Chapter 107: Is it not delightful to have friends coming from afar?

  It's another autumn rainy night, many people are filled with sorrow and longing.

  Zhou Yi is now considered half a recluse, and he's quite open-minded. He doesn't know what worries are, all he loves is to lounge around in his high bed. After finishing dinner, Jin Yang Yang would twist her little butt and go find that group of Nile River ducks. Lately, her horizons have broadened, she has started to set foot among the pig herd, keep an eye on the chickens and ducks, and take care of the Tibetan black sheep at the same time.

  It's a rainy day, just right for playing with the ducks and exercising their swimming skills. Jin Yangyang has already set his sights on a fish king in Jianma Lake, and is plotting to catch it. According to Zhou Yi's estimate, this fish king weighs at least 100 kilograms. Jin Yangyang had encountered it twice before, but was unable to defeat it, and is now seething with anger.

  Zhou Yi let it go and went to the second floor, opened the bamboo window, looked at the hazy Xiamen Lake in the rain, listened to the sound of rain hitting the bamboo window and tiles, lay down on the bed with excellent elasticity, covered himself with a quilt, this comfort is beyond words.

  The only thing missing is a beast-head incense burner in front of the bed, and a little boy who can say "My master is still sleeping" to Liu Da's ears. Hmm, Yezi is not young anymore, after raising her up, combing a double buns on her head, this temperament will be just right.

  Zhou Yi lay in bed, lost in thought for a while, and soon fell into a dreamland. In his dreams, he saw Jin Yangyang battling the Fish King at Sword Horse Lake, and then saw Liu Xuezhu radiant and gentle, leaning against him. He slept soundly until the next morning, even the loud calls of the North American wild turkey couldn't wake him up.

  It was a sudden and urgent phone call that broke his sweet dream, Zhou Yi answered the phone in a daze and said gruffly: "Who is it?"

  "Mr. Zhou hasn't gotten up yet? Tsk, tsk, tsk, why don't we farmers have such good fortune like you? Mr. Zhou, don't be angry, I didn't mean to disturb you, but your Golden Boy brought those blue-headed ducks and took away our ducks again today."

  "Uh, sorry about that, I'll definitely scold that pig severely when I get back."

  Zhou Yi had just hung up the phone. Then several phones came in a row, and they were all fellow villagers coming to report. Jin Yangyang has been making trouble recently, not only did he steal chickens and ducks from many families, but also brought those African red river pigs everywhere, causing trouble and hurting many people's pigs, and it seems that the war is about to spread to Liu Li Louzi and other villages.

  "You're a good one, Jin Yangyang! You've made me and my brothers unable to sleep well. Just you wait and see how I'll deal with you!" Zhou Yi was so angry that he had already thought of many ways to punish him, including locking him up, spanking him, and using wax candles and ropes to tie him up... this Jin Yangyang was beyond salvation.

  "Scrambled eggs with rice"

  "Ah, Elder Sister Wang, why are you calling again? Didn't I say that I would severely punish that pig? Rest assured, the injuries of your family's pigs will be taken care of by me."

  "Haha, I'm telling you, Zhou, is this a pig's temper? Could it be that the batch of pigs sent by Manzhong Company didn't listen to your training? Don't worry, if we need to return them, it's all on me, brother."

  "Hey, is that Zhang Ge? I'm so sorry. I didn't see the phone clearly just now, and I was talking about my own family's naughty pig. What's up? You're looking for me, aren't you? Hasn't that Baozi caused some new trouble again?"

  Zhou Yi suddenly heard it was Boss Zhang and immediately burst out laughing.

  "I'm telling you, little brother, you're really a noble person who forgets things easily. Didn't we just agree on it the day before yesterday? Liu Ge and I were going to take you to the warm house today. You've been living in this Listening Wind Pavilion for a long time now, but your big brother hasn't even stepped inside yet - are you not welcoming me?"

  "Ah, Zhang Ge, you said it and today you guys really came!"

  Zhou Yi looked up and glanced out the window, seeing that it was still raining outside: "It's still raining, the mountain road won't be easy to walk on. How about we change the date?"

  "Hey, Liu and I are already halfway there. I was worried you'd still be in bed, so I called ahead of time." Zhang Zhao chuckled: "Could it be that big brother guessed correctly?"

  "Alright Zhang Ge, stop using me as an excuse, I just like sleeping in on rainy days."

  "Ha ha, that's great! Today I'll treat you two well. You've come at the right time, just in time to taste my newly brewed fine wine."

  "What! Younger brother, you still have this trick? Alright, alright, I'll definitely try it. Okay, no more talking, let's catch up when we meet again."

  "Is it not delightful to have friends coming from afar?"

  After hanging up the phone, Zhou Yi couldn't help but laugh. He thought to himself that it was great that the two big bosses had arrived, as his own finances were really tight lately. Now that these two gold masters had come, he wouldn't be able to forgive himself if he didn't make a killing, betraying the trust of the country and its people.

