"Fifty bucks, that cheap?" the man asked, somewhat surprised, "What if I add a meal to that? Just a home-cooked kind."

"Then just add another twenty or thirty yuan, but the meals in the village won’t be too exquisite. If you’re picky, you can go a few kilometers ahead to the town, where there are places to eat."

"This is exactly what I want, home-style dishes are comfortable to eat and cheaper. Why would I go to a restaurant?" the man said with a very satisfied smile.

"Then could you please arrange that for me, boss?"

"Sure," Li Qing responded, glancing outside.

It turned out this was a van driver who ran deliveries.

Ever since the sign went up at the entrance of the village, drivers like him would show up every now and then.

Rather than staying in hotels or eating out, they preferred the village’s communal kang beds and the surprise of not knowing what home-cooked dish they might get, much like opening a blind box.

The low prices and the overall affordability of food and lodging were the main reasons for their preference.

Li Qing asked the driver to wait a moment and stepped out onto the square to call out.

Immediately, four or five women came forward, indicating that they could host guests at their homes today.

This situation had become quite normal whenever the village saw an increase in the number of drivers taking rest stops.

But Li Qing naturally wouldn’t want to take on such a troublesome task himself.

He brought the driver over to let them negotiate on their own.

After dealing with this minor matter, Li Qing was about to go and have a thorough talk with Wu Xingxing, to probe into their next big move.

He suddenly saw two double-cab pickups pull up in front of the village store.

Three women, each with their own charm, got out of the vehicles and gathered together, murmuring to each other.

A faint smile appeared at the corner of Li Qing’s mouth.

Tian Yue’e was shopping for furniture, and it seemed like the whole group had come out for the occasion.

Yu Lan had gone too!

Li Qing walked up to them, grinning from behind, and asked, "What are you all discussing here?"

"Oh my, you scared the life out of me, you devil!" Tian Yue’e turned around abruptly and exclaimed disapprovingly.

Han Mei asked with surprise, "Qingzi, when did you get back?"

Yu Lan didn’t speak, but bashfully looked at Li Qing, her eyes brimming with affection.

"I just got back. Xingxing told me you went furniture shopping, that’s why I didn’t call to tell you specifically," Li Qing said.

"So, did you get all the furniture you needed?"

"Almost everything’s been picked out, what do you think?" Tian Yue’e asked with a beaming smile of happiness on her face.

Li Qing glanced at the tightly wrapped furniture in the truck, "It’s wrapped up so tight, all I can tell is the truck looks good."

Tian Yue’e couldn’t help but laugh, "I’ve been so busy today that I’m all muddled. Let’s go up to the house and take a look!"

"This furniture took all three of us the whole morning to choose, if you dare say it’s ugly, you’re a dead man!"

"You’ve been gone for so many days without a word; those who knew understood you were away, but those who didn’t probably thought you were dead!"

Li Qing could only let out a resigned chuckle at the sharp-tongued joker.

"Alright, then I’ll just go ahead and compliment it in advance, it must be good-looking!"

"That won’t do, your attitude doesn’t seem serious at all," Tian Yue’e protested.

"Just wait a moment, I’ll go buy a drink for the driver."

"I’ll do it!" Li Qing volunteered.

Running errands like these were especially suitable for him today.

Since he hadn’t called them before leaving home, it seemed like the women at home had some grievances, all the more reason for him to step up.

I need to hustle and take care of some small tasks.

Li Qing casually grabbed two packs of cigarettes and two bottles of drinks from the counter and handed them to Tian Yue’e.

Although the perks weren’t much, they made the two drivers quite happy.

After delivering the furniture to Tian Yue’e’s place, they not only carried it but also assembled what needed to be put together.

Once the solid wood furniture was set up, Tian Yue’e’s house instantly felt like a home.

"This bed, it’s definitely going to see some action!"

Li Qing, touching the sturdy wooden bed, exclaimed in admiration.

Tian Yue’e was just by his side, wiping the newly installed bedside table, her eyes lit up slightly upon hearing his words, "You’re actually making sense for once. I chose this bed because it’s solid enough to withstand a lot of activity."

Li Qing was immediately stunned, "Your considerations are quite practical."

"A normal bed can withstand the movements of two people, but some, you see, prefer the company of three." Tian Yue’e said with a mischievous smile, teasing Li Qing blatantly.

Li Qing walked up to Tian Yue’e with a sly smile and slapped her plump, round buttocks hard, "Feeling itchy, are we?"

"It’s itchy, it’s been itchy for days now, are you going to take care of it?" Tian Yue’e looked at Li Qing with dewy eyes and a flicker of electricity.

Li Qing glanced outside and said in a deep voice, "Wash up and wait for me tonight, I’ll take good care of you."

"Sure, but I want you to take care of me now, what to do?" Tian Yue’e asked with a giggle.

Li Qing took a look at Han Mei and others who were busy in the other rooms, "As long as you’re not afraid, I can take care of you right now."

"You rascal, hurry up and set up the mattress, tonight I’ll get cleaned up and wait for you with Yu Lan!" Tian Yue’e said, laughing coquettishly.

Li Qing felt a surge of warmth in his heart, having been away for so many days, he truly missed the women at home.

After helping Tian Yue’e assemble the furniture, it was already evening.

The group moved on to the grill stand, where they ate and barbecued on the spot, enjoying a lively dinner.

Before dinner was over, people started arriving at the grill stand.

Li Qing heard from Han Mei that business hadn’t been too good recently, but tonight was an exception.

In less than half an hour, the square was packed with trucks, and the grill stand was fully seated.

And from time to time, more customers came.

Later arrivals couldn’t even squeeze in a seat, so they took tables from their cars and started eating and drinking right by the roadside.

This sudden increase in customers kept Han Mei and the others extremely busy.

Li Qing, who was helping out and feeling dizzy from the bustle, was completely flabbergasted.

He had many plans for tonight, but why were there suddenly so many customers?

Wasn’t business supposed to be quite slow lately?

The sky wasn’t even fully dark yet, and there was already no room at the stand...

Li Qing seriously suspected that fate was messing with him, intent on not letting him have a peaceful night.

As it turned out, today really was an auspicious day.

Customers continued to come until after midnight, when it finally quieted down.

Although they earned a fair bit, everyone was exhausted.

Looking at the time, Li Qing really felt like dying.

He wanted to comfort each of the women in the house tonight, but he just didn’t have enough time.

It was already past midnight, unless he just hit and ran.

Otherwise, even if he kept it up until dawn, he might not manage to comfort each one. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Suddenly, Li Qing realized that having too many women can also be a distressing matter.