Du Heng quickly finished a popsicle, looked up at the slightly dazzling sun, felt the heat wave rising from under his butt, stood up, patted his butt, and went inside to buy another ice cream. This time, he chose a different flavor: Green Tongue! Holding the ice cream, he returned to his previous spot, tore off the wrapper, and then, like an idiot, licked the Green Tongue in his hand with his own tongue. He had never been so happy in his entire life. Even though he drew stares from passersby, he just sat on the steps, having a blast. Even the joy of having a partner couldn’t top this. Forgetting his worries in his amusement, he called Dong Yuezhang. "Dong, I want to buy a house, but I’m a bit short on cash. Can you lend me some?" "Send me your card number. I’m busy right now; we’ll talk later," Dong Yuezhang said before immediately hanging up. Du Heng didn’t mind being hung up on; the earlier "send me your card number" was enough. He bit into the soft Green Tongue and happily sent his card number over. In mid-June, Jinzhou’s daily temperature hovered around 32-33 degrees. While considerably more comfortable than the 38-39 degrees in other cities, this damn place got no rain. Since the ten-plus days of continuous rain in April, not a single dark cloud had been seen, let alone any actual rain. As he was fretting about Jinzhou’s weather, something suddenly fell in front of him. He picked it up; it was a bank card. Du Heng, card in hand, looked up and saw a man in oversized shorts, a vest, and toad glasses standing about two meters away. "You dropped this card?" Du Heng asked, puzzled. "Look to the side. Don’t look at me. Act like you don’t know me." "You’re acting too much like an idiot. I don’t want people to get the wrong idea and say I hang out with fools." Du Heng stood up, card in hand, walked over, and slung an arm around Wei Kaida’s neck. "You’re the idiot! How can you insult people like that?" Wei Kaida struggled but couldn’t break free. "Fine, then buy me one too. I want the same one as yours, and I’ll stop calling you an idiot." Du Heng chuckled. "Good taste! This thing is hilarious, look." He waggled the Green Tongue in his hand a couple of times. Wei Kaida also chuckled, but his laugh was more suggestive than Du Heng’s. A little later, two grown men stood at the convenience store entrance, each holding a Green Tongue and waggling them playfully. Judging by their movements, however, Wei Kaida was clearly more practiced than Du Heng and had a wider repertoire of tricks. Du Heng asked, puzzled, "You eat these often?" "You wouldn’t get it," Wei Kaida said with a mysterious smile. "There’s 132,378.6 yuan on the card. It’s all yours. If it’s not enough, I’ll ask my dad for more." "You’ve remembered it so clearly, right down to the last cent." Du Heng examined the bank card in his hand. "This is too big a favor for a simple thank you. I’ll treat you to dinner when I have time. But you don’t need to ask your uncle; Dong already agreed to lend me some." Wei Kaida took a couple of vigorous licks of his Green Tongue, then tossed it into a nearby trash can. This stuff causes ’internal heat.’ "Don’t wait. Treat me to dinner now." "Alright. What do you want to eat?" Wei Kaida hadn’t yet decided what to eat when his phone buzzed in his pocket. He took it out, glanced at it, and then started texting, a sly grin on his face. "You eat by yourself. I gotta go, something came up." True to his word, he was already heading to the parking lot as the words left his mouth. Du Heng glanced at the bank card in his hand and hurriedly yelled after him, "Hey, you can go, but at least tell me the PIN! And don’t you want an IOU?" Wei Kaida, already in his car, called back through the open window, "The PIN is my birthday. If you know it, use it. If not, give the card back to me." He didn’t mention the IOU. Du Heng was speechless. It was just like a line a girlfriend would say to her boyfriend in a TV drama. They’d been brothers for over ten years; forget birthdays, they even knew each other’s favorite color of underwear. Du Heng put the card away and glanced at the Green Tongue in his hand. This thing was fun, but it always felt a bit weird. He then tossed it into the nearby trash can as well. Watching Wei Kaida’s car drive away, he muttered, Oh well, not treating him saves money anyway. He had only walked a few steps when his own phone rang. It was An Chunhui. "Leader, do you have any instructions?" "Where are you?" ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novel fire.net Du Heng told him his location. "Perfect. Head to that residential complex we visited that night; it’s not far. Wait for me at the entrance when you arrive. I’ll be there shortly." Du Heng checked the location. It wasn’t far indeed. Turn left ahead, then right, then about another kilometer. Damn! Good thing I drove. By the time Du Heng arrived, An Chunhui was already there. Seeing An Chunhui’s beaming face, Du Heng had a good idea what this was about. The house he’d given the old man last time must have worked. That’s why he was called over today, most likely for a follow-up consultation. An Chunhui saw Du Heng approaching, straightened his shirt collar and belt, then called out a greeting and headed into the residential complex. "Xiao Du, you probably already know why I’ve called you here. The elderly man’s condition improved significantly after taking the medicine you prescribed last time. This time, I need you to examine him thoroughly again. It would be best if you could completely cure his ailment." The road was the same, and the residential complex was the same, but it didn’t feel as oppressive as during their last visit. Du Heng followed An Chunhui, matching his pace—speeding up when An Chunhui did, and slowing down when he did. "I’ll do my best. The old man has been ill for a very long time. A complete cure will require considerable time; it’s not possible in the short term." Du Heng’s unspoken message was clear: I can completely cure the old man, but it will take time. You’d better not have rashly promised a quick cure to gain credit or for some other reason, thereby dragging me into a mess. An Chunhui nodded, saying nothing more. The door was opened by the same young housekeeper as last time. Whether she had been reminded or simply had an excellent memory, she greeted An Chunhui and Du Heng by their surnames as they entered, her voice exceptionally sweet. Young, pretty, and with such a pleasant voice—it was quite satisfying to hear. However, Du Heng still found the "Golden Hall" that assaulted his vision upon entry a bit overwhelming. He was just a man of simple means; being in such an opulent place made him feel ill at ease. Trailing behind An Chunhui, Du Heng watched him enter with his back slightly straighter than usual and thought, It’s tough being a leader. One commendable thing about this household, however, was that on neither of Du Heng and An Chunhui’s visits had they been asked to remove their shoes or wear shoe covers. Even when An Chunhui himself had offered to do so, the young housekeeper had merely smiled, shaken her head, and explained that the hosts had no such customs or requirements, so they let the matter drop.