Chapter 350

Huang Gan looked at Li Li Xuewu's expression and wanted to strangle him; he gritted his teeth, grabbed Li Li Xuewu, who was about to slip away, and said with a glare, "I'll pay for the meal."

Li Li Xuewu blinked and looked at Huang Gan, saying, "All expenses?"

"Don't push your luck!"

"Oh, I'm so tired, I'm exhausted~"

Li Li Xuewu took the book that Wang Zheng handed him with a smile, turned around, and started walking out of the classroom.

There was no one left in the classroom at this moment, so Li Li Xuewu didn't feel embarrassed no matter how exaggerated his acting was.

"You win, you win!"

Huang Gan said through gritted teeth, "I'll just treat it as charity for the poor!"

"Hahahaha."

Li Li Xuewu smiled, turned back, and waved at Huang Gan.

Huang Gan said impatiently, "What now?"

Li Li Xuewu tilted his head and smiled, "If we don't go ask for leave now, the head teacher will go to eat."

"Damn it!"

Huang Gan said this and started to follow Li Li Xuewu.

But Wang Zheng wasn't having it; she grabbed Huang Gan's hand and said, "I'm going too!"

Huang Gan looked back at his younger sister and threatened, "That town is filthy and smells terrible. You shouldn't go, be good!"

Wang Zheng squinted at Huang Gan and said, "Second Brother, if you say that, I'll go tell the head teacher that you slipped out without asking for leave!"

Huang Gan glared at Wang Zheng and said, "When did I slip out?!"

Wang Zheng also glared back and replied, "If you didn't slip out, how do you know the town is dirty and smelly?"

"I!..."

Huang Gan suddenly felt that this sister was no longer close or cute.

Li Li Xuewu had already walked out of the classroom, and seeing that the ATM hadn't followed, he turned back and stood at the door, saying, "Are you coming or not? If you're not, I'm leaving!"

Huang Gan pointed at Wang Zheng and said, "Don't you see there's still a tag-along here!"

Li Li Xuewu said impatiently, "You're the biggest tag-along. Hurry, hurry, let her come!"

"Yay!"

Wang Zheng smiled, walked to Li Li Xuewu's side, and said, "From now on, I'll call you Second Brother; he's been demoted."

Huang Gan glared at his sister as she followed Li Li Xuewu out of the classroom, hurried to catch up, and muttered, "So you'll follow whoever has the milk, huh!"

Wang Zheng's sharp tongue didn't let him off: "If there's no milk, that's Dad!"

Li Li Xuewu ignored their bickering and entered the office just before Liu Zheng capped his fountain pen.

"Teacher, we'd like to request to go out."

Seeing that it was Li Li Xuewu and the other two, Liu Zheng kept a straight face and said, "Reason."

Li Li Xuewu said, "Every festive season, one misses their family more. We want to go to the town to see if there are any local specialties to bring back for our families and friends."

Huang Gan and Wang Zheng stood beside Li Li Xuewu, looking at him with admiration; what a great reason!

"Are you two the same?"

Liu Zheng turned his head and asked the two standing next to Li Li Xuewu.

These three often did things together, so Liu Zheng wasn't surprised that Li Li Xuewu brought the other two to ask for leave.

As for the Huang family's second son and the Wang family's little girl, Liu Zheng had watched them grow up, and he had nothing to worry about regarding them hanging out with Li Li Xuewu.

From what he knew, Li Li Xuewu was a decent, steady, and trustworthy cadre.

"Yes, yes, yes."

Huang Gan nodded with a smile, and Wang Zheng also smiled sweetly; both looked completely harmless.

"Hmm."

Liu Zheng nodded, picked up his fountain pen, wrote the three names on an exit slip, and signed it.

As he moved the slip in front of Li Li Xuewu, he urged, "Before six o'clock, don't forget!"

"Yes."

Li Li Xuewu replied while saluting, "Wishing you good health and everything going smoothly for the Lantern Festival, Teacher."

Seeing Li Li Xuewu suddenly buttering him up, Huang Gan and Wang Zheng quickly followed suit and saluted.

Liu Zheng smiled, waved his hand, and let the three of them go.

Once they were out the door, Huang Gan smiled at Li Li Xuewu and said, "Damn it, can you give us a hint next time? We're very passive."

"Yeah."

Wang Zheng smiled at Li Li Xuewu and said, "When will you pass on your experience in this area to us?"

Listening to their teasing, Li Li Xuewu smiled, pointed at his watch, and said, "Time is limited. If we don't go now, the food will get cold."

