"Don't pack it up for yourself," Li Laifu spoke up. "I'm taking it home to eat tomorrow. There's nobody cooking at home, so that'll take care of tomorrow's food."
Wang Xiaoliang's smile deepened. No wonder the man hadn't touched a bite earlier. He'd been planning to take it home for tomorrow's meals.
"All right. I just didn't want it to go to waste. Take it home if you want."
"Tell me," Wang Xiaoliang said, sitting back down. "What happened with Xiaozhi?"
Li Laifu's sudden anger had made Wang Xiaoliang even more curious about Li Xiaozhi's story.
Li Laifu's expression changed, his knuckles whitening around his glass. "Don't mention that animal to me."
"Fine. If you won't talk, I'm leaving." Wang Xiaoliang stood up to go.
"Don't." Li Laifu reached out to stop him, his voice suddenly deflating. "Stay a little longer... keep me company."
Wang Xiaoliang began to pity the little old man before him. How lonely must he have been, without even someone to talk to?
He glanced at him, then sat back down.
Li Laifu filled his glass, drained it in one gulp, and sucked in a breath before speaking. "Back then, that animal learned to sell things through livestreaming. The Red Bull sold really well. With the wages I paid her and the tips online, she made over ten thousand a month. She was so young. When had she ever seen that much money? She was all smiles every day."
He poked Wang Xiaoliang with a finger. "If only you hadn't left. All that money would've been yours. You'd have made even more than she did."
Wang Xiaoliang smiled again. He thought Li Laifu really knew how to tell a joke.
Li Laifu paid no attention to what he was smiling about and continued. "But one day,