Xu Xiaoyan had already run up to take the things Grandma He brought, and after a brief word with Professor Qi, they headed straight to the kitchen.
Upon his arrival, Professor He found a place to sit, seemingly embarrassed, with a stern look as if to say, "I’m not gonna deal with you." Professor Qi, with a smile, suggested, "How about a game?"
"Bring it on, you think I’m scared?" Professor He immediately pulled out a chessboard from under the coffee table with practiced ease.
Yan Fei didn’t even know what to say anymore and simply played the role of a silent, observant gentleman by the chess game—in truth, because Professor He was darting sarcastic comments while playing, leaving no opportunity for anyone else to speak up.
After lunch, Yan Fei and his companion took a stroll in the market, buying some daily necessities, kitchenware, and of course, some vegetables. After all, this wasn’t like home; Yan Fei couldn’t just take everything from the dinosaur world, he had to buy some things.
After tidying up the room, they invited Professors He and Qi over for dinner in the evening, as a joint celebration of moving into the new house.
Professor He had been holding back a complaint for who knows how long and let it out as soon as he stepped into the yard: "If only I had seen your house earlier. You disappeared for an entire summer, making it impossible for me to visit. Tch tch, these are genuine antiques, look at that lion, so majestic! How much did you shell out for these?"
Actually, he wasn’t expecting an answer, as he had already dashed off to inspect the stone foundation of the house eaves, marveling, "It’s great to have money! People these days really go to great lengths. Such fine things, and they’re in the possession of a clueless kid like you, it’s really..."
He suddenly remembered they were there to eat, and considering there was a lady present, he stopped short of saying Yan Fei was squandering the goods.
But Yan Fei had caught the drift and immediately retorted, "If I hadn’t bought these, they might have been thrown away. Who would recognize them a few decades from now? I’m preserving them, you understand?"
"I don’t buy your high-minded act for a second," scoffed Professor He.
"Don’t believe me then," Yan Fei thought to himself with glee, the more envious others were, the less regret he had about his purchases!
"Where did you get all these trees from? They look pretty old too. Must have cost you a pretty penny, right?" Professor He deftly changed the subject.
"Just a little cash. I just wanted it to look nice; a few bucks here and there is nothing..." Yan Fei’s bluster was unmistakable.
As expected, Professor He was left speechless and only mumbled after a while, "You’re a real petty capitalist. Back in the day, you’d have been dragged out for a struggle session..."
Huffing indignantly, Yan Fei replied, "That’s just perfect, if there’s struggling to be done we’d both be up there. I’m the capitalist, you’re the intellectual, neither of us would get away..."
Xu Xiaoyan nudged him from the side and whispered, "Will you let the man come inside and stop talking for a bit?"
Professor He seized the opportunity, "Don’t worry, he’s just a kid, we won’t stoop to his level of discourtesy!"
Yan Fei really couldn’t bear to continue, so he dutifully invited everyone in to prepare the tea and food. Once he got serious, Professor He found it rather dull and started to examine the wooden furniture instead.
Hearing Yan Fei claim he’d made them himself, he flat-out didn’t believe it, the kind of disbelief that even death couldn’t shake.
It was Xu Xiaoyan who vouched for him, saying Yan Fei had carpentry skills and she had seen plenty of discarded furniture at his place, which he had crafted on the sly.
Professor He instantly regretted his earlier skepticism. He shouldn’t have doubted Yan Fei so adamantly because now he could have taken the opportunity to ask him to make a couple of pieces for himself. He didn’t need much, maybe just two chairs would be nice. All they’d need is a new coat of paint, and they could pass for antiques. Imagine the prestige he’d gain among his collector friends if they saw them in his house...
Yan Fei couldn’t help but laugh to himself. After all, crafting these things had become second nature to him, and with his strength, even the hardest wood was as easy to shape as clay. Truth be told, while he wouldn’t dare call himself a master carver, claiming he was a master craftsman in furniture-making was definitely within his right.
Professor He kept talking about the furniture while eating, how this piece was nice, that one was decent, and how another was quite interesting. It was clear what he was hinting at, but Yan Fei didn’t offer to make and give anything away, choosing instead to regale everyone with his experiences in Hong Kong.
The two of them were just like kids when they were together, bantering back and forth, never really getting upset, just playing around. Everyone else didn’t mind and focused on enjoying the meal.
After dinner was finished, Yan Fei slowly mentioned, "Actually, there’s quite a bit of scrap wood I haven’t known where to throw away. It’s all lying around exposed to the elements, might as well chop it up for firewood..."
"Don’t do that! Just store it at my place, I’ve got space..." Professor He blurted out before he realized what he was saying, and then chuckled, "You rascal, I don’t mind even the defective pieces. Just give me two chairs, and I promise you’ll be handsomely rewarded..."
"Hahaha..." The others just laughed, thoroughly amused.
After sending the three guests off in the taxi, Yan Fei and Miss Xu Xiaoyan finally settled into their new home.
In their new home and on their new bed, they romped around, doing some not-so-children-friendly activities, which goes without mentioning. Of course, the lady was on full guard, and since Yan Fei had no experience or knowledge in that sort of thing, there was no thought of crossing certain boundaries, which resulted in them both getting a good night’s sleep.