28: Chapter 28 Reunion with Old Man Li

Since Fengxian District and Jinshan District are adjacent, both are located by the seaside in the suburbs of Shenghai City.

In the afternoon, Zhang Wei planned to first go to the Instrument Factory branch to arrange the preliminary preparations, and then go to dig up the infantry gun, striving to handle both matters at once.

Driving there from the city center would take at least an hour one way. To handle any emergencies, Zhang Wei decided to bring both Liu Haorui and An Xiaoxi along this time. In case they needed to delete camera data or something similar, it would definitely be too late to call someone over then.

Thinking of this, Zhang Wei decided to force An Xiaoxi to "boot up." Coming to the bedside, Zhang Wei grabbed her shoulders with both hands and began to shake her vigorously back and forth.

"Wake up! It's already noon," Zhang Wei shouted while shaking her.

An Xiaoxi had been binge-watching a TV series yesterday until one in the morning. She thought she'd watch just one more episode before sleeping, but ended up watching episode after episode, somehow pulling an all-nighter. She only fell asleep after six in the morning.

"Take that for cheating! Take that for cheating!" At this moment, An Xiaoxi was dreaming that she had become the female lead of that TV series and was suffering a heartless betrayal from the male lead. She had tied him up and was currently giving him a severe thrashing with a whip, beating him until his face was as swollen as a pig's head.

Right at the height of her excitement, she was suddenly shaken awake by a great force. Blearily opening her eyes, she saw Zhang Wei bending over her, his hands firmly grasping her shoulders.

With a look of despair, An Xiaoxi murmured, "I knew this day would come, I just didn't expect it to come so soon. But there's a ten-year age gap between us; it's destined to be impossible."

Zhang Wei gave her head a hard smack. "What are you thinking, you brat? You have no figure, no skills... Ahem, anyway, watch fewer of those melodramatic TV shows in the future."

Clutching her head in pain, An Xiaoxi cried out, "You're the brat! Stop pretending. When I was at the internet cafe, people used to hit on me all the time, and many of them were around your age."

"That's not hitting on you; that's lolicon or perverts targeting you." Zhang Wei rolled his eyes. "As for me, as a normal male, I'm only interested in girls with curves in all the right places—slender waists and ample backsides."

As he spoke, he walked toward the door. "If I weren't afraid you'd die in there, I wouldn't bother with you. Get up and wash up quickly. We'll eat as soon as Liu Haorui arrives. We have an operation this afternoon."

"Another job? Like the graphics card one last time?" Little stars seemed to light up in An Xiaoxi's eyes.

Once the money for that batch of graphics cards arrived, she would get at least seventy thousand. Having lacked food and clothing since she was a child, An Xiaoxi had infinite motivation to save money.

"It's a bit different this time. Anyway, wait until Liu Haorui gets here." Zhang Wei spoke as he walked to the living room, opened the bags, and took out the small seafood and crawfish, placing them on the table.

Just as he finished setting things up, that fellow Liu Haorui arrived.

"You certainly have good timing," Zhang Wei grumbled.

"Yay! Crawfish for lunch, and oysters and scallops too? I'll go down and buy some beer; it'll go perfectly with the food." He was about to head out as he spoke.

Zhang Wei hurriedly stopped him. "Don't buy any. We have to go to Jinshan District this afternoon. Drinking will get in the way."

An Xiaoxi had finished washing up and walked out. Seeing the bright red crawfish, she looked curious. Previously, she could barely afford to eat; whether it was crawfish or Australian lobster, both were luxuries to her.

"Great, no need to wash dishes this noon," Liu Haorui said happily.

The shop assistant had happened to include a few pairs of disposable chopsticks when packing, saving Liu Haorui a household chore.

"Ssss—so spicy, so spicy." An Xiaoxi hissed and exhaled as she peeled the crawfish.

"Crawfish without spice has no soul." Zhang Wei also said while eating, "This afternoon, we'll head over to Fengxian first. I've leased 20 mu of land there to grow some fruit and need to make some preliminary preparations. This area will be your responsibility from now on, Liu Haorui. Any problem with that?"

