After Old Wang finished speaking, he was stunned.

Where can you find fresh sea cucumbers here? They're all dried and rehydrated. Sea cucumbers simply don't meet the requirements for being transported alive.

Once this thing leaves its natural habitat, it starts self-harming. It keeps vomiting out its intestines, stomach, and internal organs...

Once it has vomited everything out, it will be gone.

Finding fresh ones is as difficult as Emperor Qianlong finding fresh shad in the past.

Not daring to put him in too much of a hurry, the fat man took the initiative to confess: "You really know everything about sea cucumbers, no one can fool you! I made this sea cucumber with mushrooms."

"mushroom?"

Old Wang didn't believe it, so he picked up another piece with his chopsticks, looked at it for a long time but couldn't figure it out, then stuck out his tongue and licked it, and finally put it in his mouth and chewed it carefully.

After finishing, he said with a suspicious look, "Now that you mention it, it really does taste a bit like mushrooms."

The fat man pointed to the plate of braised pork intestines and asked him, "Guess again, what are those intestines made of?"

What? Even the large intestine is fake!

Old Wang was furious. He had been looking forward to his birthday because he would get to taste those two dishes then.

But in the end, after eagerly anticipating this day, we were served two fake dishes.

Is this reasonable? Is this reasonable?!

The fat man volunteered, "These large intestines are made from gluten. I specially went to Master Qin at Gongdelin to learn how to make these two dishes for you."

Old Wang calmed down at this point. How could he not understand the fat man's good intentions?

But a fake is a fake; it can't be taken as real!

Old Wang said angrily, "Couldn't you have prepared two real plates, or at least let me have a bite of each?"

Seeing that what he said was truly terrible, the fat man smiled and said to him, "These vegetarian sea cucumbers and vegetarian intestines taste just as good as the originals, and you don't have to worry about them putting a strain on your body if you eat too much."

Old Wang started muttering, "But I just want to have a couple of real bites."

"Alright, alright, I give up. I've already prepared everything. You wait here, I'll make it for you. But let's make a deal: you can only take two bites of each item."

Old Wang protested: "Isn't that a bit too cruel? In the past, even the emperor could eat three bites with his chopsticks!"

His wife, unable to bear it any longer, slapped him: "Are you the emperor? Trying to bargain with me!"

"..."

After closing time, the fat man neither drove nor rode his bike, because Yu Li suggested that she wanted to go for a walk with him.

The two walked hand in hand, like lovers in the throes of passion, back along the street.

A gust of cold wind blew by, and Yu Li instinctively hid in the fat man's arms.

The fat man, as was his habit, opened his trench coat, casually wrapped it around his arm, and put it in Yu Li's bag.

They suddenly hugged each other. Yu Li was a little confused. She looked up at the fat man and found that he was looking at her too.

And just like when we first started dating, she shyly lowered her head.

The fat man nudged her with his forehead: "We're an old married couple, why are you still shy? Let's not fight anymore, shall we?"

Yu Li didn't say anything, but the fat man felt a sharp pain in his lower back.

That night, Yu Li changed her clothes three more times, squeezing every last drop out of the fat man before she stopped.

During their conversation, Yu Li deliberately said, "I've worn all these clothes; I'm going to buy new ones tomorrow!"

At this point, Yu Li wanted to buy an airplane, and Fatty agreed!

"Buy it! Bring Qiqi along too, and buy her a few outfits while you're at it."

"Then, where is your eldest son?"

The fat man scratched his head: "Um, Xiaoxiao doesn't need to."

Yu Li pinched him again and scolded, "You rascal! Are you afraid I'll sell your precious son?"

The fat man hesitated and said, "I just want to say that if you're not that magnanimous, don't pretend to be. It's fine as it is."

Yu Li froze for a moment, then put both of her hands on the fat man's waist;

Two piercing screams, "Ouch!" and "Ouch!" echoed in the room, bouncing off the walls like endless waves churning in the depths of the sea, carrying a profound sense of despair and helplessness.

※※※※※※

Ever since Banggeng was treated to a meal by Smiling Tiger and went to the dance hall with him to broaden his horizons,

It feels like life has gone back to square one.

He went the next afternoon, but the smiling tiger only let him listen to the opera and didn't say anything else.

I didn't invite him to dinner that night, and just said I had something to do and left early.

Poor Banggeng only ate some sunflower seeds and drank a lot of tea.

As for going to see Li Ping, forget about it. How could I dare to ask a girl out when I didn't have a penny in my pocket?

As for asking Li Ping to spend money on him, don't be ridiculous. He has that much self-awareness.

But the more this happens, the more Bang Geng misses her!

He started pestering Qin Huairu and Jia Zhangshi endlessly again, but he could only beg for a few cents or two, let alone 10 yuan!

As for why it costs 10 yuan? You do the math: dance tickets for two people cost 6 mao, hot water in the lounge costs 3 mao, and a bus ride for two people would cost 1 yuan.

The main expense is still food. Even if we go to Yan Jiecheng's place, a meal will cost at least 4 yuan, so this would be 6 yuan.

Having exhausted all other options, Banggeng set his sights on the residents of the courtyard.

If you ask who's the richest family in this courtyard, it's definitely Fatty's!

Unfortunately, once bitten, twice shy. After being nearly bitten by Xu Jiang when he was a child, Bang Geng never dared to mess with his family again.

Look at Liu Guangfu, he was bitten by Xu Jiang before, and he still doesn't dare to go to Fatty's house.

Since we've already mentioned Xu Jiang, let me just say a few words about him.

Xu Jiang is still alive and well. However, at that time, the average lifespan of a dog was only about 7-8 years. Fatty was afraid that it would be too shocking, so to avoid unnecessary trouble, he sent Xu Jiang back to Stardew Valley when Chen Mengqi was 8 years old.

Chen Mengqi cried because of this and vowed never to keep cats or dogs again.

"..."

Not daring to target Fatty's family, Banggeng's first thought was to steal from Shazhu.

He's skilled; he used to steal all the time when he was a kid, it's become a habit.

But ever since Qin Huairu reported Ran Qiuye, Banggeng has completely cut ties with them.

Not only does he lock his door every time he leaves, but he also sprinkles flour at the entrance, as if he's trying to keep a close watch on his house like a thief.

Moreover, things are not the same as before.

As the Hongxing Factory's profits declined, there were always people at the Intermediate People's Court, coming and going, which made it difficult for him to commit crimes.

Especially that old man, he always likes to wander around the yard when he has nothing to do.

Banggeng cursed him fiercely: "You old geezer, why aren't you snapping yet!"

The old man is now somewhat disheartened with Qin Huairu. He has realized that with Banggeng holding him back, Qin Huairu will never be able to support him in his old age.