Chapter 95: Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap-hiss!!!

After filling two teacups with hot water and shutting the door, the two of them once again entered the space.

The mutton soup and roasted lamb ribs were ready. Zhou Sinian instinctively went to serve the soup, while Ming Dai grabbed six steamed buns.

There was no time to make flatbreads, so they had to make do with steamed buns instead.

They started their meal by soaking a piece of bun in the delicious mutton soup.

The two ate with their heads down, completely absorbed in the food. Fresh mutton needed very few seasonings to become fragrant and tender, while the charred and crispy lamb ribs had a unique flavor. It was truly satisfying!

After the meal, Ming Dai made sure Zhou Sinian took a bath and brushed his teeth. Only after confirming that there was no lingering odor did she finally allow him to leave.

Zhou Sinian, however, was unhappy about being forbidden from using his rose-scented body wash. He fiddled with the small floral strap on his backpack, refusing to leave.

Ming Dai sighed helplessly. “Big brother, you can’t sleep here. If we do, we’ll be arrested for being indecent!”

Zhou Sinian blinked. “But we’ve slept together before.”

Ming Dai: Nonsense! I did no such thing!

“That was in the shed! There was a pile of firewood between us, dividing the space into two separate rooms. Plus, Sister Dalian was there too, so it doesn’t count as being in the same room. Remember this—I have never slept with you!”

Zhou Sinian frowned in confusion. “Then why are you making me sleep with them? Why can’t you go instead? I don’t want to sleep with them. They stink!”

Ming Dai rubbed her temples. “I’m a woman, big brother! A woman can’t sleep in the same room as men!”

Zhou Sinian, looking pitiful, asked, “Then can I be a woman?”

Ming Dai snapped, “No!”

Zhou Sinian looked heartbroken. Carrying his large backpack, he shot Ming Dai a look as if she were some heartless scoundrel.

Taking a deep breath, Ming Dai picked up the blanket they had brought. “Fine, I’ll walk you back!”

Only then did Zhou Sinian reluctantly follow Ming Dai to the room where Liu Dazhu and the others were staying.

After knocking on the door and stepping inside, Ming Dai saw that there was now an extra bed in the room. The brigade leader had specially requested it for them.

Zhou Sinian was displeased. As soon as he entered, he stood by the door with a sullen face, glaring at the four men inside, who didn’t dare to say a word.

Liu Dazhu and Liu Qingmin exchanged glances, both feeling that the night ahead did not bode well for them.

Ming Dai placed the blanket on the empty bed in the corner, then tugged on Zhou Sinian’s sleeve and took out two White Rabbit milk candies for him. “You’ll sleep here tonight. Eat these first, then go wash up. Tomorrow morning, I’ll take you to the state-owned restaurant for steamed buns.”

Zhou Sinian took the candies, his mood improving slightly. He touched the familiar blanket on the bed, then obediently nodded and sat down to eat the candy.

Ming Dai let out a sigh of relief before turning around to face the four men huddled nervously in the corner.

“Uncle Brigade Leader, how did the discussion about delivering vegetables go?”

Liu Dazhu cautiously sat on the edge of the outermost bed and lowered his voice. “It’s all set. Tomorrow morning, we’ll deliver half of the produce first. Once the leaders have eaten, the head chef will negotiate the purchase arrangements. To build a good relationship with the chef, we also gave him half a jin of chives and two jin of mushrooms. We’ll deduct that from the accounts later.”

Ming Dai nodded. “Got it. Thanks for your hard work, Uncle. I’ll go rest now.”

She turned back to Zhou Sinian, who was quietly eating his candy. “Zhou Sinian, don’t forget to brush your teeth later.”

Zhou Sinian nodded to show he understood.

Under the reluctant gazes of the four men, Ming Dai opened the door and left.

The four of them sat on the bed closest to the door, carefully watching Zhou Sinian inside the room.

He chewed on his candy, carefully smoothing out the wrinkles in the candy wrapper with his fingers before neatly tucking it into his shirt pocket.

After finishing his candy, Zhou Sinian got up, opened his large backpack, and took out his toiletries one by one.

When the four men saw the two brand-new enamel wash basins and two different towels, their jaws dropped.

It was only after Zhou Sinian left the room to brush his teeth that the four finally dared to take a deep breath.

Liu Dazhu sighed with amazement. “Even a madman has two wash basins… Our whole family shares just one!”

Liu Qingmin’s eyes fell on the towel inside the madman’s backpack. “That’s a Double Happiness towel! My Miao is about to get married, and you can’t find these anywhere. But somehow, the madman has one!”

Liu Laosan touched the gap in his front teeth and muttered, “Was that toothpaste in the madman’s enamel cup? I’ve only seen that once at the county supply and marketing cooperative.”

Liu Guoqiang nodded. “Yeah, it’s toothpaste. Our commune only has tooth powder. It must belong to Xiao Ming.”

The four men sighed. Xiao Ming sure had it tough—everything good had been snatched up by the madman.

If they ever found out that the Double Happiness towel was actually used by the madman to wipe his feet, they probably wouldn’t be able to accept it.

Meanwhile, in the next room, Ming Dai took out a basket and counted stack after stack of cash, grinning so wide that her mouth almost couldn’t close.

That night, after Zhou Sinian lay down to sleep, the other four men hesitated for a long time before finally crawling into bed.

