The sky collapsed, and in the blink of an eye, I found myself transported to Nanluoguxiang.

After leaving courtyard number 94, it was already noon.

Li Kaixin realized it had been a long time since he had eaten at a state-run restaurant, so he didn't delay and headed straight for the restaurant.

Stepping inside, Li Kaixin looked around and noticed that the state-run restaurant was unusually quiet today.

The window seats were empty except for one person eating, just like when I first came here with my younger siblings.

Li Kaixin went to the kitchen window and found the chef, Xu Dabao, lying on a chair, dozing off with his eyes half-closed.

"Brother Xu, wake up, we have a customer!" Li Kaixin reached out and knocked on the window, raising his voice.

Xu Dabao was startled awake by the noise. He looked up and saw Li Kaixin, and his face immediately lit up with a smile: "Oh! Kaixin? What a rare guest! It's been almost half a month since I last saw you, hasn't it?"

"I've been so busy with work lately, I haven't been able to find the time."

Li Kaixin responded with a smile, then pointed to the blank menu on the blackboard, a puzzled look on his face: "Brother Xu, why aren't there any dish names written on it today?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Dabao's face showed a hint of helplessness: "Don't even mention it. We've been out of meat since the day before yesterday. Right now, we only have two vegetarian dishes, so I didn't put them on the menu."

"Brother Xu, is the restaurant already in such dire straits?" Li Kaixin asked, somewhat surprised.

"Of course!" Xu Dabao sighed, peeked out of the kitchen, and seeing no one was around, lowered his voice:

"Kaixin, you have no idea how anxious Manager Wu has been these past few days, asking around for connections."

Just then, Manager Wu rushed over from the office with a warm smile on his face: "Kaixin, you've finally come to my office again."

Upon seeing this, Xu Dabao immediately fell silent and turned around, pretending to be working.

He'd seen Manager Wu lose his temper quite a bit these past few days, so he didn't dare provoke him now.

Hearing the voice, Li Kaixin turned around and looked at Manager Wu, who was still a little out of breath, and greeted him with a smile, "Uncle Wu, long time no see. You came in such a hurry, is there something you need to see me about?"

"Of course I needed to talk to you!" Manager Wu rubbed his hands together, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "I've been waiting for you today!"

Li Kaixin's smile remained unchanged as she waited for Manager Wu to continue.

Seeing this, Manager Wu quickly moved closer, his tone suggestive: "Kaixin, you're here for dinner today, right? I haven't eaten either. How about we eat together and chat?"

"Okay, Uncle Wu," Li Kaixin readily agreed.

Seeing him nod, Manager Wu's smile deepened, and he turned to give instructions to the kitchen:

"Da Bao, go get the meat I kept for myself and cook it. I'm going to treat Kai Xin to a good meal today."

"Okay, Manager Wu." Xu Dabao replied readily and quickly ran towards the inner warehouse.

Manager Wu turned around again and greeted them warmly, "Come on! Kaixin, let's sit over there, it'll be easier to talk there."

As he spoke, he led Li Kaixin to an empty table by the window in the lobby.

As soon as the two sat down, Li Kaixin spoke first: "Uncle Wu, I just heard Brother Xu mention that our restaurant has been out of meat for quite some time. What's going on?"

"Kaixin, I won't hide this from you." Manager Wu sighed and slowly began to explain:

"As you know, our restaurant's quota at the meat processing plant has already been reduced by a significant amount."

"But this month, those bastards have been dragging their feet on allocating the funds, and after dragging it out, things have turned out like this."

Before he could finish speaking, an barely suppressed anger surfaced on his face.

After listening, Li Kaixin understood the reason. No wonder the restaurant had run out of meat again after he had delivered some just half a month ago.

"So you didn't go to the meat processing plant to look for someone?"

"I looked! Of course I looked!" Manager Wu's voice rose involuntarily, his fist lightly tapping the table. "I treated them to the best food and drink, smiled and said nice things, but in the end, all I got in return was a 'go home and wait!'"

Li Kaixin's lips twitched, and he thought to himself: It's obvious that those people are just here to take advantage.

Then, Manager Wu composed himself and looked at Li Kaixin with hopeful eyes: "Kaixin, in this situation, you really have to help your Uncle Wu!"

Li Kaixin didn't rush to reply, but fell into deep thought.

He does indeed have a brown bear in his secret realm that he can take out, but he doesn't want to sell it right now.

But besides that, the only other option is aquaculture, which left Li Kaixin somewhat perplexed.

Seeing Li Kaixin's silence, Manager Wu assumed he had no goods on hand and became somewhat dejected.

He forced a smile: "It's okay if you don't have one, don't worry about it. Uncle Wu just wanted to catch up with you today."

Li Kaixin looked up and saw Manager Wu's disappointed expression. He made a decision: "Uncle Wu, after we finish eating, I'll get you one. I guarantee you'll be satisfied."

"Really?" Manager Wu's eyes lit up, his voice brimming with excitement. "I'm so happy! Thank you so much!"

"Uncle Wu, you're being too polite," Li Kaixin said with a smile, waving his hand earnestly.

Little did Li Kaixin know that their conversation was overheard by someone eating at the other end of the restaurant.

At this moment, Xu Dabao came over carrying two plates of dishes and a bowl of rice.

Manager Wu immediately stopped talking and warmly greeted, "Kaixin, come on, let's eat first!"

Li Kaixin nodded and picked up her chopsticks.

After the meal, Li Kaixin left the state-run restaurant and slipped into the secret space in a deserted alley not far from the restaurant.

They went straight to the breeding area and swiftly put down a second-generation boar, a hybrid of a domestic pig and a wild boar weighing about 200 pounds.

This was what he had just thought of, and he decided to give it a try and see if Manager Wu and the others could spot anything amiss.

Li Kaixin observed carefully. Although this second-generation pig resembled a wild boar, there were differences, especially its fur, which was much softer than the prickly bristles of a wild boar.

Carrying the pig back to the state-run restaurant, Manager Wu was so happy he could hardly stop smiling, and immediately called for someone to weigh it.

After weighing and paying, Manager Wu patted Li Kaixin heavily on the shoulder, his face full of gratitude:

"Kaixin, you've really helped me out again! Uncle Wu will remember this favor."

"If you ever need my help in the future, just let me know."

After his experience at the meat processing plant, he truly understood how difficult it is to process meat these days.

"Sure, Uncle Wu." Li Kaixin replied with a smile, his tone slightly teasing, "I'll remember that. Just don't go back on your word later."

After saying goodbye to Manager Wu, Li Kaixin strolled slowly toward the courtyard house at No. 93.

As he passed through a small alley, a slight smile appeared on his lips. He turned and quickly veered into a less crowded side street.

The figure behind hesitated for a moment, gritted his teeth, and followed.

Turning into a dead end, Li Kaixin stopped by the wall, turned around, and waited quietly.