Now the two were in a hurry. Wang Zheng was afraid the two would run off without her, so she handed her book to Huang Gan and said, "Second Brother, you go put the books away."

Huang Gan looked at the book in his hand speechlessly, opened his mouth, and asked, "Why me? Why don't you go?"

Wang Zheng blinked and said, "I run slowly, I'll waste time!"

Huang Gan threw the book in his hand to Li Li Xuewu and said, "You run fast, you go!"

Li Li Xuewu held the books and looked at Huang Gan coldly.

Huang Gan looked aggrieved and said, "Why are you looking at me? I'm going to get the car!"

Fine, Li Li Xuewu couldn't win against these two, so he could only take the books to the dormitory.

Just as he took a step, Wang Zheng looked at her second brother running to the parking lot and said to Li Li Xuewu, "Li Li Xuewu, let me hold the exit slip for you. It's so tiring to carry it back and forth!"

As she spoke, she walked in front of Li Li Xuewu and snatched the slip with the three names from his hand.

Li Li Xuewu looked at Wang Zheng, who had a smile like a little fox, then looked at Huang Gan, who was kicking up dust running to the parking lot, and couldn't help but grit his teeth and say, "What a disaster!"

Amidst Wang Zheng's giggling, Li Li Xuewu ran back to the dormitory, grabbed the large bag containing his luggage, and ran back to the meeting point.

Huang Gan and Wang Zheng were already sitting in the Willys waiting for Li Li Xuewu. Wang Zheng was sitting obediently in the back seat, looking as if she were afraid Li Li Xuewu would pull her out of the passenger seat.

Once Li Li Xuewu jumped into the car, Huang Gan stepped on the gas and took off, leaving a trail of smoke and dust from the tires behind the car.

Li Li Xuewu felt that Huang Gan's car was bought... no, it must have been drawn by himself!

"Damn it!"

Li Li Xuewu almost flew out because he wasn't sitting steadily. After showing the slip to the guard, Huang Gan stepped on the gas and flew out of the gate.

This was truly flying out. There was a small bump at the gate, and it would have been fine if he had slowed down.

But now this little bump was hindering Huang Gan's takeoff, so he just stepped on the gas and drove right over it.

After steadying himself, Li Li Xuewu looked back at Wang Zheng sitting in the back. Seeing the girl looking calm and holding the handle loosely, she seemed quite used to it.

"Is your driver's license a pilot's license, damn it!"

Huang Gan wore his toad-eye sunglasses and smiled, "I wanted to take the test, but I didn't have the connections, and our system doesn't provide planes."

(Did anyone refute me for violating history with these toad-eye sunglasses? Hehe.)

Li Li Xuewu kicked the Willys, which wasn't in great condition, and asked, "How did you borrow this?"

"Hahahaha."

Huang Gan said proudly, "The driving instructor and I get along very well."

Before Huang Gan could finish showing off, Wang Zheng, sitting in the back, curled her lips and said, "If someone worked for free for me, I could get along well with them too, very well."

"Hahahaha."

Now it was Li Li Xuewu's turn to laugh. Seeing Huang Gan's stunned expression, Li Li Xuewu turned his head and nodded at Wang Zheng.

"You're right. You should keep your brother clear-headed at all times, lest his brain be clouded by certain thoughts."

Wang Zheng, sitting in the back, replied quite formally, "Yes, mission guaranteed to be completed."

"Hahahaha."

Laughter drifted through the Willys as they drove into the small town next to the school.

After entering the town, the car slowed down, and the smell of the town drifted into the car.

Wang Zheng wrinkled her nose and said to Huang Gan in the driver's seat, "Second Brother, you still say you haven't been out!"

"I'm wronged!"

Huang Gan looked speechlessly at the rotten fish and shrimp remains in the ditches on both sides of the road. He never expected that the reason he made up on the spot would turn out to be correct.

After entering the town and seeing people, Li Li Xuewu asked Huang Gan to stop the car. He jumped out of the Willys, followed a passerby who was looking at them, and asked, "Comrade, may I ask how to get to Pei Jungang's house?"

"Oh, oh, oh."

Seeing that Li Li Xuewu and his group were looking for Pei Jungang, the man pointed to the intersection ahead and said, "Turn left, keep walking straight, it's the third house from the end of the street."

"Thank you."

Li Li Xuewu thanked him and jumped back into the already-started Willys.

Huang Gan, that grandson, had skipped everything just to eat; he couldn't even wait for the time it took Li Li Xuewu to ask for directions.

