That night, we stayed up very late and had a very deep dialogue between souls and bodies—more of the latter.
The next day, as soon as I opened my eyes, I saw sunlight streaming through the curtains, making the dust motes seem to move slowly, and the ceiling high above. I thought, perhaps I've already achieved what they call a happy life.
I turned to look at Baozi, and saw that her eyes were closed, but her eyeballs were rolling around through her eyelids. I knew she had been awake for a while, so I stretched out my leg and gently kicked her: "Why aren't you at work yet?"
Baozi still refused to open her eyes, a lazy smile on her lips: "My man is a multi-millionaire, do you expect me to be a doorman?"
Look how easily one can go from frugality to extravagance, and how quickly a person can fall into depravity!
I kept kicking her and said, "No, you have to go today."
Baozi kicked back in dissatisfaction: "Why should I?"
I said, "Who skips work on their first day as a boss?"
Baozi suddenly opened her eyes: "What did you say?"
"I've bought your Boss Hu's steamed bun shop, and now you're the manager. Go on, your employees are all waiting for you."
Baozi stared at me blankly for a moment. When she realized I wasn't joking, she hurriedly started getting dressed, muttering to herself, "I knew you wouldn't let me sit idle. I have to hurry, or people will say I'm putting on airs." Baozi suddenly stopped and asked me, "How am I supposed to see them! We used to work together, but now I'm the boss, and I feel so inferior!"
I was speechless. Despite her simple mind, I must admit I've never been able to understand her way of thinking. What does being a boss have to do with being inhuman? All I could say was, "You can give them a raise."
Baozi nodded vigorously, then laughed and said, "Luckily, I work as a greeter. It's easy to hire another one. If I were mixing the filling, it would be much more difficult!"
I was speechless again.
While putting on his coat, Baozi asked me, "Which bus goes to the baozi shop near our door?"
Me: "...Let's take a taxi first. I'll take you to buy a QQ car when I have time."
Baozi glanced outside and suddenly asked, "What's going on with that car downstairs? Why is it parked in front of our door?"
I peeked through a crack in the curtains and sure enough, a brand-new, blood-red Chevrolet was parked quietly in front of our door.
This is outrageous! Every family living here has their own garage. What's with blocking our doorway with their cars? Baozi said, "Could it be that one of those people from yesterday forgot to take their car back?"
I chuckled. If that were really the case, this person would be even more muddle-headed than a steamed bun.
Just then, the phone rang, and Li Shishi's silvery voice chuckled, "How are you sleeping, cousin and sister-in-law? Did you see the car at the door?"
I was both angry and amused: "You brought this? Hurry up and send someone to drive it back. Luckily, you ran into someone as honest as me, otherwise you would have moved it to the garage by now."
Li Shishi smiled and said, "That was originally a wedding gift from Shao Yan to you, but it was specifically for Baozi. The key is on the coffee table downstairs."
Baozi had overheard our conversation. She ran downstairs in a few steps and appeared on the lawn a moment later. She went to the car, waved the keys in her hand at me, and quickly drove out of the community. Judging from the car's elegant and effortless appearance, it was definitely an original product. As for the price, Jin Shaoyan never looks at the price when he buys things, but it certainly wouldn't be cheap.
So, I didn't end up buying that QQ. I'm puzzled. Yesterday she was a hardworking and simple girl from a poor family, how come she's become so extravagant and dissolute today? It seems that this villa and luxury car have raised Baozi's expectations too high. Next time I want her to scream and shout, the only options are in bed or at the US presidential election.
Chapter 42 Qin King's Mausoleum
After Baozi left, I lay down for a while before getting up to sort through the little trinkets I received at the wedding. The most valuable items were the snuff bottle and diamond ring given by Grandpa Gu and Grandma Jin. The most special one was the lighter given by Fei Sankou. The most meaningful item was the calligraphy that the 300 group obtained for me from their marshal. "Pursue oneself with integrity and uprightness"—these eight characters didn't seem to fit me at all, so I carefully put them away.
Regarding the monetary gifts, I never expected to receive so much. Leaving aside my wealthy friends, I genuinely didn't expect that even 300 and the Liangshan heroes would give gifts. The reason I thought this was because I always assumed they were penniless. I remember when 300 left, each of them only had 1000 yuan, facing a world they didn't fully understand and an uncertain future of wandering. Now, after their return, I realize that most of them have settled down and started working in various places. Of course, this doesn't include romantic relationships. As Yue Fei's subordinates, they certainly had that much awareness; for example, Li Jingshui remained unmoved by his flirtatious and beautiful female superior's advances.
