Ye Longlin hadn't expected Mu Ye to come in person.
The original plan was to wait until the afternoon, after most of the dishes were prepared, before inviting them over.
After all, it was a housewarming celebration, and it naturally needed to be properly celebrated.
He hadn't expected him to just show up.
"So, you think I'm being too presumptuous? Should I leave and wait for your invitation now?"
Mu Ye chuckled and said, his smile clearly indicating he was joking.
He hadn't come for that reason. He happened to be passing by today and heard that the Commander's Mansion finally had an owner. He guessed it was them who had moved in, so he came to take a look, and also to inquire about the upcoming matters with the Martial Arts Association.
Ye Longlin smiled wryly and shook his head, not saying much.
"I was just passing by and wanted to ask about your arrangements for the Martial Arts Association. Although our Murong family is the newest among the Ten Great Families, our strength is no less than theirs. As long as you give the word, our Murong family will provide our full support!"
Mu Ye spoke as if making a pledge, which made Ye Longlin both amused and exasperated.
"Some things are trump cards."
Ye Longlin said, his gaze profound.
Mu Ye instantly understood his meaning and nodded slightly before asking with a hint of confusion, "Are you planning to go out?"
Everyone in the capital knew that the Murong family stood with Ye Longlin. When the conflict between the Martial Arts Association and Ye Longlin began, the Murong family would inevitably be targeted. At that time, they would be unable to act.
Therefore, he had come to find out what Ye Longlin's plans were.
"Yes, I'm planning to visit my master."
Mu Ye understood and nodded, then turned towards the kitchen. After taking a couple of steps, he realized he didn't know where the kitchen was, so he turned back and asked, "Uh, where's the kitchen?"
...
South City Vegetable Market.
It was normal for a vegetable market to be noisy, filled with bargaining and inquiries.
At this moment, a person wearing a long robe, who clearly didn't belong here, stood at a stall. His hair and beard were white, and he looked quite robust.
"Boss, how much for the tomatoes?"
Chen Fuzi opened his eyes and glanced at him. "Ten yuan a pound."
The inquirer's eyes widened. "Boss, you're too expensive. The ones next door are only eight yuan."
Chen Fuzi replied, "Mine are better."
"Never mind, I'll take five."
"Pack them yourself."
"..."
Seeing this, he didn't seem like someone who sold vegetables here at all. Which vegetable vendor wouldn't shout out their wares at the top of their lungs?
Just then, a woman wearing an apron walked over.
"Teacher Chen, please watch the stall for me. I'm truly sorry."
Chen Fuzi shook his head slightly and smiled. "It's nothing." He paused before continuing, "How are you and Old Lin? Are you planning to have another one?"
The woman in front of him was actually the mother of his former student. After Chen Fuzi helped them get justice, they had disappeared from his life. However, in reality, Chen Fuzi had kept in touch with them over the years.
When he returned to the capital, they invited him to dinner that very night. Since he had nowhere to stay, he ended up staying at their home.
"Forget it. I'm already old. If we have another one, I'm afraid I'll die in the hospital. Old Lin and I have discussed it. In two years, after retirement, we'll buy a house, renovate it, and then adopt a daughter from an orphanage."
Her face showed no sign of sadness, but Chen Fuzi knew that no father or mother could truly escape the pain of losing a daughter.
They were no exception.
Adopting one was perhaps the biggest compromise they could make.
"It's been so long, it's time to let go. If Xiao Xue were in heaven, she wouldn't want to see you both like this."
Chen Fuzi sighed deeply.
The woman lowered her gaze, her eyes already reddened. "Old Lin broke his leg two years ago, and it's hard for him to find work now. Although we received ten thousand in compensation, money isn't important to us anymore. Adopting is just our way of finding a reason to live.
Sometimes, Old Lin tells me that he's afraid he won't be able to go on living, that he'll reach a point where he can't bear it anymore. That's why we're planning to adopt."
Chen Fuzi remained silent, watching her teary-eyed explanation of prices to others, feeling a pang in his heart.
"The management fees for this month are due."
At that moment, a voice suddenly rang out.
From the east gate, a middle-aged man in an overcoat sauntered in, holding a loudspeaker and shouting.
The entire vegetable market fell silent for a moment, then resumed its bustling activity.
"East side pork stall, your management fee this month is one thousand eight hundred. Take a look at how dirty you've made the ground; it's not easy for us to clean it."
The bald man casually stood by the adjacent pork stall, speaking as he pulled out a receipt book, which looked quite official.
"Brother Tou, could you give me a little more time? One thousand eight hundred is really too much. Last month it was only one thousand five hundred. Look at me, I have a family to support, I can't make ends meet! I only have one thousand three hundred yuan on me. Please consider..."
This bald man was nicknamed "Baldy" and was generally called "Brother Tou."
It was difficult for them to sell their vegetables here, and this bald man was a vegetable bully.
No matter what, anyone selling vegetables here had to buy from him. And the vegetables he sold were not very good, wilting and unappealing, which led to their own vegetables selling poorly.
The best vegetables were kept for themselves, especially those that were out of season, which they then sold at inflated prices.
Even so, they had to pay management fees every month, and sometimes their earnings for a month weren't enough to cover them.
The stall vendors here changed one after another.
After listening to the woman's explanation, a cold glint flashed in Chen Fuzi's eyes.
"Do the market management department not intervene?" Chen Fuzi frowned.
The woman shook her head. "It's useless. They're all in on it together. What can ordinary people like us do? We can only endure it."
"So you haven't reported this to higher management?" Chen Fuzi asked, puzzled.
Logically, where there is oppression, there is resistance!
Hadn't they ever resisted?
"Someone tried to resist once, but they were intercepted on the road. After being intercepted, they were beaten severely. Their legs were broken, and they were locked in a cold storage. The next day, when people came, they had already frozen into ice sculptures.
Since that incident, no one has dared to resist. After all, compared to life, money isn't that important."