Li Xingkong waited until there were hardly any customers in the couple's shop before approaching them, intending to strike up a conversation.
The couple had actually noticed Li Xingkong a while ago. He kept wandering around the stall without coming up to do business, and they were wondering what Li Xingkong was up to.
Seeing that there were hardly any customers left, Li Xingkong made his move.
The shop owner came to greet them.
" Uncle Ximen, I'm Li Xingkong, from the Old Li family in our village."
Although I came to ask them for something back, this matter didn't really have much to do with the couple.
Naturally, a few polite words should be exchanged upon arrival.
The man stared at Li Xingkong for several moments before finally recognizing him. He found a towel, wiped his hands, and then stepped forward to pat Li Xingkong on the shoulder.
"Good lad, you've grown so much over the years, I almost didn't recognize you."
"Uncle, you still look so young! Your business is doing very well."
After exchanging a few polite words, Li Xingkong cut to the chase without further ado.
"Uncle, the reason I'm here is this: Granny Caidun took some vegetables from me a few days ago, and I've come to ask for them back."
After hearing Li Xingkong's words, the couple looked at each other in bewilderment. It was just a few vegetables; was it really necessary to go to such lengths?
" Xingkong, it's just a few vegetables. My mother has a bad reputation, there's nothing I can do about it, I can't control her. How about I compensate you with some money?"
Uncle Ximen spoke up, but when the topic of money came up, his aunt pinched him.
" Xingkong, you see, your uncle and I also own a shop. How about we bring you some steamed buns? It's not easy for you to come all this way. I'll cook you a dish for lunch, and we can have a drink together?"
Li Xingkong knew they had misunderstood and thought he had come to ask for compensation.
He naturally wouldn't say that his dish was some kind of miracle cure, so he changed his approach.
"Uncle, this dish is a bit special. I do research on it. If this dish is lost, it will affect my future. Money is a small matter. We have to find it."
Since Ximen Feng also studied agriculture, the couple naturally heard him complain a lot, saying that his semester's worth of work was eaten by someone else's sheep, and that the chickens he raised for a semester suddenly ran away.
Those who couldn't graduate, or even had to extend their studies, used to treat this as a joke.
Even if it's a joke, they know the importance of this matter.
Well, it seems it's not a matter of money.
"Is it that important? Then Uncle, please have Fengzi send it back to you right away."
Upon hearing this, Uncle Ximen quickly spoke up.
"My mom is a bit naive; she likes to take advantage of small things. We can't let this interfere with your important matter. A few days ago, a package was delivered, and I sent it directly to Fengzi."
Hearing that the item had been found, Li Xingkong was naturally very happy. Unfortunately, the item wasn't here yet.
Well, it was a bit of a hassle, but at least we got a clue.
It was worth the trip.
" Fengzi is so busy with his studies, will he have time to send it?"
The aunt spoke up, and it seemed she didn't want to delay her son's studies any longer.
Li Xingkong naturally didn't mind making another trip. Since he had already gone this far, he might as well finish what he started and it wouldn't make a difference if it took a day or two.
"It's alright, just tell me his address and I'll come pick it up. This thing is quite delicate, I'm afraid it might get damaged if it gets bumped or knocked."
Who knows when he'll bring it back? I'd better go myself.
"It won't break, it won't break. We haven't touched that package since it was packed, it definitely won't break."
Upon hearing that this thing was precious, the aunt immediately began.
Just kidding, it would be ridiculous if you guys managed to break this thing.
Having determined the exact location, Li Xingkong didn't want to trouble the two any further and took his leave.
Before leaving, they still managed to stuff a bag of steamed buns into my hand, and if I didn't take them, they would pull and tug at me, refusing to let me go.
In fact, as long as money isn't involved, the people around me are quite friendly.
As for why these two don't resemble the old man at all, it can only be said that a person's personality is related to their upbringing in addition to their birth.
The saying "knowledge changes destiny" is no joke.
None of this has anything to do with them, and I have no reason to make things difficult for them.
The best solution is naturally to resolve the issue peacefully.
Force is used to solve problems, or to eliminate the person who raises the problem; essentially, they are the same thing.
However, the journey this time was still quite long. Although Ximen Feng wasn't a very good student, the school he chose was located far away.
Fortunately, I had his phone number, so I can contact him first.
After leaving the market, Li Xingkong immediately dialed the phone number he had just obtained.
The call went through, but no one answered.
Li Xingkong was not giving up and called several more times, but still no one answered.
Strange, could the phone call be fake? But judging from Uncle Ximen's demeanor, he wouldn't lie to him about something like this.
"Damn, that's weird, how come a number from Wuchang is calling me?"
On the other side, Ximen Feng, who saw the incoming call, naturally answered it. However, as a native of Hedong, he didn't even know anyone from Wuchang. Calls from other provinces were either scams or sales pitches.
I'll just block them, I won't even look at them, huh!
Meanwhile, back in the village, the Cherry Blossom Wind Group's investigation had also yielded some results.
This vegetable doesn't grow in the wild, and few people in the village have ever seen it. The only person who has seen it is Granny Caidun.
But then another problem arose with her mother-in-law.
Who is this old woman? She'd even share a dog's excrement with him. Now that someone has come begging to her, even if it's her own granddaughter-in-law, she'll still have to eat a few pieces off her.
As the saying goes, it's easier to deal with the King of Hell than with his underlings. Although they represent a well-known large corporation, they have never actually seen anyone like this before.
In the past, people would be halfway to success just by hearing their names, but those names are no longer as effective now.
Who can expect an old lady to know what a listed company is, or what it means to point a finger to the sky?
On the contrary, the more famous the name, the more money the old lady felt she could make.
The matter was at a standstill, and Reiko was finding it difficult to cope. As a business elite, she had never encountered anyone like this before.
She had considered using force countless times, but unfortunately this was in Divine Land, and in a village no less.
With so few people, if we bully an old lady today, we'll be dragged to the square by the villagers tomorrow.
They might not get along, and they often have disagreements, but when it comes to outsiders, they're always of one mind.
So she has suffered a lot of grievances as a young wife these past few days.
They can't show it yet; they can only take it back by intensifying their efforts on Ximen Feng.
Ximen Feng has had a rough few days, suffering from both sides.
The old lady wanted him to show some manly spirit and keep his young wife in check, so she took money from him. Reiko was also pressuring him to find out where the money was. None of the other people gave him a friendly look.
It's truly a lose-lose situation; it would have been better not to come back at all.