All realms have enabled me to achieve the Great Dao.

As evening approached, Zhou Yongcheng arrived in Shashi, Hunan Province. He would spend the night in Shashi and set off back tomorrow.

After finding a nice hotel in the city and settling in, Zhou Yongcheng took out his phone and made a call.

"Brother Cheng, it's been a long time since I called."

A man's voice came from the other end of the phone.

“It’s been a long time since we last contacted each other. I’m in Shashi. Where are you?” Zhou Yongcheng said with a smile.

"You're not bragging, are you? Weren't you in Jiangnan? Why are you in Shashi?" Zhou Yongkang asked incredulously.

Zhou Yongkang was Zhou Yongcheng's cousin; they grew up together.

“Really, how could I lie to you? I’ve been working away from home for so many years and haven’t been back. I’m going back from Jiangnan, passing through Shashi. I’ll rest in Shashi for one night and then set off again tomorrow,” Zhou Yongcheng said.

“Send me your location. We haven’t sat down and chatted together in seven or eight years.”

Zhou Yongcheng sent Zhou Yongkang a location.

About half an hour later, Zhou Yongkang arrived at the hotel.

Zhou Yongcheng arrived downstairs at the hotel and saw Zhou Yongkang.

Although he hadn't returned to the village for seven or eight years, he had kept in touch with most of his close friends and brothers in the village, though not very frequently.

Zhou Yongkang is not as old as Zhou Yongcheng. Zhou Yongkang is only 26 years old this year. He is about the same height as Zhou Yongcheng, neither fat nor thin, and he is a little bit more handsome than Zhou Yongcheng.

Zhou Yongkang, who was waiting for someone outside the hotel, also saw Zhou Yongcheng coming out of the hotel.

“Brother Cheng, you haven’t changed at all.” Zhou Yongkang said to Zhou Yongcheng.

"What changes could there be? Nothing more than becoming more mature," Zhou Yongcheng replied with a smile.

“You’ve matured, which means you’ve grown up. Why are you the only one here? Where’s your wife?” Zhou Yongkang looked behind Zhou Yongcheng, but didn’t look at anyone else.

"Bullshit, you can't find a partner if you don't have anything in your pocket these days?"

"Brother Cheng sees things very clearly."

"Let's go, there's a night market not far away, let's eat and chat."

Zhou Yongcheng took Zhou Yongkang to a nearby night market, ordered some food, and asked the shop assistant to bring out a case of beer.

"Brother Cheng, no, forget the alcohol. I need to drive back later; I have to go to work tomorrow," Zhou Yongkang said, waving his hand.

"Don't go back tonight. Just get a hotel room and sleep there. You can go back to work tomorrow morning."

Zhou Yongkang could not refuse.

They started drinking and chatting.

"You've been working away from home longer than me, haven't you found someone you like yet?" Zhou Yongcheng asked.

Zhou Yongkang went out to work after graduating from junior high school and has been working for almost ten years now.

"I've dated a few, but we all broke up because of the bride price. My family introduced me to someone recently, and we get along well, but I don't know if we can end up together."

Zhou Yongkang shook his head, drank a glass of wine, and said he was heartbroken about dating.

The woman he had his eye on, but unfortunately, she didn't reciprocate his feelings.

The woman who was interested in him, he didn't reciprocate her feelings.

Later, he stopped being picky and wanted to marry any woman, but the bride price was too high, and he couldn't afford it.

"Have you met the woman yet?" Zhou Yongcheng asked curiously.

“I’ve met her on WeChat. She works in Lingnan and is from my sister-in-law’s hometown.”

Zhou Yongcheng nodded and didn't ask any more questions. It wasn't a good idea to ask too many questions or give advice.

How's the door and window business doing these days?

Zhou Yongkang has been in Shashi for five or six years, and he has always been in the door and window industry.

"It's not that great. Before last year, the job market was pretty good, and you could earn over ten thousand. But now it's not like that. Even with overtime, you can only earn eight or nine thousand."

