Hearing their conversation, Lin Feng coughed.
"Once the department funds are allocated in a little while, your department will get to have its own team-building event."
Having finally settled everyone down, Lin Feng was about to order some drinks.
Suddenly, he heard the system’s notification sound.
The system rarely sent him messages this late.
So Lin Feng froze for a moment.
To the three people next to him, it looked as if Lin Feng was just being polite and letting them choose first.
So Yang Qiniang quite naturally took the drink menu.
He asked Jiang Chao and the others what they wanted to drink.
Besides, Yang Qiniang was familiar with the place.
Meanwhile, Lin Feng was staring at the system’s message, completely baffled.
Previously, Lin Feng had received a talent search mission from the system.
When it issued the mission, the system had said it would provide hints based on the situation.
This was to help Lin Feng find the best and most needed talent as quickly as possible.
Thanks to the system, Lin Feng had found Tian Xiaowu and Du Hai.
Including Cao Ming, whom he had asked to join earlier, three of the five required talents had now been found.
As for the fourth talent, the system hadn’t provided any information for a long time.
And the search he’d initiated at the company had turned up no suitable candidates either.
He never would have thought that the system would give him a hint so late at night.
And it was a baffling hint at that.
[Subject is in Cyan Mountain Town. Will not be departing in the near future.]
Lin Feng felt the hint was far too vague.
Cyan Mountain Town’s population wasn’t large, but it wasn’t as small as a few dozen people, either.
Searching for one person in the entire town was too wide a net to cast.
However, Lin Feng did notice the second half of the system’s hint...
’Will not be departing in the near future.’
As soon as Lin Feng saw this, he understood.
The system’s hint was telling him that while the search area was large, there was no need to rush and find the person immediately.
’The person is right here in Cyan Mountain Town and probably won’t be going anywhere for now.’
’I can just take my time and look for them later.’
Lin Feng quickly organized his thoughts and plans.
This took about a minute.
After all, all these thoughts were racing through his mind.
By the time he looked up, the others still hadn’t noticed anything unusual about him freezing up just now.
The three of them were busy figuring out drinks.
"I heard Bloody Marys are disgusting. They’ve got chili oil, alcohol, and they even sprinkle in salt and soy sauce."
"Let’s get one for Brother Feng!"
A mischievous grin spread across Yang Qiniang’s face.
Lin Feng snapped back to reality just in time to hear that.
Without a word, he flicked Yang Qiniang on the forehead. "If I have to drink it, you’re drinking one too."
Yang Qiniang immediately waved his hands. "Forget it, forget it! I’m not making a move that’ll cost me eight hundred just to hurt you by a thousand. I’ll pass!"
And so, he obediently ordered a regular cocktail for Lin Feng.
Then he sat down quietly and watched the bartender work.
The four of them weren’t gathered for any major event.
It was just a casual get-together to catch up on recent events.
"To be honest, it wasn’t until I joined my dad’s company that I realized just how much I still have to learn."
After a few rounds, Yang Qiniang said, swirling the drink in his glass.
"You have to learn no matter where you are. That’s just how it is."
Jiang Chao said, already a bit tipsy.
Yang Qiniang nodded. "That’s why my dad making me start from the bottom to gain experience was absolutely the right call."
"This month, between my base salary and the commission from my project, I took home nearly thirty thousand."
"I used to spend more than that on a single pair of shoes, but when my dad handed me my payslip, I was so thrilled!"
A look of pure satisfaction spread across Yang Qiniang’s face.
Lin Feng knew perfectly well what was going on. ’Yang Qiniang doesn’t really care about the thirty thousand.’
’What he really wants is praise from his father, Yang Tianming.’
’Looks like Yang Qiniang is fitting in well at Yang Tianming’s company.’
Lin Feng had also put a lot of thought into the arrangements for Jiang Chao and Cao Ming.
The two of them had grown considerably over the past two months.
Lin Feng listened absently to his three friends chatting.
In his mind, however, he was actually thinking about Cyan Mountain Town.
’Looks like after I find a construction company to partner with, I’ll need to make a trip to Cyan Mountain Town myself.’
"Oh, right, Brother Feng, final exams are next week. Are you ready?"
Yang Qiniang suddenly leaned over to ask.
Only then did it hit Lin Feng that the end of the semester had already snuck up on him.
Since they were just freshmen, the coursework wasn’t too demanding.
Lin Feng wasn’t the least bit intimidated by the school exams.
For one, he was naturally smart. On top of that, this semester’s courses were heavily focused on practical application.
Ever since getting the system, everything Lin Feng did was hands-on.
So, Lin Feng wasn’t worried about the final exams in the slightest.
"Don’t worry. I’ll be there for the exams."
Lin Feng said nonchalantly.
Jiang Chao and Cao Ming, on the other hand, were a little worried about the finals.
Since they were interning with Lin Feng, both of them had somewhat neglected their coursework.
For the past couple of days, aside from work, they’d been cooped up in the dorm, cramming for exams.
