Chapter 228: The Talented Person in the Vegetable Market

The matter with the distribution center had temporarily reached a standstill. With nothing else pressing on his schedule, Li Dong returned to Dongping in early November.

Last time, he had persuaded his parents to move to Pingchuan. Cao Fang had been somewhat tempted, but Li Chengyuan had refused. 

Recently, Li Dong had been occupied with negotiations with the government and had not been able to attend to his parents. Now that the negotiations were on hold, Li Dong took the opportunity to visit Dongping again.

Upon returning home, he found that Li Chengyuan and his wife were not at home. Li Dong rested for a while and then decided to head to the vegetable market.

Dongping County looked the same as it did when Li Dong was in high school. Although there had been no major changes, it seemed a bit unfamiliar to him. He had almost come to regard Pingchuan as his second hometown, and he rarely visited Dongping anymore. Even when he did return, he seldom wandered around, making this his first time walking around the county town alone in over a year.

The vegetable market was not far from Li Dong's home. After a ten-minute walk, the market's entrance came into view. As Li Dong was about to enter to look for Li Chengyuan, he unexpectedly encountered someone coming toward him. They brushed past each other but immediately stopped.

Li Dong quickly turned around, surprised, "Wang Jie?"

Wang Jie was equally astonished to see Li Dong in Dongping at this time. Scratching his head, he said, "Dongzi, you're back in Dongping."

"Yes, just came back to check on my parents. Why are you here?"

Li Dong noticed something was off. Wang Jie, who was the same age as Li Dong, looked weathered compared to before. Though not exactly old, he seemed to have aged prematurely. Moreover, Wang Jie, who was always meticulous about his appearance, now looked unkempt. His clothes were dirty, and he wore a yellow apron stained with black spots.

Li Dong frowned slightly and was about to ask when Wang Jie smiled and said, "You must be here to see Uncle Li. Go ahead and see your dad. Let's arrange a place to meet tonight for dinner."

Li Dong agreed and noted the time and place. Wang Jie then hurried off. Watching Wang Jie leave on a small tricycle, Li Dong's frown deepened. What had happened to him?

Recalling that Wang Jie had mentioned breaking up with Chen Yue earlier this year, Li Dong wondered if it was related to that.

…

Li Dong decided to put aside his thoughts about Wang Jie for now. He would find out more in the evening.

Entering the vegetable market, Li Dong heard his father shouting, "Checkmate!"

A group of five or six people was gathered around. Among them were Li Chengyuan and another man, surnamed Gao, who sold meat and was known as Old Gao. Nobody knew his full name.

In the afternoon, the market was less crowded, and the vendors often played chess to pass the time. Although Li Chengyuan's chess skills were poor, he enjoyed playing and played several games every day.

Li Dong approached and saw Li Chengyuan triumphantly saying, "Checkmate with double cannons! You're doomed now. If you want to compete with me, Old Gao, you need to practice a lot more!"

Old Gao on the opposite side scoffed, "Old Li, you haven't improved at all!"

Saying this, he used his "car" to capture Li Chengyuan's "cannon," putting him in check.

Li Chengyuan was surprised and quickly said, "How could this be? I didn't see your 'car' there!"

Old Gao sneered, "Who told you to be blind? Checkmate! Now you have no way out!"

"Old Li, you're no good. Let me have a go!" said a bystander.

"Exactly, Old Gao's 'car' was waiting for you. You walked right into it. Your skill level is just too low!"

"Don't look at Old Li's chess skills. His boasting skills are quite high. He even said he would let Old Gao's 'horse' get away."

"Hahaha, Old Li's chess skills are the worst!"

…

The crowd jested and mocked, causing Li Chengyuan to angrily retort, "A true gentleman doesn't speak during a game, do you understand? You're all just gossiping. If you're not satisfied, come and play a game!"

"Tch! Old Li, if you lose, step aside. No one will play with you. Hurry up; it's my turn now. Don't try any tricks!"

As Li Chengyuan was about to argue, he heard someone shout from behind, "Dad, lost again?"

Li Chengyuan turned and blushed, saying, "Lost? I was just letting Old Gao win!"

With that, he hurriedly shuffled the chessboard, disrupting the game.

The crowd laughed heartily, and Old Gao, not taking it to heart, smiled at Li Dong, "Dongzi, it's been a few days since I've seen you. When did you come back?"

"Just arrived, Uncle Gao. Let me take my dad away. It's no fun if you keep winning. If you keep winning, my dad will stop playing with you," Li Dong said with a smile.

Old Gao laughed heartily, "That's fair. I'll let your dad win a few games next time. You're a college student who knows how to talk."

"Who needs you to let us win!"

