A few people squatted on the ground, holding bowls, and ate a bowl of plain noodles. Whether it tasted good or not was another matter, but they certainly ate it quickly.
"All done, let's have a smoke and keep going," Chen Feng said, lighting a cigarette.
They continued their investigation until evening, and when it was almost time, Qi Minglin called them.
"You've received the location, right? Get here now."
Those staff members who were so idle they were practically playing mahjong started packing up and heading to the designated location after receiving the message.
When they arrived at the location, they found that Qi Minglin and the others were not there.
"Is nobody here? Are we just going to stick it up here?" someone asked, looking around.
"Let's see. They've probably gone out to scout out some goods. They'll be back soon." Zhang Richeng nodded, looking every bit the acting team leader.
No one objected to this, and they began setting up camp and starting a fire.
When Chen Feng and the others returned, they could already smell the aroma of food.
"I'm exhausted after walking all day," Chen Feng said, finding a stool and sitting down.
"Do you have any canned food? Let's bring some for lunch tomorrow. I don't want to eat noodles anymore," Qi Minglin said, sitting down as well and opening a bottle of soda.
Unbeknownst to them, the atmosphere within the team had subtly shifted.
"Captain Qi, how was the day?" Liu Jie asked, not afraid of offending anyone.
"Not yet, it will probably take some more time," Qi Minglin replied.
"Um."
Liu Jie nodded upon hearing this and said nothing more, which surprised Qi Minglin.
She thought Liu Jie would keep pressing her for answers and continue to express his dissatisfaction with their behavior.
However, Liu Jie didn't press the matter, and Qi Minglin was happy to have some peace and quiet today.
"Where's the roast chicken? Did you buy it?" Chen Feng asked, looking around.
"You should have bought it by now. Hey you, what are we having for dinner today?" Qi Minglin looked up and asked the chef.
"I bought the roast chicken, one for two people. Dinner will be tomato and egg, with minced meat and eggplant," the cook replied loudly, flipping the large pot.
"Great! I can finally have some meat!" Li Chunlai said with a look of relief after hearing the reply.
When everyone saw Chen Feng's craving for roast chicken, they couldn't help but feel a little disdainful.
You've never eaten at home before, so you've come here to eat and drink for free, haven't you?
When it was time to eat, Chen Feng and Li Chunlai shared one chicken, while Qi Minglin and Li Guanghao shared another.
"Hey bro, here's a leg for you." Li Chunlai tore off a chicken leg from a plastic bag and handed it to Chen Feng's bowl.
"Wow, you're really good at handling things. I'll take you with me next time I go out," Chen Feng grinned and praised.
"Alright." Li Chunlai chuckled and tore the whole chicken apart to make it easier to eat later.
In reality, Chen Feng and his group usually talked and joked like this, and they didn't mean to flatter Chen Feng at all.
However, their attitude took on a different meaning in the eyes of others.
"He's one of those lackeys, this guy doesn't even know how to flatter people anymore."
"Exactly, they're probably from the village, haven't seen much of the world, and get bullied every day."
“If someone like that were in our area, they’d probably get beaten up every day. Look at that smug look of his.”
"Chen Feng is really showing off. He even has to bring a lackey with him when he goes out. What a piece of trash."
Liu Jie looked at them with utter contempt and mockery, his disdain and contempt practically overflowing.
Zhang Richeng lowered his head and ate a chicken wing, quietly observing the reactions of the people around him.
He couldn't help but chuckle softly after hearing Liu Jie's words.
Yes, that's right. Qi Minglin is still eating like a fool, completely unaware of what will happen in a few days.
Just imagining Qi Minglin's shocked and angry expression in a few days, Zhang Richeng was incredibly excited. This was far more exciting than any popular TV drama.
After finishing his meal, Chen Feng washed up and went into his tent to rest, thinking about where to go prospecting for minerals the next day.
Qi Minglin did indeed notice that everyone was talking much less today.
However, Qi Minglin was only puzzled and couldn't figure it out, thinking that it might be because of her recent frustrations.
Of course, no matter how hard she racked her brains, she could never have imagined that their silence was because they were discussing removing her captain.
The next morning, Qi Minglin and the others set off as usual. Zhang Richeng went to the toilet and saw them leaving. He couldn't help but stretch comfortably.
Chen Feng still came up empty-handed that day, until the night of the fourth day.
"Captain Qi, still nothing today?" Liu Jie asked, frowning slightly.
"No, we've been to many places, but we still haven't found anything," Li Guanghao said deliberately, afraid that Liu Jie and the others might overthink things.
He thought his words carried some weight and would dispel many of their doubts.
Unfortunately, Liu Jie nodded upon hearing this, sat back down in his seat, and had already made up his mind.
The others also took a deep breath upon hearing Li Guanghao's words, their expressions filled with disappointment.
"Did you get the canned mutton?" Chen Feng asked the chef, looking up at him.
"I bought it, and I'm making it now," the chef replied upon hearing Chen Feng's words.
The chef couldn't help but add a thought to himself.
"Eat up, this is your last meal anyway, you won't be able to order like this again tomorrow."
"I've been craving this for so long. If I don't eat it for a while, I really crave it," Li Chunlai said, smelling the aroma.
"I've never eaten anything like this before. Can this pre-made canned food taste as good as homemade food?" Qi Minglin said skeptically.
"Wow, apart from the limited selection of dishes, the taste is just as good as my own hot pot," Li Chunlai highly recommended.
The aroma of hot pot filled the entire camp. Qi Minglin ate a whole bowl of rice with it, and the spiciness made her hiss.
"It tastes really good, just a bit spicy. If I buy some vegetables and add them, it will taste even better," Qi Minglin said, wiping her mouth and taking a sip of water.
“We used to eat this all the time to satisfy our cravings. When we weren’t making money, we couldn’t eat it every day. We could only have it occasionally to enjoy it,” Chen Feng said, putting down his chopsticks.
In the past few days, she told Qi Minglin a lot about their gold mining experiences. Anyway, it wasn't a secret, and she used it to pass the time when she was bored. Even Li Guanghao listened with great interest.
He works in geology and has little experience with gold panning; he's only heard about it from others.
Hearing others talk about it is nothing compared to hearing it directly from a gold prospector's own account.
"Brother Feng, I'm out of cigarettes," Li Chunlai said, pulling out the empty box.
"Get it in the car, there's more in the car." Chen Feng pointed to the car.
So, after resting for a while and having some tea, everyone went to sleep. The next day, after Chen Feng and his team set off, all the staff members got up and left.
"We can't wait any longer. I don't think waiting a few more days will make any difference."
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