Chen Liuhe grinned. "I think her offer sounds pretty good."
"I think the saying 'a true master hides in plain sight' is complete nonsense for you, Brother. No place can truly hide you," Shen Qingwu murmured, a hint of helplessness in her voice. A man like Chen Liuhe was destined for a life far from ordinary. Even if it wasn't Qin Ruohan today, someone or something else would inevitably find him.
Besides, how many people in this world didn't want Chen Liuhe to truly immerse himself in the mundane, to become an anonymous speck in the vast sea of humanity?
"Haha, receiving such praise from you, Qingwu, is more fragrant than a pound of Maotai!" Chen Liuhe laughed. He then turned back to a hopeful Qin Ruohan, his tone neither warm nor cold. "I know about your situation. You can leave now."
Qin Ruohan's expression tightened. "Are you still not going to help me?" she asked anxiously.
"What does my helping you have to do with whether I'm telling you to leave? Does helping you mean I have to keep you for dinner?" Chen Liuhe rolled his eyes, utterly devoid of gentlemanly manners.
Hearing his infuriating words, Qin Ruohan felt a strong urge to grind her teeth. She had never met such an unromantic, stingy man. What's wrong with one dinner? Would one meal bankrupt you?!
But she was asking for his help, so she had to swallow her pride. She carefully asked, "Since you've decided to help me, then... shouldn't we discuss a strategy? Are you just sending me away like this?"
"Didn't they give you three days? What's the rush?" Chen Liuhe retorted dismissively. "Live for today, worry tomorrow. My motto is: 'Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow.'"
Hearing such absurd logic, Qin Ruohan truly wondered if she had made a mistake. Placing all her hope and her very life on such an unreliable man, she felt a profound sense of desolation.
Shen Qingwu chuckled softly. "You should go home for now. If my brother decides to help you, then forget a small city like Hangcheng—even across all of Huaxia, very few people could take your life."
In the end, Qin Ruohan left the courtyard, filled with apprehension yet clinging to a glimmer of hope. Chen Liuhe, being incredibly stingy, made no move to keep her. Are you kidding? You ask for my help, and you expect a free meal first? There's no such easy lunch in this world! Chen Liuhe's calculating and petty nature, typical of a man from the streets, certainly qualified him for a lightning strike.
After Qin Ruohan had completely disappeared from the gate, Chen Liuhe's face returned to its usual lazy demeanor. He grinned. "Qingwu, where are these 'few people' you mentioned? Do they even exist?"
"The phoenix's feathers haven't been born yet, and the unicorn's horn is no more," Shen Qingwu said, tugging on Chen Liuhe's sleeve, a serene smile on her face.
"Haha! No wonder everyone in the capital knows my little sister is my dearest treasure. Since childhood, our old Shen family's little sister has been the best at helping me brag!" Chen Liuhe laughed heartily.
Shen Qingwu remained silent, simply smiling sweetly. Since childhood, she had never once "helped" her non-blood-related brother brag, because in her heart, he had always been the man closest to a god!
Just then, a scrawny middle-aged man entered the courtyard. He looked to be in his late thirties, dressed in dirty, unkempt clothes. His balding head had sparse, messy hair. He had shifty, rat-like features and a mouth full of unappealing yellow teeth. The man could only be described by two words: vulgar and shabby.
One look at his appearance and attire, and it was clear this was a man who struggled to make ends meet, barely getting three meals a day. Yet, he bore a name completely unfitting for his destiny: Huang Baiwan (literally, Yellow Hundred Million).
Huang Baiwan was Chen Liuhe's neighbor, also renting a room in this same courtyard. Although Chen Liuhe had only been there for half a month, he got along quite well with this seemingly useless neighbor. They had spent many hours chatting and bragging together.
This fellow was also quite interesting. He hadn't attended school for a single day, knew only a few characters, and was among those who refused to accept their fate, struggling from a small mountain village to the big city. Despite his relatively young age, his experiences were rich: he had stolen, scammed, begged, and swept streets. Even after struggling in the big city for over a decade, his life only seemed to get worse. Yet, this guy never once thought about returning to the mountains and accepting his lot.
In his own words: "I'm shameless and I can endure hardship. As long as I don't die, I'll eventually make it!"
"Brother Six, Little Sister, you're both here," Huang Baiwan greeted the siblings enthusiastically. His greatest quality was that no matter what setbacks he encountered or how much suffering he endured, he could always laugh it off, never complaining or cursing his dog-damned fate.
"Tsk, tsk, Brother Six, did you see that woman earlier? So fresh! Old Huang has never seen many beauties like her in his life! Just those breasts and those long legs, enough for Old Huang to play with for a lifetime!" Huang Baiwan's full set of yellow teeth were prominently displayed as he grinned.
But neither Chen Liuhe nor Shen Qingwu showed any sign of disdain. They never looked up to anyone, nor did they look down on anyone.
