Chapter 20

Lei Xihu resolutely rejected the invitation from the swimming team and returned to his Xiantao Village.

He had no interest in training or participating in competitions. The only thing he cared about now was how to grow his vegetables and raise his fish well.

The vegetables in the field were growing at a normal rate, but the fish in the pond were different.

In just a few days, those fish fry seemed to be competing to grow as fast as they could. The fastest-growing ones were the mandarin fish, which had grown to over two pounds in just a few days.

At this rate, Lei Xihu couldn't even imagine how big they would grow in the future.

Moreover, the ornamental fish that Mr. Sun said couldn't be kept alive had also survived and were lively, although their size hadn't increased much. They were very spirited.

The most surprising were the two angel fish, which had somehow managed to survive.

Angel fish require a water temperature of 24-27 degrees Celsius and are very prone to disease and death. However, once they adapt to an environment, they become very hungry and grow quickly, unaffected by changes in external temperature, maintaining a relatively stable state.

These two angel fish were just like that.

Lei Xihu remembered that when Mr. Sun brought these two fish, they were almost dead. But after living in the pond for a few days, they were lively and even jumped out of the water, swimming around enthusiastically as if trying to please their owner.

Having a dragon in the pond really made a difference.

With the weekend approaching, it was time to start preparing.

He bought a chicken from Sister Lu, a pure free-range chicken. Such chickens are often bought by city bosses for their own consumption, and they might not even sell one for 150 yuan. During the "Spring Three Heads" egg-laying season in March and April, 200 yuan might not even get you a chicken.

But Sister Lu only charged Lei Xihu 100 yuan.

After some thought, he also bought a duck from Sister Lu, which was much cheaper.

When the weekend came, he planned to stew the old hen, which would be perfect for colds, hangovers, and general discomfort. He would also prepare a duck pot, making two hearty dishes.

"Xihu," Sister Lu said as she tied up the chicken and duck for Lei Xihu, "Can you do me a favor? The teacher asked Dajang and Xiaogang to buy some study materials, but we don't have them in town. You have to go to Yundong to get them..."

"Sure, I'll do it for you," Lei Xihu said readily.

He was planning to go to Yundong anyway.

His best friend, Zhou Yaping, liked to drink, so he had to get him a couple of good bottles of wine. Buying from Yundong was not only authentic but also cheaper. During sales, he could even get a buy-one-get-one-free deal.

As soon as he got on the bus to Yundong, his phone rang. It was an unfamiliar number.

He thought it might be a sales call, but when he answered, a sweet voice that made his bones turn to jelly said, "Brother Xihu, guess who this is?"

Who? The voice sounded familiar.

Seeing that Lei Xihu didn't answer, the caller revealed herself, "It's Tian Tian."

Tian Tian? Lei Xihu was taken aback, then he remembered—she was the girl he met when they had beef noodles last time.

"Brother Xihu, where are you now?"

"Ah, I'm almost in Yundong."

"Are you on a business trip again?"

Business trip? What business? Before he could say anything, Tian Tian continued, "Brother Xihu, it's my birthday today. I'm having dinner at Shanming Restaurant on Shanming Road... Do you have time to come?"

"Ah, birthday? Happy birthday, but today I'm afraid..."

"Brother Xihu, please come, just for dinner, I'm begging you."

This... Lei Xihu thought for a moment. He might still catch the last bus back to Yundong after dinner, or he could just stay at a small hotel. It would be rude to refuse a girl's request:

"Alright, what time?"

"Thank you, Brother Xihu. 6 PM, room 314. Remember to come, okay?"

6 PM? There was no way he could make it back to the station from Shanming Road in time. He would have to stay in Yundong. Fortunately, Shanming Road was close to the university he used to attend, and he knew which hotels were cheap.

First, he bought the study materials for Sister Lu's two sons, then went to a large supermarket. He was lucky; the supermarket was having a grand opening sale with many items on discount.

Lei Xihu headed straight for the alcohol section.

A brand of white wine that usually cost over 300 yuan was now half price.

Without hesitation, he took two bottles. Actually, he was inexperienced. The price of alcohol is often inflated. If you find a promotion for this brand, they would definitely give you a buy-one-get-one-free deal.

This brand of wine, which sells for 300 yuan, costs only about 50 yuan. The high price is due to the high entry fees for large supermarkets.

After buying the two bottles of white wine, he saw that the red wine was also on sale with a significant discount.

Thinking about Tian Tian's birthday, he didn't want to go empty-handed, so he decided to buy a bottle of red wine like in the movies.

He chose a wooden box-packaged one. The original price was 298 yuan, but it was now only 120 yuan. The packaging was quite nice, so he decided to buy it.

"Sir, are you buying this as a gift?" The salesperson, noticing his interest, enthusiastically recommended her brand: "This brand is also on sale and makes a great gift. Would you like to consider this one?"

Lei Xihu looked closely. It was a French chateau-level red wine. Wow, over 800 yuan, but even on sale, it was nearly 700 yuan.

Forget it, he would buy a bottle to try when he was really rich.

After paying, he left the supermarket and walked for five minutes to the grand five-star Jinxiu Hotel.

Lei Xihu smiled and walked into the Jinxiu Hotel, through the lobby, past the elevator and the hotel mall, to the back door.

He pushed open the safety door and found himself in a small alley.

"Shunfeng Hotel."

The alley was lined with small hotels, mostly converted from local residences. Lei Xihu was most familiar with the Shunfeng Hotel. When he was in college, Zhou Yaping often came here to rent a room, and they would drink and play cards until dawn.

"Boss, a single room, the usual price, right?" Lei Xihu walked in confidently.

"The usual price, 65 yuan, hasn't changed," the boss said, holding a half-smoked cigarette in his mouth. "Aren't you that guy? Where are your friends? It's been a long time since they've been here."

"Graduated a long time ago," Lei Xihu said with a smile, paying and taking the key.

These small hotels mainly catered to college students, offering cheap prices and discounts for longer stays.

Entering the room, he was greeted by the familiar musty smell, which was very comforting to him.

He remembered the time he pursued Xu Yanyan but failed, feeling frustrated and being dragged here by Zhou Yaping. They drank all night, and Lei Xihu was drunk for a whole week.

Unfortunately, the room was still the same, but the people were all scattered.

After putting down his things and resting for a while, Zha Zhan Dao's call came in: "Bro, why did you buy the Chuchen Sword? 30 million? Are you crazy?"

What?

30 million for a sword that he couldn't even use in his game? No need to ask, it must be Annie.

He had given his account and password to Annie, and he had a bad feeling.

But he couldn't tell Zha Zhan Dao, or it would spread throughout the guild, and he would lose face. He gritted his teeth and said, "I want to, I'm planning to join the Emei Sect. What's it to you?"

"Ah, you're joining the Emei Sect?"

"What's it to you? One day, I might join the Beggar Sect."

He hung up angrily, trying to comfort himself. It was only 30 million, and he had seven hundred million.

But why did he feel so uneasy? He decided to call Annie, but the phone rang for a long time with no answer.

Feeling depressed, he set an alarm and went to sleep.

He had a dream that Annie had spent all his in-game money, and he had fallen from the top ten on the game's wealth list to joining the Beggar Sect.

All his top-tier equipment was gone...

He woke up in a cold sweat.

Checking his phone, it was almost 5:30 PM, time to go. He saw an unread message from Annie:

"What are you doing? Busy with a dungeon... I bought a lot of top-tier equipment for you, only spent a little money... Gotta go, the dungeon is open..."

Phew, only a little money.

He washed his face and left the hotel.