172: Chapter 170 Hao River?
172: Chapter 170 Hao River?
More than half an hour later, the doorbell rang.
Standing up, Chen Hai walked to the door and opened it.
Zhang Yong stood outside, his hands each carrying plastic bags filled with more than a dozen food containers.
Besides him, there was a young man who looked a few years older, following behind him.
This young man, although empty-handed, was shouldering two cases of twelve-bottle beer packs.
“Zhang Yong, what’s all this for?
What are you waiting for, come in, come in…”
Seeing the two looking like this, Chen Hai couldn’t help but laugh and cry, and he quickly waved them in.
Before coming over, Zhang Yong had called him to say he wanted to come and thank him.
Under these circumstances, they didn’t feel appropriate arriving empty-handed, although Chen Hai wouldn’t have minded.
Bringing gifts to Chen Hai?
Too expensive, they couldn’t afford; too cheap, it felt inadequate!
Thinking it through, Zhang Yong decided to show up like this.
“Brother Hai, at this hour, you probably haven’t had dinner yet, have you?”
“Coming over here, I didn’t know what would be suitable to bring, and after thinking about it for a while, I simply brought some food and drinks.”
“You know, I’m just a worker, I can’t afford delicacies from land and sea!”
“We people from Liuyuan County like our food with strong flavors, so I just bought some grilled skewers and snacks.
I hope you like them!”
…
Under Chen Hai’s invitation, Zhang Yong walked into the room and explained as he set down the food containers one by one.
“You this guy, we’re old classmates, and you’re still talking like this to me?”
“If you really brought those expensive delicacies, eating them would feel like chewing wax to me!”
“Grilled skewers suit my taste; what you brought is truly my favorite!”
Chen Hai responded with a laugh, his gaze shifted and landed on the young man who came with Zhang Yong, “Who is this?”
“Chairman Chen, hello, I’m Zhang Yong’s cousin, Zhang Dasheng!”
“I have long heard your great name, and ever since I knew you were here, I’ve been wanting to find an opportunity to get to know you properly!”
“So, knowing my cousin was visiting you, I promptly thickened my skin and followed him here…”
With slight restraint, this young man who introduced himself as Zhang Dasheng, hurriedly smiled broadly and gave an explanation to Chen Hai.
Having mixed around in Haizhu City for several years, he naturally understood the importance of network connections.
The Chen Hai in front of him, wasn’t just his cousin’s classmate, but also one of the bosses behind Huangxin Shoes where he was working.
Missing the opportunity to bond with such an important figure would mean his years in Yuedong had been wasted.
To be honest, he was quite envious of his cousin Zhang Yong.
Just because of knowing Chen Hai, he got promoted to a supervisor within a few days of joining the factory, with a salary nearly double his.
“So, you are the cousin, hello, hello, please take a seat.
Don’t be polite here, just feel like you’re at home!”
Polite and courteous, Chen Hai shook hands with Zhang Dasheng and warmly invited him to sit.
The situation being what it was, despite sitting down, it was inevitable for Zhang Yong and Zhang Dasheng to still feel somewhat reserved because of their different statuses.
Only when Chen Hai picked up a grilled skewer and really started eating did the two guys begin to truly relax and join in the eating and drinking.
“Brother Hai, here, let me toast you a drink!”
“Brother Hai, if it weren’t for that kid Zhang Yong suddenly getting promoted to warehouse manager, I wouldn’t have thought you, his classmate, would be so awesome.
Here, this drink is for you!”
“You guys are cousins, don’t keep pouring me drinks.
I can barely hold two or three bottles before I get drunk.
Zhang Yong knows about it.
On the day we went to check our exam scores after the college entrance examination, I had a little bit of beer and passed out.
I was almost taken home by those sisters!”
“Brother Hai, look at what you’re saying.
Zhang Yong and I, we’re following you for meals.
How dare we force drinks on you?
Come on, one more drink, at your pleasure.
I’ll down it in one go!”
…
As the men drank at the table, it was easy for them to become close.
That guy Zhang Dasheng, obviously much older than Chen Hai, after a few drinks stopped calling him Chairman Chen, and like his own cousin Zhang Yong, directly started calling him Brother Hai!
Chen Hai didn’t object to this nickname, which meant he accepted it!
“Brother Hai, it’s rare for you to come to Haizhu City.
How long do you plan to stay?
Do you have any plans to go check out Hao River?”
While they were eating and drinking, they chatted casually, and suddenly Zhang Dasheng brought up the topic.
Compared to Haizhu City, Hao River, just across a bridge, was famously one of the top three gambling cities in the world.
That place, however, was still leased out and hadn’t returned to Yanhuang Country’s embrace yet.
It would still be a few years before Hao River could completely return.
In recent years, some wealthy people from the Mainland came here to Haizhu City only using the place as a stepping-stone, but their real intention was to visit Hao River across the way.
“Gambling City, huh?
If I get a chance, I might visit!”
“However, this time, I probably won’t have time to go there.”
“I’ve heard that you need a travel document to go there, and I don’t have it right now.
So even if I want to go, I can’t!”
Zhang Dasheng’s topic had indeed piqued some interest in Chen Hai.
However, after some thought, he sighed and expressed his reluctant acceptance.
With his Divine Soul power, although he still couldn’t interfere with physical matter, using his Divine Soul Eye to check the numbers on dice or sneak a peek at others’ cards was no big deal.
With such skills up his sleeve, wouldn’t going to a casino be no different from picking up money?
This time, his visit to Haizhu City didn’t include plans for visiting Hao River at all!
Otherwise, he would have definitely prepared and carried the necessary travel document with him.
“Bro, if you really want to go, it’s not impossible!”
“In Haizhu City, if you’re determined, you can definitely find a professional agency for such matters.
They can find a way to get you a travel document!”
“After you follow them there, just go play in their associated casinos!”
Seeing that Chen Hai seemed quite interested in what he was suggesting, Zhang Dasheng hurriedly leaned in to say.
“Really?
If I want to go now, can they get me the travel document immediately?” Chen Hai replied with a smile.
“It probably won’t be that quick.
The casino intermediaries might take a few days to process the paperwork, right?” Scratching his head, Zhang Dasheng explained with an embarrassed expression.
He had actually been to Hao River once.
That time, he had waited three whole days for the intermediaries to get everything sorted for him!
There, he spent just one day amidst the dazzling glamour which almost blinded him.
He played in the casino for just two hours and ended up losing the salary he had painfully saved for half a year – everything was gone in a flash.
“If it takes a few days, then never mind.
Maybe I’ll go next time!”
After a brief thought, Chen Hai shook his head and politely declined.
After all, today was already September 23, and he didn’t have much of his holiday left.
He had to visit his hometown and hurry back to Capital City.
With the little time he had, most of it would be spent on the road.
He surely couldn’t afford to waste a few days waiting for a travel document to Hao River.