Li Li Xuewu pointed to the location of the supply and marketing cooperative and told Huang Gan to stop.

"What for? Isn't time running out?"

Li Li Xuewu turned around, reached out his hand, and said, "Are you going to visit someone empty-handed, damn it?"

Huang Gan slapped Li Li Xuewu's palm and said, "Then why are you reaching out to me?"

Li Li Xuewu slapped Huang Gan's hand away, reached out again, and said, "Didn't you say it yourself? You'll cover all expenses."

"I have to pay for the gifts too!?"

Li Li Xuewu nodded and said, "I told you not to come, but you insisted. Now it's all on you, all expenses."

"Screw your grandfather!"

Huang Gan jumped out of the car and followed Li Li Xuewu into the supply and marketing cooperative.

Before long, Li Li Xuewu walked out carrying two crates of orange soda.

Wang Zheng covered her mouth and smiled, asking, "Are we just buying two crates of soda?"

Li Li Xuewu handed the soda to Wang Zheng behind him, smiled, and pointed to Huang Gan, who was coming out behind him carrying two bottles of liquor, saying, "Your second brother said it wasn't good to just bring soda, so he bought two bottles of liquor too."

"What the hell did I..."

Huang Gan originally wanted to refute Li Li Xuewu, but after realizing what was happening, he nodded and said, "Yes, I wanted to buy them."

Since the money was already spent, if he didn't take credit for it, wouldn't he be a total sucker?

But thinking about it now, Huang Gan still felt it was a total rip-off.

Are we eating dragon meat? Why is it so expensive?

Following the man's directions, Huang Gan parked the car right in front of Pei Jungang's house.

The layout here was a typical courtyard, just with higher walls.

This wasn't unusual; the folk customs in places like Hebei, Henan, and Tianjin were like this—every household had high perimeter walls.

Li Li Xuewu jumped out of the car, and before he could even knock on the door, the courtyard gate opened.

"You're here, just in time for dinner..."

As he spoke, he looked at the two people behind Li Li Xuewu, and his words trailed off.

Li Li Xuewu smiled, stepped aside, and said, "These are two of my good classmates. You don't mind two extra people, do you?"

"No problem, no problem."

Pei Jungang wasn't surprised. Seeing Li Li Xuewu say this, he ushered Li Li Xuewu and the others inside.

Seeing that all three of them were carrying gifts, he smiled and exchanged a few polite words.

"My wife is giving birth, so my mother went to take care of her. It's just me at home, don't mind my poor cooking."

"How could we?"

Li Li Xuewu smiled, entered the room, placed the soda on the cabinet, and stacked the items Huang Gan was holding on top of it.

Wang Zheng handed the two bottles of liquor to Pei Jungang.

"Thank you."

"You're too polite, we're the ones intruding today."

Wang Zheng smiled politely and stood with Huang Gan.

Pei Jungang was quite hospitable and invited them to the table.

Steamed seafood was already laid out on the table in the room: crabs, sea snails, and mantis shrimp.

As he spoke, Pei Jungang brought out a tray of scallops from the kitchen, not as large as the ones in later generations.

"I don't eat this stuff often, and I'm not great at making it, so don't mind me."

"You're too polite."

Li Li Xuewu smiled and said, "We haven't even eaten this before, so we wouldn't know if it's good or not."

"Hahahaha, you're joking."

Although Beijing was inland, it wasn't far from Tianjin, so saying they hadn't eaten seafood was a joke.

Isn't kelp seafood?

What about dried shrimp?

Seeing Pei Jungang about to head back to the kitchen, Li Li Xuewu smiled and said, "Brother Pei, there's already enough food, don't make any more."

Pei Jungang walked out of the kitchen carrying a plate of stir-fried clams and razor clams, smiling as he said, "If you don't eat seafood, you don't know how to live. Since friends are here today, I must host you well."

By now, Li Li Xuewu had placed wine glasses in front of everyone and poured the liquor they had brought.

Since Wang Zheng couldn't drink, she opened a bottle of the orange soda they had brought.

"Eat up, this stuff won't taste good once it gets cold."

"Okay."

Seeing Pei Jungang place a crab in everyone's bowl, Li Li Xuewu smiled and responded.

Pei Jungang was very enthusiastic, urging Huang Gan and Wang Zheng to eat.

"The crabs aren't quite right; you came too late. September to November is when they taste best."

Li Li Xuewu dismantled the crab and looked inside. Although Pei Jungang said the season wasn't right, there was still meat inside.

