Chapter 1778 - 730: Amidst Laughter (2)

Chapter 1778: Chapter 730: Amidst Laughter (2)

"Don’t keep asking your dad for money. Our current cash flow is temporarily sufficient, those extra hundreds of thousands don’t mean that much."

However, Zhou Wang waved his hand in refusal, "You can’t just brag to your parents over the phone; you need to take concrete action to prove it. Self-sufficiency is the first step."

"Makes sense, I’ll listen to you then."

Yang Hao immediately nodded. When Zhou Wang tossed him a cigarette, Yang Hao winked and asked, "Brother Dog, what’s the plan for tonight?"

"What plan?"

Zhou Wang squinted at him.

"I mean, Brother Dog, when I first arrived and asked you to go out and have fun, you refused; I understood, since we came here to do business. Then after waiting a week, you shook your head again; I could understand that too because when doing things, one should focus a bit... but now we’ve achieved a milestone victory, even the sages say a gentleman should balance work with relaxation, surely tonight deserves some celebration?"

Yang Hao was instantly anxious.

"I’m very sure no sage ever said that... but okay, okay, you just want to relax a bit, let’s arrange!"

Zhou Wang waved his hand.

"Good godfather!"

Yang Hao was overjoyed, hugging Zhou Wang’s shoulder as they walked out.

...

"Boss, one plate of pan-fried crab, one plate of marinated shrimp, one plate of yellow pepper grilled squid, twenty grilled oysters, thirty lamb skewers, one vegetarian platter..."

"Oh right, also a large portion of braised pork mustard greens fried rice, extra pork and extra mustard greens, you got it~"

At ten in the evening, at a local seafood diner named "Fugui," Zhou Wang yelled.

"Alright, coming right up!"

Seeing it was a familiar face, the forty-something boss responded with a bright smile but reminded before turning away, "Mr. Zhou, are you forgetting something?"

"What... oh, right, two pitchers of Lujiang draft beer. Almost forgot that!"

Zhou Wang slapped his forehead, quickly adding.

"Alright, please wait!"

The boss responded energetically, then turned to get busy.

Zhou Wang turned around to see Yang Hao, looking resentful.

"I mean... Brother Dog, your idea of relaxing is just grabbing a late-night snack, just this?"

"Saying it like you’re not hungry, come on, sit down already!"

Zhou Wang pulled Yang Hao to sit down.

"I’m definitely a bit hungry too, but... this isn’t what I had in mind!"

Yang Hao sighed but quickly accepted the reality, silently pulling out two packs of Seven Wolves cigarettes and tossing them on the table.

As young men, Zhou Wang and Yang Hao quickly got used to everything in Qin Island. To fit in, they recently switched to local cigarette brands from Min Province.

Yang Hao preferred the forty-to-fifty yuan per pack Little Gold Bricks, while Zhou Wang consistently chose slim cigarettes... During tense times before, he smoked the ten-yuan-a-pack Pure Realm. With decent earnings now, he switched to the slim Gold Bricks, retailing at one hundred per pack.

Actually, in his homes across various regions, Zhou Wang had a stash of high-end cigarettes, but he was too lazy to ask someone to send them over. When people get really busy, it’s hard to care about the taste of the tobacco they’re smoking.

Not too cold or too hot knowledge... Whether it’s a 100-yuan cigarette or a 10-yuan cigarette, the core ingredient, i.e., the tobacco, has a very low cost share. Most of the price cost is in taxes.

So the fact is, the social attributes of high-end cigarettes far exceed the actual sensory experience.

"The dishes are ready, Mr. Zhou, enjoy your meal!"

Being familiar, the boss was very efficient, prioritizing Zhou Wang and Yang Hao’s order over quite a few delivery orders.

During their month on Qin Island, in search of delicious late-night snacks, Zhou Wang and Yang Hao often drove around exploring.

Whether it was Qin Island’s oldest commercial street Zhongshan Road, the artistic district Zengcuo’an Night Market that evolved from a century-old fishing village, or the Guoke District diner where influencers plant their flags, they’ve left traces everywhere.

