Along the way, Lin Xiaoguai’s eyes grew wider and wider. When the villa gate opened and she saw the luxurious and lavish living room, she couldn’t help but ask, "What does your comrade do?"
Although she thought the decorations were a bit tacky, they definitely screamed wealth, and must have cost a fortune. In this era, she had never seen crystal chandeliers in ordinary people’s homes, yet here they were.
Upon hearing this, Shen Chi touched his chin and said, "Not sure, but he must be very rich."
After a pause, he explained, "Luo Ming originally joined the military out of spite towards his parents, and then accidentally ended up on the battlefield. But he isn’t really a go-getter; he’s a big guy, but a bit slow and not very brave. The first time he went into battle, that scaredy-cat didn’t even know to hide when the shells were flying. Yang Wanjun and I had just dived into a trench and saw him standing there dumbfounded, scared half to death, and we had to drag him down using our hands and feet. Then he, bewildered, suddenly asks after a loud bang, ’Is it going to rain?’, which really infuriated us."
"For the first six months, he really got us into a lot of trouble, sometimes we were so angry we felt like leaving him to die."
"The guy is also pretty stupid. When his parents tried to pull some strings to get him back, he insisted on staying with us out of so-called brotherhood, and what’s funny is, he ended up losing an arm within a month."
"He could have returned completely intact, but he stubbornly chose to stay an extra month and ended up losing his arm. The nickname ’Luo Shazi’ is really well deserved."
Although he spoke harshly, Lin Xiaoguai heard the affection in his tone and smiled, "How has he been after returning?"
"He’s okay," Shen Chi replied with a smile, "He got married, took over the family business. Even though he wasn’t great as a soldier, he’s quite clever in business. The real estate business we did together was his idea. I heard he’s had three sons and has paid a lot in fines."
"By the way, we should visit his house before we leave."
Lin Xiaoguai nodded and looked around the villa, "It seems like it’s just been cleaned?"
"I called Luo Ming in advance to tell him we were coming, and it seems he had someone clean it." Shen Chi said as he put down the luggage he was holding.
Lin Xiaoguai went to the kitchen to check and said with surprise, "Shen Chi, the fridge is stocked with ingredients."
Shen Chi was not surprised and simply asked, "Is there any seafood?"
"Yes," Lin Xiaoguai replied as she rummaged, "There’s a yellow croaker, Pipi shrimp, lobster, and green mussels, all very fresh."
Shen Chi peered over and asked, "Are we going out to eat, or should we cook ourselves?"
"Let’s cook, I’m not tired after a nap, and the fresher the seafood, the better it tastes. If it sits too long, it won’t taste as good." As she spoke, Lin Xiaoguai had already started taking the needed ingredients out of the fridge.
The two of them had a lovely lunch, then napped for an hour, and then packed up to go out.
Their villa was some distance from Gulangyu, and being new to the place, they planned to rest before heading out. But, before that, they decided to take a walk nearby.
Although the area wasn’t a tourist attraction, the scenery was truly beautiful.
"Someday we should buy a beachside house, so we can come and play whenever we have free time," Lin Xiaoguai suggested, looking at the blue waves just a stone’s throw away.
"Sure, sounds good," the sea breeze was strong, and Shen Chi pulled her into his arms.
Far off, children laughed on the beach, collecting seashells. Lin Xiaoguai couldn’t help but remark, "Sisi and the others would have a great time if they were here."
Seeing her mind drifting to the kids again, Shen Chi couldn’t help feeling resigned, "They’ll have plenty of chances to play at the beach later. Anyway, they won’t remember now if they come."
Lin Xiaoguai didn’t notice his slight mood, and simply nodded, "You make a good point, but I already miss them after just half a day. And Little Niangao too, I wonder if he’ll be unhappy not having my cooking for half a month."
Shen Chi mourned silently. Was he really going to end up competing with the kids for attention?
Not far from the villa was a district where Lin Xiaoguai and Shen Chi walked along, buying quite a few nice handicrafts and food items to take back for family and friends.
The decor in the guest room was as lavish as the living room downstairs. While Lin Xiaoguai found it somewhat uncomfortable, she had to adapt since they were traveling. Nevertheless, the room was well-equipped; the beds were neatly made, she could even smell the scent of sunshine when she bent down to sniff, and items like hot water bottles and basins, easily overlooked, were readily available.