Actually, it was a good thing for Lu Yuan that Master Chen's wife had contracted pneumonia. It wasn't that Lu Yuan had any bad taste or couldn't stand seeing others do well, but rather that he could take the opportunity to help Master Chen's wife and then exchange her for a few crossbows.
After all, in this apocalyptic world, if you ask someone for a favor without any explanation, they'll think you're a fool. But if you bring something with you, they might suspect you have ulterior motives. And if things get even worse, demanding a higher price on the spot is quite common.
Now, Mr. Chen's wife is sick and needs water, while he happens to have plenty of water. The other party is capable of making a qualified crossbow, and he has a special need for it. In this way, both parties get what they need, which is a win-win situation.
So he discussed it with his father-in-law, and his father immediately picked up his phone and dialed Mr. Chen's number.
"Old Chen, my son-in-law is visiting. When are you free?" The father-in-law likes to wander around when he makes a phone call.
Lu Yuan felt a surge of joy as he listened to his father-in-law calling him son-in-law in front of others. It was as refreshing as eating an ice-cold watermelon on a hot day. If you were to ask what a son-in-law would be happiest about, the first would probably be having enough dowry money prepared, and the second would be having his father-in-law and mother-in-law accept him.
Lu Yuan now has more than enough money for the bride price, his mother-in-law treats him like her own son, and his father-in-law calls him son-in-law all the time. It is an absolute surprise that Lu Yuan can satisfy both of these things at the same time.
Seeing Lu Yuan grinning foolishly to the side, the father-in-law's face showed a hint of worry. Could this kid be having intermittent bouts of stupidity? Wouldn't it be a loss for my daughter to marry him?
After saying that, he frowned and glanced at Lu Yuandao, saying, "What are you grinning about? Hurry up and get ready, we're going straight to Master Chen's house this afternoon!"
Watching his father-in-law leave the room, Lu Yuan was stunned. How could his expression change so suddenly? What was going on? Was his smile not attractive enough?
To express his utmost sincerity, Lu Yuan specially brought a watermelon from his home refrigerator, weighing a full ten pounds, and three buckets of water, a total of forty-eight bottles, from the trunk of his car.
Driving his electric car towards the old district of Qingshui City, his father-in-law blasted the air conditioning and kept asking when Lu Yuan would lend him the car for a couple of days. Lu Yuan didn't refuse and immediately stopped the car so his father-in-law could experience the joy of driving.
When Lu Yuan arrived at Master Chen's house, he looked at the dilapidated buildings around him and a small building that had been burned black, and couldn't help but feel worried about this dangerous old town.
Lu Yuan carried four buckets of water, while his father-in-law carried a large watermelon. The two of them climbed to the fifteenth floor in one go, exhausted and covered in sweat. His father-in-law was panting heavily, supporting his knees, and cursing the damn old-fashioned elevator for breaking down so easily.
The father-in-law gently knocked on the door a few times, and after a while, the door opened from the inside.
An elderly man with a slightly hunched back slowly walked out, wearing reading glasses, and stared at Lu Yuan and the other man outside the door for a long time.
"Old Lu, you're here! Come in!" he said, gesturing inside.
The father-in-law placed a watermelon next to the door, and at that moment, a violent coughing sound came from inside the room.
"Master Chen, your wife..." he said, pointing inside.
The other person shook their head and said, "Sigh! I cough constantly every day, and occasionally I even cough up blood. The doctor said that lung fever requires taking a lot of water and medicine to reduce internal heat, but the medicine to reduce internal heat in the pharmacy has been sold out long ago. By the way, did you bring any water?"
Lu Yuan looked at the old man Chen with frustration. Didn't he see such a big watermelon? It's such a good fruit for cooling down, you can't even buy it outside!
"Yes, yes! It's just out of the fridge, drink it while it's cold!" The father-in-law said, taking out a bottle of water and handing it to the other person.
Old Chen seemed to have no intention of being polite at all. He took the water and went into the room, where he saw an old woman with severely thinning hair lying on the bed. The room was filled with a strong smell of Chinese medicine.
Old Chen picked up the water bottle, unscrewed the cap, and handed it to the old woman. She took the water, slowly sipped it, and then screwed the cap back on. The old man watched her like she was a child until she swallowed the water, then nodded in satisfaction and asked, "Old woman, how are you feeling?"
The old woman nodded and said, "Yes, chilled water is much better!"
At this moment, Lu Yuan walked over again with the large watermelon and said, "Master Chen, here is some chilled watermelon. You can give some to Aunt Chen!"
Upon hearing this, the old man's face lit up with joy. He exclaimed, "What? You brought watermelons too? Where did you buy them? Do you have any more?"
"Um... there are a few more, but I'll bring you another one next time!" Lu Yuan was quite dissatisfied with the other person's reaction. So, all you care about is your wife? But then he thought about it and felt relieved. Maybe this would be a reflection of his old age—mutual support and growing old together, how wonderful.
After cutting the watermelon and settling the old lady down, Old Man Chen led the two of them to a small study.
"Did you bring the blueprints?" the other person asked, adjusting their glasses.
Lu Yuan quickly took out the blueprints he had downloaded from the internet and handed them to Old Man Chen.
The other party took the blueprints and turned on the room's lamp. Because of the fear of the sun being too strong, most households now use thick curtains to insulate against the heat. However, Old Chen's house obviously did not have this option. Several layers of thick newspapers covered the windows tightly, making them airtight. Once inside, the lights had to be turned on.
The old man was hunched over the blueprints, holding a magnifying glass in one hand and a desk lamp in the other. However, the more he looked at it, the more his brows furrowed. Finally, he slammed the magnifying glass down on the table.
"Who gave you these blueprints? They're a total rip-off! If all designs are like this, all we'll produce are toys!" The old man was so angry that he puffed out his beard and glared at his opponent, straightening his back.
"Um... Master Chen, is there something wrong with these drawings? I think the principle is very simple, and the design is quite good!" Lu Yuan scratched his head, a little confused as to why the old man was criticizing the drawings so harshly.
Then the old man sat down and took out a pack of somewhat moldy cigarettes from the drawer. When Lu Yuan saw this, he quickly took out an unopened pack of cigarettes from his pocket.
When the other person saw the cigarettes in Lu Yuan's hand, he immediately treated them like treasures, took one out and lit it. His father-in-law was waiting for the other person to hand him one, but the other person had no intention of doing so and even put the cigarettes into the drawer.
Then...then he went over and closed the door, letting the two of them watch him smoke. That was just too much!
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