After moving the books, Li Zhiyuan first took out a towel, wet it and scrubbed it a bit, then wiped Alii’s face and hands, and afterward, he folded the towel and wiped off his own sweat.
Then, Li Zhiyuan took out three cans of Jianlibao, opened one for Alii and saved one for her.
Next, the boy and the girl sat together on the terrace, sipping their drinks while enjoying the evening breeze.
The girl’s hair was occasionally lifted by the wind, tickling her face as it brushed against it.
The boy occasionally glanced over, looking at the girl’s profile as she sat on the west side, perfectly frad by the warm orange sunset.
"We’re back!"
Run Sheng pushed the cart, the Grandmaster sitting on it, with a yellow cardboard box in his arms.
"Little Yuanhou, Grandmaster has brought back the TV for you!"
"Here we are, Grandmaster."
Li Zhiyuan ran down the stairs to greet them, showing an excited and delighted deanor.
After unboxing, plugging in the power, erecting the two antennas on top, and tuning the channels, they were able to receive CCTV, Nantong local station, and county station broadcasts.
The county station was playing a new Qiong Yao drama. At that ti, as long as local small TV stations could get their hands on film sources, they would broadcast anything without concern for copyright issues; after all, the viewers were all locals and the coverage was small.
"How about that, Little Yuanhou, pretty clear, right?" Li Sanjiang touched the top of the TV set, boasting to Li Zhiyuan.
"Yeah, it’s clear."
"I, Grandmaster, bought the latest model. Alright, Marquis Runsheng, move the TV into Little Yuanhou’s room."
"No need, Grandmaster, just leave it on the first floor so everyone can watch."
"How can that be? It was bought for you; it must be put in your room."
"If that’s the case, I will beco addicted to watching TV, which will affect my studies."
"Oh, then alright, we’ll keep it on the first floor."
"Alright!"
Run Sheng happily moved the TV in. He slept on the table on the first floor every night, which ant he could watch TV all night.
Aunt Liu said at this ti: "It’s ti for dinner."
Four sets of small dining tables had been arranged, and Run Sheng was holding a big stick of incense in his hand, with a bundle of smaller ones beside it, looking very much like large and small scallions.
Ever since Xiao Yuan opened up this new world of consuming incense for him, he never left it. But every ti before he ate the incense, he had to light it and then start nibbling from the other end.
Li Sanjiang sipped his drink and shouted to Uncle Qin, who was dining with Liu Yui and Liu Ting:
"Li Hou, the day after tomorrow, Old Zhao Family from Shijia Village is holding a funeral. I ran into them on my way back, and they ordered sixteen sets of banquet arrangents. Tomorrow afternoon, you should deliver the tables, chairs, bowls, dishes, and the like to them.
Oh, and Ting Hou, you should check again to see if we have enough stock for a batch. If not, you need to restock in ti and have Li Hou bring it to Old Zhao Family the day after tomorrow."
Aunt Liu nodded and said, "I will make sure the joss paper items are ready in ti. It’s doable, but Ali..."
"What’s with Li Hou?"
Qin Li got up from the table, walked over to Li Sanjiang, and said, "Uncle Sanjiang, my uncle at ho is sick, and I’m afraid he might not make it. He has no children, and I need to go back ho to take care of him."
"When are you coming back, Li Hou?"
"I’m not sure yet, at the very least, I have to see the old man off."
"That’s going to be a long ti then." Li Sanjiang scratched the back of his head with the end of his chopsticks, "Are you going back alone, or is Ting Hou?"
"Uncle Sanjiang, just . Ah Ting, my mother, and Alii, will continue to stay here."
"Alright then, you should go."
"Uncle Sanjiang, don’t wait for to return. There’s a lot to do at ho, and we need a strong worker. You should hire soone else."
"No worries, no need to hire." Li Sanjiang pointed at Run Sheng, who was gnawing on incense in the corner with rice grains all over his face, "We’ve got Run Sheng!"
"Yeah, you’ve got , no problem!" Run Sheng didn’t decline, on the contrary, he nodded vigorously.
"Don’t worry, Grandmaster will pay you for your work."
"Grandmaster, it’s rude of you to say that. I have at to eat, incense to chew, and now a TV to watch while staying at your place, working for you is only right."
"Cut the crap, would I miss your little bit of wage? If your grandpa found out you were really working for free at my place, wouldn’t he be pissed?
Besides, you’ll have so wage saved up from working here. After a while, you can go back and buy so grains, oil, and stuff for your grandpa, don’t let the old man starve to death."
"I’ve got money at my grandpa’s place. I made a fairly good amount at the Niu family’s place last ti, and since I’m not there, he’s got enough for food and drink for quite a while."
"Heh." Li Sanjiang scoffed disdainfully, "The old man has never been lucky with gambling but still likes to play cards, who knows how long that money will last in his pocket."
Then, Li Sanjiang looked at Qin Li again, "Ali, when are you leaving?"
"Tomorrow morning, heading to the station."
"That soon? Is everything ready?"
"Ah Ting has already packed for , there’s not much to take, just a few clothes to bring back."
Li Sanjiang reached into his pocket, took out so money, and handed it to Qin Li:
"Here, I spent most of it buying the TV, this is the leftover money. You might need it for your uncle’s dical expenses when you get back ho. Take it with you. Oh, and don’t forget to buy so Nantong specialties to take back, like West Pavilion Crispy Cakes and Bai Pu Tea Cake."
"Uncle Sanjiang, I can’t take your money, please take it back."
Li Sanjiang’s face turned serious: "Kid, take it if I tell you to!"
"Really, I can’t take more of your money. Look at my family, we all eat and drink at your place, and you even gave a wage."
"That little wage I gave you is still taking advantage. Just take it, I’ll get angry if you don’t."
Liu Yui spoke up at this point: "Take it, and rember Uncle Sanjiang’s kindness."
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