My wife and I are both time travelers.

Chapter 142 Speaking
After saying a few words of reflection, Lao Wen suddenly remembered something, squatted down, and began to pack his things.

"Brother Wen?"

"Come on! Help me pack these things."

"What's going on? You've taken the goods and you're not doing business anymore?"

"Why bother with business? Your return is a joyous occasion. When can't we do business? Hurry! Help me pack this up. We're going to Fengyang Road to find Aqing. He doesn't know you're back yet," Old Wen said to Zhou Jiye.

Zhou Jiye was both amused and exasperated, but seeing that Lao Wen had already started packing up his things, he understood that it was impossible for Lao Wen to continue setting up his stall in peace. Besides, he really wanted to meet Xu Guoqing as soon as possible so that the brothers could have a proper reunion and chat. As for setting up the stall, he could just take a day off for now.

They helped out and quickly tidied up the stall, packed the goods into bags, and rolled up the oilcloth that was spread on the ground.

"Brother Wen, what time is it and you're already closing up shop?" A stall owner nearby couldn't help but ask.

"My brother is back!" Old Wen said cheerfully. "Take a day off today, this place is yours for now."

"Oh, thank you so much, Brother Wen. I'll help, I'll do it." The stall owner next to him was overjoyed. Old Wen's stall was the best one in the market, and it was also very spacious. It was only a little past nine o'clock and Old Wen was already closing up shop. He would be given this spot temporarily for the rest of the day, which was great.

Lao Wen and Zhou Jiye took their things, retrieved their bicycles, and then left Xigong, heading towards Fengyang Road.

Half an hour later, they arrived at Fengyang Road.

This area is close to the famous Nanjing Road, which is also a bustling intersection in the city center. However, compared to Xigong, the stalls on Fengyang Road were converted from the vegetable market, or rather, a combination of both.

Every morning around eight o'clock, after the vegetable market closes, temporary stalls are set up here. The entire street, which is not very long, is lined with clothes such as jeans and bell-bottoms, as well as other goods from the south.

Xu Guoqing and A Ming's stall was naturally the best one, and business was booming. When Zhou Jiye and Lao Wen arrived, Xu Guoqing and A Ming were busy selling goods and didn't notice them at all.

"Aqing! Aqing!" Old Wen shouted at the top of his lungs as he stopped the car.

"Why are you here?" Xu Guoqing asked, puzzled. Shouldn't Lao Wen be in the West Palace at this time? Why was he here? But when he looked up, he saw a big guy standing next to Lao Wen, smiling at him. Wasn't that Zhou Jiye?
Startled, Xu Guoqing blinked in disbelief. Just then, Lao Wen, pulling Zhou Jiye along, arrived and pointed at Zhou Jiye, saying to Xu Guoqing, "Look who's here! Who's back!"

"Cena!"

Xu Guoqing blurted out instinctively, dropping what he was holding and rushing out. He grabbed Zhou Jiye's arm tightly with both hands, looking him up and down with a look of ecstatic joy on his face.

"You...you're finally back? When did you get back?"

"Haha, I knew it, Aqing would say that when he sees you." Old Wen joked with a laugh. Zhou Jiye didn't say anything, but hugged Xu Guoqing tightly and nodded vigorously, saying, "It's me! I'm back. I'm sorry to have worried you, Brother Aqing."

"It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back." Like Lao Wen, Xu Guoqing nodded repeatedly with tears in his eyes. At this moment, A Ming, who was standing next to him, was also surprised to see Zhou Jiye. A Ming knew Zhou Jiye. You know, A Ming went with him when he went south last time. He knew about Zhou Jiye's disappearance later, but he was not very familiar with Zhou Jiye.

"Brother Ye!" Amin greeted him politely from the side. Zhou Jiye looked him over. It seemed that this kid was doing well following Xu Guoqing. He was dressed very fashionably now, his face was less pale than before, and he had gained a confidence that he had never had before.

"Come on, let's find somewhere to talk." Xu Guoqing was overjoyed to see Zhou Jiye return, and after exchanging a few words with him, he suddenly remembered that this wasn't the place to chat. He looked around and then said to A-Ming, "Are you sure you'll be alright keeping an eye on things by yourself today?"

"Don't worry, Brother Qing, I can manage on my own!" Amin said without hesitation, patting his chest.

"Alright, my brother's back, we need to get together, so I'll leave this to you."

"Don't worry, Brother Qing, you guys go ahead with your work, I'll take care of things here!"

Xu Guoqing smiled and nodded, then asked Lao Wen to set up the things he had brought on the stall, and then beckoned Zhou Jiye and the others to leave.

The three left Fengyang Road, but Xu Guoqing couldn't think of where to go. It was still early for lunch, and the restaurants weren't open yet. They couldn't very well go to People's Park across the street, could they?
"Isn't that easy? Let's go sit with Lin Daiyu!" Old Wen suggested with a smile. Xu Guoqing slapped his forehead: "Right, right, how could I forget? Let's go! To Lin Daiyu's place. You know what, the environment there is really nice, and it's convenient for chatting. By the way, have you been there before?"