  This is Zhou Yi, idle people return to idle people, but who wants to treat him as a vegetarian, then even vegetarians have nothing to eat.

  The two big bosses arrived in a BMW X6, Zhang Zhao wore a long leather coat and black sunglasses, dressed like a mafia boss; Liu Ke's outfit was very elegant, wearing a Tang suit and cotton-padded jacket, still with those blue canvas shoes on his feet, standing upright in the parking lot, as if afraid that others would not know that he is frugal in private life and has plenty of kidney water.

  Zhou Yi's gaze lingered on Liu Ke's waist for a moment before sliding away, and he chuckled: "Two big bosses visiting on a rainy day, making me feel honored, thank you so much."

  "Brother Zhou, wanting to have a meal with you is really not easy"

  Liu Ke took out a long, narrow painting case from the trunk and handed it to Zhou Yi with a smile: "According to our Shandong province's custom, when visiting someone's home, one should bring their own food. But since we're both refined gentlemen, let's not follow the example of those common folks. I know you don't like valuable things, so I'll give you this calligraphy instead. It's my most prized work."

  "Haha, thanks a lot, Liu Ge"

  I'd rather hold onto Liu Ke's "masterpiece" for now, thinking to myself that actually, I really like yellow and white things. You shouldn't hide them either, if you don't like these kinds of things, what's the point of running such a big company?

  These businessmen are still a bit hypocritical. The folks from our village, Yunshui Village, are sincere. If you treat them well, they will be wholeheartedly devoted to you; they can follow you to fight and die together. If you offend them, they can scold you in front of your house for three days and three nights, this is the true flavor of human relationships!

  It turns out that Zhang Zhao is more practical. He directly stuffed a check for 300,000 yuan into Zhou Yi's hands. Zhou Yi naturally accepted it with a smile, not to mention the profits brought by his own pickled vegetables, which are countless times of 300,000 yuan, this amount of money is not much.

  Zhou Yi invited the two to go up Mount Fuji together. The two were also seasoned and knowledgeable, and the red walls and green tiles of the Moon Gate and the exquisite artificial hill screen on the road did not surprise them much. However, Zhou Yi's purple bamboo forest in the misty rain rendered this world as if it were a fairyland, making Liu Ke couldn't help but praise repeatedly, saying that he also wanted to set up a similar one in front of his villa.

  As for this, Zhou Yi just smiled. Zi Zhu likes water, and it must be of extremely high quality mountain spring water. For example, the Zi Zhu forest in Putuo, it was also nurtured by the extremely high-quality spring water on the island, which is the reason why 'bamboo and springs are intertwined' - where there is bamboo, there is a spring nearby, and where there is a spring, bamboo grows naturally.

  Fu Xishan, although the mountain is ordinary, it's rare to have good spring water. With Zhou Yi's planting skills, he can make this purple bamboo forest thrive. You're growing purple bamboo in your suburban villa? That's like cultivating a noble lady in a kiln, isn't that a joke? It can be seen that Liu Ke, this Confucian merchant, is also somewhat overrated, and even the literati's favorite pine and bamboo are not well understood.

  After entering Tingfeng Xiaozhu, the three of them sat in the living room and chatted for a while. Zhou Yi opened Liu Ke's letter to take a look. It was the four big characters "Tan Bo Ming Zhi" (plain and bright ambition) in running script. He didn't understand calligraphy very well either, but he thought these four characters were quite beautifully written, so he smiled and praised them for a few sentences. Unexpectedly, this basic courtesy made Liu Ke laugh heartily, and he was even more drawn to him as a kindred spirit.

  Just as Zhang Zhuang quietly told Zhou Yi, Liu Daliuban is extremely shrewd and has always looked down on those who like to fawn and flatter, but if someone praises his calligraphy, he will think that this person is very sincere and can be trusted.

  So, among the high-level executives of "Chu Feng Group", a wave of calligraphy enthusiasm has emerged, and several of them have been promoted out of grade because they became Liu Ke's "elegant friends", which is quite similar to the flavor of "King Chu loves slender waists, many starve to death in the palace".

  Zhou Yi heard Zhang Zong's words and suddenly became vigilant, thinking that he couldn't boast about Liu Ke anymore. What if he was recognized as a kindred spirit and came to his door every day to play "high mountain flowing water"? He would be annoyed to death, so he responded with a few sentences. Looking at the time, it was already past 11 o'clock, so he invited the two of them into the dining hall.

  Originally, Zhou Yi was going to let the two big bosses enter 'Rich First in the World', and Zhang Zuo was very satisfied. However, Liu Ke took a few glances and said that the copper smell here is too strong, and insisted on changing to another hall, finally choosing 'Bamboo Forest Quiet Seclusion'.