"Slurp~"

Li Li Xuewu took a bite and still found it delicious.

He had eaten plenty of this in his previous life, but eating it now tasted better than in his memories.

Huang Gan ate quickly and was already reaching for his second one.

Seeing everyone eating happily, Pei Jungang smiled and said, "I specifically boiled them in seawater; it tastes better than tap water."

"Mmm, mmm, mmm."

Wang Zheng took a bite of a clam, and the fresh, savory, and spicy flavors instantly hit her taste buds; she nodded continuously to show it was delicious.

Li Li Xuewu raised his glass to thank Pei Jungang, and everyone toasted with the first taste of seafood.

Liquor and seafood—perfect!

Pei Jungang pointed to the clams and razor clams Wang Zheng loved and said, "These were picked by a friend who went clamming yesterday. They've been rinsed several times; there shouldn't be any sand, right?"

"None at all, it's so fresh!"

Wang Zheng wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, pouted her red lips, and kept praising Pei Jungang's cooking.

This made Pei Jungang chuckle. It's true what they say—having a woman at the dinner table changes the atmosphere.

Especially a beautiful woman like Wang Zheng, who was cheerful and articulate.

The people at the table didn't talk about anything else; they just chatted about the fishing town and the seafood.

Li Li Xuewu stopped after two crabs and ate quite a few mantis shrimp instead.

The mantis shrimp on the table were about a palm and a half long, and the meat was exceptionally fresh.

They ate their fill of seafood. After the meal, Wang Zheng cleared the table, while Li Li Xuewu and the other two sat on stools and chatted about seafood.

Pei Jungang naturally knew that Li Li Xuewu hadn't come just to eat seafood; otherwise, he wouldn't have gone to such lengths to host him.

"Let's go, I'll take you to see, and then you'll know."

Li Li Xuewu looked at Pei Jungang, who had stood up, and asked, "Don't you have any at your house?"

"Hahaha."

Pei Jungang smiled and explained, "Our family used to dry them, but I joined the seafood company. After my father passed away and my mother's health declined, there was no one left to dry these things."

Seeing the regret on Li Li Xuewu and the others' faces, he smiled and said, "But my relatives do this. I'll take you to see in a bit, and if you like anything, I'll ask them for you."

As soon as Li Li Xuewu heard this, he knew what was going on. He smiled, nodded, and said, "Good, we'll just look, no talking."

Huang Gan and Wang Zheng also understood Li Li Xuewu's meaning. Pei Jungang was saying he'd take them to see.

And Li Li Xuewu emphasized, "Just look, no talking."

The meaning was very clear: if you want it, you can have it, but I'll be the one to do the talking.

As they spoke, Pei Jungang led the three of them out the door.

They didn't go far, just through small alleys, turning left and right.

They didn't see Pei Jungang knock; he just pushed open a courtyard gate and entered a house.

An old woman was sitting in the courtyard, with a winnowing basket on a stool in front of her.

Inside the basket were what looked like small shrimp, white with a hint of pink.

As they entered the courtyard, the old woman looked up, but she hadn't reacted to what was happening yet.

"Auntie, it's me, Jungang. I brought some friends to look around."

"Oh, oh, it's Gangzi."

The old woman seemed to have just recognized Pei Jungang, but she only greeted him, looked at Li Li Xuewu and the others who had entered behind him, and then stopped talking.

Pei Jungang didn't pay any attention to the old woman and led Li Li Xuewu and the others directly into the inner room.

It was as if it were his own home. He looked around, discovered several bags in the corner, put the cigarette in his mouth, reached out, grabbed the bags, and untied the ropes.

As soon as Li Li Xuewu entered the room, he smelled the sea. These must be dried seafood products, as there was a large iron pot piled up in the courtyard.

Pei Jungang didn't speak; he just held the bag opening toward Li Li Xuewu as a gesture.

Li Li Xuewu walked up and looked—it was dried shrimp.

Li Li Xuewu didn't know what they were called elsewhere, but in Beijing, this was called dried shrimp.

"Large shrimp, boiled, peeled, and dried are called dried shrimp; served with ginger and vinegar, they are a culinary treasure."

The dried shrimp in the bag were pale yellow. Li Li Xuewu reached in and grabbed a handful to look at.

Looking at them this way, they had a pinkish luster. The shrimp were intact, not very uniform in size, but very dry.

"Try one."

Pei Jungang pointed at the dried shrimp in Li Li Xuewu's hand and said.

Li Li Xuewu didn't really know how to judge the quality, but he picked up a bit and put it in his mouth.

