"Sit, I don't have tea, only Coke. Do you want one?"
Zhan Dundun pulled Liu Nanfeng into the house and immediately motioned for him to sit on a long wooden chair.
This type of old-fashioned chair with carved hollow patterns was rarely seen anymore.
Liu Nanfeng glanced around. The decor was rather old, but it was kept quite clean. Of course, it might also be because there weren't many things in the house.
A table, a chair, and nothing else. There wasn't even a television.
A robot vacuum cleaner was roaming around the floor, which was quite convenient.
At this moment, Zhan Dundun brought out two cans of Coke from the kitchen, placed one in front of Liu Nanfeng, and opened one for himself.
Then, without any hesitation, he opened the noodle soup Liu Nanfeng had brought.
Seeing the thick layer of red oil on top, one could tell that the boss had been instructed to add extra spice.
"You still eat so much spicy food."
"Can't help it. If a Sichuan person doesn't eat spicy food, what are they?"
Sichuanese? I think you're a Sichuan demon! Liu Nanfeng couldn't help but complain in his heart.
"When did you come back to Jiangcheng?" Liu Nanfeng asked.
"It's been over a year. A while ago, I even went to Crescent Lake Primary School. It's changed so much, I didn't recognize it at all."
"Yeah, even the school's name was changed to Daxing Road Primary School."
Zhan Dundun's real name was Zhan Zhongxiao. He was from Chengdu, Sichuan. When he was in the second grade of primary school, due to his parents' work, he transferred to Crescent Lake Primary School, which is how he met Liu Nanfeng. They became best childhood friends.
Unfortunately, in junior high school, he returned to his hometown Chengdu to continue his studies. From then on, they completely parted ways. Initially, they were in contact, but then they gradually lost touch.
"I even went to your house to look for you, but that area has all been demolished."
"Yeah, a few years ago Jiangcheng underwent overall planning, and almost the entire old city was demolished. The city center was moved to the xC district, and our house was also demolished. We were compensated with two apartments in the xC district."
"Wow, so you're rich, a second-generation demolisher?" Zhan Dundun picked up his Coke and drank a few large gulps.
Seeing how happily he drank his Coke, Liu Nanfeng, who hadn't intended to drink, couldn't help but open his own can and take a small sip.
"Rich? Two small apartments of eighty-something square meters. Two apartments are not as good as one of someone else's."
What Liu Nanfeng said was the truth. The location of the two apartments compensated for the demolition was not very good. Coupled with the quality of the resettlement apartments, the property management was even more indescribable, so the two apartments couldn't be sold for the price of one of someone else's.
When Liu Nanfeng got married, his parents sold one of the apartments. The money was given to Su Jinxiu, and then they bought the apartment they were currently living in. Of course, even so, the majority of the money came from Su Jinxiu.
"How about your parents? Are they doing well? I'll go visit them when I have time."
Zhan Dundun asked, but it didn't affect his eating at all. He slurped the noodles with a loud sound.
When he first transferred to Crescent Lake Primary School, because he was chubby and spoke with a strong Sichuan accent, most people didn't want to play with him.
Liu Nanfeng also became familiar with him because the teacher paired them up to sit together, helping him get familiar with the campus environment. Gradually, they became the best of friends.
Because his parents often traveled for work, he would often go to Liu Nanfeng's house to freeload meals. Back then, people were simple. It was just a matter of adding an extra pair of bowls and chopsticks, and no one paid much attention to it.
However, whenever Zhan Dundun's parents returned from their business trips, they would bring back two portions of food and toys, one for each of them. That was probably the most anticipated thing for them, their most beautiful memory.
As they interacted more, their parents also became familiar with each other. Liu Nanfeng's father and Zhan Dundun's father often drank together.
Zhan Dundun took after his father, chubby and round, with an honest and endearing appearance. Thinking about it now, he should also be a demon. Zhan Zhongxiao inherited it from him.
"After they retired, they returned to their hometown and are living a leisurely life."
"Is that so? Is it far? If you have time, let's go back together. I haven't seen them in so many years, and I miss them a bit. They were so good to me back then," Zhan Dundun said with some emotion.
"It's not far, Liujiaqiao Village. Less than an hour's drive."
"Alright, then when do you have time?"
Zhan Dundun sized up Liu Nanfeng and asked with some surprise, "You're a second-generation demolisher, aren't you? How did you end up delivering food?"
"What's wrong with delivering food? I have flexible time," Liu Nanfeng replied.
He didn't tell Zhan Dundun the specific situation. After all, they hadn't seen each other for many years. It wasn't appropriate to pour out his heart as soon as they met.
"That's true. Actually, I considered delivering food before, but I'm lazy, so I gave up on it."
"Really? Then what are you doing now?"
"I make a living online. I do everything – video editing, software customization, website maintenance, and so on."
"Amazing, a versatile talent!" Liu Nanfeng was also very impressed upon hearing this. This involved several industries.