Li Chengyuan grunted and said to another person, "Not playing anymore, you come!"

He then took Li Dong back to his stall, and the others resumed their game.

In the background, someone commented, "Old Li has a good son, a talented student from Jiangda. He'll enjoy life in the future."

"Your son is also good, having entered the top high school. In a few years, we might be envying you."

"Hahaha, who knows what the future holds..."

…

Returning to the stall, Li Chengyuan found a stool for Li Dong to sit on and said, "Why didn't you let me know you were coming back? Just got some wild turtles this morning. How about braised turtle for dinner and some turtle soup?"

Li Dong wasn't picky about food. He nodded and said, "Sounds good."

He then asked, "Can you manage the stall on your own?"

"Not too bad. I do a bit more if I can; if not, I do less. I'm not relying on this for a living anymore," Li Chengyuan said with a smile.

Li Dong didn't press further and changed the subject, "Dad, still not ready to leave this place?"

Li Chengyuan remained silent, lighting a cigarette and offering one to Li Dong. He then said, "I've been here for over twenty years. As you can see, everyone here is like family. Suddenly being asked to move, it feels a bit unsettling."

Li Dong took the cigarette, inhaled deeply, and exhaled smoke, "But we can't stay here forever. It's natural for people to move upward, like water flowing downhill."

"That's true, but what can I do in Pingchuan?"

"I'm not even fifty yet. Can't just start retirement now. I don't even know how to keep pets or birds," Li Chengyuan grumbled.

Li Dong, feeling a bit troubled, continued, "But if you stay in Dongping, I can't rest easy. If someone has bad intentions and something happens, how can I be at ease?"

Li Chengyuan showed some hesitation.

He understood the situation well. Wealth should not be flaunted, and people could do anything for money. Li Chengyuan, having lived for so many years, had seen it all. This was also why he never flaunted his son in front of outsiders.

No one in the market knew about his wealthy son; they only knew that Li Dong had entered Jiangda and was a good student.

But there is no wall that doesn't leak. Cao Fang was now running a convenience store under the Far Away brand. If someone looked into it, they could easily discover their connection to Li Dong.

Given that Li Dong had been quite arrogant in Dongping before, although there had been no recent news, it was hard to say if someone was already looking into it, possibly planning something against them.

Li Chengyuan struggled for a while before finally sighing, "Then let's move to Pingchuan, but it will have to wait until early next year. I'm not planning to leave by the end of this year."

He didn't want to make things difficult for his son. Moving was one thing, and he would just have to visit Dongping more often in the future.

Although Li Dong wished his parents would move to Pingchuan immediately, he knew he couldn't push too hard. Forcing Li Chengyuan into a hasty decision might lead to a reversal, which would be counterproductive.

Next year would be fine. He could have Wang Cheng and others stay in Dongping a bit longer.

The father and son chatted about other things. As they talked, Li Chengyuan mentioned Wang Jie.

Li Chengyuan knew Wang Jie since he was his son's high school classmate. Li Dong had met him a few times. Hearing that Wang Jie had returned to Dongping a month ago and was now selling poultry in the vegetable market, Li Dong was a bit surprised.

"Wang Jie dropped out of school?"

"Not sure. I heard he was expelled. His parents raised some money and took over Old Fang's stall. He's learning to do business now. College students are indeed sharp. Even though he's only been at it for a month, his business is already better than Old Fang's."

"I heard he even set up online orders and home delivery. He's been making a decent profit delivering chickens and ducks to restaurants."

Li Chengyuan spoke with some envy, clearly admiring Wang Jie's abilities.

People from their generation understood computers and the internet but didn't really grasp how it worked. The vegetable market was just that—a market. They had never thought it could be connected with the internet, let alone that someone would actually order online.

Li Dong was also surprised. In 2005, playing with online orders in the vegetable market, Wang Jie was at least ahead of his time. 

However, the vegetable market had its limitations and wasn't very suitable for online shopping. Li Dong wasn't very optimistic about Wang Jie's future. Of course, the future was unpredictable. Wang Jie might still succeed.

Li Dong didn't dwell on it and was more focused on Wang Jie's expulsion. The trajectory of Wang Jie's life had changed once again. Perhaps from the moment Wang Jie chose to go to the capital, his future had been altered.

In his previous life, Wang Jie had gone to Shanghai, finished university, and even pursued a graduate degree. 

When Li Dong had been reborn, although he had lost touch with Wang Jie for a long time, he knew Wang Jie was doing well in a state-owned enterprise.

Now, it was surprising to see Wang Jie expelled and back in his hometown starting a business selling poultry. The difference was stark, and Li Dong needed some time to process it.

After chatting a bit more, Li Dong helped his father tidy up the stall, and then they went home together.