Now that Yue Fei has been found, it seems they have no intention of leaving. From the day they all arrived, the soldiers became a unit again. Apart from strolling around the campus, they taught the children kung fu one-on-one, and after a few days, the results were obvious.
As for the specifics of Yue Fei, I haven't had a chance to ask Xu Delong yet. They've been shrouded in mystery ever since their first day reporting to me.
Speaking of these guys, they're definitely rolling in money now. A single match in Singapore comes with millions in government rewards alone; otherwise, how could they all have a 3-megapixel phone?
After tidying up my things, I swaggered out onto the lawn in my pajamas. I had thought I'd be the only one living in this huge villa complex, but it turns out my neighbors have moved in too. It seems like only two apartments have been sold since the development opened.
My neighbor was tidying up the lawn. He was an elderly man, well past fifty, casually loosening the soil with a small rake. He was wearing loose-fitting work clothes, but his neatly combed white hair, ruddy skin, and deliberate movements suggested he was a true aristocrat, unlike me, a nouveau riche who had risen to wealth later in life. He noticed me watching him and smiled at me kindly.
I chuckled along with the old man and took out a cigarette to toss it over. The old man shrugged humorously, indicating that he didn't smoke.
So I sat on the wooden chair by the house, squinting at the sun, looking like I was content with my life. This is what happiness is. A house, a wife, and neighbors who are all aristocrats. The first words your son learns after he's born won't be "Fuck your mother," but "How are you?"
Just then, I saw several figures appear on the horizon. A fat man had a small game console tucked under his arm, which at first glance looked like a keyboard; he looked like a Warcraft player heading to the WCG. Next to him was a sallow-faced man, constantly talking to the person next to him, his expression clearly showing he was bragging. However, the person next to him barely paid any attention to him, instead holding a long-lost transistor radio to his ear and listening intently. Behind them, a super tall man walked with his hands behind his back. Beside him were two pretty girls chatting and laughing, and a very cool old man with long, flowing hair stared blankly at the distant lake...
Yes, my five-person plus two-person group is back. From my angle, the sunlight is dazzling, and the seven of us are coming towards us. It really feels like a Western movie, with a kind of magnificent and tragic beauty.
But the aesthetic appeal quickly faded. Seeing my silly, sunbathing pose with my arms and legs outstretched, the seven people burst into laughter, with one of the fat guys, surnamed Ying, even pointing at me and saying, "You're a skinny guy!"
Liu Bang took off running upstairs, yelling, "Let's grab a good room!" Everyone else followed, laughing and joking. Only Qin Shi Huang lagged behind slowly. I said, "Brother Ying, why don't you go up and choose a room?"
Fatty Ying said, "What are you going to do? I'm starving and can't catch my breath. If I'm hungry, I'll just stay down here."
Qin Shi Huang, clutching his game console, frantically searched for an outlet on the wall-mounted TV but couldn't find one, and slumped down on the sofa in frustration. I chuckled, "Brother Ying, in a few days I'll buy you a mini TV for your room, then you can play it wherever you want, whether you're walking around or sitting down."
Just then, a dilapidated Hongqi car stopped in front of my door. Fei Sankou got out of the car and looked up at my villa.
I hurried out to greet him, and Fei Sankou said with a smile, "I've come to congratulate you again and say goodbye."
As I ushered him inside, I asked in surprise, "Saying goodbye?" I hadn't told him my new apartment address, but I wasn't surprised he found it. As long as I was in China, or even theoretically on Earth, he shouldn't have been unable to find me.
Fei and his family entered the living room, first praising my house, then sitting on the sofa and saying, "I might have to go out for a while. The construction of Yucai is almost finished, and I've already arranged the rest of the work. The students have also been confirmed, and they will come to report for duty as soon as the project is officially completed. If you have any questions during this time, you can contact the comrades we met last time, or you can call me directly."
Because of the nature of his work, I didn't dare to ask him any questions, but it seems he won't go too far, and he probably doesn't have any complicated things to do.
I offered him a cigarette, and Lao Fei pulled out a lighter exactly like the one he gave me and lit it. Seeing me looking at his lighter, he waved it at me and said, "These are all issued by the higher-ups; almost everyone gets several. They can burn for a long time in an oxygen-free environment underground, and they can also detect carbon monoxide concentration. Oh, of course, you won't be able to use them much, but their performance is still much better than most brand-name products."
I couldn't help but ask, "Then what are you going to do with it? Are you really doing 'underground' work?"
Unexpectedly, Fei Sankou nodded and said, "My business trip this time was to Xianyang. Several tombs were discovered in the surrounding villages. Experts predict that this is likely a large burial complex—" Fei Sankou suddenly lowered his voice and said, "It could very well be the real Qin King's tomb!"