Liu Nanfeng had stayed up late studying the properties of the孕母草 (yun mu cao), so he woke up quite late. He then remembered his appointment to meet Little Carp that morning, and the little one must have been waiting impatiently.
He rolled out of bed and skipped breakfast, intending to pick up Little Carp first.
However, before he could leave, he suddenly recalled the Ink Jade he had brought back last night and realized he hadn't seen her.
"Ink Jade?"
Liu Nanfeng called out, but received no response.
"Meow meow, little kitty."
Liu Nanfeng called out again, still no sound.
"Did she leave already?" Liu Nanfeng wondered.
Then he noticed a piece of paper left on the messy dining table. It was indeed from Yang Ruoyun, who had quietly departed after waking up.
The note vaguely expressed her gratitude for his help, but stated she wouldn't disturb him further and had returned home.
In the bottom right corner of the note was a cute cat paw print.
A smile involuntarily curved Liu Nanfeng's lips. A small tuft of cat fur lay on the table; with this, where could the little creature possibly run off to?
However, the table was indeed quite a mess, covered in all sorts of grasses. These were what Liu Nanfeng had used as carriers for the 孕母草 last night. After his experiments, some of the grasses were bent and strangely shaped, some had scorched leaves, and others had grown sharp serrations. They looked quite eerie.
He dared not casually discard the plants he had experimented on, unsure of what accidents might occur. Thus, he directly put them into Guanshanhai and burned them completely.
After dealing with everything, he finally went downstairs.
Upon arriving at the riverside, he saw Little Carp from afar, holding a large box and standing by the river, her tiptoes straining as she peered in his direction.
When she spotted Liu Nanfeng, Little Carp immediately leaped up and ran towards him, then crashed into his embrace.
"Have you been waiting long? I'm sorry, I'm late," Liu Nanfeng said, crouching down with a look of apology.
"No, I just got here a little while ago," Little Carp replied, gesturing with her small hands, looking utterly adorable.
But Liu Nanfeng knew she was being polite. The dew from the river mist clung to the tips of her hair, indicating she had been by the river for quite some time.
"Next time, you don't need to come so early. If I'm not here when you arrive, I'll contact you with a conch shell. Understand?"
"Okay."
"Did you eat breakfast?"
Little Carp shook her head, then held up the large box in her hands, saying, "I have this."
"What is this?"
"Sister Yuchan made it, it's delicious," Little Carp said excitedly.
"Then why aren't you eating it?"
"I want to eat it with Gu Gu and the little babies."
"Little Jin Hua can't eat this yet. It's perfect, I haven't eaten either, let's have some delicious food together."
"Delicious food?"
"Yes, delicious food. Let me think, how about we go eat beef noodles? I remember there's a beef noodle shop ahead that tastes quite good."
Liu Nanfeng took the food box from Little Carp and led her forward by the hand.
Little Carp wasn't displeased by having to wait for Liu Nanfeng. Instead, her mood lifted considerably upon seeing him, and she began to softly hum a little folk song Liu Nanfeng had never heard before. However, Little Carp likely didn't understand the true meaning of the song. Although she hummed it cheerfully, the song's actual meaning was not so joyous; it was a song expressing longing and reluctance to part, and while not overly sad, it was still filled with a faint melancholy.
"That's very nice, who taught it to you?" Liu Nanfeng asked curiously.
"Shuisheng," Little Carp replied.
Liu Nanfeng was somewhat enlightened. He had heard Little Carp mention before that Shuisheng was a young boy who had drowned in the river. He should not have been very old and was one of Little Carp's friends. Liu Nanfeng had never had the chance to meet him.
"Is he your good friend?" Liu Nanfeng asked, already knowing the answer.
"Mmm-hmm, my good friend, and... Sister Ao..." Little Carp pondered.
Although she was a little afraid of Ao Jiangyue, she still considered Ao Jiangyue a good friend.
"I haven't seen Sister Ao in a long time," Little Carp suddenly said.
She missed her a little.
"Don't worry, I think you should be able to see her again very soon."
