Electronic Nezha

Chapter 47 Rich Woman
The "Good Luck" fruit wholesale market has nearly 30 merchants, both large and small, who gathered together at stall number 7 in row 1 this afternoon, demonstrating an unprecedented level of cohesion and unity.

In a market, everyone is both a neighbor and a competitor. Although it's rare for people to fight openly for business, it's not uncommon for them to sabotage each other behind the scenes. Today is an exception; everyone is united in their hatred of the enemy, and we've never been so of one mind before.

Seeing that the generals were in high spirits, my dad wanted me, the "crown prince," to show off as well. He patted me and said, "Xiaofeng, say a few words too."

I casually said, "Don't worry, this is definitely not going to work out. Just focus on doing business honestly. My family has two stalls in the market, and I'll definitely keep an eye on things. I'll let everyone know if there's any progress on the other side."

Old Wang whispered, "Fengzi, did you get some information from Reporter Ma?"

To be honest, the first few sentences of my statement were meaningless, but the last sentence immediately made them more credible—having two stalls in the market is both a status symbol and a burden. Old Liu's eggs are all in one basket, so it's only right that he pays more attention than others.

Just as everyone was cheering again, I noticed that Zhang Biao had also sneaked into the room, peeking around and trying to find out something.

I pressed my hands together and changed the subject: "But, we have a traitor here."

A quick glance around revealed Zhang Biao to everyone, and two male traffickers grabbed his shoulders from either side.

Zhang Biao said in a panic, "Hey, hey, what are you doing? I'm a patrolman here!"

Old Sun cursed, "You traitorous bastard—Old Liu, what do you say we do about this?"

I was really afraid my dad would grab a rotten apple, smash it on the ground, and yell "Chop!" If that happened, Zhang Biao would definitely get a good beating. Yuan Yuan's words had an effect; at this critical juncture, we couldn't afford any unnecessary trouble. I shouted, "Get out!"

Zhang Biao was thrown out.

The matter was thus concluded, though no concrete solution was ultimately reached, a defensive alliance had been formed. Accompanied by Liu Xiao, Lao Wang, and Lao Sun, Old Liu toured the market, earning the widespread affection and support of the vendors. Finally, we returned to our stall.

The sun was shining brightly, and Li Ping took the opportunity to wrap herself in her military overcoat and sit by the door to enjoy the warmth of winter. When she saw my father arrive, she quickly stood up and said, "Uncle Liu is here."

My dad glanced at her and said, "You're still single?"

Li Ping said, "One is enough. Sometimes when we're too busy, Brother Liu and Brother Wang help out."

My dad said, "I mean, haven't you found a girlfriend or anything?"

Li Ping smiled and said, "Don't worry about that. I'm used to being free and independent, and I'm quite happy being alone."

My dad nodded and said to me, "Let's go to your place and cook me some noodles."

I exclaimed in surprise, "You haven't eaten?"

"I was just about to eat lunch when I received several phone calls about this, making it seem like the market was going to be shut down. I was so anxious, how could I possibly eat?"

Old Wang said, "Hurry up, ride my bike and take the old man home for dinner."

I tossed him the car keys: "No thanks, the police are cracking down hard lately, be careful."

My dad asked suspiciously, "What kind of shady things are you two doing?"

I pointed to my head and said, "Helmet! They're checking helmets!"

……

My son and I strolled all the way to the apartment complex. When we got to the fourth floor, I felt a little uneasy. Yuan Yuan could hear my footsteps and could tell how many people were there, but her judgment was still wrong. This was the last time Liu Zhenhua brought Chen Zihan home. She didn't know if the person who walked up the stairs with you would come into the house with you. I was afraid that when I opened the door, my father would see a robot that could peel sunflower seeds—yes, now I eat sunflower seeds directly, kernels, that's how extravagant I am.

Fortunately, everything was normal after I got home.

I was in a hurry to start cooking noodles, and my dad was pacing back and forth between the living room and the balcony. I secretly observed his movements, afraid he would notice something. Actually, there was nothing to notice at all. This house, which is less than 80 square meters, is now spotless thanks to Yuanyuan. It has never been this clean and tidy since it was built.

The old man walked back and forth with his hands behind his back without saying a word. When he got to the stove, he suddenly stretched out his finger and wiped it on the range hood.

Sweat beaded on my forehead as I forced a smile and asked, "Dad, what are you doing?"

"This new woman you met must be even cleaner than Han Shiya!" That's true. If this were a short drama, Han Shiya would be begging me not to leave her just from seeing how tidy this house is. (Just kidding...)

"Stop being so suspicious. Can't your son be clean?"

The old man remained silent, then sat down at the table like a child waiting for food in a boarding school.

My heart softened, and I brought over the cooked noodles and sauce. The old man mixed the sauce, took a bite, and said, "Hmm, the person making the sauce has changed too." This was the second batch of sauce that Yuan Yuan had made.

I asked, half-laughing and half-crying, "Dad, what else do you want to say?"

My dad suddenly said slowly, "Xiaofeng, you're almost forty. If you don't want to tell me, you must have your reasons. I won't force you, and I can't force you anymore. Tell me when you want to."

I can only remain silent.

"Actually, what's there to hide? It's just that your partner is fat and ugly, or worse, old. But considering her attitude towards life, I can accept it!"

I teased the old man: "Well, let me tell you the truth. I found a rich woman, who's older than you, just so I could avoid working hard for twenty years. Can you accept that?"

The old man waved his hand: "Forget it, do you think a rich woman can clean your house? Young people say they can skip twenty years of hard work, but even if you find the Queen Mother of the West, it's already too late."

That's the end of this topic.

Yuan Yuan's cooking skills are really good. The old man ate two bowls of noodles, then got sleepy and took a long nap at my place. When he got up, it was almost dark, and he said he wanted to take the bus home. But that wouldn't do, so I quickly pulled him into my car.

Because the old man was sitting right next to me, I didn't dare use Xiao Wu's car and drove it myself.

My dad said, "Xiaofeng, you gave those people at the market this afternoon a guarantee. Was it just a casual remark, or do you know some inside information?"

Before I could speak, he continued, "To be honest, I'm not sure about this. Those southerners are talking about setting up unmanned supermarkets, but I don't understand any of it. That's the scariest thing. Technology changes every day these days. When we first started using mobile payments, your mother and I thought it was just something new and exciting, but now we don't carry cash anymore. Will those unmanned supermarkets really bankrupt the fruit market?"

I said seriously, "No."

"I'm not afraid if we can't. We'll just ride our tricycle to different neighborhoods to sell them. I did the same thing when I was young. No matter how advanced technology is, there are always people it can't reach, and there are always people who hate the hassle. Your dad isn't old yet—"

I interrupted him and said, "Even if you're not old, I definitely can't let you drive a tricycle. You can just come with me and enjoy the good life from now on."

My dad is quite handsome. After pondering for a while, he suddenly said, "You didn't actually find a rich woman, did you?"

……

When I got back into the car after dropping my dad off at home, Xiao Wu couldn't wait to borrow a mouth from our radio host and said, "Oh my god, I'm so bored! Can I talk now? What's this unmanned fruit supermarket? Who wants to do it? With the current level of AI, can it even be done? Is he out of his mind or did I hear him wrong?" He had the feeling of a wild beast being released from its cage and running wild.

"Go ahead and drive your car. You're quite curious."

As the city lights began to twinkle, we were driving home when an unknown number called.

When I answered the phone, a man with a southern accent said bluntly, "Mr. Liu, I heard you're going to be my enemy?"

(End of this chapter)