I was amused by her use of the word "them" and couldn't help but say, "The pretty girl I was joking with you about the other day is my cousin."
The white lotus lightly punched me in the chest, making me stumble. She quickly grabbed me. Before I could even take advantage of the situation, she immediately and dutifully introduced, "By the way, you can put up a net on the roof and build a basketball court. When your son grows up, you can have a small game with him, or let him study here..."
"It'll ruin your eyesight—let's sign the contract."
"You want this house?" Bai Lianhua's eyes widened with delight.
"You've described it like a poem, I don't want to spoil the mood any further."
Actually, in terms of size, this house isn't cheap, considering we're not in a big city, and this is during a very difficult time. These houses were all built before the earthquake, which alone has shaken the confidence of most people. But what's commendable is the developer's sincerity; 1.8 million yuan is worth it just for the living environment alone.
Next, Bai Lianhua showed her decisive side. We went back to the sales office, completed the transfer of ownership, and paid the money. With her extensive experience, buying a house was no different from buying two pounds of oranges. She couldn't give me the keys yet because there were still some later stages of construction to be done. Right now, the house had electricity but no water, so we couldn't start renovations.
I went outside and saw an old man sitting in the back of my motorcycle, wearing a Panama hat and a brightly colored outfit. He looked every bit the elderly overseas Chinese. I tiptoed up behind him, and when I was two steps away, the old man said lazily, "Xiao Qiang, you're not planning to ambush a deity, are you?"
I slumped into the driver's seat, cursing, "Besides being a god, you're still a wanted criminal. As a law-abiding citizen, I should take you to the police station."
Old Liu chuckled, and seeing me coughing, asked, "What's wrong?"
"She has a slight fever."
Without saying a word, Liu Laoliu handed me a dark, oval-shaped piece and said, "Chew."
Although that old rascal was annoying, he was still a deity after all. Seeing that I was so sick, he might actually have something good for me. I hurriedly stuffed it into my mouth and chewed it, only to feel a strange, sweet taste and a cool sensation rushing into my brain, and instantly sweat broke out on my nose.
"What is that?"
"What else could it be? Betel nuts! I brought them back from Hainan. It's even better to chew them while smoking a cigarette—" he said, throwing one into his mouth, then lighting a cigarette and chewing it heartily, inhaling the cool air like a heavy smoker.
"Pah!" I spat out the betel nut residue and cursed, "You old bastard."
Liu Laoliu wasn't annoyed. He said leisurely, "You always lack basic respect for me. Aren't you afraid I'll retaliate against you?"
"Come on! Come on! Last time it was Zhang Ziyi, this time you can turn me into Edison Chen (I said this offhand, because it was only 2007 at the time)!"
"I used my magic last time to make you believe me; that was official business, and I can't do that normally."
I laughed out loud: "Then why would I be afraid of you?"
Liu Laoliu suddenly asked, "Has your salary come in yet this month?"
I said warily, "I don't have any money to lend you!"
"It's not from the mortal realm; it was sent to you by the Heavenly Court."
I immediately perked up, grabbed Liu Laoliu by the collar and shook him vigorously: "By the way, why hasn't my salary come in yet? When can I open my third eye?"
"It's not necessarily about opening your third eye. Besides, even if you open your third eye, it's useless. Not only will people think you're crazy, but you'll also keep confusing people with ghosts, which is extremely dangerous when driving. I've hit people several times because I mistook them for ghosts, luckily it was a bicycle."
I continued to shake him: "What about mine? You should at least get one, good or bad, right?"
Liu Laoliu also asked in surprise, "You really haven't come down yet?"
"No! Not only do I not have the ability to see ghosts, but my body hasn't been modified either. I'm still out of breath even climbing five floors!"
This time, Liu Laoliu was really angry. He took out his old mobile phone, the letters of which were worn off, made a call, and loudly questioned, "Accountant Wang, Xiaoqiang's salary hasn't been deposited into the account yet? I'll complain to the Jade Emperor about you! What? It's already been paid? Alright, alright, it's fine now."
After hanging up the phone, Liu Laoliu glanced at me for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Have you received any strange text messages lately?"
"No, besides getting certificates, it's just...you're not talking about Tianting Entertainment Group, are you?" I then remembered the text message from a few days ago, which left a deep impression on me because there was no sender.
"Got it, that's the one. What's the receipt code? We'll know what skill you've acquired based on the receipt code."
"The receipt code seems to be..." I tried hard to recall. I felt rather annoyed when I saw that string of numbers, but I just couldn't remember it.
Old Liu pointed at my forehead and cursed, "You can forget something so important? Go to hell!"
"I remember now, the receipt code is 7474748."
"Haha, not bad. But without the intermediary—which was my hint—you still won't know how to use it. Now you know how I can get revenge on you, right?"
“…Brother Liu, Grandpa Liu…”
"Stop with the nonsense, have you received your salary this month?"
"Didn't you already know that?"
"I'm talking about RMB this time, lend me 500 yuan first!"
"...I really don't know if you guys are gods or a sophisticated fraud ring." I pulled out five bills and slapped them into his hand. "Now you can talk, right?"
Liu Laoliu put the money away, held out his hand and said, "Give me your phone."
"Isn't that too greedy?"
"Stop talking nonsense and give it to me."
Reluctantly, I handed him my newly bought phone. Liu Laoliu took it and, while typing "7474748" into the phone, said excitedly, "Let me show you something fun..." Suddenly, he pointed the phone at me and pressed the call button...
I quickly leaned closer and saw the dialing status displayed on the large screen. Old Liu seemed a little nervous, muttering, "You'll see it soon—"
Then we heard the phone say, "The number you dialed is not in service."
"You want me to see this?" I said, surprised.
"Wait a minute...did you really receive a text message?"
"Of course it's true."