers.

Li Xiang decided he might as well give the extras away. When Jiang Cai’Er came back, he’d let her take her pick of whatever she wanted. The rest he would give to his maternal grandparents, his Little Aunt, or to Zhao Xueqing, Yao Yao, and Lei Xiaohui as a company benefit.

His grandmother wouldn’t use any of those things, nor did she want to learn.

Older people have their own mindset and habits. Li Xiang had no intention of changing his grandmother, nor would he ask her to learn new things. She was at an advanced age; as long as she was happy and could live out her twilight years in peace, that was all that mattered.

To his grandmother, the ordinary washing machine her grandson had bought was the most practical. With it, doing laundry was much less of a chore, especially in the winter, when washing clothes by hand left your hands freezing, even through gloves.

Zhao Xueqing, Yao Yao, and Lei Xiaohui had, of course, also brought Li Xiang housewarming gifts. Zhao Xueqing gifted a fresh and elegant table runner for the coffee table. Lei Xiaohui gave him a National Style porcelain bathroom set, which included a toothbrush cup, a soap dish, and beautiful pump-action bottles for shower gel and hand soap. Yao Yao, for her part, gave him a set of essential oils and scented candles.

Zhao Xueqing secretly picked up the essential oils and scented candles from Yao Yao to take a look. Seeing Ylang Ylang Essential Oil on the ingredients list, she couldn’t help but frown. She had watched *The Legend of Zhen Huan*, and in the show, ylang-ylang was something used to create a... certain kind of atmosphere.

Using it was said to stir one’s passions and heat up the body.

’Isn’t this going too far? To give something like this?’ Zhao Xueqing wanted to warn Li Xiang but felt too embarrassed to bring it up. ’Besides, does that kind of thing really work?’

She herself had used shower gels and skin care products that contained Ylang Ylang Essential Oil before. Aside from the pleasant scent, she’d never noticed any unusual effects.

Still, regardless of whether it worked, she felt that Yao Yao had ill intentions.

...

At Li Xiang’s urging, all three women were studying for their driver’s licenses. After all, Li Xiang was the boss. It wouldn’t do for the boss to be chauffeuring his employees around all the time, right?

Zhao Xueqing and Yao Yao had already passed Subject Two and were preparing for the Subject Three exam. Lei Xiaohui had registered later than them and was still training for Subject Two.

Li Xiang actually had the highest hopes for Lei Xiaohui. A cool, capable female driver just seemed more reliable, and it would be more impressive to have her drive him places. He was only thinking about her driving for him, of course.

’When the time comes, I’ll have Lei Xiaohui wear a camouflage uniform and sunglasses. Damn, that’ll look so cool!’

The tasks Li Xiang had assigned the three women—preparations for the National Tea House, National Style Tavern, a coffee shop, and a milk tea shop—were proceeding in an orderly fashion. Zhao Xueqing had contacted several tea suppliers. They had bought some of their products earlier, and after everyone tasted them, they agreed that the flavor and quality were excellent. The plan was to visit each supplier in person for an inspection in the coming days.

Some of the suppliers didn’t just have tea shops; they also ran their own tea plantations, and their operations were quite large.

With something people would be ingesting, an on-site inspection was always best.

After all, Li Xiang now had over three million followers; he had to guarantee the quality of anything he sold. What was the point of selling something terrible? That would just be ruining his own brand, wouldn’t it?

Yao Yao had also lined up quite a few alcohol suppliers, but they were currently focusing on domestic ones. Importing wine from abroad would be too much of a hassle. They were short-staffed, the business hadn’t taken off yet, and it just wasn’t necessary at the moment.

If the timing was right, Li Xiang actually wanted to go abroad to visit wine-producing regions and select some high-quality red and white wines. And while he was at it, he’d procure a shipment of firearms and ammunition.

He had his system’s inventory, after all, and he wasn’t short on money. If he could get his hands on military-grade weapons, stockpiling some in advance wouldn’t be a bad idea.

It would be even more awesome if he could get his hands on "Stinger" shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles.

He didn’t need them himself, but the team he planned to build would likely find them useful.

Around ten in the morning, Li Xiang went to inspect the construction progress at the Holy Realm Garden. The landscaping portion was proceeding in sync with the mountainside Shelter, and progress was good. All the necessary safety measures were in place as well.

A dust suppression system had even been installed on the walls surrounding the construction site, spraying a fine mist of water particles around the perimeter to keep dust from kicking up.

Li Xiang’s house was now separated from the construction site by just a single wall, and without that system, his backyard would likely be covered in dust. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Because that area was still under construction, it was completely sealed off. The "Moon Gate" planned for the backyard hadn’t been built yet, so Li Xiang had to use the main entrance to the construction site, forcing him to take a long detour.

When he returned, he saw Yao Yao in the backyard, still fiddling with her 1.8-meter-diameter cowhide drum.

"Li Xiang, come take a look for me! Is the painting any good?" Yao Yao called out, practically preening as she waved him over. Today, Zhao Xueqing and Lei Xiaohui had both gone to their driving lessons. Yao Yao’s appointment was separate from theirs, and seeing a good opportunity, she had come to find Li Xiang alone.