Delicious, smooth, but a bit hard and salty.

Li Li Xuewu nodded, neither saying it was good nor bad.

Pei Jungang didn't care about Li Li Xuewu's attitude. Seeing Huang Gan and Wang Zheng also take some from Li Li Xuewu's hand to try, he smiled, said nothing, and tied the bag back up.

Then he pulled another bag from the ground and opened it for Li Li Xuewu and the others to see.

"Are these two different?"

Seeing Wang Zheng ask, Pei Jungang smiled without explaining.

Li Li Xuewu reached in and grabbed a handful—white, translucent shrimp skins that were very "straight."

It wasn't that they were bad, but the drying method was different.

The curled ones were boiled in saltwater and dried, making them a bit sticky; these were sun-dried directly, with less salt and easier to preserve.

This time Li Li Xuewu didn't try them; the salty taste from the previous one was still in his mouth.

He threw the shrimp skins back into the bag, and Pei Jungang tied the rope again.

After finishing, he led them out of the room without greeting the old woman in the courtyard and walked straight out the door.

Wang Zheng also understood Li Li Xuewu's meaning; she followed behind with wide eyes, full of curiosity and surprise.

Does this count as...?

After walking a few steps, they entered another courtyard. It was the same routine: Pei Jungang nodded to the woman who walked out of the room, and then led Li Li Xuewu and the others inside.

The woman who had come out to greet them went straight to stand at the gate.

Li Li Xuewu understood the meaning—this was the most primitive form of a trading system.

If you come to buy directly, they won't sell; they'll say it's for their own consumption.

But if a relative brings you to see the food in their home, that's no problem!

Pei Jungang was clearly familiar with this routine; he entered the room and opened a bag to show Li Li Xuewu.

Li Li Xuewu leaned in to look—good heavens, they were dark, rough, and looked like large meat worms.

He took a step back and looked at the size of the bag—good heavens, it was enough for that "world-renowned" soccer team to eat for a meal.

Seeing Li Li Xuewu finish looking, Pei Jungang tied the bag and opened another one.

Li Li Xuewu recognized this; he had eaten plenty of it in his previous life. It was dried abalone, which was hyped up quite a bit, but in reality, it was just okay.

As long as Li Li Xuewu looked at one, Pei Jungang would switch to another bag, and during this time, not a single word was spoken.

Dried squid, dried scallops, dried cuttlefish, dried mantis shrimp.

It seemed this family had some connections. When Pei Jungang led Li Li Xuewu and the others out, the woman wanted to say something to Pei Jungang.

But she was stopped by a look from Pei Jungang. The woman was clearly a bit afraid of him and pursed her lips submissively.

Walking out the door, Pei Jungang was in front, while Li Li Xuewu and Huang Gan, with Wang Zheng, followed behind. Huang Gan exchanged a look with Li Li Xuewu.

Li Li Xuewu didn't think much of it; he wouldn't dare to cooperate if the person wasn't cautious.

Finally, they entered a house and greeted the old couple in the courtyard without entering the room.

Because the things they wanted to see were placed on racks in the courtyard.

There were fish, both large and small; the large ones were yellow croakers, already headless.

The small ones were mixed dried fish, and Li Li Xuewu couldn't tell what kind they were; they were about the length of an adult's finger.

The gray-haired old man looked at Li Li Xuewu and said, "These are freshwater, and these are from the sea."

Li Li Xuewu looked at Pei Jungang, who was smiling silently, and picked up a small freshwater dried fish to try.

How should he put it? It had a fishy fragrance, but it wasn't the kind of crispness Li Li Xuewu had imagined; it was chewy.

Under the old man's gaze, he nodded and picked up a dried sea fish to try.

Fresh, salty, and pungent.

Seeing Li Li Xuewu's expression, the old man chuckled, and the old woman standing at the gate also laughed.

Huang Gan and Wang Zheng didn't know what they were laughing at.

Pei Jungang explained with a smile, "This one is better for soup or stew."

Saying it this way was giving Li Li Xuewu face, without directly saying that this stuff couldn't be eaten directly.

Li Li Xuewu smiled and put the remaining half in his mouth, which made the old man and old woman nod.

Li Li Xuewu looked at the large shrimp strips on the rack. These weren't the puffed snacks of later generations, but actual sun-dried shrimp strips.

They were less than a palm long and looked delicious, but Li Li Xuewu didn't try them.

Just as Pei Jungang was about to take Li Li Xuewu away, the old man pointed to a small jar in the courtyard and signaled to Li Li Xuewu to see if he wanted to look.

