Chapter 182 (continued)

We've never eaten it separately; we always eat it stewed with chicken.

[Actually, we only ate there once.]

[What's wrong? Can't I eat this?]

Xing Mingyue: [No, no, no, I just wanted to ask around.]

Xing Mingyue: [I have a friend who also has very poor sleep quality, so I wanted to ask about it.]

Shi Wen: [Is that so?]

Xing Mingyue: [Yes, he had taken Wuling ginseng before, but it didn't have any effect. I'd like to ask, is it Wuling ginseng or something else that's effective?]

Shi Wen: [I think it's the ginseng. We've had chicken soup and matsutake chicken soup before, but we didn't feel any sleep-aiding effect. It wasn't until we drank the ginseng and matsutake chicken soup this time that everyone fell asleep, so I think the ginseng must have been effective.]

Shi Wen: [After all, we've drunk so much chicken soup for the soul, this is the only variable.]

Xing Mingyue: [What does "everyone" mean?]

Shi Wen: [I am Yan Kexing, Yan Kexing's student, and then there are our family's pets, such as dogs, fox cubs, snow leopards, White Tiger, and cats, etc.]

Shi Wen: [The effect of the black ginseng on Yan Kexing was slightly weaker; he got up quite early, but it was still effective.]

Shi Wen typing this line, Shi Wen turned around and called out to Yan Kexing, "Yan Kexing, the Black Spirit Ginseng is effective for you, right?"

Yan Kexing: "It worked, so what?"

Shi Wen say, "Director Xing asked me about the ginseng."

Shi Wen showed the chat interface to Yan Kexing: "This is it."

Xing Mingyue: [Could it be that the ginseng from your area is particularly effective?]

Xing Mingyue: [Or it could be because the ingredients in your home amplify the medicinal properties of certain herbs. I remember the Ganoderma lucidum honey you made before was very effective.]

I hadn't thought of that for a Shi Wen, and I was stunned.

Xing Mingyue waited a moment, but didn't receive a reply, so he continued to send:

My friend has been suffering from insomnia for a long time. He's taken injections and medication, but when he wakes up, he still doesn't feel mentally clear, which affects his research.

[I just saw your post on WeChat Moments, and I was thinking of asking if he could buy some charcoal mushrooms, termite mushrooms, or Bresse chickens from you?]

You can mention the price.

[I was just asking; it's okay if it's really inconvenient. Smiley face. JPG]

Xing Mingyue seems to do everything in Huohuo, and he also types very quickly when chatting.

Shi Wen could even figure out how to reply, he had already sent a long string of messages.

Yan Kexing, watching from the side, said, "Ask him if he's that friend from the Sixth Institute?"

Shi Wen: "Sixth Institute?"

Yan Kexing smiled slightly, "A classified unit."

Shi Wen stopped asking and typed in what Yan Kexing said, "Is the Sixth Institute the institute of the director?"

Yan Kexing: "That's the one."

Shi Wen: [Is it that friend from the Sixth Institute?]

Xing Mingyue quickly replied: [It's the Sixth Institute, you know?]

Shi Wen that Yan Kexing knows this.

Yan Kexing the side, "Say yes."

Shi Wen replied to Xing Mingyue, "[Give us an address, and we'll deliver the ingredients tomorrow.]"

Shi Wen: "[Forget about the money, we're all friends, I won't take your money.]"

Xing Mingyue: [Thank you.]

Xing Mingyue: [You can send the ingredients to this address. Please use the fastest courier service, cash on delivery.]

Shi Wen: [No problem.]

The next day Shi Wen and Yan Kexing slaughtered three Bress chickens, packed them in their ranch's special packaging, added plenty of ice packs, and then sent them out along with ginseng and honey via the fastest express courier.

They sent it out in the morning, and Xing Mingyue replied in the evening that the package had been received, and thanked them again.

Xing Mingyue, also with a try-it-and-see attitude, Shi Wen and the others for some Wuling ginseng and Bress chicken.

After receiving the ingredients, he sent them to a confidential unit.

Unable to gather much information from the other side, he assumed that, as usual, he would have to wait a considerable amount of time for feedback.

Unexpectedly, on the third day he received a phone call from an unknown number.

As soon as the call connected, a hearty laugh came from the other end, "Old Xing, how have you been lately?"

"Old Zhou!" Xing Mingyue said excitedly, "Why are you calling me? How are you feeling? Did the ginseng and Bress chicken I forwarded work?"

Old Zhou said from the other end, "That would be very useful. Want to come out for a drink?"

Xing Mingyue: "Sure, when and where to drink?"

Old Zhou: "Shall I send you the address?"

Xing Mingyue: "Either way is fine, just send me the time and address."

Old Zhou quickly sent the time and address. Xing Mingyue took a look and saw that the address was near the Abnormal Affairs Bureau.

Xing Mingyue smiled as he looked at the address and murmured, "So many years have passed, and you're still so considerate?"

Xing Mingyue arrived at the appointment on time.

The place Old Zhou arranged was a small, casual restaurant, and business there was rather slow.

When Xing Mingyue over, he saw two young men of medium build sitting on either side of the doorway.

He glanced at it briefly, then looked away.

Old Zhou was already sitting inside, having ordered a plate of peanuts, a plate of crispy pork, and a plate of smashed cucumber, and was drinking a bottle of baijiu (Chinese liquor).

Xing Mingyue immediately noticed his almost completely white hair and somewhat weathered face.

"Old Xing!" Old Zhou stood up, extended his hand to shake Xing Mingyue's hand, "You haven't changed much over the years?"

"How come I haven't changed? I've gotten old." Xing Mingyue picked up a plastic cup from the table, poured himself a glass of wine, and glanced at him again. "You've gotten old too."

"How can humans not grow old? As long as you don't waste your time, that's enough." Old Zhou pushed the menu over. "Take a look and see what you want to eat. This side dish is especially good."

Xing Mingyue took a bite of the smashed cucumber.

The chef's skills were truly exceptional; the smashed cucumber was tangy, spicy, and crisp, yet the cucumber's natural fragrance was perfectly preserved.