bayedsolid Chapter 173 The Spirit of the Jianghu
Chapter 173 The Spirit of the Jianghu
Liu Biao put the dog in Tian Tian's arms, then turned to Feng Jiashu and said, "What are you looking at? Pay up."
Tian Tian hugged the dog tightly, saying, "Uncle, I want this puppy, but I don't have enough money."
Feng Jiashu looked at the chicks, ducklings, and rabbits inside the cardboard box, closed his eyes helplessly, took a deep breath, and said gently, "Tian Tian, these aren't toys. They're living things that can run and jump. Since you bought them, they're your friends. You have to be responsible for them. Are you sure?"
After a moment of contemplation, Tian Tian nodded seriously, "Yes, I will take good care of them."
Feng Jiashu is not a harsh or heartless parent. Of course, the most important thing is that the house is big enough. It wouldn't be a big deal to hire another nanny or keep some small animals.
He took out his wallet and handed the old man the last few bills.
The old man smiled and accepted the money, saying "thank you." He then handed them a small snakeskin bag, saying, "Here, use this to put the puppy in."
Tian Tian took the bag with a puzzled look, then handed it back, shaking her head and saying, "Thank you, but no need."
The old man didn't say anything more, took the bag back, and said, "Okay."
The three left and continued their stroll.
Liu Biao watched as one of them held a dog and the other held a chicken, duck, or rabbit, while he himself stood with his hands behind his back, leisurely and carefree.
Passing by a hardware store, he bought a dog leash for Tian Tian, saying, "Dogs need to be leashed, otherwise they'll run away."
Tian Tian was finally able to put the dog down, and said with a bright smile, "Thank you, Uncle Liu."
Liu Biao raised his chin slightly. "You're welcome."
The market was great to browse, and they bought some snacks along the way.
When they arrived at the entrance of the market, all three of them were carrying various kinds of things.
He Qiaoyun stared at them, somewhat bewildered, "You..."
Liu Biao handed her a bunch of bags, saying, "Egg waffles, bowl cakes, water chestnut cakes, jujubes, and sesame balls."
He Qiaoyun's lips twitched. "Why did you buy so much...?"
Liu Biao laughed, "It's not much, here, have some."
Tian Tian handed her another cup of milk tea, "Double-skin milk tea."
They all had things to give to He Qiaoyun, but Feng Jiashu, who was holding chickens, ducks and rabbits, couldn't free his hands to buy anything.
He Qiaoyun said, "I'm not hungry yet, you guys eat."
As she spoke, she turned to look at the cardboard box in Feng Jiashu's hand, inside which chicks and ducklings were chirping incessantly. She asked, "Are you going to raise chickens and ducks?"
Feng Jiashu sighed and pointed to Tian Tian, who was squatting down playing with the dog, "Tian Tian bought all of these; she likes them."
He Qiaoyun chuckled, "Kids all like that, you actually bought it for her?"
Feng Jiashu smirked, "She's rich."
He Qiaoyun chuckled and shook her head. "Let's go buy groceries."
The four of them walked into the market side by side.
Liu Biao walked close to He Qiaoyun and asked, "Qiaoyun, do you like puppies? I'll buy you one, okay?"
He Qiaoyun quickly refused, "No, I can't take care of them. Cats and dogs are indeed very cute, but raising them is like raising children. You have to take on a lot of responsibility. I travel back and forth between the city and the village. They would suffer if they came with me."
Liu Biao: "Oh, okay."
Feng Jiashu said, "Qiaoyun, if you want to play with the puppy, you can come to my house when you have time."
Liu Biao turned his head and gave him a cold glance, as if to say: Why are you everywhere?
He Qiaoyun readily agreed, "Okay."
Liu Biao immediately said, "Qiaoyun, I've been thinking about getting a dog lately, so you can come to my house to play sometime."
Not wanting to offend either side, He Qiaoyun smiled and said, "Okay."
Liu Biao received her response and his smile returned.
The three walked behind, while Tian Tian led the dog in front, wandering around and looking at everything with curiosity.
A short while later, the four of them walked out of the market carrying groceries.
He Qiaoyun's car was parked right next to the entrance of the vegetable market. She said she would put the vegetables in the car, and then turned to Feng Jiashu and said, "Put the chickens, ducks and rabbits in my car too."
The trucks used for hauling goods don't mind getting dirty.
Feng Jiashu said, "No need, we'll bring them back to the city anyway, so it won't make a difference if we wait a little longer."
He Qiaoyun stopped trying to persuade them, opened the door and got into the car, saying to them, "Then I'll go back first, you guys follow behind."
Liu Biao was dragged by Tian Tian to clean up the puppy's poop, once again losing the chance to go back alone with He Qiaoyun.
He lifted the puppy by the neck, "A five-pound dog, six pounds of poop."
The puppy tucked its tail between its legs and looked at him apologetically.
Tian Tian snatched the puppy back from his hands, "Uncle Liu, please don't treat Xiao Bai like this."
Liu Biao scoffed, "If you protect it now, it'll pee on your bed at night."
After spending half a day together, Tian Tian wasn't afraid of him anymore. She made a face at him and said, "No way."
Liu Biao crossed his arms and walked forward.
On the way to pick up the car, Feng Jiashu passed a general store and bought a cage with a tray underneath.
He untied the chickens, ducks, and rabbits, put them in the cage, and then put them in the trunk of the car.
After doing all that, the three of them got into the car with the dog.
Sitting in the passenger seat, Liu Biao suddenly asked, "Do you smoke?"
Feng Jiashu: "I don't smoke."
Liu Biao then asked, "Would you like to drink?"
Feng Jiashu: "I won't drink."
Liu Biao clicked his tongue in surprise, "Then your position in your company must not be very high."
If someone with a low-ranking position at the company can afford a luxury car, it means they have some inherited wealth. Looking at this car, he thought they must be evenly matched rivals in love. He analyzed this in his mind.
Feng Jiashu countered, "And what about you?"
Liu Biao shrugged. "Of course, but I've given it all up now."
When men talk business, cigarettes and alcohol are essential. In his younger days, he smoked and drank quite heavily.
But after hanging out with these people for a long time, you develop a strong sense of江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) about you.
Once, he was careless in front of He Qiaoyun, sitting with his legs crossed, smoking and boasting loudly. She was so disgusted that she ignored him for half a year. After he realized what had happened, he quit smoking and drank less alcohol.
Feng Jiashu raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why did you quit?"
Liu Biao glanced at him dismissively, "What's it to you?"
The conversation ended, and the car fell silent.
Before long, they returned to the village.
The car was parked outside the yard. It was lunchtime, and the neighbors who had finished their farm work and were going home for lunch all poked their heads out to look.
They whispered among themselves, "Oh dear, Qiaoyun's boyfriend is here again."
"How come there's an extra car? It doesn't look cheap either. She's really something, always befriending rich men like this."
"The car parked in the yard arrived before dawn. It just went with her to the greenhouse. The two of them were chatting and laughing. Their relationship seems quite close."
"Oh my, what's she doing, finding two men all at once?"
They laughed with a wicked grin. "Who knows? By the way, have you heard?"
"what?"
"I heard that she didn't fake her death, but was possessed by a monster."
"Oh my, that makes sense. She's possessed by a fox spirit, disguised as a human to suck the life essence from men."
As they talked, the group burst into laughter again.