In the fiery red era of the heavens, refrigerators are refreshed daily.

Chapter 28. Childhood Friends Gathering
The lid opened in my mind—

Inside, everything was neatly arranged, with not a single one of those dark brown flakes, their color as warm and lustrous as jade, still intact!
The 3.2 grams I took out yesterday and gave to Tang Jianhong are as if they never left!

An overwhelming ecstasy swept through his body like an electric current, almost making him lose his balance!
Refreshed daily?

This idea cleaved through the fog like lightning!

He delivered the drunken chicken and braised pork knuckle yesterday evening, and it's morning now, more than twelve hours later... Is it refreshed according to the calendar day? Or is it reset at midnight?
Yang Guangming took a deep breath, the air, mixed with the smell of rust and moss from the abandoned factory, filled his lungs, yet it gave him an unprecedented sense of peace and warmth.

If all the items in the refrigerator could be automatically replenished every day... what would that mean?
It means an inexhaustible supply of resources!
In an era of extreme scarcity of resources and rationing, this meant unimaginable wealth and confidence!

This means he will never have to worry about food and clothing again, and can even easily achieve a certain kind of "financial freedom"!
Even if he does nothing, the daily updates of this "treasure trove" are enough to make him and his family live a much more comfortable life than others in this vibrant era.

After the initial shock came a deeper calm. This secret, more deadly than the rhinoceros horn itself, had to remain buried deep inside.

Since things can be refreshed, there's no need to be so stingy!
A hint of arrogance flashed in Yang Guangming's eyes. That Tiger Head fellow had an appetite like a bull, and his stomach was usually lacking in oil and fat. Yan Jun looked thin, but he also craved meat.

With a slight thought, he instantly selected several substantial cooked foods from the refrigerator's crisper drawer:

A plate of braised beef with a bright red color and a good balance of lean and fat;
A large, glistening roast goose with crispy skin and tender meat;

A box of neatly arranged, richly flavored braised duck gizzards;
In addition, there was that box of crystal-clear drunken chicken that reappeared.

With a thought, the four main dishes were taken out.

He was prepared; he took out several sheets of thick oiled paper and a brand-new nylon mesh bag from another pocket. He quickly wrapped the various meats in the oiled paper, tied them tightly, and then stuffed them all into the mesh bag.

With the heavy net bag in hand, the rich aroma of mixed meat immediately filled the air, even suppressing the dusty smell in the alley.

Yang Guangming carried a fragrant net bag and walked towards the small park. As he approached the old sycamore trees at the park entrance, he paused.

His gaze fell on the nearly new Shanghai-brand watch he had just bought on his left wrist: five minutes to eleven.

Wearing this on my wrist now is hard to explain to my two childhood friends. I can fool my family with an excuse about being a classmate, but it's not appropriate to fool these two.

He quickly glanced left and right to make sure no one was watching, took off his watch, and with a slight thought, the heavy, reassuring feeling on his wrist vanished instantly.

The Shanghai watch now lay quietly in a corner of the refrigerator. Only a faint mark remained on its wrist, which quickly disappeared.

After doing all this, he casually quickened his pace and headed towards the agreed location.

From afar, two familiar figures could be seen waiting under the dense shade of the sycamore trees.

The one on the left, short and thin, wearing brand-new, clean blue overalls, is Yan Jun. He has fair skin and delicate features, but a layer of melancholy hangs between his brows, making him appear somewhat silent.

He was carrying an old kraft paper bag with the words "Huguang Food Factory" printed on it, with a few golden-yellow fried dough sticks sticking out of the bag.

The one on the right is like an iron tower, towering half a head above Yang Guangming. He has broad shoulders and wears an old undershirt with several patches, revealing bulging arm muscles.

He had a square face, thick eyebrows, and big eyes, and exuded a fierce aura. He was none other than Chu Dahu, nicknamed "Tiger Head".

At his feet lay a bulging cloth bag, and in his hand he clutched half a half-eaten grain bun. "Mingming!" Chu Dahu, with his sharp eyes, spotted him first. He grinned, revealing his white teeth, and waved vigorously, his voice booming like thunder, "Here! Here!"

Yan Jun also raised his head, forced a smile on his face, nodded at him, and his eyes showed some fatigue and worries.

Yang Guangming strode over and held up a heavy, fragrant net bag in front of the two of them: "Sorry, sorry to have kept you waiting! Here, I brought some 'good stuff'!"

The rich aroma of mixed meat instantly overwhelmed the smell of fried dough sticks and steamed buns.

Chu Dahu's eyes lit up instantly, like a hungry wolf spotting meat, and he sniffed the air exaggeratedly.

"Oh my! What's that smell? It smells amazing! You stingy little thing, why are you being so generous today? Did you really strike it rich?"

As he spoke, he couldn't wait to reach into the net.

Yan Jun was also visibly startled by the aroma. Looking at the bulging oil paper packets in the net bag, and then at Yang Guangming, his handsome face was full of surprise:
"Mingming...you...you brought this back from a restaurant??"

His calculating nature immediately led him to assess the value of the bag of items, which he found incredible.

Yang Guangming chuckled and mumbled, "Mom knew we were all together today, so she insisted on giving this to me, saying it'd be a good meal for Hutou. Come on, let's find a quiet place to eat, my stomach's rumbling!"

Without further delay, the three ventured deep into the park, finding a secluded corner with a stone table and benches. The area was shady and filled with the incessant chirping of cicadas, but it was also quite quiet.

The net bag was opened, and the four oil paper packages were untied one by one.

The braised beef has distinct marbling and is glistening with oil; the roast goose has golden and crispy skin with glistening fat; the braised duck gizzard has a deep, savory sauce and a fragrant aroma; and the drunken chicken has smooth skin, tender meat, and a rich, wine-like fragrance.

"Gulp..." Chu Dahu swallowed hard, his eyes wide open. "Mother's winter vegetables! Mingming, are you celebrating the New Year at home?"

He could no longer resist. He stretched out his large, fan-like hand, tore off a thick, fatty goose leg, took a big bite, and didn't bother to wipe the grease dripping from the corner of his mouth, mumbling a praise:
"It smells amazing! It's fucking delicious! A hundred times better than the meat buns in our school cafeteria!"

Yan Jun looked at the abundant meat in front of him, his Adam's apple bobbing, but he didn't wolf it down like Chu Dahu.

He carefully picked up a small piece of braised beef, put it in his mouth and chewed it slowly, feeling the long-lost aroma of meat melt on his tongue, a satisfied yet complicated expression on his face.

He pushed the fried dough sticks he had brought to the center of the table: "I brought some fried dough sticks, they're still crispy, you can try some too."

Yang Guangming also picked up a duck gizzard, eating as he called out, "Eat, eat as much as you want! There's plenty to go around today!"

All that remained around the stone table were the sounds of people enjoying their food.

Chu Dahu devoured his food with gusto, his mouth greasy and emitting satisfied sighs from time to time. Yan Jun ate more slowly, but his hands never stopped moving, clearly also craving it.

Looking at his two childhood friends, Yang Guangming felt a surge of joy, stemming from the secret of the refreshed refrigerator, which he found an outlet for, manifesting in the hearty meal before him.

With oil and water in my stomach, my tense nerves relaxed.

(End of this chapter)