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Su Yan laughed brightly. "What secret trick could there be to growing vegetables? Find good land, use good water, and seize the right timing. That's the best secret."

"You're right. Growing vegetables depends on land, water, and the seasons. For Boss Su to have such a grasp of all that, you're truly an expert. I won't pry into whatever secret you have. Let's talk business. The hotel menu has already been finalized. I'll order these vegetables from you according to the menu. You can have me send someone to pick them up every day, or you can deliver them yourself."

Su Yan took the list Zhang Wei handed him. It listed more than a dozen types of vegetables. Different hotel menus required different vegetables. Su Yan saw that he had every item listed and nodded. "Give me a specific time. From now on, I'll deliver to you every day. As for the price, I can't be bothered to deliberately mark it up. Whatever the wholesale produce market price is each season, that's what I'll charge you. I'll send over a price list regularly, and we can settle the account once a month."

Zhang Wei was overjoyed. "Boss Su, you're really straightforward. Would you mind if we became friends?"

"That would be my honor, Young Master Zhang," Su Yan teased.

Zhang Wei smiled bitterly. "Don't call me that. It sounds so embarrassing."

"Haha, so many people envy you. Anyone who gets to be called a young master is blessed."

Zhang Wei gave a sly smile. "Before, some clueless kid randomly claimed kinship and actually called me Dad. I haven't even settled on a wife yet, but somehow I ended up with a grown son."

"Pfft... Young Master Zhang, I'm truly sorry. I'd just woken up then and was still half-asleep, like I was dreaming. You have to believe me." Su Yan lied with complete sincerity.

"I won't hold it against you. Drink up, drink up. I'll draw up the detailed contract tomorrow and come find you."

Su Yan frowned slightly. "I'll wait for you at your restaurant tomorrow at noon."

"Alright."

The meeting with Zhang Wei went smoothly. The two were actually about the same age, so naturally they had plenty to talk about. Aside from business, they could chat about anything, and as they talked, they truly began to seem like friends with shared interests.

It was nearly ten by the time they left First-Class Residence.

"I drove here, so I can give you a ride home." Zhang Wei jingled his car keys at Su Yan, but Su Yan shook his head. "No. You drank quite a bit. I wouldn't dare get in your car."

"Hey, hey, you really won't give me any face?" Zhang Wei protested.

Su Yan smiled and handed him the fruit basket. "Take this basket of fruit home and give it a try. Tell me what you think next time." Su Yan smiled mysteriously. Before Zhang Wei could ask more, he turned, hailed a taxi, and vanished into the night.

Zhang Wei carried the fruit and muttered, "He gave me fruit?" Shaking his overheated head, he staggered into the parking lot.

After returning home, Su Yan browsed online and searched for many vegetable and fruit seeds. The varieties planted in the space were not particularly complete, and some types could not be bought in C City. Su Yan ordered some unfamiliar seeds online, many of which he had never even heard of.

Late that night, Su Yan entered the space to sleep.

Whenever Su Yan entered, the Tibetan Mastiff Little War God would immediately come to his side. When Su Yan slept, he guarded him nearby. Only after Su Yan left would he go play by himself.

Little War God could now be called Big War God. He was as imposing as a male lion and grew stronger every day. Su Yan was very pleased, though he also worried about finding a wife for War God.

The contract with Zhang Wei was signed smoothly. There were still classes on Saturday, but school ended at four thirty in the afternoon, and there was no evening self-study on Saturdays. It was a rare brief break for the students.

Every Saturday afternoon, the boys and girls became as restless as if they had been injected with chicken blood. The moment the dismissal bell rang, they swarmed out of the classroom. The girls arranged to go shopping, while the boys either played ball or went to internet cafés. It was exceptionally lively.

This day happened to be the twenty-eighth day of the tenth lunar month. At noon, Su Yan had someone deliver a flower basket to celebrate the opening of Wisteria Flower Restaurant. Zhang Wei called to invite him out for drinks, but Su Yan found an excuse to decline.

Only Su Yan and Lin Qiang remained in the classroom. Lin Qiang beamed and laughed. "Ah, I thought you were joking. I didn't expect you to really meant to treat me to KFC! How could I accept that? Su Yan, you're too polite." Though that was what he said, Lin Qiang was practically drooling over it. There was a popular saying these days: only wealthy families ate KFC. It was not that high school students could not afford a few yuan for a hamburger, but the money for one hamburger could buy two meals and leave them stuffed. A hamburger could not compare. Besides, the nearest KFC was quite far from Pear Blossom High School, and they would have to take the bus to get there. Students had no time for that.

Su Yan packed his schoolbag and patted the wallet in his pocket. "I said I'd treat you. I wasn't fooling you. Let's go."

"Hahaha, everyone says you're cold and distant and hard to get along with. Turns out you're pretty nice."

Su Yan found that amusing. "Can't you tell I'm buying you off? The other students aren't the class monitor, so there's nothing much to say to them."

"Hehe, go ahead and buy me off, bribe me all you want! I'll watch your back from now on." Lin Qiang patted his chest dramatically, and Su Yan smiled.

The two got on the bus. It was as if Lin Qiang had only met Su Yan for the first time today; he suddenly became extremely talkative.

He went from international news to domestic news, from sports news to entertainment news. From school matters to gossip about certain teachers, and finally, to Su Yan.