@chiefaugust3
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This scene shocked everyone there. Everyone was silently waiting for their respective vehicles to arrive, but now, everyone was staring at the red rickshaw in stupefaction. "Did you see that?" The Health Bureau guy grabbed a random guy beside him and asked. "Yes, I saw that. Grandfather Ling got onto a red rickshaw and he even opened the door himself. The Alley Man like they know each other," said that person blankly. "Yeah, I saw the same thing as well. So the fight against corruption and advocate probity campaign the government is running has reached this level?" said the other person. He was also wearing a suit and looked to be about 40 years old. His brows were tightly furrowed. "Since even Grandfather Ling is being so down to earth, should we change how we travel around as well?" asked someone else. "Maybe we should switch up our meals as well? It wouldn't do if there are any clashes happening with the change of practice," suggested someone with a nod. It was understandable that these people were being so cautious and astonished. After all, Grandfather Ling was a veteran soldier and back then at the battlefield, he had relied on himself to become the political commissar of the army and slowly, he was able to get into politics despite his high school education level. After he joined politics, his rise proved that he was far more gifted in politics than matters of war. And thus, he started climbing in ranks. As for the children he had before the war, all of them were outstanding individuals as well. Some entered politics while some entered the business world. And thus, his family grew more and more powerful. Because of that, even after retirement, he still held a sinecure position in the government and was only required to attend some of the meetings and give a speech occasionally. He enjoyed great prestige among the other officials. After all, his family still held great power. And thus, his every action would affect everyone else. For example, right this moment, everyone was of the opinion that the time had arrived to fight corruption and advocate probity. They should start saving costs in any way they could. After all, even Grandfather Ling had started using rickshaws as his form of transportation. Naturally, some of them thought differently. For example, someone from the Land Planning Bureau whispered, "Is it because the Ling Family is in a bad shape financially?" While he whispered, he looked at those from the Tax Bureau and Industry and Commerce Bureau. "I never heard anything of that," they exchanged glances before replying. "Stop making blind guesses. Don't overstep your boundaries and there won't be any problems. Everyone, watch your steps," said the person from the Municipal Committee who was also in charge of hosting this meeting. "Yes, we are all honest and uncorrupted. There won't be any problems with us," many people voiced their agreement, praising the virtues of being honest and uncorrupted. "I don't think anything has happened to Grandfather Ling's family. Is this the first round of crackdowns?" muttered the person from the Municipal Committee inwardly despite the calmness he was depicting. All these were unknown to Grandfather Ling and Grandpa Jia. The two were busy chatting. Normally, Grandfather Ling would be very sharp for things that would have political inclination like this. But since this involved Grandpa Jia, he did not put much thought into it. He would do what he could do to help. "Class Monitor Jia, have you eaten? Come, get some food at my house," offered Grandfather Ling with a smile from the passenger seat. "I came after eating Egg Fried Rice. You, on the other hand, should go back and eat something light," Grandpa Jia said smugly. "You went to Boss Yuan's place again? Why didn't you wait for me?" complained Grandfather Ling. "Hah, the dishes would be cold by the time you are ready," Grandpa Jia replied while driving. "Someone needs to be doing the job. I can still go after doing my job. But you are really showing very little care for an old man like me," complained Grandfather Ling. "Ling Little Six, oh Ling Little Six, do you think you're still young? Even your grandchildren are already adults," Grandpa Jia rolled his eyes. "Since I look older than you, you need to take care of me, Class Monitor Jia," said Grandfather Ling righteously. For some reason, when Grandfather Ling was acting shameless, he resembled Wu Hai. "I'm here picking you up, right?" Grandpa Jia said. "That won't do. I will be free in two days. I will treat you to a meal at Boss Yuan's place. Don't refuse