"But I've never farmed before, and I don't know anything about it." Liu Haorui was a bit worried he wouldn't do a good job. 20 mu of land was not a small amount, and he was afraid he would mess it up.

"You don't need to know. In a few days, a cousin of mine will bring some people from our hometown. They'll be in charge of the farming. When the time comes, you'll just help arrange whatever they need for their life and work."

Then Zhang Wei added, "After we're done with that, we'll head over to Jinshan. I have reliable information that there might be some big hauls on the beach there. We'll go and try our luck then."

An Xiaoxi got excited. "Going to the seaside? That's great! I've never seen the ocean before."

Before long, the three of them finished eating and drinking, and Zhang Wei drove south at high speed.

After over an hour, they arrived at the entrance of the Instrument Factory. Zhang Wei parked the car on the side of the road instead of driving in. He went across the street to buy a few ham sausages, planning to build a rapport with the guard dog.

After all, he would be coming here often. This dog lord usually wasn't leashed and was kept entirely free-range. If he got bitten, he'd just have to accept his bad luck; it wasn't like he could ask the old man for compensation. So, it was important to get on familiar terms with the dog.

After buying the ham sausages and approaching the factory gate again, as expected, a Chinese Rural Dog rushed out from its kennel, baring its teeth and barking incessantly at the three of them.

"This dog is so fierce. It'll behave after a few hits." An Xiaoxi picked up a piece of wood nearby and was about to go up and perform the Dog Beating Staff Technique.

Zhang Wei hurriedly stopped her and asked with some surprise, "Aren't you afraid of dogs?"

"When I used to live in small hostels, there were small alleys all around, and I often ran into stray dogs. After a beating, they'd behave the next time they saw me." After saying this, she looked eager to try.

"You really are a violent one." Zhang Wei stopped An Xiaoxi's dog-abusing behavior, took out a ham sausage, tore open the packaging, and threw it toward the dog.

The dog first backed away a few steps, then, seeing that the thrown object wasn't dangerous, cautiously approached and sniffed it. It smelled quite good, so the dog ate it in one bite.

Usually, the guard old man fed it leftovers. How could the dog have ever tasted the wonderful flavor of these starch sausages? It was instantly conquered by the taste.

"Learn something. Sometimes intelligence can solve problems better than force," Zhang Wei said while taking out another ham sausage and starting to unwrap it slowly.

The dog stopped barking and trotted up to Zhang Wei with its tongue out, its tail wagging so fast it was almost smoking.

"Back then, I couldn't even feed myself. Not stewing the stray dogs for food was already being compassionate. How would I have money to buy ham sausages?" An Xiaoxi curled her lip.

Just then, the guard Old Man Li walked out of the factory. Zhang Wei threw the ham sausage to the dog and greeted him with a smile.

Old Man Li said in surprise, "Aren't you that young man from a few days ago? Why are you back?"

Zhang Wei took the lease contract from his bag and handed it to him, saying with a smile, "Grandpa, I told you we'd meet again. I'll be dealing with you often from now on."

The old man was literate; he picked up the contract, held it close to his eyes, and said in surprise, "Leased 20 mu of the factory's land? Young man, do you even know how to grow crops?"

"I don't, Grandpa, but I can find people to grow them. The factory management said the branch factory's water, electricity, and gas are all included. We can also stay in the temporary housing built by the construction workers for free." As he spoke, he pulled out 200 yuan and stuffed it into the old man's hand.

"That temporary housing probably hasn't been lived in for a few years. I'll have to trouble you to help me tidy it up and clear out some of the trash. This is a small token of my appreciation, consider it a fee for your hard work."

Hearing this, the old man waved his hands repeatedly. "It's no big deal. Just give me a pack of cigarettes; why give money? Am I the kind of person who just takes people's money?" As he spoke, he quickly stuffed the money into his pocket.

Zhang Wei was somewhat speechless and muttered under his breath, "His hands and feet are quite nimble. Besides, if I gave you cigarettes, wouldn't you just sell them anyway? Giving cash directly saves you the trouble."

"If it weren't for the mention of Widow Wang in the intel, I'd actually believe you."