The four took a sip and were surprised. They thought it was plain water, but unexpectedly, the water was sweet, it was sugar water.
After finishing the entire cup of water, the four looked at Fu Wenwen with deeper smiles. "Thank you for the water, comrade."
"You've worked hard, please take your time," Fu Wenwen saw them out. The four, pulling their empty carts, walked away with smiles.
Fu Wenwen had just closed the door and hadn't taken two steps when the door was knocked again. Fu Wenwen opened the door and saw Liu Fei with a smiling face. "Heroine, we've brought you something."
"Uncle Liu," Lin An, seeing Liu Fei, happily rushed forward.
"Hey, my good nephew," Liu Fei happily picked up Lin Fei. Their affectionate display made Fu Wenwen pause.
Zhang Fu, behind them, quickly stepped forward to explain. "Heroine... Heroine, when you were beating up those hooligans earlier, Brother Liu was afraid your son would be scared, so he kept him happy."
"You are..." Fu Wenwen smiled and nodded, looking at Zhang Fu. She had seen him at the market; he was the gatekeeper.
"Hello, Heroine. I'm Zhang Fu. I've heard about your deeds from Brother Liu and the others for a long time. I thought they were exaggerating before. After seeing your strength today, Heroine, you truly are a heroine, not an exaggeration." Zhang Fu looked at Fu Wenwen with the adoration of a fanboy.
Fu Wenwen chuckled, "Hello, Zhang Fu."
"Heroine, I've brought you the things you asked for. Take a look," Liu Fei said, smiling at Fu Wenwen after playing with Lin An for a while. "I also brought some things I thought you might find useful."
"Thank you, you've been a great help," Fu Wenwen said with a smile to Liu Fei and Zhang Fu.
Zhang Fu and Liu Fei exchanged a knowing smile. To deliver the goods to Fu Wenwen, they had to defeat a group of 'fangirls' to get this honor.
Fu Wenwen had asked for a new pot, fresh vegetables, and various vegetable seeds. Liu Fei brought everything he thought Fu Wenwen could use.
Fu Wenwen looked at the brand-new stove. Liu Fei also brought a lot of honeycomb briquettes. He said to Fu Wenwen, "Heroine, it's not as convenient in this city as it is where we come from. People here can only cook with these honeycomb briquettes and stoves. I figured you'd want to cook yourself, so I brought them all for you."
"Thank you," Fu Wenwen nodded. Zhang Fu, however, tugged at Liu Fei and pointed at the kitchen. Fu Wenwen had already lit the stove.
Liu Fei froze, feeling embarrassed.
Fu Wenwen smiled, "I need it. Thank you."
Liu Fei's smile brightened again. Fu Wenwen looked at Liu Fei. "How much?"
Liu Fei paused and quickly shook his head. "Heroine, it's not worth much. I can't accept your money."
"You're in the black market. Have you ever seen someone buy something and not pay?" Fu Wenwen didn't bother haggling and directly took out thirty yuan, placing it in Liu Fei's hand.
The money felt like a hot potato in Liu Fei's hand. He quickly said, "Heroine, fifteen is enough. It's not that much."
Fu Wenwen looked at Zhang Fu, who quickly nodded. "Brother Fei isn't overcharging. It's really fifteen."
Fu Wenwen then accepted the money, taking back fifteen yuan. "Alright, fifteen it is. For the remaining five, please deliver some vegetables to me every day, whatever you have. Is that okay?"
"Heroine, what are you saying? Of course, it's okay," Liu Fei said with a smile.
As Liu Fei and Zhang Fu left Fu Wenwen's house, Liu Fei wished he could chop off his own hands. "It's over. How could I accept money from the Heroine! Oh, it's a disaster."
Zhang Fu looked at Liu Fei. "Brother Liu, you're usually so eloquent. Why are you speechless in front of the Heroine?"
"If you have the ability, you come next time!" Liu Fei glared at Zhang Fu, annoyed. "I couldn't refuse when the Heroine glared at me."
"Even if Brother Hu were here, he wouldn't dare not accept it," Liu Fei added. It wasn't just him who wouldn't dare; it was because the Heroine acted with propriety, unlike how they operated. They couldn't use their usual tactics to get close to her.
"No wonder Brother Hu said we don't do business in the back alleys, but let Qin Laohu and the others do it, and we only do the black market, because of the Heroine?" Zhang Fu asked Liu Fei.
When they had come to power, Qin Laohu had already handed over all his industries. But Brother Hu had returned the business of the red-light district back to Qin Laohu, and they only took the black market.
The brothers couldn't understand Wang Hu's actions. Even Qin Laohu and others thought Brother Hu was stupid to return the most profitable business.
But only Liu Fei and a few others, along with Brother Hu, were firm.
If they said no, they wouldn't touch it.
"If you met the Heroine, what do you think would happen if she knew we were involved in the business of women and children?" Liu Fei glanced at Zhang Fu, who fell silent.
The result would undoubtedly be losing the Heroine, and possibly being wiped out by her.
"Brother Hu said that even if they closed the back alleys, others would still be doing it secretly. Some people rely on this to survive. We're not saints, so we'll give it back to Qin Laohu and the others. But Qin Laohu has to be subservient to us. Brother Hu can still manage the business in Fengcheng. If Qin Laohu and the others ever try to take the lead, they'll be crushed." Liu Fei explained slowly.
"But isn't that still touching it, in a way?" Zhang Fu didn't quite understand.
"If those people want to do it, it's their choice. But if Qin Laohu forces people to do it, then it's impossible, understand? Brother Hu said that if there are no new people, these old ones will eventually not be able to sustain it and will gradually disappear." Liu Fei explained. Zhang Fu suddenly understood.
"So that's how it is! I get it! Brother Hu is cutting off their source. Without new people, relying on those old ones, they definitely won't be able to continue," Zhang Fu said.
"Exactly! You're not too dumb for a blockhead," Liu Fei said with a smile, patting Zhang Fu's head.
Zhang Fu said meaningfully, "When I get back, I'll tell Brother Hu about you accepting money from the Heroine."
"...Brother Fu, Brother Fu, don't do this. Give your brother a way out, Brother Fu..."
When Lin Feng returned home with the dishes from the canteen, he couldn't help but look at his completely transformed new home twice.
Fu Wenwen and Lin An were sitting at the table, waiting for Lin Feng to return for dinner. Seeing Lin Feng enter the house, Lin An happily rushed to greet him. "Daddy, you're finally back! Come and eat quickly."
Lin Feng picked up Lin An and brought him to the table. He looked at Fu Wenwen and the table full of food. "Where did you buy the dishes?"
"The black market. Aunt Ma next door told me," Fu Wenwen said with a smile. Lin Feng was impressed. "You've already figured it out?"
"Of course," Fu Wenwen said proudly.
Lin Feng placed the lunchboxes he brought back on the table. "I thought... you specifically bought so many dishes."
Fu Wenwen looked at the two aluminum lunchboxes in his hand and raised an eyebrow.