The setting sun, rice fields, the hum of cicadas, and the croaks of frogs.
Zhang Chao rode his Jialing motorcycle through the fields, passing by a rose-covered fence near a lotus pond. He spotted Lin Can lounging on a recliner under the grape trellis, sipping Sprite and staring intently at his phone. From the phone came a sultry female voice: "Aiya~ Don't just comment on my thighs. If you want to experience it, DM me~"
"Ah Can, just came back from a trip and already glued to your screen?" Zhang Chao parked the motorcycle at the entrance, strolling over with a lecherous grin.
"I'm looking at cars."
"I know you're looking at rideable cars. Show me—do they guzzle gas?"
Zhang Chao glanced over and saw a beautiful woman in a tight office skirt outfit livestreaming, promoting a Bentley.
"Ohh, turns out she's selling Bentleys. I thought she was selling something else."
"Take a seat, Bro Chao, I'll pour you a drink. Been busy lately?"
"Not bad, still doing carpentry work at Sheng Tang International. Actually, I've been pretty swamped. Wanna come help out?"
In the past, during summer breaks, Lin Can would help Zhang Chao with carpentry gigs.
"I've picked up a few photography gigs recently, so I'm not strapped for cash right now. But if you're really in a bind, call me. I'll come give you a hand."
Lin Can felt proud to have some money now, but he never thought he was better than others because of it. He never looked down on his past jobs—whether it was doing photography or helping with carpentry—everything he did to survive was valuable experience.
After all, as the saying goes: When Heaven is about to place a great responsibility on a person, it must first frustrate their spirit and toil their body.
Lin Can put his phone down and got up to pour drinks. Zhang Chao sat on the recliner, picked up the phone, and looked at the OL (office lady) beauty in the Bentley livestream.
"Car dealers these days really push the limits. But your Bentley stream is too tame, man. Boring. You gotta check out the budget car streams—those models are barely wearing anything."
"I'll check it out sometime."
Truthfully, Lin Can was seriously looking at luxury cars, trying to pick one that suited him.
Still, being wealthy was too bizarre a turn of events—he had no plans to let the villagers know.
Zhang Chao was practically drooling. He couldn't help it—his wife had just given birth to their second child. He'd been holding it in for a year. On top of that, with all the pressure, there was no time to play around.
Lin Can looked at him, sighing inwardly.
Before marriage, Zhang Chao had been so carefree—handsome, suave, proud, and full of light.
After marriage, life had bent his back, pride gave way to compromise, and the light in his eyes had dimmed. All that remained was the weight of providing for his family.
So Lin Can couldn't help but wonder:
What does marriage really bring to a man?
Zhang Chao gulped down his drink, stood up, and patted Lin Can's shoulder. "Let's go. Come over to my place for a drink."
Lin Can glanced at the bit of marinated meat tied to the motorcycle—not nearly enough food. People were really frugal these days.
"Alright. You go ahead, I'll catch some eels in the field—add a dish."
"Nice."
Zhang Chao rode off on his motorcycle toward his house.
Lin Can grabbed a bucket and went off to catch some fresh river delicacies. Rural life was good—everything was nature's gift.
…
That night, under the stars, in the courtyard:
Braised pig trotters, spicy stir-fried eel, twice-cooked pork, cold jelly noodles, tomato and egg soup, and a few bottles of "Yongchuang" beer.
Simple dishes. Friends who'd been close since childhood.
"Bro Chao, your cooking's getting really good. You couldn't even make noodles before."
"Man~ I do more than cook now—cleaning, laundry, every kind of housework—I can do it all. Sigh…"
"What are you sighing about, Zhang Chao? You got complaints?" His wife, Liu Qin, had just put the kids to bed. She came out holding a bottle of fruit drink, swaying her curvy figure.
"No, no, no. I wouldn't dare complain. I'm totally satisfied. I'm so satisfied with my life right now!!!!"
Lin Can held back a laugh.
Liu Qin gave a dismissive "Tch," sat down beside them, and ladled out a bowl. "Ah Can, try this yangmei-lychee drink I made."
"Looks nice. Let me try…" Lin Can took a sip and nodded repeatedly. "This is good. How do you make it?"
"Simple—boil yangmei with rock sugar for a few minutes, then add lychee, lemon, and lime for another two minutes. Let it cool, and it's ready."
