2.Birthday

"It's okay, getting rid of the outdated equipment in the internet cafe should save some money, more or less. As long as we're frugal, it can work, barely."

Uncle Wang forced a somewhat unattractive smile.

He had no choice either. The various hardships of life had forced him to bow his head.

How could Su Mo possibly believe what he said? She shook her head and said, "Uncle Wang, there's no need to deceive me. This won't work at all. Here's what we'll do: I'll invest money in the internet cafe, and we'll renovate it with those ZR devices."

"How can that work?"

Uncle Wang replied quickly.

"It's okay. After the renovation, you can reserve a separate setup for me, and I'll drop by whenever I have time. You mentioned earlier that I'm too much of a homebody, and you don't need to feel guilty. I'll provide the money, and you provide the effort, and we'll split the profits fifty-fifty."

Su Mo settled the matter in just a few words.

"All right, I'll go draft the contract and budget. You don't need to worry; even brothers keep clear accounts."

Deep down, Uncle Wang was quite touched. How could he not understand that Su Mo was looking out for him as an elder? Although he was usually reserved, he was actually quite intelligent.

"Okay, I'll go continue collecting rent."

Su Mo waved to Uncle Wang and continued walking ahead. He had already collected most of the rent, with just two properties left.

Of course, these two were quite special, which is why he left them for last.

A moment later, carrying a burlap sack, Su Mo arrived at the entrance of a martial arts gym.

The sign of the martial arts gym was made of wood, with a shabby appearance, and the front door was covered with various small advertisements.

He pushed open the door, and his vision instantly cleared.

Rows of burly men with crew cuts, dressed in white practice uniforms, stood in formation. They kicked in unison, their kicks landing on wooden posts.

"Ha!"

The wooden posts were broken in half at the waist.

The apprentices gathered in the corner, watching with wide eyes, full of admiration.

Of course, there was some performance involved with these wooden posts.

The leading martial arts master even demonstrated Jeet Kune Do right on the spot.

The watching apprentices cheered and clapped enthusiastically.

At this moment, Su Mo walked in, carrying a snake-skin burlap sack.

Swish!

All eyes in the room were on him.

The new apprentices were somewhat pleased, feeling like they were in for a show. Who in this day and age would dare to bring a trash bag to a martial arts gym to cause trouble?

At this moment, all the burly men turned to Su Mo, simultaneously bowing and greeting him, "Senior Brother!"

The apprentices in the room were left dumbfounded and speechless. These masters of theirs turned out to be this young man's junior brothers. It all seemed quite absurd.

Su Mo waved his hand, not quite used to the attention. "Hello, junior brothers. Where's our master?"

Many of the burly men gathered around, warmly greeting him. "Our master is traveling around the world, visiting friends. But he left instructions that when you come, we should give you the rent. We're going to get it for you."

"You don't need to. How can I collect rent from our master?"

"But our master instructed us to do so."

The junior brothers in the room were feeling quite uncomfortable.

"It's all right. Just put the rent in red envelopes and distribute it to all the newcomers. Consider it a small token from me, the senior brother."

Su Mo said to the curious apprentices in the room.

"All right, since you've said so, we won't argue. Senior brother, you're carrying such a big burlap sack, it must be quite heavy. Let us help you with it."

"No need, I can handle it. By the way, when will our master be back?"

Su Mo shook his head in response.

"It's uncertain. It could be half a month, or half a year. He went to meet an old friend and assist with some special training. Do you have any business with our master?"

"Not really, I just came to visit him."

"Senior brother, I have to say, you're quite the homebody."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, indeed. We only see you once every six months."

"That's right, come back when you have free time, and sweat it out with us."

The junior brothers in the room rolled up their sleeves, showing off their muscles.

"Alright, I'll do that. Since our master isn't here, I'll be on my way."

"Take care!"

...

Su Mo continued walking outside while carrying the snake-skin burlap sack.

Before long, he arrived at the last stop. He took a deep breath and looked up at the prominent sign: Zhao's Restaurant!

The restaurant was bustling, with every seat occupied by diners. Even standing at the entrance, you could smell the rich aroma of food.

Although Zhao's Restaurant wasn't known for its decor, it was famous in the area for its delicious and affordable food.

Su Mo entered the restaurant, carrying the snake-skin burlap sack. As soon as he stepped inside, a middle-aged man with graying temples welcomed him warmly.

"Su Mo, you've finally arrived."

"Yes, Uncle Zhao, I'm here."

Su Mo nodded.

"Come, have a seat. I've been waiting for you for half a day."

Uncle Zhao kindly led Su Mo to a table near the entrance.

"Today is your birthday, and I couldn't wait any longer to find you. Since you're here, we don't need to go through the trouble. I have some good things to show you."

Before Su Mo could respond, Uncle Zhao excitedly headed to the kitchen.

He soon returned with a flowerpot covered by a clear plastic bag. He placed it in front of Su Mo and carefully removed the plastic bag.

Bright green wheatgrass leaves were revealed inside the pot. The flowerpot contained a small pot of wheatgrass.

Su Mo looked a bit surprised. "This..."

"Surprise, right? I brought this specially for you from the countryside. And there's more. Just wait."

Uncle Zhao said and rushed back to the kitchen.

Shortly afterward, he returned with a small fish tank, inside which a medium-sized perch was swimming.

"Hehe, take a look at this."

"Freshwater fish."

Su Mo replied with a faint smile.

"You're correct. This is quite tricky to get, pure and uncontaminated. And there's one more main attraction."

"Another one?"

"Of course, just wait a moment."

Uncle Zhao said and rushed back again.

After a while, he came back carrying a big rooster and joyfully said to Su Mo, "This is a three-year-old rooster. We'll prepare a delicious dish with it for you, to give you a good meal."

"Uncle Zhao, you're being too kind."

"Don't be so formal. Your grandfather isn't here, so I have to take good care of you."

"Alright, thank you, Uncle Zhao."

Su Mo didn't insist.

"That's more like it. You wait."

Uncle Zhao happily took the ingredients back to the kitchen.

Su Mo rested his chin on one hand and gazed at the familiar restaurant, lost in thought.

An hour later, Uncle Zhao brought out hot and steaming stir-fried wheatgrass, green onion-fried rooster, and steamed perch, placing them on Su Mo's table.

The aromatic scent filled the air, making the nearby diners unable to resist salivating.

"Enjoy while it's hot."

Uncle Zhao instructed with a smile.

Su Mo nodded and said, "Uncle Zhao, please bring another set of tableware and a bottle of wine."

Upon hearing Su Mo's request, Uncle Zhao was slightly surprised, but his eyes became a little teary, and he nodded.

"Alright."

As he turned to get the tableware, he couldn't help shaking his head and sighing.

"Ah..."