me," Grandfather Ling shook his head and said. "Sure. Since I paid last time, you will pay this time," Grandpa Jia said seriously. "Sure, then I'll take that as an agreement," Grandfather Ling quickly confirmed it. He was scared that Grandpa Jia would stubbornly refuse and had to quickly confirm the agreement. Grandpa Jia was naturally aware of Grandfather Ling's kind intention. He did not bother bickering about it and agreed directly. After all, they would each pay for a meal and nobody would suffer losses. While the two old men chatted happily and riding on the slow rickshaw, Yuan Zhou had just finished his business for the day. The pub had just been opened. The sky was already pitch black. Yuan Zhou opened the back door wide. The temperature for the past few days had been rather abnormal. As such, with his door opened, Broth wouldn't feel too cold while waiting for food. Below the lamp was a bright and glossy figure. That was naturally Broth. "Woof, woof!" Broth suddenly barked. "Your broth will be ready soon. Are you getting hungry?" Yuan Zhou asked as he turned around. Broth wouldn't normally bark for food like this. The moment Yuan Zhou turned, he saw an old man with a carrying pole hiding in the shadows while gazing at Broth in fear. His hair was completely white while he was wearing an army green long-sleeved shirt, a pair of dark brown trousers, and a pair of green shoes. When Yuan Zhou saw him, an embarrassed expression covered the old man's face. But he still took the initiative to speak first, "Sorry for disturbing. I'm only passing by." "Oh, don't worry about it," Yuan Zhou paused slightly before replying. After hearing Yuan Zhou's reply, that person seemed to have relaxed somewhat and even his back seemed to have straightened up. "Don't worry. He's not being aggressive. He's just reminding me that someone is here. He will do the same every time someone is here. He won't bite," Yuan Zhou said. He gazed at Broth with a frown and immediately, Broth retreated and sat back down and gazed at the old man seriously. A relieved look surfaced on the old man's face. When Yuan Zhou saw the old man preparing to leave, he said with a smile, "I reckon he's getting hungry seeing you carrying food. So are you selling the mulberries you're carrying?" "Are you selling those mulberries?" Yuan Zhou repeated when he saw the old man blanking out. When Yuan Zhou asked, he spoke with a gentle tone. Even Broth contributed by whimpering for a bit, behaving quite adorably and seemingly trying to prove that he indeed wouldn't bite. The two baskets the old man was carrying on his carrying pole were filled with purplish-black mulberries of different sizes. Perhaps they had been plucked for quite a while as they looked somewhat withered, but of course, they were still very fresh. When the old man heard the question, he looked at Yuan Zhou in astonishment, and only reacted after Yuan Zhou repeated his question. "You want to... want to buy these?" the old man asked as he pointed at the baskets. "Yes, they look good," Yuan Zhou nodded. "Oh... oh, sure. They are not expensive. I'm usually selling them for 8 RMB per catty, but since it's getting late, I'm selling them to you for 6 RMB per catty," said the old man when he saw Yuan Zhou nodding. The old man seemed happy to sell as he gave a discount without Yuan Zhou asking for it. "Ok. I will buy both baskets," Yuan Zhou said with a nod. "Both? That won't do. Eating a small amount of mulberries can be healthy, but it gets unhealthy if you eat too many. Moreover, it will be a waste if you can't finish them and they are left to spoil," the old man said as he shook his head. "Don't worry, I'm using it for the restaurant. I will definitely be able to finish them before they spoil," Yuan Zhou said gently. "Restaurant? Ok. Boss, remember, you can't keep mulberries for long. You have to use them immediately. Let me weigh them for you," said the old man with a nod. Then, he placed his carrying pole down and started taking out the scales. "Ok. I'll go get a basket for the mulberries," Yuan Zhou said with a nod. "Sure. Don't worry, young man. My scales are very accurate," said the old man with a nod. Then, he waited silently by the door. Yuan Zhou did not need to go far. He went to the second floor and get a huge basket that seemed sufficient to store even 45 catties without problem. "Here, put them in here," Yuan Zhou said. "Ok. I'll be weighing them now," said the old man with a smile. "Ok," Yuan Zhou nodded. He poured the bowl of broth into the dog's bowl before he raised his head to look at the old man. "This basket is 20.5 catties while the other is 17.5 catties. In total, they are 38 catties. You can calculate the price. I'm getting old. I won't be able to calculate them manually," said the old man, somewhat embarrassed. "240 RMB in total," Yuan Zhou said. "240? Ok. I'll give you a discount. 