Lin Can nodded and tasted it carefully, mentally checking the detailed ingredients list. Ever since gaining this skill, anything delicious would trigger a scan—great for recreating recipes.
[Name: Yangmei-Lychee Drink]
[Safety: 5 stars]
[Effect: Clears heat and quenches thirst—perfect for summer.]
[Ingredients: Yangmei, lychee, lemon, lime, rock sugar, water, milk]
"Huh? Sis, does this drink use milk too?"
"Nope… oh…" Liu Qin suddenly remembered something and chuckled awkwardly.
Lin Can was puzzled. Could it be a secret ingredient she didn't want to share?
[System Ingredient Alert: While breastfeeding earlier, a few drops accidentally splashed into the drink.]
Ah~ No wonder it was so rich and creamy.
Zhang Chao said, "By the way, Ah Can, the demolition office came again yesterday. I heard this time they're really going to do it."
"It's been years. They come every year to mess with everyone's emotions. You still believe it? I don't."
Back when rumors of demolition first spread, every house in Sunshine Village had the Chinese character for "demolish" (拆) painted on their walls.
It's said that a foreign designer, while traveling in China, was captivated by the character "拆." He thought it was a symbol of fortune—equivalent to "福" (blessing)—because locals said it represented upcoming wealth and happy lives.
Thanks to the "拆" hype, Sunshine Village men became quite desirable—each one managed to marry.
But the days dragged on. One-child policy relaxed to two, then three, but still, no demolition.
Many villagers fell into depression.
"I think Sunshine Village is great—good environment, public bus right at the door, super convenient. Why move into a shoebox apartment in the city? I'd rather live here surrounded by green hills and clear water."
"But didn't you used to support demolition? Why the change of heart?"
Lin Can thought: Well, I'm rich now. That changes your perspective.
"Ah Can, didn't your elementary school homeroom teacher, Wang Tao, become a civil servant later? He's in the demolition office in the provincial capital now. Can you ask him?"
"Sure. I was planning to head there tomorrow anyway. I'll drop by to see Mr. Wang and ask. Come on, let's drink."
Lin Can understood why Zhang Chao and the others cared so much.
He had been healed by money.
They hadn't.
It wasn't just about compensation—it was about solving basic needs like retirement and social insurance.
And, of course, getting a few apartments and a substantial payout.
Money, ultimately, is the cure-all.
As a native of Sunshine Village, Lin Can hoped everyone could live happily.
…
After dinner, Lin Can helped Zhang Chao wash the dishes, then went home, took a shower, and, stark naked, flopped onto his bed to continue browsing luxury car livestreams.
In this internet age, Lamborghini, Bentley, Rolls-Royce—all had streams. And the streamers? All long-legged car models.
Cars worth millions wouldn't hire no-name influencers. Sure, they used beauty filters, but their looks were solid—no jokes here. You had to trust in the consistent taste of the higher-ups.
After watching for a long time, Lin Can finally settled on one: the latest Bentley Continental GT.
The car model in the stream said it had been custom-ordered months ago, but the buyer ran into financial trouble due to the pandemic. The car had just arrived and was now for sale. Fully specced, it originally cost 5.29 million, but the buyer slashed over 500,000 yuan off the price. That discount basically equaled the markup people paid to get the car early. With insurance, registration, and purchase tax, the total came to about 5.6 million.
What attracted Lin Can most was that the car was in stock.
So he booked a visit for tomorrow via the livestream.
The model smiled sweetly and agreed.
To be honest, Bentley livestreams had tons of broke guys pretending to be rich and "shopping for cars." Almost no one actually showed up in person.
But that was fine.
Cars worth millions didn't get daily foot traffic.
Selling two cars online in a year was enough.
…
The next morning.
Lin Can arrived at the bus station and bought a ticket to Yunchuan City.
Shuttle buses left every 30 minutes.
He got a window seat and started reading a novel to kill time.
Ten minutes later, the driver climbed in and started the engine.
"Driver, wait, wait for me…"
A girl in a denim pinafore dress came running over, ponytail swinging.
"Hop on."
"Thanks!"
She climbed aboard, panting, and scanned the bus. "Huh?" A bright smile bloomed.
"Lin Can?"
"I heard you, Yang Wuluo, yelling for the driver. I turned and saw your ponytail bouncing."
Lin Can grinned and added, "I meant your pony tail."