The old man was smoothly seen off.
The family was filled with gratitude for Ye Fei’s contributions, feeling indebted yet unable to repay him.
But Ye Fei had never done it for the sake of a reward.
The main reason he acted was just to help the old man fulfill his last wish.
Ye Fei felt it was nothing much.
However, Li Nian kept this kindness firmly in his heart, hoping to repay it one day, to reciprocate the favor as lavishly as a spring gushes forth for grass it sustains.
Days went by, one after another.
Everything was proceeding in an orderly fashion.
Of course, that included that little tail that had been quietly following Ye Fei all along.
That night, Wang Jianglong again invited Ye Fei to the barbecue stall for food and drinks.
It was the sa old drill.
Eating, drinking, and chatting away.
Not far away, hidden on a rooftop, Ah Si watched as Ye Fei downed his beer with ease, feeling a mix of admiration and a slight irritation.
Why should he be enjoying himself while I’m up here with an empty stomach?
"Drink, drink, drink! Drink yourself to death for all I care!"
Ye Fei didn’t take this little tail seriously.
After wolfing down a skewer of kidneys, he asked, "Brother Long, it’s been a while since Step Elder left, hasn’t it? How are things on the northern front?"
"Hey, don’t even get started!"
Wang Jianglong waved his hand dismissively and gulped down a glass of draft beer.
"The progress over there is anything but easy. The climate and environnt in the northern territories are harsh, to begin with, and, well, Step Elder has really had a rough ti there."
"I heard that just the other day, our brothers, even Step Elder..."
"It’s all hearsay, but on our side, it’s... The future really is worriso!"
Ye Fei pondered for a mont, "I hadn’t expected it to actually beco a climate issue."
Wang Jianglong shook his head, "Brother, you shouldn’t say that. To put Step Elder through so much trouble..."
Wang Jianglong then lowered his voice and leaned closer, "It’s said that behind it all, there’s more than just..."
"Oh. That explains it then."
Wang Jianglong gestured dismissively, "This international situation is so intricate, who understands it? Anyway, now we just wait for orders; the mont they say I should go, Grandpa here won’t say a word—I’ll be off!"
"In tis of peril, a subject’s loyalty is revealed; in a world of chaos, the faithful are recognized. A true man of valor, Brother Long, I toast to you!"
The two of them continued to rry-make, clinking glasses and drinking to their heart’s content.
Wang Jianglong suddenly raised an eyebrow, "A single man bears responsibility for the rise and fall of a nation. Brother Ye, haven’t you thought about making a contribution to our great Xia?"
"With your skills, you’d be an invincible presence on the frontlines! Even if not at the front, providing rear support, treating the wounded, you’d surely give our soldiers peace of mind."
Ye Fei smiled slightly, "If the day cos when great Xia truly needs , Ye Fei, I will, of course, not shirk my duty."
"Hahaha! Good brother! I respect you as a real man!"
Wang Jianglong slamd the table and softened his tone,
"But even if you want to go to the frontline, I’d never agree to it. What if sothing happens to you, how would your sister-in-law and Little Ye cope? I wouldn’t ever forgive myself!"
"Rest assured, with us, this steel Great Wall here, how could we let common folks like you go into battle and shed blood and sweat? Otherwise, wouldn’t that song be sung in vain? We soldiers are different. For the peace of great Xia, we hold our rifles tight! Hic!"
Wang Jianglong, having drunk too much, began to sing and then slumped over the table, snoring away.
Ye Fei quickly ordered his n to take him ho.
Seeing that the skewer shop owner wasn’t busy, Ye Fei gestured invitingly, "Big bro, grace with a drink?"
The boss didn’t stand on ceremony, swaggered over, stubbed his cigarette butt on the table, and nodded toward the direction where the battle departnt’s car had driven off.
"Little Wang didn’t seem to be himself today."
Ye Fei grabbed a clean beer mug and filled it to the brim.
"Yes, even the toughest of n have their monts of sorrow. When troubled by thoughts, it’s easy to drink too much. Co on, big bro, let’s have one."
The owner downed it in one go and laughed, "You’re right. He’s usually so carefree; I didn’t expect him to have his worries, too."
"Of course. Everyone has a side to them that others don’t see."
Ye Fei refilled the glass, then looked aningfully at the owner.
"Hahaha! True enough. As they say in the stories, it’s easy to paint dragons and tigers but hard to paint their bones; you can know a face but not the heart. People are, indeed, too complex!"
Ye Fei nibbled on his skewers, watching the owner with a smile, "You’ve got that right, big bro."
"Actually, you seem quite complex yourself."
The owner was taken aback.
"Ah? Really? Hahaha! Brother, you flatter too much. What’s complex about ? I work from sunrise to sunset, care for this little stall just to make ends et, to live a quiet life. If I’m complex, then I’m the simplest of common folks."
Ye Fei waved his hand, "Ah? You’re too modest, big bro. If you weren’t complex, how could you make such delicious skewers?"
"From these skewers alone, I can tell you’ve experienced the full spectrum of life, the ebb and flow of gratitude and grudges."
"Otherwise, you wouldn’t go to such lengths to hide your true self, showing the world another side. Am I right?"
As Ye Fei said this, he stared directly at the owner, his expression laden with complexity.
The owner’s smile froze at that mont.
"Boss! Give a pound of the big skewers, ten kidney ones!"
A shout interrupted their gaze.
The owner quickly responded, "Alrighty, coming up!"
"Sorry, brother, got so business to attend to, we’ll chat so other day."
"Sure thing."
As the owner turned to leave, the smile on his face instantly vanished.
At the sa ti, his gaze turned sharply harsh as he glanced at the rooftop so hundred ters away.
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