"Really?"
Little Carp's joy was evident.
As they spoke, they arrived at the beef noodle shop Liu Nanfeng had mentioned.
Since it was nearly nine o'clock, there weren't many customers left in the shop.
Liu Nanfeng had frequented the place before, so the owner recognized him and seemed a little surprised.
"Boss, where did you get rich? You haven't been here in a long time."
"I haven't gotten rich, I've just been busy lately."
Liu Nanfeng gave a casual reply. He and the owner weren't close enough to share everything, and the owner was just being polite.
As expected, the owner didn't say anything further and directly asked, "What do you want to eat today? The same as usual?"
Although it was a beef noodle shop, it didn't only offer beef noodles but also tripe noodles, shredded meat noodles, and more, with a rich variety.
"The usual, a large bowl of medium-spicy beef noodles," Liu Nanfeng said, finding an empty seat.
Little Carp quickly sat opposite him.
"And another large bowl, not spicy, with an extra egg in each, and an extra serving of beef."
"That much? Can you finish it?" The owner was taken aback.
This remark was mainly directed at Little Carp. Their large bowls were quite substantial, and he didn't think such a small girl could finish it.
"It's fine, just bring it," Liu Nanfeng offered no further explanation.
The owner didn't say anything more; he was just making conversation. After all, the more he sold, the more he earned.
Since there were few people, the owner quickly brought out everything they had ordered.
Little Carp couldn't wait to take a bite, her eyes brightening.
"How does it taste?" Liu Nanfeng asked with a smile.
"Delicious," Little Carp replied happily.
"See?" Liu Nanfeng also began eating heartily.
The beef noodles here not only had firm noodles, but the braised sauce had a faint sweetness, savory with a hint of spice, and spicy with a touch of sweetness, which greatly whetted the appetite.
Although Little Carp's mouth was small, she ate very quickly, finishing more than half of the bowl in a few bites.
"Slow down, be careful it's hot," Liu Nanfeng said somewhat amusedly.
"I'm not afraid," Little Carp mumbled indistinctly, her mouth full of noodles.
"Boss, bring us two more bowls of the same." Liu Nanfeng ordered two more bowls without asking Little Carp, as he knew she could still eat more.
Indeed, when the owner, looking surprised, brought the noodles, Little Carp did not hesitate at all, pushing her empty bowl aside, ready to start.
However, when she saw the reddish contents in Liu Nanfeng's bowl, she hesitated slightly.
"What, you want to eat my bowl?" Liu Nanfeng asked with a smile.
Little Carp nodded eagerly.
"It's very spicy, though."
"I'm not afraid," Little Carp stated assertively.
But soon, her lips pursed, and tears welled up in her eyes.
"I told you it was spicy, but you wouldn't listen."
Liu Nanfeng, somewhat amused, swapped their bowls.
After they had eaten their fill, Liu Nanfeng bought some snacks and other items before sending Little Carp into Guanshanhai.
Liu Nanfeng did not go in with her. Instead, he dialed Zhan Dundun's number.
"Hey, I was just about to call you," Zhan Dundun said as soon as the call was connected, before Liu Nanfeng could speak.
"What did you want to talk to me about?"
"My dad is here, and he wants to meet you," Zhan Dundun said.
"Alright, then I'll head over to your place now." Liu Nanfeng agreed.
He had wanted to find Dundun for something anyway, and this was perfect timing.
"Okay, I'll wait for you. By the way, what did you want to talk to me about?"
"We'll talk when I get there."
Liu Nanfeng soon met Zhan Guoliang, whom he hadn't seen in years, and felt quite pleased.
After all, the number of thugs, ah, helpers, had increased today. How could he not be happy?
However, to his surprise, in addition to Zhan Guoliang, there was also a very frail old man.
ps: I'm only posting one chapter tonight, apologies. My computer had issues, it was difficult to start and very laggy. I'm reinstalling the system and will make up for it early tomorrow. My deepest apologies.
He Chu Ke Tao reminds you: Please remember to save this chapter after reading.