Li Li Xuewu looked at Pei Jungang, who was looking back at him, followed the old man to the small jar, and let the old man lift the lid.

Good heavens, a jar of shrimp paste. Li Li Xuewu recognized this; he had eaten plenty of it in his previous life.

But in his previous life, it was rare to buy good shrimp paste. Even though it was made from shrimp, if done well, there shouldn't be any strange odors.

There might be a slight fishy smell, but that was normal; as long as it didn't stink, it meant it hadn't spoiled.

Seeing Li Li Xuewu nod, the old man opened another jar.

Li Li Xuewu couldn't quite handle this one; the jar contained pickled crabs.

Seeing Li Li Xuewu frown, the old man didn't care and resealed the jar.

Pei Jungang was already waiting at the gate with Huang Gan and Wang Zheng. Seeing Li Li Xuewu come out, he led them back.

Looking back and seeing Li Li Xuewu still frowning, he smiled and said, "People who aren't locals aren't used to that stuff; I don't even eat it now."

Li Li Xuewu nodded and smiled, "Maybe my sense of taste is a bit sensitive; I can still smell it now."

Perhaps because they were done looking, Pei Jungang started chatting with them, introducing the history of fishing and drying fish here.

"When I was a kid, I used to see my father and my uncle go out to sea to get these things. They weren't worth much back then; it was just to earn some pocket money."

When they reached the gate of their house, Pei Jungang turned to them and said, "This is about how it is in the town. Because of the joint operation, we can only dry them for ourselves or give them to relatives."

Li Li Xuewu nodded with a smile, "It's quite good; I think they're all dried very well."

Seeing Li Li Xuewu say this, Pei Jungang smiled, pointed to the end of their alley, and said, "If you go up from here and keep walking, you'll reach the seaside. The scenery is quite nice, but the wind is a bit strong. Shall I take you to see?"

Huang Gan waved his hand with a smile and said, "We'll go ourselves. Li Li Xuewu has had a bit too much to drink, so he shouldn't go."

This is what it means to listen to the subtext. Huang Gan hadn't said a word for a long time, and Pei Jungang had given him a step, so he took it.

Li Li Xuewu smiled at Huang Gan and said, "I'll go find you after I rest for a while."

"Okay."

Huang Gan pulled Wang Zheng, pointed to the seaside, and said, "I'll leave the car for you. Come find us later."

As he spoke, he had already taken Wang Zheng inside, and Wang Zheng looked back at Li Li Xuewu once.

Li Li Xuewu watched Huang Gan walk away and then followed Pei Jungang back into the courtyard.

Clearly accustomed to this kind of business, Pei Jungang went into the inner room, took out a notebook, and walked out.

Under Li Li Xuewu's gaze, he wrote down the types they had just seen, looked at Li Li Xuewu at the end, wrote down the shrimp paste, but didn't write down the salty crabs.

Li Li Xuewu took it and looked; each type of seafood was followed by a unit price, which was for Li Li Xuewu to fill in the specific quantities.

Li Li Xuewu calculated in his heart, didn't change a thing, and pushed the notebook back.

This actually stunned Pei Jungang; he frowned and looked at Li Li Xuewu, saying, "Are you not satisfied with the price?"

As he spoke, he pointed to the notebook and said, "We're all honest people; the price I gave..."

Before Pei Jungang could finish, he saw Li Li Xuewu shake his head.

"You don't want them?"

Although Pei Jungang was frowning, he nodded and said, "Okay, I'll see if there's anything good later..."

Although he felt a bit bad about the meal at noon, business is business, and he didn't dare to play the game of forced buying and selling now.

Just as he was about to put away the notebook, he saw Li Li Xuewu slap his hand on it.

"I want it all."

"What!"

Li Li Xuewu smiled, brought the cigarette in his hand to his mouth, took a puff, and gave Pei Jungang a moment to process it.

Then he loosened his hand from the notebook and said with a smile, "I said I want it all."

"This..."

Pei Jungang was a bit stunned. Is he really this reckless?

"Are you sure?"

"Hahaha."

Hearing Pei Jungang use a respectful term, he smiled and nodded, saying, "I told you, I have a good appetite and can eat."

Pei Jungang wanted to say more, but Li Li Xuewu reached out to stop him, pointed to his watch, and said, "I've had a bit too much to drink, I'm going to sleep for two hours."

As he spoke, he waved at Pei Jungang and climbed onto the heated brick bed.

