When Zheng Ping returned home, his wife was looking at her phone on the kang (a heated brick bed). She was surprised to see him carrying things back.
"Why are you back? Didn't you say you were going to try going to the river? Did Chen Feng not let you go?"
Mao Min was very puzzled. Logically speaking, Chen Feng wasn't that kind of person.
“It’s not that we can’t go, Fengzi said there’s nothing left inside, so going would be a waste of time.” Zheng Ping put the equipment aside and prepared to cook.
"Oh, really? How did he know there was nothing left?" Mao Min asked, puzzled.
“He said he’d done all the scouting, and he wouldn’t come back if he wanted anything. I thought about it, and he’s right. Fengzi would never cheat me, and if there really was something, why would he come out?” Zheng Ping couldn’t help but say.
Mao Min was somewhat skeptical upon hearing this. It wasn't that she thought Chen Feng was fooling her, but the river was so big that she didn't quite believe Chen Feng could have found it so accurately that if he said there wasn't a piece, then there really wasn't one.
What if there's still a slight leak somewhere?
"Why don't you try again? Look how many people from the village went. Chen Feng was in a hurry this afternoon, so I don't think we can say there won't be any left, right?" Mao Min said, still somewhat unwilling to give up.
“Hey, Fengzi already said that, how can I go? If I go, it will seem like I don’t trust him, and it would be bad if he found out.”
Although Zheng Ping was still interested in giving it a try, since he had already made the promise, he decided not to go. He would just stay home and cook, and go pan for gold in the abandoned mine tomorrow.
"Okay, that makes sense." Mao Min said with some regret, then turned off her phone and started cooking with Zheng Ping.
At this moment, there were no fewer than ten people panning for gold in the river, their detectors covered with various kinds of plastic sheeting, and a dozen or so people searching the ground on both sides of the riverbank.
"Damn it, I've been here for an hour and I haven't found anything!" a person said, looking utterly bewildered, as he soaked in the river.
"Me too, it's so cold I almost peed myself. The river water is so cold this afternoon. It's Chenfengjian, I came here in the morning." Another person couldn't help but speak up.
Song Hui kept his head down and probed the river back and forth. After a while, he was so tired that he looked up and couldn't help but curse under his breath.
"Damn it, how exactly did Chen Feng find that piece of gold? Could it be that the detector wasn't working properly underwater?"
"Otherwise, how could it have taken so long? I haven't found a single item. Even finding a piece of silver would have been helpful."
Even now, he still believes there are still goods in the river. Chen Feng left because of overconfidence, not because there were no more goods in the river.
As the sun slowly set, seven or eight people were still searching in the water, unwilling to give up, while only a few remained on the shore, searching back and forth with flashlights.
In their imagination, gold wouldn't just appear in the river for no reason; it must have fallen in from the bank.
You'll only get results if you go directly to the source.
It can only be said that everyone has their own agenda; those on the shore laugh at those in the river, and those in the river laugh at those who haven't come.
As the moonlight bathed the river, only three or four people remained exploring; the others had given up and gone home.
I don't know what time it was, but Song Hui finally gave up and went ashore. The river water was so cold that he was shivering. He carried the detector and cursed as he walked home.
"Damn it, this broken detector! When I get rich, I'll buy a good one and smash this piece of junk!"
Having gained nothing all night, he even kicked a passing stone.
Around 10 p.m., Lu Dahai's grocery store was almost closed. He and his wife were getting ready for bed. Before going to sleep, he sent a WeChat message to Chen Feng.
"The fish are all sold out. Can you come here for a moment?"
Chen Feng was lying in bed learning more about gold panning when he received the WeChat message, put on his shoes, and prepared to go out.
"What are you doing so late?" Liu Ping asked, sitting in front of the stove tending the fire.
"Old Lu asked me to go over there, saying the fish are sold out and he wants to give me the money." Chen Feng put on his coat.
"Bring me a tube of 502 glue when you come back," Liu Ping said, turning around.
"What are you sticking on?" Chen Feng asked Liu Ping.
"My shoes came unglued, so I'll just glue them back together and wear them for now," Liu Ping said.
"Why bother sticking it on? Throw the old shoe in the stove pit, just buy a new pair later." Chen Feng said, turning to leave, not wanting to talk to her anymore.
"What are you throwing me away for? I want to throw you into the stove pit. I only have these shoes for working. It would be a waste to wear nice shoes. I have new shoes. Buy me some glue." Liu Ping shouted at Chen Feng, who had already walked out the door.
"Okay," Chen Feng replied from outside the door.
When they arrived at Lu Dahai's house, only Lu Dahai and his wife were inside.
Upon seeing Chen Feng, Lu Dahai suddenly couldn't help but laugh, a rather sly laugh that startled Chen Feng.
"What are you laughing at?" Chen Feng asked, utterly puzzled.
"Hahahaha, let me tell you..." Lu Dahai couldn't hold back his laughter halfway through his sentence and bent over with laughter, unable to say anything at all.
"Brother, what's wrong with you? How much money did you make? Why are you so happy tonight?" Chen Feng leaned against the counter.
Lu Dahai paused for a moment, straightened up, and suppressed a laugh as he said, "Do you know how many raincoats I sold today?"
"How much?" Chen Feng asked, following up on the question.
"Eight pieces! They're all leftover stock from a few years ago, the kind that nobody wanted."
Lu Dahai couldn't help but laugh whenever he thought about it.
After a moment's thought, Chen Feng understood what was going on. He chuckled and said, "Could it be that those people copied me, all running to the river to pan for gold, and then, having nothing to hold their machines, came to you to buy them?"
"You're right, that's exactly it, hahaha." Lu Dahai was practically laughing hysterically.
"I never expected this. I couldn't sell any raincoats on a rainy day, but I sold eight on a sunny day. I don't know where this person gets rich."
“Your sister-in-law complained to me before that nobody in the village buys raincoats, mainly because they are more expensive than umbrellas and are a hassle to put on.”
"I haven't sold many of these things, and they're almost weathered away. I'm thinking of throwing them away."
"Unexpectedly, at fifteen yuan a piece, they were all sold out today, with only one left," Lu Dahai said happily.
"And you know what's the funniest thing? Two people couldn't afford it, so they didn't buy it and instead wrapped it in plastic sheeting at home. As a result, it got soaked in the river, and I heard the machine was ruined. It cracked me up!"
Lu Dahai was overjoyed today, laughing so hard he was almost out of breath. His wife, while laughing, glanced guiltily out the window.
"Keep your laughter down, don't let anyone hear it."
He Lan patted Lu Dahai and said.
Chen Feng chuckled upon hearing this; he felt no pity for these people whatsoever.
If you weren't so cunning, you'd honestly come over and ask yourself, how could you possibly have watched me soak in the river all night?
Since no one is asking me, then it has nothing to do with me. Who doesn't like to hear some fun?
"These guys came over at night looking dejected. I heard they didn't get anything and just wasted the whole night."
"How could it be so strange? There was only one piece of gold in the river, and you just happened to find it?" Lu Dahai still finds it puzzling.
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