Chapter 351: Chapter 351 A Hinting Purpose_1

The old man was smoothly seen off.

The family was filled with gratitude for Ye Fei’s contributions, feeling indebted yet unable to repay him.

But Ye Fei had never done it for the sake of a reward.

The main reason he acted was just to help the old man fulfill his last wish.

Ye Fei felt it was nothing much.

However, Li Nian kept this kindness firmly in his heart, hoping to repay it one day, to reciprocate the favor as lavishly as a spring gushes forth for grass it sustains.

Days went by, one after another.

Everything was proceeding in an orderly fashion.

Of course, that included that little tail that had been quietly following Ye Fei all along.

That night, Wang Jianglong again invited Ye Fei to the barbecue stall for food and drinks.

It was the same old drill.

Eating, drinking, and chatting away.

Not far away, hidden on a rooftop, Ah Si watched as Ye Fei downed his beer with ease, feeling a mix of admiration and a slight irritation.

Why should he be enjoying himself while I’m up here with an empty stomach?

"Drink, drink, drink! Drink yourself to death for all I care!"

Ye Fei didn’t take this little tail seriously.

After wolfing down a skewer of kidneys, he asked, "Brother Long, it’s been a while since Step Elder left, hasn’t it? How are things on the northern front?"

"Hey, don’t even get me started!"

Wang Jianglong waved his hand dismissively and gulped down a glass of draft beer.

"The progress over there is anything but easy. The climate and environment in the northern territories are harsh, to begin with, and, well, Step Elder has really had a rough time there."

"I heard that just the other day, our brothers, even Step Elder..."

"It’s all hearsay, but on our side, it’s... The future really is worrisome!"

Ye Fei pondered for a moment, "I hadn’t expected it to actually become a climate issue."

Wang Jianglong shook his head, "Brother, you shouldn’t say that. To put Step Elder through so much trouble..."

Wang Jianglong then lowered his voice and leaned closer, "It’s said that behind it all, there’s more than just..."

"Oh. That explains it then."

Wang Jianglong gestured dismissively, "This international situation is so intricate, who understands it? Anyway, now we just wait for orders; the moment they say I should go, Grandpa here won’t say a word—I’ll be off!"

"In times of peril, a subject’s loyalty is revealed; in a world of chaos, the faithful are recognized. A true man of valor, Brother Long, I toast to you!"

The two of them continued to merry-make, clinking glasses and drinking to their heart’s content.

Wang Jianglong suddenly raised an eyebrow, "A single man bears responsibility for the rise and fall of a nation. Brother Ye, haven’t you thought about making a contribution to our great Xia?"

"With your skills, you’d be an invincible presence on the frontlines! Even if not at the front, providing rear support, treating the wounded, you’d surely give our soldiers peace of mind."

Ye Fei smiled slightly, "If the day comes when great Xia truly needs me, Ye Fei, I will, of course, not shirk my duty."

"Hahaha! Good brother! I respect you as a real man!"

Wang Jianglong slammed the table and softened his tone,

"But even if you want to go to the frontline, I’d never agree to it. What if something happens to you, how would your sister-in-law and Little Ye cope? I wouldn’t ever forgive myself!"

"Rest assured, with us, this steel Great Wall here, how could we let common folks like you go into battle and shed blood and sweat? Otherwise, wouldn’t that song be sung in vain? We soldiers are different. For the peace of great Xia, we hold our rifles tight! Hic!"

Wang Jianglong, having drunk too much, began to sing and then slumped over the table, snoring away.

Ye Fei quickly ordered his men to take him home.

Seeing that the skewer shop owner wasn’t busy, Ye Fei gestured invitingly, "Big bro, grace me with a drink?"

The boss didn’t stand on ceremony, swaggered over, stubbed his cigarette butt on the table, and nodded toward the direction where the battle department’s car had driven off.

"Little Wang didn’t seem to be himself today."

Ye Fei grabbed a clean beer mug and filled it to the brim.

"Yes, even the toughest of men have their moments of sorrow. When troubled by thoughts, it’s easy to drink too much. Come on, big bro, let’s have one."

The owner downed it in one go and laughed, "You’re right. He’s usually so carefree; I didn’t expect him to have his worries, too."

"Of course. Everyone has a side to them that others don’t see."

Ye Fei refilled the glass, then looked meaningfully at the owner.

"Hahaha! True enough. As they say in the stories, it’s easy to paint dragons and tigers but hard to paint their bones; you can know a face but not the heart. People are, indeed, too complex!"

Ye Fei nibbled on his skewers, watching the owner with a smile, "You’ve got that right, big bro."

"Actually, you seem quite complex yourself."

The owner was taken aback.

"Ah? Really? Hahaha! Brother, you flatter me too much. What’s complex about me? I work from sunrise to sunset, care for this little stall just to make ends meet, to live a quiet life. If I’m complex, then I’m the simplest of common folks."

Ye Fei waved his hand, "Ah? You’re too modest, big bro. If you weren’t complex, how could you make such delicious skewers?"

"From these skewers alone, I can tell you’ve experienced the full spectrum of life, the ebb and flow of gratitude and grudges."

"Otherwise, you wouldn’t go to such lengths to hide your true self, showing the world another side. Am I right?"

As Ye Fei said this, he stared directly at the owner, his expression laden with complexity. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

The owner’s smile froze at that moment.

"Boss! Give me a pound of the big skewers, ten kidney ones!"

A shout interrupted their gaze.

The owner quickly responded, "Alrighty, coming up!"

"Sorry, brother, got some business to attend to, we’ll chat some other day."

"Sure thing."

As the owner turned to leave, the smile on his face instantly vanished.

At the same time, his gaze turned sharply harsh as he glanced at the rooftop some hundred meters away.