Qin Ziwen left his bedroom and went upstairs to Deng Guang’s place.
The moment he stepped inside, Qin Ziwen noticed that Deng Guang’s home had changed quite a bit.
First, the living room was several times larger than before. Based on his experience, they must have used a micro Expansion Card.
Along the edge of the living room, the Fish and Shrimp Ditch, now much longer, still circled the entire space. The ditch was also considerably wider than before. And right in the center of the living room, he saw an old well that seemed completely out of place.
The well’s edge was built from bluestone, with moss growing in the cracks.
It clearly wasn’t a modern creation; it had to be an actual structure.
Deng Guang was thrilled to see Qin Ziwen. He rolled up his sleeves and said, "It’s been too long since you last came over! Let’s have a barbecue!"
Qin Ziwen was about to refuse, but before he could reply, Deng Guang had already crouched down. He scooped several large prawns from the Fish and Shrimp Ditch and placed them in a nearby basin. "Everyone’s so busy these days. It’s rare we get to hang out. I just got some wine, too. Let’s have a little fun."
Hearing the commotion, Deng Wen came out of her bedroom. Her face lit up when she saw Qin Ziwen, and she called out happily, "Brother Qin!"
Qin Ziwen greeted her in return.
Deng Guang shouted, "Xiaowen, go get the grill from the kitchen."
Deng Wen hurried back to the kitchen and carried out an iron grill. Qin Ziwen stepped forward to help take it, but Deng Wen shifted her arms to avoid him. "I can carry it. Brother Qin, there’s a charcoal basin in the kitchen. Could you help get that?"
Qin Ziwen went to Deng Guang’s kitchen. It was very clean. On the floor was an iron basin, scorched black, containing some charcoal chunks and ash.
Carrying the basin to the balcony, Qin Ziwen teased Deng Guang, "Brother Deng, you’ve even got your own little grill set up. You’re living pretty comfortably."
Deng Guang let out a hearty laugh. He stood up, holding an iron basin filled with several small crucian carp and eels. In addition, there were more than a dozen large, wriggling river prawns.
"This is what you call finding joy in hardship! Whether life is good or not depends on how you choose to live it. Barbecuing isn’t hard, either. You can get most of the basic seasonings in the Gated Community now. After a long day of work, you’ve got to treat yourself at night."
Deng Guang paused, his expression turning more serious. "Brother Qin, I know you carry the future of several thousand people in this Gated Community on your shoulders. The pressure must be immense. We’re just a small family, but you’re carrying the weight of the whole community. You need to relax sometimes, too."
Qin Ziwen smiled faintly. "That’s why I came to learn from you, Brother Deng."
Deng Guang chuckled at his words. He picked up a large prawn from the basin and skewered it with an iron stick.
He skewered two prawns onto each long stick. The freshly skewered river prawns were still alive, their tails, antennae, and legs struggling constantly.
Meanwhile, Deng Wen had already lit the charcoal in the basin, which was now giving off plumes of blue smoke.
Deng Guang placed the skewers on the wire grill rack. "Go get the seasonings," he said to Deng Wen.
Deng Wen got up and asked, "Spicy or not spicy?"
"Bring them both."
Before long, the fish and prawns on the wire rack were cooked through, sizzling as their oils rendered and released a unique, fragrant aroma.
Inhaling the aroma, Deng Guang couldn’t help but exclaim, "Brother Qin, I think the best thing we ever got from the Gobi Map is cumin!"
Qin Ziwen laughed. "Smelling this today, I have to agree with you."
The two men sat by the grill, with Deng Wen cooking for them. Deng Guang took a moment to say to his daughter, "Save some to take to your mom later. Send a good amount, so the workers on her side can have some too."
Deng Wen retorted playfully, "I know, you don’t have to remind me. I already set some aside for Mom."
"Here, have a drink." Deng Guang picked up a wine jug and poured a bowl for Qin Ziwen.
"What kind of wine is this?"
Deng Guang said, "Sugarcane wine. It’s a new product from the Gated Community, made by that guy Zhang Bo. The alcohol content isn’t high, and it tastes pretty good."
Qin Ziwen took a small sip and agreed that the sugarcane wine was indeed quite good.
The two of them chatted while they ate their barbecue.
They talked about many things. Since the founding of the Qin Alliance, Qin Ziwen rarely had time to relax like this.
Gazing out the window at the dim, subterranean sky, Deng Guang’s cheeks and ears flushed red. He let out a drunken burp. "It’s all thanks to you. I was just an ordinary guy, but after coming here, I became ’Brother Deng’ to everyone. People are always coming to me for help, giving me gifts... HIC.
"I really don’t dare to accept any of it. I know my own abilities—I’m just a regular person who got a bit lucky. They give me gifts because they want me to help them with something. I don’t always know what I *can* do, but I definitely know what I *can’t* do.
"So I refuse it all. Cut it off at the source. But then they bad-mouth me behind my back, calling me sanctimonious and selfish, saying I used my connections to get my wife her position... Sometimes I think maybe I should have Xue Mei come back. With both of us, as a couple, in such good positions, it’s bound to make people jealous."
Qin Ziwen didn’t say anything, just listened quietly.
He raised the bowl of wine in his hand and drained it in one gulp. "I was the one who made the personnel arrangements. If anyone has a problem with it, tell them to come talk to me."
Deng Guang hung his head, reeking of alcohol.
Qin Ziwen had originally come over to ask Old Deng to help test a can of food, but now that he was drunk, it wasn’t a good time.
"Your dad’s drunk. Take him to his room to rest," Qin Ziwen said to Deng Wen as he stood up.
Deng Wen nodded quickly.
Deng Wen’s face flushed with embarrassment. ’My old man was a bit of a mess today,’ she thought. ’Getting drunk and spouting all that nonsense...’
After leaving Deng Guang’s place, Qin Ziwen returned to his own apartment.
Qin Ziwen happened to see Qin Ziwu passing by and waved him over. "Come here."
"Huh?" Qin Ziwu paused for a second, but still obediently walked over to his older brother.
"Eat this can of food." Qin Ziwen tossed him the red can he was holding.
Qin Ziwu caught the can and, without hesitating, tore off the lid. He bent the lid into a makeshift spoon and dug it into the firm, white meat inside.
As he swallowed, Qin Ziwu let out a soft sound of surprise. He felt a warmth spreading through his stomach, as if he’d swallowed a hand warmer.
At the same time, a strange strength surged through his body, giving him a sense of boundless energy.
He did a small jump on the spot and, with a light leap, soared higher than he ever had before.
"This can of food..." Qin Ziwu said, amazed.
"So? How do you feel? Do you feel stronger?"
Qin Ziwu nodded. "I think so. A lot stronger."
"By how much, roughly?"
Qin Ziwu threw a few punches, but he couldn’t quite gauge it. "I’m not sure, but I can definitely feel an improvement."
"Hold on, I’ll go test it." After saying that, Qin Ziwu immediately ran toward the training ground, where there were stone locks for measuring strength.
Qin Ziwu went inside. The heaviest stone lock there weighed a full two tons.
He had never been able to lift it before.
He could only barely manage to lift the one-ton lock next to it.
But this time, he felt he just might be able to.
Qin Ziwu walked up to the stone lock, gripped the steel rings with both hands, and let out a low roar. Veins bulged on his forehead as the stone lock lifted two inches off the ground.
...
...