Two Old Geezers Who Don't Know How to Talk

The camel caravan arrived at Baolong Center, where Zhong Qing greeted them downstairs and they took Zhu Juntang's private elevator upstairs.

After watching Zhong Qing press the elevator button for his floor, Shangguan Dandan went and pressed the remaining floor buttons as well.

This elevator goes directly to Zhu Juntang's residence, so of course there aren't many floor buttons. Zhong Qing watched the beautiful girl act like a brat, a slight smile playing on his lips, without a trace of emotion.

Liu Chang'an turned off the floor buttons that Shangguan Dandan had pressed and suggested, "Next time I'll take you to the office building's elevator. You can press every single one and enjoy the various looks and reactions from the other people in the elevator."

"You're trying to frame me!" Shangguan Dandan's eyes darted around as she looked at Liu Chang'an suspiciously.

"Clever." Liu Chang'an nodded and praised her for realizing that this was not a sincere suggestion.

"There's even a sofa in this elevator... so soft." Zhou Shuling looked at the sofa in the elevator with envy, feeling that the sofas other people put in elevators were much better than the ones in her own living room.

Zhou Dongdong was already lying on the sofa with her arms and legs spread out.

"They're still young now, but when they grow up, they'll still be in this position, and that will look bad." Zhou Shuling began to worry about her child's upbringing again.

"It does look pretty bad. A few times when I went upstairs, I saw you sprawled out like that... like you're making pancakes." Liu Chang'an agreed with Zhou Shuling's assessment. "You even taught her the gesture of touching her belly."

"I... I didn't touch my belly... Nonsense!" Zhou Shuling denied firmly, her cheeks slightly flushed, looking just like Pigsy from Zhu Bajie.

Zhong Qing looked up at the floor display. She knew that Liu Chang'an must have some secret, otherwise why would the Third Mistress keep an eye on him... Especially after Zhong Qing learned some of the Third Mistress's secrets, she became even more certain that there was something more to Liu Chang'an than just the mysterious Third Mistress keeping an eye on him.

Looking at it now, Liu Chang'an seems like a very normal, down-to-earth man when he's with Zhou Shuling and Zhou Dongdong.

"What's wrong with touching your belly?" Shangguan Dandan lowered her head and touched her lower chest area in circles with both hands.

"When people talk about touching the belly, they usually mean centered on the navel." Liu Chang'an grasped her hands and placed them in the correct position.

Although Shangguan Dandan had been influenced by Zhou Dongdong's sitting posture, she was still very conscious of her image most of the time. She would spread her arms and legs out on the sofa, and then, because she had eaten too much, her belly would push open her clothes. She would raise her hand and touch her belly. Shangguan Dandan had never done such a thing before.

"You're pregnant?" Shangguan Dandan touched her own belly, then came to her senses and touched Zhou Shuling's belly.

"No... I just sometimes eat a little too much and need to catch my breath," Zhou Shuling quickly explained. Children speak without thinking, children speak without thinking. A little girl like Shangguan Dandan probably doesn't understand how a single woman like Zhou Shuling could have a baby.

After exchanging a few words about touching her belly, the elevator arrived at its destination floor, where Qin Yanan stood to greet her.

"You're here." Qin Yanan warmly took Shangguan Dandan's hand.

Shangguan Dandan nodded. Although Zhou Shuling was still Shangguan Dandan's favorite wife, she was also very satisfied with Qin Yanan. There was a familiar feeling about Qin Yanan to Shangguan Dandan... not in the past when she saved Qin Yanan, but in Qin Yanan's demeanor and bearing, which was just like the women from the royal families who used to come to the palace to talk with Shangguan Dandan.

"Dongdong, the camel was found by my older sister," Qin Yanan greeted Zhou Dongdong again.

Camels are man's best friend.

Elementary school students are taught that all kinds of animals are humankind's friends, and that they'll only realize how delicious all kinds of animals are when they grow up... So, does that mean Zhou Dongdong is precocious? Liu Chang'an patted Zhou Dongdong's head and said to Qin Yanan, "Alright, it's all your fault for knowing this, and you still have to take credit for it."

"How could I be boasting?" Qin Yanan had originally planned to speak to Liu Chang'an after sitting down at the restaurant. She had only paused her angry state while playing cards that day, but now she had returned to being annoyed with him.

"Thank you for your trouble, Miss Qin. Please ignore him." Zhou Shuling playfully hit Liu Chang'an, her tone slightly reproachful.

Qin Yanan's left and right corners of her mouth turned up, and after a half-second delay, she responded to Zhou Shuling with a slightly helpless smile, accompanied by a slight movement of her eyebrows and eyes.

Shangguan Dandan glanced at Qin Yanan, then at Zhou Shuling. It seemed that the two women didn't quite like each other, but neither felt there was any reason for them to openly target the other... Judging from their conversation, Zhou Shuling was probably just unconsciously revealing her closeness to Liu Chang'an, while Qin Yanan felt that any minor disagreements between herself and Liu Chang'an were none of Zhou Shuling's business.

Not knowing if they would come to ask her for advice, Shangguan Dandan was really looking forward to showing off her skills.

Upon arriving at the restaurant, Zhu Juntang, the true host of this camel feast, was already seated at the table, waiting for the guests to take their seats.

