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The next day, Lin Yuan and Xia Ye arrived at Da Zhang’s home as promised—a demolition community near the suburbs.

The house was naturally not bought by Da Zhang and his wife, but rented from the villagers who had been relocated after the demolition.

When Lin Yuan and Xia Ye arrived, Da Zhang and his wife, along with their son, were specifically waiting downstairs.

Lin Yuan was very familiar with Da Zhang, but it was his first time meeting Da Zhang's wife. However, from what other delivery riderss said, and the occasional roars he overheard when Da Zhang was on the phone, Lin Yuan could guess that this woman must have a fiery temper.

After meeting, Da Zhang's wife was indeed much as Lin Yuan had expected. Her hair was haphazardly tied into a braid, and from her appearance, figure, to her clothing, there was no sign of any self-care.

Upon meeting, Da Zhang's wife looked at Xia Ye and immediately said, “This girl is so pretty. Look at her slender waist, it’s about as thick as my thigh. Her face is like a doll’s…”

“Hey, you old hag, quiet down,” Da Zhang pulled his wife back, “Don’t scare the young lady.”

Da Zhang's wife came to her senses, just standing there with a simple, honest smile. Beside her was a little boy, about seven or eight years old. Perhaps because he saw strangers, he was half-hiding behind his mother, peeking out his head, looking timidly at Lin Yuan and Xia Ye.

Seeing the expression on Da Zhang’s son’s face, Lin Yuan’s thoughts were pulled back to his own childhood—it was as if he was looking at his seven or eight-year-old self. He was also full of the unknown about the outside world, only knowing to hide behind his mother.

Later, when he grew up, he realized: his parents couldn't even protect themselves, and hiding behind them actually couldn't shield him from storms.

“Here, toys I bought for you.” Lin Yuan handed the toys and snacks he had bought to the little boy.

He didn't know what Da Zhang’s son liked, so he bought an electric remote-control toy car, a set of building block model airplanes, and a large bag of various snacks, based on what most boys prefer.

Although Da Zhang’s son was shy, his eyes immediately lit up when he saw the toys. “Mom, it’s a small car, and an airplane!”

The little boy instinctively took a step forward to stand in front of his mother, but then looked at his mother, as if seeking permission.

Da Zhang's wife immediately pulled the child back, and also patted him on the head, “You child, why are you so disobedient?”

The crisp sound of the slap echoed in the air, causing Xia Ye to exclaim, “Don’t hit the child!”

Although Xia Ye’s family background was also ordinary, she was clearly raised with care from a young age, and she simply did not understand this common situation in ordinary families.

“You didn’t have to buy so many things when you came,” Da Zhang said reproachfully from the side.

Lin Yuan just smiled, then said to Da Zhang's wife, “Sister-in-law, as his uncle, it’s only right for me to buy a few toys for the child when we meet. Just let him take them and play.”

“Please take us upstairs now, it’s quite cold outside.”

Then the group finally walked towards the elevator.

Lin Yuan approached Da Zhang’s son and smoothly slipped the toys into his hand.

The little boy immediately grinned and took them, as if the pat on his head from his mother had never happened.

The elevator stopped all the way on the 18th floor.

“18” is a good number, but when it’s related to floors, it’s completely the opposite.

Counting the doors on this floor, there were a total of five apartments. The cluttered items placed outside each door and the old carpets perfectly illustrated the living conditions of the residents on the 18th floor.

Da Zhang’s family rented a small apartment of fifty to sixty square meters. According to Da Zhang’s introduction, the landlord had received two connected apartments after the demolition. So, he simply knocked down the partition wall and converted them into three smaller units.

Lin Yuan then realized, no wonder there were only four door numbers among the five doors outside just now. And the one without a door number was Da Zhang’s apartment.

“The community often came to us because of this unauthorized renovation. I just rented here because the rent was a bit cheaper.”

Lin Yuan casually replied, “What happened after that?”

“It was left unresolved. After all, these are demolition apartments.”

Lin Yuan briefly imagined the situation.

Before the demolition, the villagers lived freely in the countryside. After the demolition, based on the simple value that their own house was none of anyone else's business, the community probably couldn't manage them too strictly.

Da Zhang’s words then confirmed Lin Yuan’s guess, “Another good thing here is that we don’t have to pay property management fees, so I can save a bit on rent.”

Da Zhang's wife proudly added, “The property management came to us several times, saying that if the house is for the owner’s family to live in, there’s no property fee, but if it’s rented to others, we have to pay. Isn’t this bullying us outsiders? Local people living in their own demolition apartments don’t have to pay property fees, but we, who rent, have to pay. We won’t pay!”

Although Lin Yuan was curious, he didn't ask much. Because property fees should logically be collected from the landlord, and who knew what twists and turns were involved for the property management company to come to the tenants.

Everyone chatted casually, and the table gradually filled with dishes.

Today's main dish was a hot pot, which suited the increasingly cold December weather. The rest were various braised cold dishes and some home-cooked meals.

From the lingering smell of cooking oil in the house, Da Zhang's wife must have been busy for quite some time.

“Come, come, sit down and eat.”

A braised chicken wing immediately appeared in Xia Ye’s bowl, placed there by Da Zhang’s wife. Lin Yuan immediately picked it up and put it in his own bowl, “Let me try it first.”

“There’s more, what’s your hurry?” Da Zhang’s wife wanted to get another one for Xia Ye, but Da Zhang, who had reacted, immediately pulled her back down, “Don’t use your saliva-stained chopsticks to randomly give people food, this isn’t back home.”

Da Zhang's wife could only smile sheepishly again, “I, I… I didn’t think.”

“It’s fine, Sister-in-law, this chicken wing is very flavorful.”

Da Zhang's wife worked in the supermarket’s fresh produce section, butchering fish and meat, and preparing vegetables and fruits, so she was accustomed to being rough and careless in her daily life.

Fortunately, Lin Yuan smoothly defused the awkwardness on the scene.

Xia Ye also quickly followed up, “It’s fine, it’s fine.”

But Lin Yuan actually knew that Xia Ye absolutely could not accept someone else serving her food like that.

This girl had been pampered by her parents since childhood. Although she had changed a lot after experiencing the harsh realities of society, some things ingrained in her bones could not be changed.

The act of serving each other food was extremely common at banquets in Lin Yuan’s hometown.

However, people change.

When Lin Yuan ate that chicken wing just now, a wave of nausea involuntarily rose in his stomach. He had to admit—now that he was rich, he couldn't go back in certain aspects.

Fortunately, Da Zhang's wife did not become overly enthusiastic again.

Afterwards, Lin Yuan and Da Zhang casually chatted about various incidents encountered while delivering food. Da Zhang's wife and Xia Ye, however, had absolutely no common topics. To relieve the awkwardness, Xia Ye turned to chat with Da Zhang’s son.

Children are innocent after all, and with a little cooperation from Xia Ye, she could chat with him.

Boys of this age always have their favorite toys and cartoons; you just need to follow his train of thought and use some interjections to go along with him, and it's not hard to keep the conversation going. Especially for Da Zhang’s son, rather than needing someone to talk to him, it was more that he needed someone to listen to him.

When they had eaten most of the food, the topic naturally shifted to Da Zhang’s son.

“This child of mine, he always struggles with his studies…”