Every little sound made their hearts pound, especially Liu Dazhu, who was sleeping closest to Zhou Sinian’s bed.

He curled up under the blanket, too afraid to sleep. He endured until midnight, but eventually, exhaustion overcame him, and he buried his head under the covers and dozed off.

“Mmm~~~ mmm~~~ mmm~~~!!!”

A muffled snoring sound filled the room. Soon, Liu Qingmin, on the next bed, joined in, creating a duet. Before long, Liu Guoqiang and Liu Laosan followed suit, snoring in harmony.

Unlike the others, Liu Laosan’s snores had a peculiar rhythm: “Mmm~~~ hiss! Mmm~~~ hiss hiss hiss!”

The noise grew louder and louder, their snoring rising and falling like an orchestra. Sometimes it was a duet, sometimes a trio, with Liu Laosan’s hissing snores adding a rap-like beat to the mix.

Zhou Sinian’s face darkened as he sat up straight in bed, staring at the four sleeping figures.

They, however, were lost in sweet dreams, completely at peace.

Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap-hiss!!!

Zhou Sinian, who had never learned the meaning of patience, decisively got up and, in the darkness, landed a solid slap on each of the four men. His precision in both placement and strength was nothing short of fair and just.

Liu Dazhu clutched his face in horror, staring at Zhou Sinian, who casually returned to bed as if nothing had happened. His cheek stung, but oddly enough, deep inside, he felt a strange sense of relief—like he had finally been expecting this moment all along.

The other three men also shrank under their blankets, not daring to move.

They didn’t even know what had happened—one moment they were asleep, and the next, they were abruptly awakened by a sharp sting on their faces.

After waiting for a while and seeing that Zhou Sinian made no further moves, the four cautiously tried to sleep again.

Then, the snoring quartet resumed.

Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap-hiss!!!

Throughout the night, this pattern repeated three times. Eventually, Liu Qingmin figured out that their snoring was disturbing Zhou Sinian.

From then on, none of them dared to sleep. They lay stiffly in bed, waiting for the sunrise.

Liu Dazhu sighed internally: Some expenses just can’t be spared… We should’ve booked three separate rooms! Boohoo!

The next morning, Ming Dai woke up early to wash up. As soon as she opened the door, she was startled to see the four men squatting outside.

Surprised, she asked, “Uncle, why are you all up so early?”

Liu Dazhu: Because we barely slept at all!

“Haha, we’re getting older, so we don’t need much sleep. You go freshen up—we’ll start loading the vegetables onto the cart.”

Ming Dai stepped aside to let them in, then glanced at the still-closed door next to her. Shaking her head, she headed to the water room to wash up.

By the time she finished and returned, she happened to see Zhou Sinian.

“How did you sleep last night?” she asked.

Zhou Sinian carried his washbasin and thought for a moment. “It was bad at first, but it got better later.”

Ming Dai nodded. “Alright, go wash up first. After that, I’ll take you to the state-owned restaurant for steamed buns.”

Zhou Sinian cheerfully agreed and walked toward the water room.

Since their group had been the only ones staying overnight, Ming Dai wasn’t worried about anything happening to him. She picked up her basin and went back inside to pack up.

Once they had finished tidying up and came outside to the cart, Ming Dai finally noticed the brigade leader and the others.

Their faces were swollen on one side, and the dark circles under their eyes were practically dragging on the ground.

“Uncle Brigade Leader! What… happened to you all…?”

Halfway through her sentence, Ming Dai stopped talking and instead turned to look at Zhou Sinian.

Zhou Sinian had just finished washing his face. He looked refreshed and full of energy, his eyes shining brightly as he eagerly waited to go eat steamed buns.

Liu Dazhu rubbed his swollen face and said, “It’s nothing, Xiao Ming. Let’s just go deliver the vegetables.”

Feeling a little awkward, Ming Dai simply nodded, tugged at Zhou Sinian’s sleeve, and climbed onto the cart.

When they reached the county government, the cart didn’t stop at the front entrance. Instead, it circled around to the back gate.

Liu Qingmin got off the cart and knocked on the back door. Soon, an elderly woman wearing an apron opened it.

“Auntie Li, we’ve got all the vegetables ready. Please pass them along to Chef Zhou.”

Auntie Li grinned as she took the vegetables. “Don’t worry, Heidan. I’ll make sure he gets them. You all stay nearby and wait, alright?”

Liu Qingmin and Liu Dazhu nodded in response, while Ming Dai struggled to hold back her laughter at hearing Liu Qingmin’s childhood nickname.

Seeing her amusement, Liu Guoqiang leaned over and whispered, “Uncle Qingmin was born small, skinny, and so dark that you couldn’t find him at night without a lamp. That’s why they called him Heidan—Black Egg.”

Ming Dai stifled a laugh. The nickname was such a stark contrast to Liu Qingmin’s usual sly and cunning demeanor.

Just then, Liu Qingmin returned just in time to hear Liu Guoqiang’s remark. He narrowed his eyes and said, “Guoqiang, I’ve been thinking… That match your aunt arranged for you doesn’t seem very suitable. Maybe you should wait another two years. I’ll have her look for someone better for you.”

Liu Guoqiang’s face instantly crumpled. “Uncle, I was wrong! I think Xiaoyun is perfect!”