I practice martial arts by adding skill points in modern city-Chapter 607: 【195】Martial Arts Rhythm, South Pacific Anomaly_3

The women my age dislike my job for not being prestigious enough; it doesn't have the honor or face value like being a big boss or a civil servant, 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

while I, on the other hand, dislike women my age for being unattractive, poorly shaped, having too many exes, and not being young enough,

I want to find a college student in her twenties, of course, I know I'm being delusional, but what man doesn't like youth?"

Liang Kuan chuckled, showing a smile that every man understands.

Wang Longhu nodded indifferently, without saying much.

"You guys sit down, I'm going to cook, Ah Bao, I'm out of beer here, go grab two cases of Budweiser, bring a bonus as well."

With seafood in hand, Liang Kuan shouted loudly at someone as he walked into the kitchen.

Those who had nothing to do found a vacant seat each, either chatting or smoking and scrolling through Douyin.

Wang Longhu, not being very familiar with them, sat by himself and started scrolling through Green Bubble's Moments.

That's when he realized many of the girls he knew from middle school and high school had brought their boyfriends home for New Year this year.

Wang Longhu couldn't help but sigh, time really flies.

People his age have already started taking the first step towards the marriage altar.

"Hey, did you guys hear, there was an incident recently over in Chang Keng."

Just as Wang Longhu was lamenting the swift passage of time, a man next to him suddenly spoke up.

Perhaps finding Douyin boring, everyone instantly focused their attention, looking over intently.

"What incident?"

"Tell us quickly."

Wang Longhu listened curiously, quietly.

"Just last month, wasn't Chang Keng digging the mountain? A soil worker went there, his men dug up a giant snake six or seven meters long,

later those people encountered problems, some fell mysteriously ill, some acted like insane or demented, even the soil boss ran into trouble."

The person spreading gossip was called Ah Hui; Wang Longhu knew him.

Back in middle school, he was a guy who loved chasing girl classmates, relying on his numerous acquaintances outside school, plus despite being ugly, he was eloquent with thick skin.

He was somewhat of an extraordinary character.

"Ah Hui, keep going." someone urged.

Ah Hui peeled seeds and said mysteriously: "The snake was taken by some people above, but with so many weird things happening afterward, the soil boss called several masters hoping to solve the issue,

the masters were doing rituals over at Chang Keng, for several weeks, but in the end, nothing came of it. It's said the soil team is still stuck there, claiming they killed the Mountain God's wife and the Mountain God is taking revenge on them."

"Is it true? It sounds so mystical." someone doubted.

But soon someone chimed in in agreement: "It should be true; I passed by Chang Keng last month; they don't let people in, saying they are looking for something."

"In our little Dong County, there's a Mountain God, is it true? No matter how you hear it, it doesn't seem very real."

"Would I lie to you? You go to Chang Keng now and have a look, they won't let you in the place at all."

Wang Longhu listened to these people chatting, contemplating.

He heard elder people mention these few meters long snakes before.

But it was all hearsay; he never thought he'd hear about a true incident today.

Soon, over there, Liang Kuan finished preparing a table full of seafood.

The seafood style in Dong County emphasizes pure natural flavor; not much seasoning is added to avoid affecting the freshness of the seafood.

For example, yellow croaker is at most steamed with scallion oil.

Then squid, cuttlefish, hairtail, mantis shrimp, sea snails, all steamed and dipped in soy sauce vinegar.

This way, the seafood is enjoyed in its original flavor.

A group of people gathered at the table, pouring drinks, eating and drinking as they shared all the gossip, news, and their own stories they heard throughout the year.

Some drank too much and started revealing the difficulties and hardships in their lives.

For example, someone likes a girl his age, but she doesn't see his family background as worthy enough to interact with him.

Or the family owes money, borrowed hundreds of thousands in loans, and every month they worry about making payments.

Basically, it's not enough to cover expenses, all the money earned throughout the year is used to pay off debts, even spending New Year without buying new clothes.

Or some people have parents who are ill at home, no money for treatment, just dragging on or borrowing money, using online crowdfunding.

All in all, they narrate life's struggles with rice, oil, and salt.

These words made Wang Longhu listen with immense feeling; this is real, worldly life.

True worldly life is not heart-rending love affairs, love lost and unattained.

Nor is it big feasts, revelry, only a few can live such a lifestyle.

Most ordinary people still worry about aspects of life: food, clothing, housing, and transportation.

Unmarried people worry about earning too little money, not owning a car or house, weak personal conditions.

Married people worry about how to raise children, milk money, diapers, baby nutrition; all major concerns.

Those who aren't good at making money face all these problems, wishing they could spend one dollar as two.

But that's not the scariest part; now, the post-90s are approaching thirty, some almost thirty.

Their parents are in their fifties and sixties, naturally not as healthy as before; once ill, the expenses are hard to predict.