"I was so engrossed watching just now, I almost fell into that puddle outside our courtyard! Damn it, haha, but it was worth it!" Huang Baiwan prattled on.
He paused, then chuckled again. "Little Sister, Old Huang knows you're not ordinary people. Don't mind my coarse words, don't take me seriously."
Shen Qingwu smiled faintly. She didn't dislike this common man who could talk nonsense with her brother; instead, she admired him. How many people could struggle through life like Old Huang, without complaint or resentment?
Chen Liuhe finished washing the vegetables and laughed. "Old Huang, you're always doing things that make your eyes feast but leave your little buddy hungry."
"Heh heh, I can't help it. Old Huang has never even spent fifty silver dollars on a prostitute in his life. Those kind of women, even if they're courtesans, they're at least two thousand silver dollars and up. Old Huang probably doesn't even have the chance to lick someone's foot in this life, so I can only fulfill my wish with my eyes," Huang Baiwan chuckled.
"Heh heh, dinner together tonight?" Chen Liuhe, the cheapskate who wouldn't even treat Qin Ruohan to a simple meal, extended an invitation to Huang Baiwan.
"Deal!" Huang Baiwan didn't stand on ceremony. "I still have half a catty of fierce liquor in my room that I haven't dared to drink. Shall we have a drink tonight, brothers?"
"Sure!" Chen Liuhe smiled.
Dinner wasn't lavish: a few stir-fried vegetables and some meat. Huang Baiwan even brought out his treasured fermented tofu. It looked a bit messy, but Chen Liuhe didn't mind. The two ate with relish, washing it down with the cheap liquor Huang Baiwan had bought from some obscure corner store—at most five yuan a catty. There was only half a catty of liquor, so they shared it, drinking slowly, as if neither wanted to finish it too quickly, savoring each sip.
Shen Qingwu returned to her room after dinner. In the courtyard, under the moonlight, Chen Liuhe and Huang Baiwan chatted away.
"Brother Six, Old Huang knows that you and Little Sister aren't ordinary people. You definitely have big stories," Huang Baiwan said. He loved to drink, but his alcohol tolerance was low; typically, two ounces would make him dizzy.
"How so?" Chen Liuhe asked with a smile. He had told Huang Baiwan many times not to call him Brother Six, but Huang Baiwan always insisted, so Chen Liuhe eventually stopped arguing.
"Common people look down on others. Common people never look up to Old Huang. Even the street sweepers look down on me. Only Brother Six and Little Sister don't," Huang Baiwan stated bluntly, without a hint of inferiority.
His words were crude and lacked logic, but they seemed to hit home, striking a truth.
Chen Liuhe asked, "Since life is so tough? Why do you cling on? Life facing the yellow earth with your back to the sky doesn't seem so bad."
Huang Baiwan grimaced. "Here, at least I can struggle. I can feel that I'm still alive. If I went back, I wouldn't even have the chance to struggle. If I can't live a dignified life, at least I want to live a human-like life, not just like a dog."
Huang Baiwan took a small sip of the fiery white liquor. "I've endured a lot of hardship and suffering over the years. But even if I die, Old Huang must die in the big city. This is not just about whether I make something of myself; to me, it's no less than a grand generational endeavor. If I can stay, my children and their children can stay. If I can't hold on and return to the mountains, then my descendants will most likely still be poor peasants facing the yellow earth with their backs to the mountains, never seeing the world beyond."
"Actually, my demands aren't high. I never dreamed of great wealth. As long as I can eat, and find a beautiful wife—not too pretty, just someone I can willingly be good to for the rest of my life," Huang Baiwan said.
Chen Liuhe listened with a smile. In his opinion, Huang Baiwan was far more lovable and respectable than many others.
Huang Baiwan let out a hiccup. "Brother Six, if you think highly of Old Huang, just tell me if there's anything I can do for you in the future. Although I don't have much ability, I can still throw my hundred-plus pounds of flesh out there and make a difference."
"Good!" Chen Liuhe nodded, teasing. "How about this: I bring myself, you bring a bowl. You're responsible for crying, I'm responsible for shouting. We find a tourist spot and become bosses together?"
Huang Baiwan was momentarily stunned, then burst into hearty laughter.
Late at night, Huang Baiwan, who was already tipsy after a few drinks, was escorted back to his room by Chen Liuhe. After cleaning up the dinner mess, Chen Liuhe didn't care if Qin Ruohan was asleep or not; he directly called her.
He didn't say much, just casually asked about the general situation of her adversaries—names, identities, affiliations, and so on. Qin Ruohan was eager to tell him everything, but Chen Liuhe barely gave her any time, ending the call after just two minutes.
Since he had decided to wade into Qin Ruohan's murky waters, Chen Liuhe naturally needed to prepare.
His reason for helping Qin Ruohan had absolutely nothing to do with pity or sympathy. It was simply because of his little sister's words: "She looks a lot like me a year ago."