"Making money through work is definitely not as easy as it used to be; all industries are too competitive."

As the two chatted, the shop assistant brought out their order.

Zhou Yongkang picked up a skewer of mutton and started eating, talking as he ate.

Did you take leave to go back?

Zhou Yongcheng also took a skewer and started eating.

"No, I quit my job. I've suffered too much working for years, and I don't want to work anymore. I'll go back and rest for a while first."

"Brother Cheng must have a lot of savings, maybe thirty or forty?"

"Pretty much. My second uncle said that the house is already leaking. He plans to tear it down and rebuild it when he goes back this time. The money he has saved over the years should be enough to build a new house."

“Your house is really in bad shape. Many parts are dilapidated and it’s uninhabitable.”

Zhou Yongcheng's house is an old wooden house that has been uninhabited for seven or eight years and has not been maintained. It's a miracle that it hasn't collapsed.

As they chatted, they talked about the changes in the village and the town.

We chatted until after 11 p.m. before settling the bill and leaving.

"Brother Cheng's alcohol tolerance has improved. He used to be unable to drink even two bottles of beer, but now he can drink five or six bottles without even turning pale."

"When you're out in the game, you can't avoid drinking. You're different, your alcohol tolerance is probably even better than mine."

"Just average, third in the world."

Upon arriving at the hotel, Zhou Yongcheng wanted to book a room for Zhou Yongkang.

"Brother Cheng, I'll pay for the hotel room myself."

"We're brothers, there's no need to be so formal."

Zhou Yongkang had nothing to say.

Book a room and let Zhou Yongkang go to sleep early. The two of them can drink slowly when they go back for the New Year.

The next day, after having breakfast at the hotel, Zhou Yongcheng did not rush to leave. He wanted to cash out some money first.

This time, he took out several ginseng roots and found a traditional Chinese medicine shop that claimed to be a century-old brand.

To Zhou Yongcheng's surprise, a few ginseng roots sold for over ten million yuan. The herbal appraiser said that the herbs he sold were basically close to a hundred years old.

It seems that reselling medicinal herbs can be quite profitable.

Once in the car, Zhou Yongcheng thought for a moment and took out a pair of jade bracelets. Since he was going to sell them for cash, he wanted to sell as much as possible to avoid having to worry about not having enough money for future purchases.

The jade bracelet is pure green; I don't know how much it's worth.

Zhou Yongcheng looked up the prices of jadeite bracelets online. They said that imperial green was the most valuable, and there was also something called "positive green." The problem was that Zhou Yongcheng didn't know what imperial green or positive green meant. He had only heard that the greener the jadeite, the more valuable it was, but he didn't know if that was true.

Holding a pair of bracelets, Zhou Yongcheng went to a jewelry and jade shop that looked very large.

Stepping into the shop, the interior was decorated in a lavish and opulent style, giving one the impression that the items were unaffordable.

Zhou Yongcheng was greeted by a beautiful saleswoman. In jewelry stores, the saleswomen are all dressed in professional attire, and they all have great figures and are beautiful. In the past, Zhou Yongcheng would only dare to peek into the store from the outside, and he would not have the courage to go in.

Zhou Yongcheng explained his purpose, and the beautiful shop assistant led him to a counter.

"Manager, this gentleman has a pair of jade bracelets that he needs to sell."

The store manager was also a beautiful woman, a bit older than the staff. She looked to be at least in her thirties, in the prime of her life, and very attractive.

Zhou Yongcheng took a pair of jade bracelets out of his trouser pocket and placed them on the counter.

Whether it was the beautiful saleswoman or the beautiful store manager, when they saw Zhou Yongcheng take out a pair of jade bracelets from his pants pocket, they felt that what Zhou Yongcheng took out was probably not a good item.

Because the bracelet that Zhou Yongcheng took out was not wrapped in anything, although it was in very good condition, there are many fakes in this day and age, and good condition does not mean that the item is genuine.