Chapter 129: You Are Actually Quite Kind

Seeing that Jiang Yun was as firm as ever, Dai Xiaomei stopped pressing the issue and shifted the conversation to other topics.

Jiang Yun knew well that Dai Xiaomei was just trying to leverage his popularity to retain her stream's viewers, so he played along a little. After all, he was the one who had brought her to the platform, and they had a decent relationship. Since it was her first broadcast, he couldn't leave her completely hanging. The meal passed pleasantly enough.

Once they finished eating, Jiang Yun intended to go home, but Dai Xiaomei suggested, "Chunxi Road is only a ten-minute walk away. Why don't we go for a stroll?"

Jiang Yun: "???"

He stared at her with a face full of question marks. Had it been anywhere else, he wouldn't have reacted this way. But Chunxi Road? He didn't know if he was truly the "God of War of Chunxi Road," but he certainly had some psychological trauma regarding that name. The place seemed to be a jinx for him. He had never once managed to walk out of Chunxi Road without some kind of incident.

The viewers in the livestream immediately burst into laughter upon seeing his reaction.

"Chunxi Road? Do you know what Brother Yun's nickname is?"

"Asking the 'God of War of Chunxi Road' to go to Chunxi Road? Dai Laosan, you really are chasing that entertainment value."

"Go! If you don't go to Chunxi Road, what kind of entertainment are we supposed to watch?"

"I've been watching you two eat for ages and was about to leave, but if you're going to Chunxi Road, I'm wide awake now!"

"Because of Brother Yun, even someone from out of town like me knows which police station has jurisdiction over Chunxi Road."

"..."

Dai Xiaomei acted as if she hadn't seen the comments, looking at Jiang Yun with feigned sincerity. "Let's go. You've got nothing to do at home anyway. Let's just wander around Chunxi Road."

Jiang Yun narrowed his eyes. He didn't believe for a second that she hadn't seen the origin of his "God of War" title. This woman was definitely doing it on purpose. However, since she had put him on the spot, he couldn't back down in front of so many viewers.

"Fine, let's go for a walk," Jiang Yun said, feigning indifference, and began heading toward Chunxi Road.

Dai Xiaomei followed close behind, winked at the camera, and whispered, "Guys, I'm going to test the true caliber of the God of War of Chunxi Road."

Her words received immediate validation from the chat.

"Alright, Dai Laosan, you really understand how to create a show."

"I bet a hundred bucks that the local police station will be out on patrol tonight."

"It's a shame neither of them is driving, or I'd be able to predict exactly what kind of chaos is coming."

"It's been two days since I last saw Dai Laosan get into an 'accident.' I've really missed it."

"..."

Amidst the banter of the viewers, the two arrived at Chunxi Road. Suddenly, Dai Xiaomei noticed an elderly woman sitting nearby, selling something from a small stall, and walked over out of curiosity.

Up close, she saw the woman sitting on a small stool, slowly stitching pouches by hand. In front of her lay a dozen finished items—some small enough to be sachets, others large enough to serve as wallets. The designs were quite charming, so Dai Xiaomei picked one up and asked, "Grandma, how much for this one?"

The old woman smiled and replied, "Three yuan for the small ones, five for the large ones."

"So cheap?" Dai Xiaomei asked, looking surprised.

The old woman pointed to the unfinished pouch in her hands and said, "It's not cheap, really. The thread and fabric don't cost much."

Dai Xiaomei pursed her lips. The materials might be inexpensive, but the labor was invaluable! In this day and age, most luxury products were sold at exorbitant prices simply because they were "handmade." If you only counted the cost of materials, what was it worth? Yet, here, you couldn't even hear the woman mentioning the value of her labor. Looking at the woman's speed, it had to take at least twenty minutes to sew one pouch. Three yuan was incredibly cheap.

"I'll take this one." Dai Xiaomei put down the small one, picked out a larger one instead, and pulled out her phone. "Where do I scan, Grandma?"

The old woman waved her hand. "I don't have any of that fancy code stuff."

"Oh? Then what do I do?" Dai Xiaomei asked, looking lost. She had long since forgotten the last time she used cash. Without a QR code, she was at a loss. She subconsciously turned to look for Jiang Yun, only to find he had vanished.

"Huh? Where did he go?" She stood up and scanned the area, finally spotting him at the entrance of a nearby convenience store.

Jiang Yun was chewing gum as he strolled out of the store. When he reached Dai Xiaomei, he pulled out several ten-yuan notes and asked the old woman, "Granny, how much for everything you have here?"

"Everything?" The old woman pointed to the pouches and advised, "You're buying so many, you'll never use them all."

Jiang Yun smiled. "It's fine. I have a lot of younger siblings; I'll give them away."

"Oh, that's alright then." The old woman nodded, packed the pouches into a small bag, and said, "Five big ones at five yuan each is twenty-five, and twelve small ones at three yuan each is thirty-six. That's sixty-one total, just give me sixty."

"Alright, sounds good." Jiang Yun took the bag and handed her sixty yuan.

"Thank you, young man," the old woman said, accepting the money.

Jiang Yun smiled, said nothing more, and turned to leave. Dai Xiaomei quickly followed. Once they were a bit further away, she asked, "Did you just go exchange for paper money?"

Jiang Yun: "..."

"That's called cash!"

"Oh right, sorry, I haven't used it in so long. But how did you know she only accepted cash?"

"I've run into her many times, so of course I know," Jiang Yun said with a shrug. "I even know she's a widow. Both her sons moved away and don't care about her, so she lives off selling these pouches. Because she only takes cash, business isn't great. On a good day, she makes thirty or forty yuan; on a bad day, she might make next to nothing. Whenever I run into her, I usually buy her out. It’s not much money, and these things can be used as sachets; they’re quite nice to hang around the house."

Hearing this, Dai Xiaomei looked at Jiang Yun with a different expression. "You're actually a pretty good guy."

Jiang Yun laughed. "Handsome and kind-hearted—that’s me."

As he spoke, he flicked his hair back in a deliberately flashy, conceited gesture. But he had forgotten he was still holding the remaining cash, and a few ten-yuan notes fluttered to the ground.

"You dropped your money, you show-off!" Dai Xiaomei teased.

Jiang Yun looked down and started picking up the bills. "One, two, three... wait, where's the other ten?"