Xia Minglei brushed Lu Xiaoyun's arm away and said in a low voice as they walked, "I'm taking you out for a treat tonight, wanna come?"
"Have you arranged everything?" Lu Xiaoyun asked, looking at Xia Minglei.
Xia Minglei nodded.
Lu Xiaoyun swallowed hard, then nodded happily, "Yes, of course I'll go."
Although he would only be having a feast that evening, Lu Xiaoyun was already looking forward to it, wondering what delicious dishes awaited him that night.
Song Lan, Zhou Bai, and Tian Shengnan had lunch at Wen Xi's house, then went to the yard to continue processing the fish and air it out. Afterward, they followed Tian Shengnan to a villager's house to borrow a pickling jar. Tian Shengnan said she wanted to pickle vegetables, and the villager readily lent it to her.
That evening, Xia Minglei and Lu Xiaoyun arrived at the gate of a courtyard in town. They knocked on the door, and the person inside understood Xia Minglei's signal and hurriedly went to open it.
"Comrade Zhang, Comrade Wu, you've arrived." A middle-aged man opened the courtyard gate and said in a low voice.
Xia Minglei never uses his real name when he's out doing business, because if something goes wrong, it could easily implicate his family. And since he's an adventurous person, he uses an alias when he's out in public.
Lu Xiaoyun followed Xia Minglei and naturally gave himself an alias as well.
Xia Minglei asked with his usual experience, "Are the ingredients fresh today?"
The middle-aged man immediately nodded, "Comrade Zhang, Comrade Wu, rest assured, you get what you pay for. We would never dare to serve you two stale ingredients. Today's ingredients are all freshly picked, and the meat is freshly slaughtered. We guarantee that you two will be satisfied. You must come and support our business often in the future!"
After closing the courtyard gate, the middle-aged man blindfolded Xia Minglei and Lu Xiaoyun, then pushed them forward, walking around in circles for a while before removing the blindfolds.
Xia Minglei and Lu Xiaoyun then realized they were in a dimly lit basement.
Although the process is troublesome and tedious, as long as the result is good, that's all that matters.
Two hours later, Xia Minglei and Lu Xiaoyun came out of the yard, both looking very satisfied. Lu Xiaoyun put his arm around Xia Minglei's shoulder and said excitedly, "Minglei, I ate so well tonight! Thank you! I haven't eaten this much since I came to the countryside. I wish I could eat like this every day."
Xia Minglei pursed his lips, savoring the delicious taste. The freshest ingredients were excellent in both texture and flavor. He wished he could eat like this every day, but he didn't have much income in the countryside and didn't have enough money to support such a luxurious lifestyle.
But it's nice to be able to come here occasionally for a treat.
“We’ll come once a week from now on,” Xia Minglei said.
"Okay, okay!" Lu Xiaoyun excitedly agreed, and then the two of them returned to the Harvest Brigade under the cover of night.
If they weren't afraid of attracting unwanted attention from the village girls, they would have liked to buy bicycles so they wouldn't have to go through all this trouble to go out for a treat. But if all that trouble leads to a good result, then all that trouble is worthwhile.
In the morning, Wenxi got up early, cooked breakfast, ate it herself, and then set off for the mountain. She planned to sell the fish at the black market before going to Yan Zheng's house the next day.
Now that it's almost the end of the year, everyone needs supplies for the New Year. Fish should fetch a good price, and she can earn some money to ensure her livelihood next year is not affected.
After all, the three sisters live together, so their living expenses are naturally higher than those of other people.
Upon reaching the waterfall, Wenxi retrieved the fishing nets and traps, collected the fish, and then put them back into the water. After gathering a basket of wild vegetables nearby, Wenxi returned home.
Digging for wild vegetables was just a pretext; catching fish was her real purpose.
When Wen Xi was carrying a basket of wild vegetables down the mountain, she ran into Lin Yiwan and Xia Minglei. However, Lin Jing and Lin Lan were also there. Lin Jing was extremely wary of Xia Minglei, fearing that he would beat her to it and steal Lin Yiwan away. Lin Lan, on the other hand, was there with her younger brother.
Lin Yiwan and her group went in the direction that everyone usually goes, which is not the same direction as Wen Xi. So when Wen Xi met them, she only saw their backs and naturally did not greet them.
Wenxi glanced at their backs and then went straight down the mountain.
As Xia Minglei bent down to adjust his trouser leg, Lin Yiwan inadvertently noticed the light red spots on Xia Minglei's neck. Lin Yiwan was somewhat surprised. She had dated several boyfriends in modern times and naturally understood that these light red spots were marks left after sex between men and women.
But why would Xia Minglei, a single young man without a partner, have this thing on his neck?
Lin Yiwan's gaze towards Xia Minglei now held a scrutinizing quality. It seemed she knew too little about him. Xia Minglei was probably having an improper relationship with one of the female comrades at the educated youth settlement, or perhaps he actually had a girlfriend but was keeping it a secret from everyone.
Lin Yiwan sneered and then walked away from Xia Minglei. She really underestimated Xia Minglei and wasn't afraid that he would make a scene and embarrass himself.
However, Lin Yiwan did not intend to let Xia Minglei know that she already knew these things. She planned to observe quietly to see what Xia Minglei's purpose was.
Was it just to add some color to his life in the countryside, and then find a woman of equal social standing to support him when he returned home?
So what did you take her for?
Just for fun?
When we return to the city, will we discard it like a worn-out shoe?
He had a good idea, but she was Lin Yiwan, and no one could scheme against her in the slightest.
"Lin Jing, Lin Lan, I'm not feeling well, I think I'll head back first." Lin Yiwan waved to the Lin brothers, Lin Lan and Lin Jing, and then turned and walked back.
"Yi Wan, what's wrong?" Xia Minglei hurriedly followed.
Not wanting Xia Minglei to notice anything, Lin Yiwan shook her head, "It's nothing, it's probably just some wind getting into my stomach. It feels a bit cold and uncomfortable. I'll be fine after drinking some hot water when I get back."
Xia Minglei looked at Lin Yiwan tenderly and said softly, "Yiwan, I'll take you home."
Lin Yiwan looked at Xia Minglei's lips and felt disgusted thinking about how they had been on someone else's skin last night.
Fortunately, they didn't confess their feelings, otherwise she would have been disgusted if they had actually started dating and then found out.
Lin Yiwan is a modern person with a somewhat open mind. She doesn't mind if her partner has a past, but she dislikes deception and betrayal.
Xia Minglei was having an affair with someone else but didn't tell her. This was deceiving her and betraying another person.
This incident shows that Xia Minglei is not a gentleman and is not open and honest. She prefers people who can be open and honest.
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