  This hall is the largest of the three dining halls, with an area of nearly one hundred square meters. Almost half of the floor space is not paved with tiles, and a few clumps of purple bamboo are planted on the exposed land. Amidst the purple bamboo, there is a six-sided flying eave pavilion, which is unique in its craftsmanship and has a different flavor compared to 'Shi Tan Ming Yin'.

  Liu Ke was extremely satisfied, and as soon as he sat down in the pavilion, he burst out laughing: "Zhou younger brother, I came here today despite the rain just to taste your culinary skills as a food consultant. Don't disappoint me!"

  "What?" Zhou Yi's expression changed, and he turned his head to glance at Zhang Zhuang.

  "Zhou, little brother, don't be impatient, listen to me explaining"

  Zhang Zuo smiled and said, "That's the way it is. Our company still lacks the strength to go public, so Liu's Chu Feng Group has invested in our company. Now Liu is also a major shareholder, according to the rules, I shouldn't keep him in the dark."

  "Old Zhou, you're really a hidden talent. To be honest with you, I've had your pickled mustard greens from heaven and they were incredibly delicious. This time, you have to get me some more or else old brother here will lose his appetite for meals."

  Liu Ke was a mature person, and he smiled at the right time: "Younger brother, you are a noble man who likes to hide in the mountains and forests, not seeking fame or fortune. You are indeed a model for us writers. I admire you endlessly, don't worry, I will definitely keep your secret."

  After hearing them, Zhou Yi's face looked a bit better, and he smiled: "Actually, there's nothing to keep secret, I just didn't want to bother. Alright, you two sit down, I'll go get some food."

  "Alright, alright, Brother Zhou, don't worry, we'll wait slowly."

  "Hehe, no need to wait, it'll be fine soon." Zhou Yi's mysterious smile.

  "Really soon?"

  Two guys who had made up their minds to come and freeload looked at each other in dismay, thinking "Have we both prepared for this?"

  As expected, it didn't take long for Zhou Yi to come in with a lacquered tray. The two of them stretched their necks to take a look and couldn't help but furrow their brows. Zhang Zuo hadn't said anything yet, but Liu Ke already had an expression of discontent on his face.

  Originally there was no wine or dishes on this tray, just three bowls of green porridge and a plate of pickled radish.

  This pickled radish is indeed a delicacy. The congee looks quite extraordinary too, but no matter how extraordinary this congee and dish are, they're still just rice porridge with salty vegetables. Is this really the way to treat guests?

  Not to mention that they are big bosses with status, even ordinary people going to warm up a friend's house shouldn't be treated like this. Who is Liu Ke? He is the chairman of one of the top 500 companies in the country, worth tens of billions, and has been to the People's XX Hall several times, when did he ever receive such slow treatment?

  If it weren't for Zhou Yi being a weirdo he had befriended, he would have probably flipped the table already.

  "Zhou younger brother, what's with this?"

  Zhang Zhuo made a sour face and stole a glance at Liu Ke, hesitating to say: "No dishes are fine, but you said there's private brewed good wine, why isn't it visible? Younger brother, Liu Ge and I braved the heavy rain and entered the mountain just to warm your house."

  "Hehe, I think you two brothers have misunderstood."

  Zhou Yi smiled and put down the tray, saying: "I haven't prepared any dishes here, and this wine isn't for drinking now; this bowl of porridge is just to warm your stomachs first, because where we're going later, it's extremely cold and windy, but if you don't go there, you won't be able to eat the most delicious food."

  As he spoke, Zhou Yi picked up his own bowl of 'Green Jade Fragrant Congee' and took a sip: "You two brothers, hurry up and eat! If the congee gets cold, it won't taste good."

  "Not eating here, but going to a desolate and rainy place for exquisite food?"

  Liu Ke was taken aback at first, and his eyes slowly lit up: "Young Master Zhou, are you going to make a fresh move?"

  "Haha, Liu Ge really has vision"

  Zhou Yi loved to use good food to lure people, and he felt especially pleased with himself. So the more curious Liu Ke became, the less willing Zhou Yi was to say anything, wanting to take advantage of this opportunity to swindle Boss Liu badly, using freshness as a bait.

  "Good! As expected, Zhou is indeed one of a kind. I'm looking forward to it."

  Liu Ke's heart was cleared of all worries and he felt great, picked up the small bowl and took a sip of porridge, suddenly his whole body stiffened.

  "Good, good congee!"

  Before he had even finished speaking, Zhang Zhuang had already drunk all the porridge: "It's so delicious! Brother Zhou, what kind of rice is this? Where did you buy it?"

  "Really? I've never had this rice before either?"

  Liu Ke took a sip and quickly finished the rice porridge in his bowl. He grabbed Zhou Yi's arm and said, "Brother Zhou, is this rice grown by yourself? Can you give some to your elder brother?"

  "It's a good harvest, but I don't even have enough for myself, so there's no way I'll sell it."

  Zhou Yi smiled and shook his head decisively.

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