Since everyone was already acquainted, Zhu Juntang didn't intend to be as polite and considerate as Qin Yanan. She simply sat there and waited, and then everyone could start eating. Ever since she stopped trying to integrate into the world-class social circles of socialites and heiresses, Zhu Juntang had lost all interest in all sorts of formalities.

"Dongdong, sit with me!" Zhu Juntang still had the most affection for Zhou Dongdong. When she saw Zhou Dongdong come in, she ran over to ask Zhong Qing for help and carried the motionless Zhou Dongdong, who had lost control of herself, to the seat next to her.

"Why are the camels placed directly on the sand?" Zhou Shuling leaned closer to Liu Chang'an and asked in a low voice. The extravagance of the wealthy was completely beyond Zhou Shuling's imagination.

"This isn't sand; it's actually cheese made into irregular granules, and it's edible," Qin Yanan explained.

"Not bad," Liu Chang'an praised. This camel feast was indeed well prepared. The entire table was covered with cheese granules, as fine as sand, like a miniature desert landscape.

On this cheese-based base lies the main course of the banquet... a camel kneeling in a certain position. In this cheese desert, there is also an Arabian-style palace made of pastries, a caravan of merchants made of chocolate, and an oasis flowing with wine, making the whole roasted camel blend into the desert atmosphere.

"I'll do it," Liu Chang'an said to the cook who was standing aside, waiting for the banquet to begin and to butcher the camel.

Zhu Juntang nodded, and the chef handed the cart containing many knives and serving utensils to Liu Chang'an.

Liu Chang'an took off his coat, washed his hands, and first pulled the rabbit out of the sheep's belly from the camel's belly.

I tasted the rabbit; it was tender yet slightly chewy, the marinade was perfectly infused, and the juices from the camel and sheep had also permeated the rabbit meat—it was incredibly delicious.

"You're an expert," Zhu Juntang said, unsurprisingly. Liu Chang'an immediately pulled out the rabbit with the most unique flavor, proving he was indeed an old man whom Zhu Juntang called "Grandpa."

Liu Chang'an distributed the rabbits to everyone, and then took the sheep out of the camel's belly and carefully cut the meat into pieces.

Even with the three giants under the sycamore tree present, it would be impossible to finish a camel, a sheep, and a rabbit all at once without transforming. Therefore, Liu Chang'an first picked out the best parts and distributed them to everyone, and only then did he start eating the outermost camel meat.

The meal lasted a full three hours. Everyone except Shangguan Dandan and Qin Yanan started rubbing their bellies. Liu Chang'an asked Zhu Juntang if he could handle the remaining camel meat. After receiving permission, Liu Chang'an asked for two large food boxes and took the camel meat back, having cut it clean.

He certainly wasn't going to keep eating it or put it in the refrigerator... The meat was freshly roasted, fragrant, tender, and delicious. Even if it cooled down and was reheated before going into the refrigerator, it would still taste great.

He shared the remaining camel meat with his neighbors in the community. Roasted camel is a relatively rare treat, so he wanted to give the elderly a fresh experience.

Qin Yanan and Liu Chang'an walked around the neighborhood together, delivering all the camel meat.

"That old man Qian from earlier, he still doesn't know how to talk much today."

After delivering the camel meat, Qin Yanan and Liu Chang'an talked in the night. The shyness on Qin Yanan's cheeks was hidden in the night breeze. The corners of her mouth did not turn up, but her lips naturally pouted slightly, revealing a sweet joy in her heart.

"Once when you were seeing me off, we ran into him on the way. Didn't he say I looked like Xue Baochai?" Qin Yanan still remembered it. She was quite happy at the time. Later, Liu Chang'an explained that Xue Baochai had a round face and oval almond-shaped eyes. Qin Yanan immediately remembered this old man with poor eyesight. Today, Liu Chang'an brought camel meat, he didn't skimp on the old man's share. The old man was still... not very talkative today, saying that Qin Yanan was a virtuous wife.

A virtuous wife... um... isn't a virtuous wife someone else's wife? She's... just his sister.

Qin Yanan explained it to herself. As for whether Old Man Qian could hear her, what did that have to do with her? Anyway, she had already explained it.

"That old man is really annoying. Every time I win money from him, he insists on making me play cards to win it back... But lately, when I play cards with Dan Dan, he's very generous and easygoing when he loses. He doesn't brag about winning Dan Dan's thermos anymore." Liu Chang'an also said something about the Old Man Qian.

"Why don't you ask me what's wrong with his speech?" Qin Yanan snorted softly, but her mood wasn't affected much, so the snort still drifted on and on, like a spider's web swaying under a streetlamp, bathed in light yet indistinct.

"All I said was that you look like Xue Baochai?" Liu Chang'an shook his head. Women really can hold grudges.

"A virtuous wife! He said I'm your virtuous wife!" Qin Yanan rolled her eyes at him. He only remembered people saying she looked like Xue Baochai, but forgot that people said she was his virtuous wife?

"That old geezer really isn't very good at talking," Liu Chang'an said angrily, agreeing.

He actually agreed! She was the one who could say Old Man Qian was inarticulate... He should have... Given his smooth-talking style, shouldn't he have said, "I think what he said today is quite right?"

"You're just another grumpy old man who can't speak properly," Qin Yanan snorted, deciding not to pay him any more attention.