CHAPTER 364: CHAPTER 343: SUFFERING A LOSS OR NOT

"I’ve got some good stuff here, see if you can use it? If you can, just take it!"

Liu spoke earnestly, looking very sincere, and while speaking, he didn’t even glance at Lu Xi’an’s pocket full of cash.

Lu Xi’an became interested and asked, "What do you have here?"

Liu immediately looked toward the shelf by the wall, ready to raise his hand to point.

Lu Xi’an said, "There’s no need for that, we don’t need it."

Liu’s gaze wandered briefly between Lu Xi’an and Yao Wei, but he didn’t dare look closely, afraid of offending these Neo-Humans.

He thought for a moment and said, "Wait a moment."

After speaking, he went into the house and came back shortly carrying something, which turned out to be a large rattan-stitched box.

Liu gently put the item down, exhaled lightly, and said, "This is a rattan-stitched box, woven by my grandfather. I don’t think anyone on the island can do this anymore.

"I remember my grandfather saying this box uses some kind of tight-weave structure, coated with resin from peach trees, making it insect-proof, waterproof, and breathable. Even the island’s rats couldn’t gnaw through it. It’s very useful.

"My wife used to store dried fish, make dry food, and put them in here. They were kept for a long time without any issues.

"Look at this, the top lid has a live buckle, it can be used as a temporary small table or cushion outside, no problem.

"It also has two straps on the sides, you can carry it around, very convenient.

"I figured, apart from fish bladders, this is probably the most valuable thing in my house now...

"Somebody even wanted this rattan box of mine before, I almost traded it for poker tickets at the time. My wife couldn’t bear to part with it and hid it away..."

At this point, Liu suddenly laughed bitterly, the laugh carrying some bitterness, "Thinking back on myself back then, I really was something.

"My wife hid the box, and I even got angry at her. Later, I calmed down for a couple of days, but couldn’t help it and even tried to trick her into giving me the box.

"If it weren’t for my wife hiding it well and seeing through me, refusing to give it to me no matter what, the box would probably have ended up in someone else’s hands.

"When my wife left this time, she took the box out, emptied everything in it, threw it all to me, and told me to do whatever I wanted with it. She would never care about me again.

"But now, strangely, I can’t bear to mess with it, but thinking carefully, there’s no use keeping it either.

"And I’m also a bit scared, that one day I’d lose control again and take it for money.

"So I thought about it and figured it was better this way, I’ll just give it to you.

"I don’t want it, I don’t want any of it. Not even the fish bladders. Those were from the last time I wanted to change for the better, but then I got caught up in playing and stopped making them.

"It’s been so long without doing it, my skills are rusty, but they should still be usable."

"Big Hu, do you want the fish bladders? If you want them, take them."

Hu Xiaodong mumbled, "No wonder the fish bladders I bought from you later didn’t work well, I even heard some people saying their fish bladders broke..."

"Yeah, they came to my house making a fuss, I paid a lot in compensation."

Liu replied.

Lu Xi’an: "..."

Yao Wei: "..."

"..."

Hu Xiaodong also fell silent for a moment, then said, "Then I don’t want them, I still have some at home, so never mind."

He glanced at Lu Xi’an and Yao Wei, pondered what to say, then continued, "You should keep them for yourself.

"If you want to turn over a new leaf, you need money to live. Run your life well, and then you can start to improve.

"Didn’t you just say you wanted your wife back? Get yourself together, turn over a new leaf completely, and then you can call your wife back, right?"

Liu suddenly felt that what Hu Xiaodong said made some sense, and couldn’t help but say, "For once, you’re actually making some sense."

Hu Xiaodong’s face darkened: "What do you mean by that! Forget it, I’m too lazy to say more, just take care of yourself, and don’t hang around with those past acquaintances.

"You keep hanging out with that group playing poker, they’re always calling you to play, how can you change?

"If you think those fish bladders aren’t done well, then handle them yourself. Make better ones in the future and start your family business again."

Liu took a deep breath and said, "Alright, I’ll listen to you! Thanks a lot!"

After saying this, he bent down to push the rattan box towards Lu Xi’an and Yao Wei, adding, "But this box, I’ve been thinking about it for too long, every time I see it, I think of poker, so I really don’t plan to keep it. You guys take it."

Seeing Liu say this, Lu Xi’an didn’t refuse any longer and said, "Then I’ll gratefully accept."

"Accept what?"

Liu and Hu Xiaodong didn’t understand.

Lu Xi’an had to explain, "I’ll take it then."

After that, the three of them bid farewell to Liu and left, with Liu standing at the door watching them until they disappeared from sight before returning home.

Lu Xi’an and Yao Wei had already walked quite a distance, but they could still faintly hear a sigh from the courtyard behind them.

With that sigh, who knows how much regret or resoluteness lies beneath? As for whether Liu can really change his ways?