And being able to earn money through these meant that his skills should be pretty good.
"Of course. You know, I've always liked fiddling with these things since I was a child. Come, I'll show you my workspace."
Zhan Dundun got up and walked into the room.
Liu Nanfeng hesitated slightly, then got up and followed him in.
If a panda really wanted to eat someone, it wouldn't need to do it in a room. The living room would suffice.
But when he entered the room, Liu Nanfeng was stunned. He looked back at the simple living room, then turned to look at the tech-filled room. It was hard to believe this was just one room.
"How is it? Cool, right?" Zhan Dundun said proudly.
"Cool."
Liu Nanfeng had to admire it. There was no bed in the entire room, only the latest electronic equipment, and ambient lights were installed on the walls.
To the right, there was a glass cabinet filled with figurines.
"How much did this cost? You're amazing."
Liu Nanfeng looked around, also speechless.
Speaking of money, Zhan Dundun chuckled sheepishly, "Most of the money I've earned over the years has been spent on these."
"Then it seems you're earning quite a lot." Liu Nanfeng roughly estimated that these devices, plus the figurines, were worth at least a million.
As for why he was so clear about it, it was because he had looked up information on this during his writing. Even a small figurine could be extremely valuable.
"What is this?"
Liu Nanfeng saw something covered with a black cloth next to the display cabinet. It was about a person's height and looked like a large figurine.
As Liu Nanfeng was about to lift it, Zhan Dundun grabbed his wrist.
"Let's not look at this for now. Come, come, let me show you the website I designed..."
Seeing his clumsy attempt to hide it, Liu Nanfeng, though very curious, decided not to press further since they hadn't seen each other in years.
After chatting for a while and exchanging contact information, Liu Nanfeng took his leave.
Although Zhan Dundun had a lot more to say to Liu Nanfeng, he was worried about delaying Liu Nanfeng's delivery work. After all, Liu Nanfeng had ended up delivering food, so his life probably wasn't going too well.
On the other hand, he was also worried that Liu Nanfeng might be curious about what was behind the black cloth. If he really wanted to see it, it would be awkward for Zhan Dundun to refuse.
However, Zhan Zhongxiao was very happy to have met his childhood friend after so many years today.
After eating and drinking his fill, in a good mood, he returned to his room, opened his website, lowered the volume, and lifted the black cloth...
...
Liu Nanfeng rode his bike away. Although he was happy to see his childhood friend after so many years, he couldn't help but feel a little puzzled.
Why had he returned to Jiangcheng?
His father had said it was due to work when they moved to Jiangcheng, which made sense.
But now that he was an adult, and not because of work, why had he returned to Jiangcheng?
If Zhan Dundun were an ordinary person, Liu Nanfeng might not have thought so much. But since he was a demon, it made him think more.
Jiangcheng was just a small city in southern Anhui. Although it was on the river, it didn't have many resources, and the city's development pace was slow. Many young people left, unwilling to stay in Jiangcheng.
The only advantage was its good living environment and comfortable lifestyle, making it suitable for the elderly to enjoy their twilight years.
Furthermore, as Liu Nanfeng learned from Su Jinxiu, the number of demons was generally very small.
However, the frequency of encountering demons these days didn't seem like they were rare.
Excluding the Su sisters, there was a monkey demon, an ox demon, a clam spirit, and a little carp. Now, there was a panda person. If devils were included, this frequency was quite alarming.
So, did they have any purpose in coming to Jiangcheng?
Did Su Jinxiu know anything?
If she did, why didn't she tell him?
"Xiao Liu, Xiao Liu..."
While waiting for the green light at the intersection, Liu Nanfeng was interrupted from his thoughts by a voice next to him.
"Oh, Brother Wei, what's up?" Liu Nanfeng looked towards the voice. It was someone he knew from delivering food.
"Do you have any orders? If not, help me deliver one. I think I'm going to be late. Damn it, I'm so unlucky, their food is taking too long to prepare..."
Brother Wei, as Liu Nanfeng called him, rambled on and on.
"Alright, alright, give me the food," Liu Nanfeng quickly interrupted him.
At this moment, the green light turned on, and the two quickly crossed the road before exchanging the food.
"I'll treat you to a drink this afternoon," Brother Wei said before speeding away on his bike.
Unlike Liu Nanfeng, they were like chasing life every day, not daring to waste a single moment.
For them, time was money. The more orders they delivered, the more money they could earn.
During lunch, Brother Wei was true to his word and handed Liu Nanfeng a bottle of iced Coke.
Liu Nanfeng accepted it without being polite. The weather was too hot. Even if he didn't try to grab orders, the system still assigned him quite a few.
And they were all orders that others were unwilling to take, either because the merchants were difficult to deal with, the customers were hard to get along with, or the distance was too far.
Liu Nanfeng's sweat stains dried and reappeared, again and again.