“I just got back yesterday and haven’t had a chance to go yet. Perfect timing, I’ll go check out what this coffee shop is like.” Zhou Jiye replied with a smile. The three of them rode off on their bikes, chatting as they went, and soon arrived at the place.

When Zhou Jiye arrived and saw the Violet Cafe, he immediately felt like he had traveled to the future.

This coffee shop is so similar to coffee shops in later generations in terms of both decoration and design. It is completely based on the style of the 21st century. There is almost no difference in the storefront, the shop sign, the interior decoration and the service style.

Needless to say, this must have been Lin Ying's idea; otherwise, it would never have turned out this way. Moreover, this coffee shop is doing quite well. Around ten o'clock in the morning, there were already quite a few people sitting inside, and a long queue was waiting outside a pastry window. The air was filled with an enticing aroma of coffee and pastries.

"Why are you here?" Lin Ying was busy in the shop when she heard that Zhou Jiye and the others had arrived, so she quickly came out to greet them.

"I came especially to patronize your business," Zhou Jiye said with a smile, peeking inside and asking, "Where is Uncle?"

"Uncle is busy in the back. You'll see him when you turn left after you go in."

"By the way, is there a quiet place? Brother Qing, Brother Wen, and I want to find a place to talk."

"Of course there is. Why don't you go to the back garden to talk? Brother Qing and Brother Wen have been there before. There aren't many people in the garden now, so it's perfect."

Lin Ying smiled and called a waiter to take them there. At this time, Zhou Jiye went to find Xie Xiangrong first. Xie Xiangrong already knew that Zhou Jiye had returned, but he did not expect him to come to the coffee shop so soon. He was very happy to see Zhou Jiye. Because he was busy at the moment, he did not have time to chat with Zhou Jiye for long. He said a few words and then told Zhou Jiye to go to the garden first and he would come to find him when he was free.

After exchanging greetings, Zhou Jiye went to the garden. Once there, he felt even more confident. The layout was exactly like a modern-day Shanghai coffee shop, including the garden itself. Xu Guoqing and Lao Wen were already seated nearby, waiting for him, while Lin Ying was talking to them.

"Alright, you two chat. I have some things to do at the shop. I'll bring you some snacks later, then I'll head over there." Lin Ying said this to Zhou Jiye as he approached, and then left.

After Lin Ying left, Zhou Jiye plopped down, nodded at his surroundings, and casually took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and waved it around.

A moment later, Lin Xi brought over three cups of coffee and a few desserts with a smile.

After arranging everything neatly, she even bowed and said, "Please enjoy your meal." Seeing her like this, Zhou Jiye chuckled. After seeing her off, the three of them chatted casually.

The primary topic of their conversation was, of course, Zhou Jiye's experiences over the past few months. Since his unexpected disappearance in Macun, Xu Guoqing and the others had only learned that Zhou Jiye was on a boat that night and had inadvertently followed Dafei to Hong Kong. As for what happened afterward, they only knew that Zhou Jiye had probably headed towards the city, but they had no idea what happened next.

They pressed for details about what was going on with Zhou Jiye in Hong Kong and why there had been no news for so long.

Zhou Jiye did not tell the truth about his experience in Hong Kong. He only said that after arriving in the city, he was scared and ran away after the police checked his ID. After finally getting rid of the police, he found a place to hide on Hong Kong Island. Because he had little money, he worked illegally for a while.

Luckily, he met a kind person who helped him out, and the person guaranteed him the Hong Kong ID card, which helped him get out of his predicament.

After that, Zhou Jiye gradually settled down and finally had the opportunity to call Shanghai. However, international long-distance calls between the two places were difficult to make, and public phones could only leave messages, and the call would be cut off halfway through. After making that call, Zhou Jiye used the money he had earned from his job to find a way back. Although he now had a Hong Kong ID card, returning through normal channels was very troublesome, so the most convenient way was still to sneak back by sea, just like he had gone to Hong Kong.

After some time and effort, Zhou Jiye finally found a way and managed to escape by boat. He then took a train back to Shanghai, arriving home yesterday at noon. After resting for one night, he came to visit them today.

Zhou Jiye didn't say this intentionally to conceal the truth, but rather because there were some things he couldn't tell Xu Guoqing and Lao Wen. After all, whether it was Cheng Jiandong's matter or Uncle Lin and Uncle Zhang's, these matters not only involved Hong Kong's underworld organizations, but he had also been involved in a lucrative business deal with Cheng Jiandong.

Especially the latter, which is not something to be proud of. Nobody knows when Cheng Jiandong's bomb will explode.

If this guy ever falls from grace and this matter comes to light, Zhou Jiye might get implicated. Although Uncle Zhang said that as long as he leaves Hong Kong and returns to Shanghai, even if Cheng Jiandong is arrested by the police, it won't affect Zhou Jiye, it's best if outsiders don't know about this. Once it gets out, it could cause trouble someday.

Secondly, Zhou Jiye didn't want Xu Guoqing and Lao Wen to worry too much about him, so it was better not to talk about these things. Thus, Zhou Jiye fabricated a false experience and concealed these facts. Listening to his story, both Xu Guoqing and Lao Wen believed him and couldn't help but feel sorry for his hardships in Hong Kong.

(End of this chapter)