... After all, when one is relatively poor, food is the only material pleasure within reach and easily obtainable.

For them, the now seemingly unremarkable Fugui diner suited their tastes best, so they often came here for late-night snacks. Naturally, they became well acquainted with the boss.

"Want some? I can share a bit." Zhou Wang glanced at the large portion of braised pork mustard greens fried rice in front of him and scooped a small portion for Yang Hao.

Among local snacks on Qin Island, the fried rice before him was his favorite.

The so-called "braised pork," fully named Tong’an braised pork, is a traditional dish from Qin Island’s Tong’an, part of Min cuisine.

Simply put, it’s a dish where the whole piece of pork is wrapped in cheesecloth, paired with various mountain delicacies, and slowly braised into a hearty dish, named after its resemblance to ancient official seals.

As for the so-called "mustard greens," in Zhou Wang’s understanding, it’s some kind of pickled vegetable root. Those unfamiliar with it, like Yang Hao, might find it rather salty, but Zhou Wang himself preferred stronger flavors and found it quite fragrant.

So this large bowl of golden, shiny braised pork mustard greens fried rice suited Zhou Wang’s taste perfectly and was the main reason he chose this diner... At least after five or six times, he hasn’t grown tired of it.

"Haozi, no matter what, like you said, even after deducting other costs, net profit can still exceed 70,000 yuan. That’s a milestone victory, so... cheers!"

Slurping down an oyster topped with cilantro, Zhou Wang raised his glass and clinked it with Yang Hao.

"Exactly, once again, we’re really awesome!"

By this point, Yang Hao had forgotten his earlier small dissatisfaction and was similarly high-spirited, raising his glass enthusiastically.

The refreshing draft beer nicely cut through the greasiness, and taking a sip after filling the mouth was truly heavenly enjoyment.

Zhou Wang contently smacked his lips and began devouring again.

"Let me tell you, scientists have discovered we’re just low-dimensional creatures being manipulated, maybe each of us has an NPC monitoring us behind the scenes... didn’t Musk also say, the purpose of carbon-based life is just to awaken silicon-based life."

Men, after a few drinks, discuss either politics, history, or delve into cosmic speculations. At this point, Yang Hao clearly had a hint of drunkenness, and his topic turned "grand."

But while he spoke without intention, Zhou Wang listened with concern, instantly feeling uneasy.

"Brother Dog, what’s up?"

"I’m fine..."

Zhou Wang waved it off but silently called out "Brother Tongzi" a few times in his mind.

After confirming Brother Tongzi still didn’t respond or suddenly start conversing with him, he felt relieved.

...

Soon, with appetites sated, the clock shifted towards the start of the nightlife.

Each having a pitcher of fresh beer, it’s hard for either of them to get truly drunk, but slightly tipsy, their mood inevitably improved.

Yang Hao went to pay the bill, coming back to find Zhou Wang still standing by the roadside, he suggested, "Brother Dog, shall I call a cab and take you home first?"

"Do you mean... go home and sleep?"

Zhou Wang squinted at him.

"Otherwise?"

Yang Hao paused, but detecting a hint suggested in Zhou Wang’s faint smile, he excitedly stepped forward to hug Zhou Wang.

"Damn, good godfather, I knew you wouldn’t let me down..."

"This isn’t Rong City, be mindful of your words and actions!"

Zhou Wang pushed him away disdainfully, then spread his hands, "Let me clarify, I have no money."

"That’s not a problem, leave it to me!"

Already itching for it, Yang Hao waved his hand, "I already set aside a special fund, just waiting for your cue!"

"Shall we go?"

"Let’s go!"

Yang Hao immediately flagged down a taxi by the roadside.

But once inside, facing the driver’s inquiry, the two started staring at each other.

"Brother Dog, where... are we going?"

"How the hell would I know? I’ve never been to Qin Island before!"

"..."