Collecting Rent From All Realms, Even Empresses Must Pay Tribute
Ch. 14 - More Ideological Work

For some reason, the punks quieted down, especially when Ye Chuan, after finishing grilling, started chopping ingredients with a large cleaver. 

The rhythmic thud of the knife against the cutting board seemed to echo in their hearts.

After sharing a single slice of pork belly and chives, and splitting a can of beer amongst themselves, they paid and left hurriedly.

"See you again." Ye Chuan saw them off with a nonchalant farewell and continued grilling.

He felt a presence beside him and noticed Luo Xi standing there. He said, "Put that damaged can of beer on my tab."

"ChuanChuan, did you do that on purpose?" Luo Xi asked, hopping closer, her high ponytail bouncing.

"Don't know what you're talking about," Ye Chuan replied lazily, only to find his hand grabbed by Luo Xi. 

Her fingers gently kneaded his palm. After confirming there were no injuries, she asked curiously,

"You're so strong! Did you use some kind of technique?"

Crushing a beer can with brute force was beyond Luo Xi's comprehension. He must have used some sort of trick.

Though maybe someone with a pointy head could do it.

"Technique? I met a rich, cultivation-practicing sugar momma who awakened my Sugar Momma System, and the welcome gift was a Strength Pill." Ye Chuan said seriously. 

"I'll take you along when I become a cultivator."

"You should write a novel," Luo Xi said, rolling her eyes at Ye Chuan's nonsensical reply. "Stingy."

Ye Chuan chuckled.

The number of customers gradually dwindled, but the lively atmosphere of the food street remained. 

Later, another wave of customers would come for late-night snacks, mostly workers on the night shift.

"Meow." A sound caught Ye Chuan and Luo Xi's attention.

A stray white cat appeared at the barbecue stall, its fur dirty, making it look like it had just returned from a coal mine.

It sniffed the bamboo skewers scattered on the ground, and seeing the bits of meat clinging to them, it pawed at them, trying to eat.

But no matter how hard it tried, it couldn't get a bite.

"Come here, Khajimi~" Luo Xi beckoned to the white cat and placed some scraps of meat in a plastic bag on the ground.

The white cat looked at Luo Xi, perhaps sensing her kindness. After lowering its guard slightly, it came over to eat.

Luo Xi really wanted to pet it, but for hygiene reasons, she kept her distance, just squatting down and watching quietly.

There were many stray animals in the food street area, perhaps because they could occasionally beg for food from customers. 

Stray cats and dogs in the city rarely had a stable food source, so their lifespan usually didn't exceed two years.

Born in spring, dead in winter was a common occurrence. The number of stray animals in this concrete jungle maintained a delicate balance. 

Even if they were lucky enough to be fed by kind-hearted people, someone might poison them out of malice.

"Khajimi~ Khajimi~" Luo Xi hummed, looking happy.

"Khajimi doesn't sound like a cat's name," Ye Chuan remarked.

"Then why is Kun a chicken?"

"Hmm." Ye Chuan was speechless, his mind suddenly contemplating the laws of the universe.

He found no answers.

"A word, when used by many people, will be given new meaning and even added to the dictionary." Luo Xi stood up and clapped her hands. 

"ChuanChuan, what does 'With a wife both poor and lowly, all matters become distressing' mean?"

"Are you testing me?" Ye Chuan thought for a moment. 

"A wife without money brings nothing but trouble?"

"Actually, this poem was written by Yuan Zhen to mourn his deceased wife. It refers to the pain of separation from a wife who shared joys and sorrows, far exceeding that of ordinary people, not a complaint about marriage." Luo Xi continued, 

"But many people misunderstand it to mean that a poor wife brings only sadness."

"Now many people accept this interpretation and even find it fitting."

"Times are changing, and both words and poems will be given new meanings."

"Just like Khajimi and Kun."

Ye Chuan agreed. "After all, I'm your daddy, not that kind of daddy."

"You just like taking advantage of me." Luo Xi lightly slapped Ye Chuan's arm, the sound echoing.

"You two are having fun, aren't you?" A voice came from the front of the stall.

Ye Chuan and Luo Xi looked up to see a girl with a bob haircut standing there. 

She was wearing a black hoodie, hands in her pockets, and a lollipop in her mouth.

"An Shiyu, what are you doing here?" Ye Chuan was surprised to see Luo Xi's best friend.

An Shiyu's family lived in the city center, quite a distance from here. If she wanted barbecue, she wouldn't usually come here.

"We wanted some barbecue. Might as well give you guys the business, right?" An Shiyu said.

We?

Ye Chuan and Luo Xi then noticed several people behind An Shiyu, five in total.

"Hello." The person at the front smiled. "I'm from Class B. I've seen you around."

"I recognize you, you're the top student in our department," Luo Xi recognized the boy and said to Ye Chuan, 

"ChuanChuan was also super smart, he was top of his class in high school."

Ye Chuan: "Oh."

"Luo Xi is often ranked right behind me, but this is the first time we've met." The boy's gaze lingered on Luo Xi for a moment, then quickly shifted to Ye Chuan. 

"This is Ye Chuan, right? Shiyu often talks about you."

"What does she say about me?" Ye Chuan glanced at An Shiyu.

"Nothing, just how much of a sly fox you are. Did you think I'd say you're handsome?" An Shiyu narrowed her eyes. 

"If you studied as hard as Luo Xi, I might praise you more."

Luo Xi was perpetually second in her class. She studied very hard, but the top student in front of her was like an insurmountable peak.

"Since we're all classmates, I can give you a discount," Ye Chuan said, gesturing for them to sit. "Take a seat."

"Thank you."

"This is quite a big order." Ye Chuan looked at the skewers in the red basket. 

They had taken quite a lot, especially the quiet long-haired girl, who had practically taken all the beef skewers from the cooler. 

He wondered if she could really eat that much or if she had just grabbed them impulsively.

Looking at the mountain of skewers, Ye Chuan glanced at Luo Xi. 

"Go ask them if they can finish that many skewers. They can eat some first, and then we can grill more."

Luo Xi also thought it was a bit much and went over to ask, worried about waste.

After a while, she returned with a stack of red bills in her hand.

"ChuanChuan, one of the girls said money's not a problem, and they'll pay for whatever they don't finish."

Ye Chuan: "..."

When did these guys become so rich?

But thinking about the two thousand he got every day upon waking up, Ye Chuan's mood immediately brightened.

No, he had to go back and do some more ideological work with Bai Qianshuang.

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