The bed must have been Pei Jungang's luggage; Li Li Xuewu didn't take off his shoes, lay with his head toward the inside of the bed, used the quilt as a pillow, covered himself with his own clothes, and went to sleep.

Pei Jungang looked at Li Li Xuewu on the bed, then at the notebook in his hand, and finally gritted his teeth and walked out of the room.

Hearing the door move, Li Li Xuewu, huddled under his clothes, loosened his grip on the M1911 pistol handle, but didn't let go completely.

He reached out, pulled back a corner of his clothes to look outside, and then covered himself again.

As long as you're obedient, I'll buy you a street; if you're not obedient, I'll twist your head off.

Before long, he heard the courtyard gate open. It wasn't Pei Jungang returning alone, but they didn't enter the room; they talked in the courtyard for a while, and then the gate sounded again.

It happened repeatedly, and Li Li Xuewu didn't sleep soundly during this nap.

Just as he was drowsily snoring, Pei Jungang took off his gloves and entered the room with the notebook.

As soon as he entered, he saw Li Li Xuewu sleeping soundly and couldn't help but twitch his mouth, but thinking of the two who hadn't returned, he felt relieved.

Pei Jungang had never believed from the start that Li Li Xuewu would come alone, and he was right.

Li Li Xuewu didn't understand this person's psychological activity, nor did he know he had misunderstood the Huang siblings.

Li Li Xuewu's courage relied entirely on his own charm, peerless appearance, extraordinary demeanor, convincing temperament, and the M1911 in his pocket.

"Brother, wake up."

"Hmm?"

Li Li Xuewu pulled back his clothes and looked sleepily at Pei Jungang, who was calling him from the edge of the bed.

"Are you done?"

"Yes."

Pei Jungang nodded, looked at Li Li Xuewu, and said, "I've put them all in the courtyard. Do you want to go see?"

"See what?"

Li Li Xuewu sat up, yawned, touched the edge of the bed, and said, "Sleeping on a heated bed really helps sober you up."

As he spoke, he took the notebook Pei Jungang handed him.

The dried fish, shrimp, etc., that he had seen earlier were all there, with some weighing over a thousand jin and others over a hundred.

The least was the jar of shrimp paste Li Li Xuewu had seen last; perhaps they had kept some for themselves, as the notebook said one hundred and ten jin.

Li Li Xuewu looked at the final amount—it wasn't much, just over a thousand, and the extra bit had been crossed out.

Seeing Li Li Xuewu finish looking, Pei Jungang said nervously, "Just give me an even thousand; I've wiped out the change."

Li Li Xuewu smiled, took a stack of money from his pocket, counted it right in front of Pei Jungang—it was exactly one thousand.

He then took the change from his pocket, counted it, stacked the two amounts together, and placed them next to Pei Jungang, who was sitting on the edge of the bed like him.

"What are you doing!"

Seeing Li Li Xuewu count out the change, Pei Jungang tried to push Li Li Xuewu's hand back.

Li Li Xuewu's hand dodged, and he said to Pei Jungang, "Don't fight me on this; just take it all."

Seeing Li Li Xuewu put the money down, Pei Jungang picked up the money from the top of the stack of large bills and tried to give it back to Li Li Xuewu.

"You bought so much stuff, I should give you a good deal."

Li Li Xuewu picked up the thirty-plus bills on the bed and tried to stuff them into Pei Jungang's hand, but Pei Jungang refused no matter what.

"I already said I don't want it. My uncle just said he'd never seen such a generous young man."

Seeing Pei Jungang didn't want the money, Li Li Xuewu reached back and threw the money onto the bed.

"This is all hard-earned money, so it should be what it is. If you consider me a friend, just remember to prepare such good food next time I come."

"You..."

Pei Jungang was also stunned by Li Li Xuewu's demeanor. He could easily take out a stack of large bills and didn't take advantage of him; this kid was truly extraordinary.

Before Pei Jungang could finish, Li Li Xuewu took out five more large bills from his pocket.

"What are you doing?"

Seeing Li Li Xuewu try to give him more money, Pei Jungang panicked and stood up, retreating backward.

Li Li Xuewu smiled and said, "This is to congratulate you on the birth of your son; this is a gift."

"Li Li Xuewu, you can't do this!"

Pei Jungang was truly embarrassed. Although he would get a commission for introducing this, he didn't take it like this.

He had already taken the money he was supposed to, and now Li Li Xuewu was giving him change and a gift; Li Li Xuewu's sincerity made him feel ashamed.

