The shop’s roller shutter was pulled open.

Master Tian followed behind, his gaze involuntarily darting back and forth, surprised to find that Cheng Ye had another storefront.

Upon a brief reflection, he immediately recalled that this shop was previously run by a man in his fifties, who seemed to be a retired veteran.

So, was the shop sold?

"It was left by an old friend, he’s gone chasing dreams elsewhere."

Cheng Ye thought for a moment and simply took out the letter left by Uncle Dong from the backpack on the ground.

The letter didn’t contain any secrets.

Including eliminating Old Sun from property management, for so long now no one came to hold us accountable, and no one asked about Uncle Dong’s whereabouts.

I’m afraid he was included among those sacrificed in the infection wave, saving us a lot of trouble.

Master Tian took the letter, pinched a corner of the paper, and read it word by word.

The tension on his face gradually eased, and his eyes became more lively.

Though his mouth moved several times, in the end, it only turned into a long sigh. He carefully folded the letter back into the envelope and placed it lightly on the counter.

"Don’t rush into sentiment."

Cheng Ye flicked four Happiness Coins of 10 denomination towards Master Tian, "Help me buy twenty bags of beer at the street corner."

Master Tian caught the coins but shook his head, "The cold hasn’t healed yet, drinking is not suitable."

"No worries, just buy them," Cheng Ye couldn’t help but smile. "There’s a chance guests might drop by later."

Master Tian hesitated for a moment but ultimately said no more, turning to head out and buy the beer.

As soon as he left, Cheng Ye swiftly retrieved five strips of dried salted fish, a few cans of vegetable and meat from the basement, and even found the induction cooker left by Uncle Dong.

As for cookware...he directly called Long saying he needed some temporary kitchenware.

Before he had finished handling the salted fish, the community folks carried over two clean large iron pots, two knives, a solid wood chopping board, and even some dishware along with some processed black-striped fish pieces from yesterday.

Relying on the outside snow for refrigeration, the fish still felt icy fresh.

"So fast?"

Cheng Ye took the iron pot, gave it a simple rinse with clean water, set the board on the counter, and with a skilled, rhythmic motion, evenly cut the fish into uniformly sized pieces.

When Master Tian returned carrying two packs of beer, the aroma was already wafting through the shop.

Heated pot, cold oil, salted fish dropped in with a sizzle, golden oil splattering, Cheng Ye casually sprinkled some chili powder and seasoning, stirring a few times as a mix of salty, spicy aroma instantly filled the air.

"Quick, pass over a pack of beer."

Without raising his head, Cheng Ye took the beer handed by Master Tian, tore open the packaging and slowly poured it into the pot’s edge.

Bubbling up.

The beer met hot oil, bubbles churned as the aroma intensified, Master Tian standing nearby couldn’t help but swallow hard.

"Smells good, huh?"

Master Tian didn’t reply, only letting out a soft sigh, "Inspector Cheng, I’m really not someone who enjoys indulgence."

While speaking, the panel at Cheng Ye’s upper right view had already opened.

Master Tian’s cooperation percentage leapt from 28% sharply, surprisingly reaching 39%.

Old Tian, oh Old Tian, not being honest.

Cheng Ye didn’t point it out, placing the pot aside, and set up another pot to heat oil.

This time, he was to make fish with pickled vegetables. Fresh fish chunks went into the pot, sautéed till golden yellow, then he tore open the can of pickled vegetables, poured it in, and added water to boil. The sour aroma quickly overtook the salty and spicy scent of the salted fish, the two interweaving in the small shop, stirring up appetites.

Just after turning down the heat on the pickled fish soup, Cheng Ye’s Defense Communication suddenly rang.

"See, guests indeed are coming."

He laughed as he answered, "Finished the assessment?"

"Not finished, passed! But ran into some trouble!" Matthew Lee’s voice came urgently from the phone, tinged with excitement yet mixed with unease, "Where are you? I’ll come over to explain!"

Cheng Ye paused, reported the shop’s address, as soon as he finished speaking, the call on the other side clicked off.

Matthew Lee passed?!

Cheng Ye couldn’t help but stare, but then saw Master Tian looking slightly uneasy getting up, "Inspector Cheng, if there’s matter, shall I take my leave?"

"No trouble, it’s a business partner from the trade convoy, an investor."

Cheng Ye quickly gestured for him to sit down and discuss.

Master Tian pulled over a small stool, without waiting for Cheng Ye to speak, unexpectedly cut straight to the chase, "Inspector Cheng, I agree with many things you’ve said. It’s a necessary phase for Happiness City to undergo development from outside, just like what we discussed when we talked before. The purpose of satellite cities at every level is also to screen pests and restore order here."

"However, there’s one point I must say, if there truly comes a day when my Tian Family must be screened out, it’s acceptable, but by then the satellite city should be safe enough, perhaps just like the current Buffer Zone, just moving the nest, still acceptable. But if I am to go out now, I need...uhm, I don’t want to take risks."

He really is quite a clever person.

Although Cheng Ye had anticipated Master Tian would realize this point, he hadn’t expected him to reach it so swiftly.

Certainly the future pattern of Happiness City will evolve as he described, but the dangers outside will gradually dissipate with the construction of satellite cities.

Even if cleaned out, with his capability, Master Tian certainly could secure a place in a satellite city.

Yet going out to take risks now, the return may be substantial, but the risks are equally significant.

With the prowess of Unity of Heaven and Man driving a bus in Happiness City, Master Tian’s risk awareness had long maxed out.

Nonetheless.

Master Tian’s vulnerability is just too conspicuous, exposed right in front of him.