"Brother, I had no choice. After I was discharged from the army, I came back and opened a steamed bun shop with your sister-in-law. Business is pretty good."
The flood came too fast, and I wasn't even home. Your sister-in-law and the two children were swept away by the flood.
I couldn't save any of them. It's all my fault. If I had realized something was wrong and moved her and the child to higher ground, this wouldn't have happened.
All those years I served in the military were for nothing. I'm heartbroken!
"Brother Fan, please accept my condolences. These natural and man-made disasters are unavoidable. So many people have died so far."
There's no way to count it. As long as you're alive, there's hope. Your sister-in-law and the others definitely want you to be happier; they certainly don't want to see you like this.
Xiao Lingfeng's eyes also reddened, and he patted Fan Mingwei's shoulder.
I know that such comforting words are useless, but the dead cannot be brought back to life. No matter how heartbroken I am, I must persevere and keep living.
"Let's not talk about that. I'm glad to meet you, brother, today. Skinny Monkey, go get some food. My brother and I will have a drink."
"Alright, big brother, I'm going right now." Skinny Monkey never expected that these two were actually acquaintances of their boss.
He secretly rejoiced, thankful that he had listened to Ah Wei and hadn't resorted to force with a gun, otherwise he would have really killed the man, and the boss would have skinned him alive.
After more than ten minutes, Skinny Monkey led someone to bring out four dishes: stir-fried eggs with chives, mostly chives with hardly any eggs.
Soybean sprout soup, a can of braised ribbonfish with fermented black beans, luncheon meat, two bottles of baijiu (Chinese liquor), and a bottle of red wine, which seemed to be for Jian Ning.
"Brother, my conditions are a bit simple, I don't have much good food to offer you, this is already the highest standard." Fan Mingwei placed the plate of luncheon meat in front of Jian Ning.
"Sister-in-law, please eat. Don't be shy with your older brother."
"How about I add a few dishes for you, brother?" Jian Ning said, taking out a plate of braised carp, a large bowl of braised pork ribs, a handful of grilled lamb skewers, and a roast chicken from her spatial storage.
When these things were taken out, Fan Mingwei's eyes widened in surprise.
"Sister-in-law, you're amazing! I thought it was my brother Ling Feng who had spatial abilities, but it turns out it was you. I'm really benefiting from your generosity today. I haven't had so much delicious food in ages."
"Brother Fan, we did take the grain from the granary, but we won't return it to you."
Because our base desperately needs food.
But we can leave some of the meat and fish for you.
Or, would you like to come with us to the base? The living conditions there are much better than here.
Not only is there electricity and water, but there are also soldiers protecting them, and they can even have their own houses. Of course, they can also grow crops; rice has already been planted, and vegetables and poultry can be raised.
"Where is such a good place? I have quite a few men under my command. If they all go there, can the base accommodate them?"
After hearing what Xiao Lingfeng said, Fan Mingwei was genuinely tempted.
The place they're in now is pretty good, but what about the earthquake resistance of the building if there's an earthquake or something?
Moreover, there isn't much food. If the flood surrounds the building for a month, everyone living there will go hungry. If there were a suitable shelter to live in, I think everyone would agree.
"Yes, we already have tens of thousands of people there. We've set up shelters in a large mountain."
Xiao Ning and I came out this time to find building materials to continue preparing houses for people who had taken refuge there.
Brother Fan, do you know where I can find usable cement, steel bars, and bricks around here?
"Of course I know. If you need it, I'll have Skinny Monkey lead you over after we finish eating. Brother, come on, let's have a drink instead of just talking."
Fan Mingwei opened the bottle of baijiu, poured a glass for Xiao Lingfeng, and then went to open the red wine, but was stopped by Jian Ning.
"Brother, I won't drink anymore, I'll just eat some vegetables."
“Okay, then I won’t accompany you, sister-in-law. Come on, Lingfeng, it’s been so many years since we last met. It’s really fate that we’re here today. Let’s have a drink together, brother and sister.”
He picked up his glass and downed it in one gulp without changing his expression; it seems he really has a good tolerance for alcohol.
Xiao Lingfeng joined in the drinking. He was quite excited to be reunited with Fan Mingwei, especially since they had been close since their early days in the army. Fan Mingwei had taken good care of him.
Jian Ning didn't drink any alcohol, but just ate a little something. Hearing the sound of slurping saliva at the door, she stood up, grabbed a roast duck, opened the door, and handed it to the skinny monkey.
"Thank you for your hard work today, three of you. There's not much good food, but try this roast duck; it's quite tasty."
"Thank you, thank you." Skinny Monkey's eyes gleamed as he quickly accepted the gift with both hands. As soon as Jian Ning closed the door and went inside, he didn't even bother to wash his hands before grabbing a thigh. He handed the rest to Ah Wei.
"You guys tear it open yourselves, I'll try it first. It's so delicious! I feel like I haven't had such a good roast duck in almost half my life."
Ah Wei and the other man also started eating the roast duck heartily. Their mouths were filled with the aroma of the meat, and they were too busy eating to talk. In less than three minutes, only the bones remained of the roast duck.
The smaller pieces were chewed up and swallowed by the three of them. Not a single bit was wasted.
After finishing their meal, they were reluctant to leave and stood guard at the door, hoping that they might be able to find something else to eat later.
Of course, they didn't dare go in.
Although Xiao Lingfeng had a high alcohol tolerance, he was excited to see his old squad leader today and drank a bit too much. Fan Mingwei was even more slurring his words and was swaying from side to side.
"Lingfeng, why don't we let Brother Fan rest for a while and talk about it again tomorrow when he's sober?"
Jian Ning put away the remaining half bottle of liquor. The two of them had each drunk seven or eight ounces of strong liquor, which was indeed excessive.
“Okay, let’s stay here tonight, and we’ll talk about the bricks tomorrow. Brother Fan promised me he knows the area. Honey, I’ve been drinking and made a few mistakes, are you angry?” Xiao Lingfeng held onto Jian Ning’s arm tightly.
"What's there to be angry about? I'll go tell them to come in and clean up." The table was a mess of cups and plates, but actually, not much of what they took out had been eaten.
Xiao Lingfeng went off to drink and didn't eat much.
Jian Ning stood up and opened the door.
"Your boss has had too much to drink. Do you have a place to stay? If it's inconvenient, we can find one ourselves."
“Convenient, convenient, you are the boss’s honored guests. There are empty rooms upstairs, with beds and everything. I’ll take you up right away.”
Skinny Monkey turned around and winked at Ah Wei, signaling him to go inside and take a look. Then he led Xiao Lingfeng and Jian Ning up the stairs.
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