Li Li Xuewu got off the bed, stuffed the money into Pei Jungang's pocket, and said dissatisfiedly, "Don't fight me; this isn't for you, it's for my nephew. When the kid gets a bit older, bring him to Beijing to play, and I'll host."

"Brother, you..."

"Take it."

Li Li Xuewu waved his hand and said, "If you don't take it, you don't consider me a friend."

Pei Jungang didn't know whether to take it or not. Seeing Li Li Xuewu glare, he accepted it.

Ignoring the money on the bed, he led Li Li Xuewu out the door, pointed to the bags in the courtyard, and said, "They're all here. Figure out how to move them yourself. I'm going to find your two friends, take them around, and my uncle is hosting tonight. You guys can eat dinner before heading back."

Li Li Xuewu waved his hand and said, "We have to be back before six; don't go to the trouble."

Pei Jungang waved his hand, pointed to two sacks, and said, "These are hairtail and carp I prepared for you, plus a few other things. Take them back for your family to try."

After saying this, he walked away, saying as he went, "You're in a hurry, so I'll tell my uncle to prepare the food now. Hurry up, and go straight to the last house we saw earlier."

Before he could finish, he had disappeared.

Li Li Xuewu stood in the courtyard, looked toward the gate, and lit a cigarette.

After finishing the cigarette, Li Li Xuewu looked at the courtyard wall, which was over a person's height, and jumped up with a running start.

The wall here was truly high, and Li Li Xuewu could see quite far while standing on it.

Aside from an old person coming out of a nearby courtyard for a moment, no one else appeared.

After watching from the wall for a while, Li Li Xuewu jumped down, packed up the things, looked at the shrimp paste in the large white bucket used for wine, smiled, and finally put it into his fingertip space.

He walked to the gate, opened it, got into the Willys, started the engine, and drove out of the town.

He drove back and forth empty-handed over a dozen times, and seeing the sky darken, he returned to the courtyard and closed the gate.

Ignoring the money Pei Jungang hadn't taken in the room, he drove to the last house they had visited at noon.

When he reached the gate, he saw the lights were already on. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he saw Huang Gan and Wang Zheng sitting in the room.

Pei Jungang was no longer as secretive as he had been at noon and introduced Li Li Xuewu to the old man and old woman.

It turned out this was his uncle and aunt.

They looked quite old, but they were actually only in their fifties; fishermen by the sea never looked young.

They didn't eat anything with shells at night, but instead tasted the local sea fish.

The old woman was very enthusiastic and made two types of sea fish, plus a small pot of shrimp paste stewed with tofu.

Pei Jungang said that Li Li Xuewu and the others had to go back at night, so they didn't drink much, just toasted a few times and ate the dishes.

By the time Pei Jungang and the old couple saw Li Li Xuewu and the others off, the moon had already risen.

Waving goodbye to the people standing at the gate, the three of them started their journey home.

Wang Zheng sat in the back seat, touched the bags beside her, and asked, "What's this?"

Li Li Xuewu turned his head, smiled, and said, "I brought a share for you too."

"Thank you."

Wang Zheng thanked him with a smile, while Huang Gan looked back and asked Li Li Xuewu with a smile, "How much?"

Li Li Xuewu held the handle on the side of the seat and looked at Huang Gan, saying, "What? You really want to cover all expenses?"

"Hahaha, then thank you!"

Knowing what Li Li Xuewu meant, Huang Gan stopped asking. Wang Zheng touched the two small bags underneath and asked, "Why are there two extra shares?"

Li Li Xuewu kicked the car and said, "Borrowing and returning makes borrowing again easy."

"Hahahaha."

Huang Gan laughed happily—not at what Li Li Xuewu said, but at Li Li Xuewu's way of doing things and his character.

Returning to school, Huang Gan parked the car at the dormitory first and helped Li Li Xuewu carry the three bags upstairs.

After coming down, Li Li Xuewu carried one bag, told Huang Gan to return the car, and told Wang Zheng to go upstairs.

Wang Zheng and Huang Gan both smiled as they saw the direction Li Li Xuewu was heading with the bag, and they went about their own business.

Li Li Xuewu's procedure for returning from leave went very smoothly, though Liu Zheng sternly declined Li Li Xuewu's gift.

Li Li Xuewu was quite clever; he smiled at Liu Zheng and said, "A stranger in a strange land, one misses their family more during the festive season; a teacher is also family."

Seeing Liu Zheng smile, Li Li Xuewu turned around, saluted, and walked out of the office door.

There is no gift in this world that cannot be delivered; there are only people who don't know how to give gifts.