Lin Feng thought to himself, ’Since I have to make a trip to Cyan Mountain Town sooner or later anyway... ’
’I can just go there for an on-site inspection right after the final exams.’
’Vice President Li has been the one handling things there so far.’
’I can use the break to stay in Cyan Mountain Town for a bit and see what the situation is really like on the ground.’
In just an hour and a half, the other three were all getting a little tipsy.
The alcohol was hitting them hard, and now the three of them were starting to ramble and boast.
Lin Feng watched the three of them with a resigned expression.
「Meanwhile, in Cyan Mountain Town.」
Hu Dawei, his parents, and Liu Bowen had finally finished tidying up the house.
Li Chunfang had even fired up the stove and cooked a pot of steaming hot noodles.
"It’s late and you’ve all come a long way. We don’t have much here, but please have some hot food to warm your stomachs."
That night, Brother Guo, Old Jin, and Old Cui truly came to understand the simple, good-hearted nature of the people in this small town.
Hu Zhanyong and Li Chunfang had clearly just thrown coats on over their pajamas before leaving their house.
They were bustling about, making beds and cooking noodles so late at night.
Furthermore, Hu Dawei and his family hadn’t mentioned anything about money.
They hadn’t even discussed a price with the three men.
Brother Guo looked at the steaming noodles on the table and said hesitantly, "Um, the three of us... will probably be staying for a while. For that, and for the noodles tonight, why don’t we pay a two-thousand-yuan deposit first?"
This was the first time in all their travels that the three of them had ever proactively offered to pay a deposit.
In the past, the guesthouses they stayed at either had clearly marked prices or had everything negotiated in advance.
If they didn’t settle the price, they wouldn’t even be let in the door.
Brother Guo felt a little strange being this proactive for the first time.
As he spoke, Brother Guo took the cash directly from his wallet and tried to hand it to Hu Dawei.
Seeing this, the father and son, Hu Zhanyong and Hu Dawei, both froze for a moment.
The two exchanged a glance, and Hu Zhanyong said with a chuckle, "Charge you for a few bites of noodles? Why would we do that?"
"You all just stay for now. We do plan on turning this house into a guesthouse, but it’s not properly set up yet, and we haven’t even decided on a price."
"When you’re away from home, you should be making friends. Just relax and enjoy your vacation. There’s no rush to talk about money."
As Hu Zhanyong was speaking, Hu Dawei, who was standing beside him, stuffed the money back into Brother Guo’s wallet.
"Get some good rest tonight. And don’t worry, we’re not some tourist trap trying to rip you off."
Brother Guo saw how resolute the father and son were, and he could feel their sincerity.
So, he put the money away.
"Alright then, we won’t stand on ceremony."
No longer hesitant, Brother Guo put the money away and picked up his bowl of noodles to start eating.
The other two men also picked up their chopsticks.
The three men had a long journey to get to Cyan Mountain Town.
They had mostly been eating instant food on the road.
After being so busy until this hour, a bowl of steaming hot noodle soup was just what they needed. All three of them ate until they were slick with sweat.
"Ma’am, your cooking is amazing. These noodles are so comforting."
Old Jin let out a long sigh of contentment as he put down his bowl.
Li Chunfang nodded, her eyes crinkling with a warm smile. "I’m glad you like it. If you can’t find a place to eat over the next couple of days, just come eat with us."
Although Li Chunfang said that, Brother Guo and his friends felt it would be too much of an imposition.
So, while they agreed, they had no intention of bothering the family again.
Seeing that it was getting late, Hu Dawei’s family and Liu Bowen got up to leave.
"It’s getting late. You all get some rest and have fun tomorrow," Hu Zhanyong said with a smile.
After Hu Dawei and the others had gone, Brother Guo and his friends also prepared to turn in for the night.
"Looks like this town really is something special. I won’t comment on anything else yet, but the people here... they’re so straightforward!"
Old Cui said, adjusting his glasses.
Old Jin, standing nearby, nodded in agreement. "That’s for sure. The people here are so down-to-earth and genuinely helpful."
"We really lucked out, running into a family like this in the middle of the night."
After chatting for a few more moments, the three men drifted off to sleep.
They had gone to bed very late the night before.
But that didn’t stop Brother Guo and his friends from waking up bright and early.
By seven or eight in the morning, the three of them were nearly ready to head out.
"The air here is so fresh. I wonder if there’s anywhere nearby that sells breakfast."
Old Jin stretched his arms, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.
Brother Guo said with a laugh, "I took a little stroll outside while I was washing up this morning. There’s a breakfast shop right in the alley next to us."
The three men looked at each other and smiled. "I guess our Cyan Mountain Town trip has officially begun!"
For Brother Guo, Old Jin, and Old Cui, the journey was just beginning.
They wanted to discover more of what this little town had to offer.
And so, the three of them decided to take this opportunity to spend a little more time in Cyan Mountain Town.

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