Before lunch, Su Jinxiu called him on time.
After a long time, their conversations had become routine.
First, she would ask if he wanted to eat lunch together. If not, she would ask what he wanted for dinner, and she would go to the supermarket in the afternoon to buy the ingredients he wanted.
The calls usually ended with her reminding him to drink more water and take fewer orders.
It was very ordinary and a bit dull, but this was life – plain and simple, yet full of warmth.
However, there was a slight change today.
"Yes, I'm not coming back for dinner tonight. While delivering food today, I ran into a childhood friend, and we made plans to have dinner together tonight."
"Oh, okay then. I'll just eat something casually outside myself, so I won't cook."
Su Jinxiu didn't say much upon hearing this, but Liu Nanfeng could still detect a hint of disappointment in her tone.
"Mmm, I'll be back early too."
"Alright, try not to drink too much tonight. If anything happens, just call me, and I'll come pick you up."
"Don't worry, I won't drink much. Tonight, I'll take him to Zhang Dasheng's barbecue stall. It's not far."
Liu Nanfeng deliberately mentioned the location of the evening gathering, and as expected, Su Jinxiu's tone immediately became cheerful.
"Xiao Liu, this won't do. You have to report to your wife about going out for dinner? Be a man and stand up..."
After Liu Nanfeng hung up the phone, the "experts" around him, who had been married for many years and considered themselves rich in emotional experience, began to offer their advice.
Liu Nanfeng just smiled and said nothing. They all boasted so much in front of him, but back home, they were all henpecked.
In the evening, Liu Nanfeng rode his bike back to Xingfuyuan Residential Area.
Zhan Dundun was already waiting for him at the entrance of the residential area. He was wearing a Big Mouth Monkey t-shirt and blue beach shorts, with slip-on shoes on his feet. He looked quite like a loser.
However, his chubby build and honest face gave him an endearing appearance, so he didn't look ugly.
"Get on." Liu Nanfeng stopped his bike directly in front of him.
"Can you carry me?" Zhan Dundun questioned.
"Don't worry, I've modified this bike. Carrying you is a piece of cake," Liu Nanfeng said confidently.
"Alright then." Zhan Dundun straddled the bike.
Then Liu Nanfeng felt the entire bike instantly lower a few inches.
"I told you it wouldn't work, right? How about we take a taxi instead?"
"How can a man say no?" Liu Nanfeng turned the handlebars and started the bike.
However, the electric bike, which could reach sixty kilometers per hour at its fastest, couldn't go beyond forty kilometers per hour.
"Do you still remember your dad's big scooter?"
"How could I forget? You broke the pedal every time. My dad thought I did it and always beat me."
"Hehe, if it weren't for that big scooter, I wouldn't have learned to ride a bike either."
"I don't know what I was thinking back then. Such a big bike, and my legs were so short. I couldn't even sit on the seat, and every time I rode it, my testicles hurt from rubbing."
"Haha..."
"There was also that time you rode the bike with your head down, not knowing how to brake. If I hadn't grabbed you from behind, you would have been gone long ago."
"So, really, I have to thank you. You are my reborn parents. We must have a good drink tonight," Zhan Dundun said, patting Liu Nanfeng on the shoulder.
"Alright, don't pass out then."
"That's impossible. We Sichuanese, besides being able to eat spicy food, can also drink. This is not me bragging; there's theoretical evidence. 'The Lancet' once analyzed the genes of 500,000 Chinese people and found that Sichuanese people can drink the most. You drink from wine glasses, while we Sichuanese have already started using basins..."
It seemed Zhan Dundun was very fond of Sichuan, his eyes lighting up when he talked about it.
When they arrived at the barbecue stalls along the river, Zhang Dasheng was just setting up his stall.
"Brother Zhang, busy?" Liu Nanfeng called out from a distance.
"Xiao Liu, you're here... Huh..."
Zhang Dasheng, who was tending the fire, looked up and was surprised to see Zhan Dundun following Liu Nanfeng.
Zhan Dundun was equally surprised. The chubby body beneath his clothes immediately tensed up, and he became wary.
Zhang Dasheng, with his deeper cultivation, quickly calmed down.
Then he smiled and asked, "And who is this...?"
"This is my childhood friend. We haven't seen each other in many years. I brought him to try Brother Zhang's cooking."
"Good, good, sit down, sit down quickly..." Zhang Dasheng quickly beckoned them over.
At the same time, he exchanged a glance with Zhan Dundun, and both of them temporarily relaxed their guard.
They thought they were acting discreetly, but Liu Nanfeng noticed.
After ordering their food, Liu Nanfeng casually asked Zhan Dundun, "What made you decide to come back to Jiangcheng? Chengdu should be developing better than Jiangcheng, right?"
"Huh..."
Zhan Dundun was momentarily speechless. He hadn't expected Liu Nanfeng to ask such a question suddenly.
If it weren't for the fact that he missed him...