But these questions only flashed through Lu Xi’an’s mind. Liu wasn’t from Shanyang County, how could he meddle in someone else’s business?

When they reached Hu Xiaodong’s doorstep, Lu Xi’an turned to him and said, "We’ll stay on the boat for the night, and when you come tomorrow morning, we’ll disembark and go to the morning market with you."

"Alright, no problem."

Hu Xiaodong responded with a yes and then asked, "Mr. Lu, Mr. Yao, would you like to come to my house for a visit?"

Lu Xi’an glanced towards Hu Xiaodong’s house and said, "No, your grandson is waiting for you to come home and sleep. It’s so dark, and he’s about to fall out from exhaustion."

After saying that, he turned and left with Yao Wei, heading towards the stranded big ship.

Hu Xiaodong watched the backs of Lu Xi’an and Yao Wei for a moment, muttering, "Are Neo-Humans really that amazing?! They know what’s happening at my house from so far away?! I still have walls in my home!"

After mumbling, he walked back home. As soon as he stepped in the door, his grandson Hu Xiaodong leapt onto him, shouting, "Grandpa, you’re finally back! I’m so sleepy!"

His wife, son, and daughter-in-law also came over, offering him food and asking how his day went.

He briefly recounted the day’s events to his family, and when they heard about Liu Family’s situation, they couldn’t help but sigh.

His wife sighed, "So those two are really good people."

"I’ve told you long ago they are good people, but you didn’t believe me and kept telling me to be cautious."

Hu Xiaodong laughed and said, "But I knew they were good people, I just didn’t realize they were good to such an extent."

He playfully tapped his grandson Hu Xiaodong’s nose and said, "You should learn from them and be a big good person."

"Mm-hmm!"

Grandson Hu Xiaodong nodded repeatedly.

His wife, however, lightly punched his arm and said, "Don’t misguide the child! Being a good person recklessly can lead to loss!"

Hu Xiaodong said, "Those two haven’t seemed to suffer any losses."

His wife replied, "Those two are very capable! Can you compare to them? They can afford to be good and not suffer."

Hu Xiaodong had nothing to say.

His son Hu Dong also remained silent, but the daughter-in-law spoke up, "Anyway, whether good or bad, we just need to stay sharp and not suffer losses."

"Exactly, that’s correct."

His wife nodded in agreement.

...

Lu Xi’an and Yao Wei overheard this family’s conversation.

Lu Xi’an suddenly asked, "What counts as suffering losses? What doesn’t?"

Yao Wei replied, "I don’t know."

Lu Xi’an thought for a moment, then laughed, "Exactly, why should we care about it? We should just do as we wish, follow our hearts."

"Mm."

Yao Wei nodded.

So when they returned to the ship, they gazed at the supplies they had put back in the cabin before leaving, wanting to follow their hearts.

The reason for putting them back was to prevent them from getting wet if it suddenly rained while leaving them on the deck. That would be troublesome for the supplies.

Besides, they would be resting in the cabin for the entire night now, so moving them back was just right.

"With this rattan box, we can bring more things at once when we go back tomorrow or the day after. This rattan box is quite nice."

Lu Xi’an set down the rattan box he was carrying, but his eyes occasionally glanced at the supplies.

"Mm."

Yao Wei responded, also looking at the supplies.

She felt a little embarrassed but hesitated for a long time. Seeing Lu Xi’an avoiding the topic, she finally decided to take the initiative.

The woman squatted down, picked up a small folding umbrella, and asked Lu Xi’an, "Do you need this?"

But after saying that, she felt a bit shy, averting her eyes, not daring to look into Lu Xi’an’s eyes.

Seeing Yao Wei like this, Lu Xi’an suddenly relaxed, looked at the charming and enchanting face, and smiled slightly, "Let’s not rush. It’s chaotic here, and it’s uncomfortable even for sleeping.

"Let’s get up early tomorrow to work, finish up, then go back and use it. How about that?"

Yao Wei’s expression was strange, as if she was relieved yet slightly disappointed, but she eventually nodded, "Okay, sure, as you say."

Using three words to agree with Lu Xi’an, it seemed she was quite nervous too.

Her cheeks were flushed, which made Lu Xi’an’s heart race, prompting him to say, "No hurry to use this; we can do something else first. How about lighting a fragrance?"

Yao Wei nodded, "Mm."

The moon cast its silvery glow, making the old ship on the small island so gentle and beautiful it felt as if clear water was constantly flowing.

...

When the moon set, the two woke up from their sleep, stood at the ship’s bow to watch the sunrise, basked in the sunlight, and exercised. They felt indescribably warm and comfortable.

They were about to open a pack of compressed biscuits to eat a bit when Hu Xiaodong quickly approached from outside, calling, "Mr. Lu, Mr. Yao, I’m here and brought you some food."

Alright.

Lu Xi’an put down the compressed biscuits.

Looks like they could save some supplies.