200 will do," said the old man with a wide smile. "That won't do. I'll pay for the full price," Yuan Zhou said firmly and handed over 240 RMB in cash. "Thank you, thank you, young man," said the old man with a wide smile. "Don't worry about it. By the way, why are you using the alley?" Yuan Zhou asked while the old man was filling Yuan Zhou's basket with the mulberries. That's an understandable question. The old man was obviously a mulberry seller. But why would he be walking in this deserted alley? Nobody would use this alley, and thus, he would not get any business here. "I was not allowed to set up stall anywhere on the front street. I have been carrying them for an entire day but still couldn't sell them off. So I thought I should try some place with fewer people so as to not disrupt anyone's business," the old man slowly explained. "You planned them for selling?" Yuan Zhou did not say much and asked for something else instead. "Not really. I have two old mulberry trees at home and since we couldn't finish them all, I decided to sell them for some extra money," said the old man. "If you have more, feel free to deliver them to me," said Yuan Zhou. "That won't do. I can't trouble you," said the old man as he repeatedly shook his head. "Don't worry. What about this, if you can't sell them anywhere else, just try walking around here. I might need them again," said Yuan Zhou. "Thank you for your kindness, young man. If you like it, I will gift you some next time," said the old man cheerfully. "It's fine. I'm a business owner as well. Money should always go two ways to maintain a healthy business," said Yuan Zhou earnestly. "Thank you, young man," said the old man with a nod. "You're welcome," Yuan Zhou said. While filling the basket with mulberries, the old man thanked Yuan Zhou several times. Each time, Yuan Zhou would tell him to not worry about it since he indeed was in need of mulberries. The old man stood up after all the mulberries have been filled into the basket. "Thank you," said Yuan Zhou. "Don't worry. I should be thanking you instead. I don't use any agricultural chemicals on my mulberries so you can eat them directly after rinsing them with water," said the old man. Yuan Zhou did not say anything. He nodded, then watched on as the old man left. Yuan Zhou had good eyesight. Even though the alley was dark, he could still see that the old man's back was not stooped as low anymore. That was because he was carrying empty baskets now and was relieved of the weight. And after the old man left, Yuan Zhou found himself stunned. "Oh, so 38 catties of mulberries are actually this many?" Yuan Zhou muttered as he looked at the full basket. His head was starting to ache. He could not finish them himself, and even if he wanted to gift them to others, fresh mulberries had a short expiration date. They would probably be spoiled before he could give them all away. "That was stupid of me," Yuan Zhou muttered as he gazed at the mulberries. "Forget it. Since I already bought them, I might as well make some jam as practice," Yuan Zhou said as he picked up the basket and walked towards the courtyard of the pub. After he stored the basket, he grabbed a handful of mulberries and rinsed them with water. Then, he went to the back door. "Here, these are for you. Since I used you as an excuse, I need to reward you. But it is unhealthy to eat too much. So I'm only giving you a handful," said Yuan Zhou as he placed the mulberries into Broth's bowl. "Woof," Broth barked before lowering his head and started eating the mulberries. Of course, he did not forget to face Yuan Zhou with his butt. He was probably dissatisfied with the little number of mulberries Yuan Zhou had given him. Since this purchase of mulberries had been totally random, Yuan Zhou spent the night washing the mulberries. "Looks like it's possible to make some jam with them," said Yuan Zhou as he estimated how much jam he could make with these mulberries. Since there were too many mulberries, Yuan Zhou took out several baskets to leave the washed mulberries drying. With that, he could directly use them to make jam the next day. And thus, after breakfast time the next day, Yuan Zhou quickly went to the market to buy some sugar. Since the sugar provided by the system was not allowed to be gifted to others, Yuan Zhou was forced to buy his own sugar.
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