After Uncle Mei hung up the phone, he turned around and told me that he had arranged to meet his friend that evening at a hotpot restaurant in town.

It was important to meet face-to-face to discuss such a significant matter, and it would also give me a chance to get to know this friend's character.

Uncle Mei told me that this person was the sixth child in his family, so he always called him Lao Liu (Old Six). Back then, the term "Lao Liu" didn't have any other connotations; it was just a simple nickname. Unlike now, when people hear "Lao Liu," they tend to think of it negatively.

Uncle Mei told me to call him Sixth Uncle and instructed me to be polite when speaking to him. He said that Lao Liu was his classmate in junior high school, but Lao Liu went on to high school while Uncle Mei entered society directly. From that point on, their lives diverged onto two completely different paths.

While waiting to meet Lao Liu, Uncle Mei and I drank tea, and he gave me a brief introduction to Lao Liu as a person.

He said that Lao Liu was very smart in school, but he wasn't the kind of bookworm who just studied all the time. He listened attentively in class, but after class, he would go out and play. You'd never see him doing homework; sometimes he would even leave his backpack in the classroom and not bring it home. But he always managed to be in the top three in the school, and sometimes he even came in first.

Besides being good at academics, he also had good relationships with teachers and classmates. The good students got along with him, and the rebellious, rowdy kids also considered him a brother.

Later, he was admitted to a key high school in the city, and he had less contact with Uncle Mei. After that, he heard that he had been admitted to a top-tier university, majoring in international trade.

Back then, university students were a rare commodity, especially those from top-tier universities. They were highly sought after, unlike now, when tens of millions of university graduates can't find jobs every year.

After graduating, Lao Liu was assigned to work as a salesman at a foreign trade company, handling business in Southeast Asia, so he often went abroad and gradually became familiar with the area.

When he was in university, Lao Liu could speak fluent English. For work, he taught himself Thai, and I heard that he can now communicate with Thai people without any barriers.

After hearing a series of stories, I sincerely admired this Lao Liu. He was truly a remarkable person, an elite talent.

However, Uncle Mei said that a few years ago, around 2000, Lao Liu quit his job at the foreign trade company and started working for himself. He didn't inquire about the specific nature of his work, but back then, the foreign trade company's salary was at least seven or eight thousand a month. Seven or eight thousand a month in the year 2000 was a very lucrative position, but Lao Liu quit without hesitation, which showed that he had found a more profitable opportunity.

As we were talking, it was already four o'clock in the afternoon. Uncle Mei and I tidied up and went out, heading to the hotpot restaurant to wait for Lao Liu to have dinner with us.

At 5:30 PM, I saw a black Mercedes-Benz pull up in front of the hotpot restaurant. At the time, there wasn't a second Mercedes in the entire town, so the car immediately attracted a lot of attention.

After the car stopped, a fashionably dressed man stepped out. He was dressed casually, with a plain gray jacket on top and loose-fitting sweatpants on the bottom, and even wearing slip-on shoes. He didn't look like the successful people on TV, who wear outfits worth hundreds of thousands, but he still exuded an air of wealth, making it clear that he was a big shot.

I asked Uncle Mei, "Uncle, is that Lao... Sixth Uncle?"

"Yeah, it should be," Uncle Mei nodded.

I couldn't help but laugh and said, "What do you mean 'should be'? Uncle, he's your old classmate. Can't you recognize him?"

Uncle Mei scratched the back of his head and said, "It's been seven or eight years since I last saw him. He's changed too much in recent years. I'm really not sure..."

Although Lao Liu had changed a lot, Uncle Mei hadn't changed much. The big shot saw Uncle Mei as soon as he entered the door and greeted him with a smile, "Da Ding!"

As soon as he heard this nickname, Uncle Mei's face turned red, and he coughed, "Lao Liu, how old are you? Can't you stop using nicknames when we meet?"

Lao Liu didn't care and pulled out a chair to sit down, saying disdainfully, "Isn't calling nicknames more intimate? What's wrong? We called each other that every day in school. Can't I still call you that now?"

I was speechless. I casually asked, "Uncle, why are you called Da Ding (Big Butt)?"

Before Uncle Mei could answer, Lao Liu chimed in familiarly, "Because your uncle had a big butt when he was in school. Back then, the school benches were long benches, and two people shared one bench. One time, your uncle sat down and lifted the girl on the other end up in the air, so we all called him Da Ding, hahaha..."

I didn't expect Uncle Mei to have such a dark history and burst out laughing on the spot.

After laughing, I quickly stood up and shook hands with Lao Liu, saying, "Sixth Uncle, it's an honor to meet you. I'm Uncle Mei's son-in-law. My name is Chen Rongsheng."

"Rongsheng, right? I heard Da Ding mention you. He said your swimming skills are even better than his, and you even rescued him from an undercurrent once!" Lao Liu said with a smile.

"Sixth Uncle, you flatter me. I'm just young and have some strength," I said with a smile.

Lao Liu patted my shoulder and praised, "Good young man, knows how to be modest. Sixth Uncle likes you. It's settled, I'm treating today. Don't try to pay the bill later."

Uncle Mei quickly shook his head and said, "That won't do. You're a guest from afar. There's no reason for a guest to treat the host to a meal."

Lao Liu retorted, "How am I a guest from afar? Da Ding, don't forget, I grew up in this town too. My roots are here."

"Forget it, you even took your parents abroad to enjoy a comfortable life. Now that you're back, you're a guest. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. I'm treating today," Uncle Mei said domineeringly.

I heard Uncle Mei say that after Sixth Uncle made money, he bought a big villa on a foreign island and took his parents to live there, and they haven't returned since.

Seeing that Uncle Mei was stubborn, Lao Liu didn't argue with him, waving his hand and saying, "Fine, fine, I won't argue with you about this. Let's order first, I'm hungry."

After saying that, he called the waiter and ordered some meat and vegetables.

Uncle Mei also ordered a bottle of good wine, and the three of us sat together, eating and drinking.

After a few rounds of drinks, Uncle Mei started to inquire about the salvage job, but he was too embarrassed to ask directly, so he was more tactful.

Raising his glass to toast Sixth Uncle, Uncle Mei asked, "Liu, what's the origin of the boat that you want us two to salvage? We two don't have as much education as you. We're both illiterate. Tell us about it, so we two can have a better understanding before we go into the water."

Sixth Uncle chuckled and nodded, "Sure, even if you didn't ask, I would have to tell you about it. This boat is a rare treasure ship, one in a hundred years!"