AGN -Chapter 364 Xu Nuo (Part 2)

In his first life, Shi Dadan was undoubtedly an honest and straightforward Dangkang. When Xu Nuo told him to hurry up and bring the meal to her home so as not to waste time and get caught by Factory Director Xu, Shi Dadan really charged forward at full speed like a wild boar.

He ran against the flow of people with his lunch box in his arms, so fast that he even forgot he could put the lunch box and steamed buns into his bag. He just kept holding them the entire way as he rushed out of the textile factory.

Qin Huai, who was following behind, almost couldn’t catch up and nearly got “killed” by an invisible wall.

No one knew why the boundary of the invisible wall in this memory fragment was so narrow—Qin Huai would get hit by it as long as he drifted even a little too far.

Xu Nuo was squatting under a big tree outside the textile factory waiting for him. When she saw Shi Dadan coming out, she quickly waved at him and said before he could even speak, “Why are you holding the lunch box? Didn’t you have a bag?”

“Oh, I forgot because I was in a hurry,” Shi Dadan replied, only then realizing it. He slowly unzipped his shoulder bag and carefully put the lunch box inside. First the lunch box, then the steamed buns. In the end, two buns remained—one he held in his hand, the other he stuffed into his mouth.

Xu Nuo felt a bit helpless.

“Are all Dangkang like you? Only energetic when eating, and slow in everything else. Luckily I got you into the transport team. My dad even said last time that your personality suits driving—cautious, a bit slow when doing things. That’s better than being reckless and careless.”

Shi Dadan didn’t quite understand and just kept chewing his bun as he followed Xu Nuo toward her home.

After walking a short distance, Shi Dadan finished both buns in his hands and finally asked slowly, “Xu Nuo, what did you just say… something about ‘rough something, careless something’? Is that an idiom?”

Xu Nuo: “……”

Qin Huai: “……”

At that moment, Qin Huai deeply resonated with Xu Nuo. The expression on his face was exactly the same as his right now.

Thinking back to Shi Dadan’s interactions with him in his second life, Qin Huai suddenly realized that this guy hadn’t had it easy in either lifetime. Someone who disliked reading so much actually managed to communicate normally and even use idioms correctly—just how much hardship must he have gone through in studying!

He really didn’t like reading.

“Did you look at those elementary school textbooks I gave you?” Xu Nuo asked.

Shi Dadan scratched his head embarrassedly and smiled. “I did. But I couldn’t keep reading. I got sleepy as soon as I opened them. I barely memorized some characters and then stopped.”

“Then did you listen to the radio I gave you?”

“I did. I also got sleepy listening to it. Every night after I got home, I’d turn it on and sleep really well.”

Xu Nuo: “……”

He stopped walking, looked around to confirm no one was nearby, and then raised his voice slightly. “Even if you’re a Dangkang, a auspicious beast, you can’t go through your tribulation like this.”

Shi Dadan said honestly, “But the seniors told me that passing tribulation is just about being happy. There’s lots of good food in the human world—if I like it, I should stay a couple more years and enjoy eating and drinking. If I don’t like it, I can find a deep mountain forest, grow crops and raise animals. Each spirit beast only gets one chance at tribulation, so I should use it well and eat more good food. Once I go back, I won’t be able to eat it anymore.”

Xu Nuo: “……”

Qin Huai: “……”

Qin Huai could feel Xu Nuo’s helplessness and speechlessness almost materialize. He opened his mouth as if to speak, then stopped, then tried again, and finally all his thoughts turned into one sentence:

“Do you want to have a rice wine steamed bun first?”

“Okay!” Shi Dadan said happily, reaching out.

Xu Nuo took a rice wine bun from his bag, split it in half, gave the smaller piece to himself and the larger one to Shi Dadan.

Shi Dadan happily took it and followed him while eating.

The family housing area of the textile factory was also a row of tube buildings. At first glance, it looked no different from Gong Liang’s place, except Xu Nuo’s home was slightly larger and in a better location—on the third floor.

No need to climb too many stairs, no trouble with lower floors, and a proper two-bedroom, one-living-room layout. In this era, it was definitely considered a large apartment.

Gong Liang’s “two-bedroom, one-living-room” was self-partitioned; Xu Nuo’s was genuine.

Qin Huai only glanced inside and immediately saw a television, refrigerator, and washing machine—the three standard household appliances that had just begun entering ordinary homes in the late 1980s. There were even two electric fans, one in the living room and one in Xu Nuo’s bedroom.

Xu Nuo’s room had a desk, though it looked more like a dining table. There weren’t many books on it—only two bananas, two apples, a few biscuits, a jar of fermented bean curd, a bottle of pickled beans, and a jar of pickled vegetables.

As soon as they entered the room, both of them moved in perfect sync—one closed the door, the other closed the window. The window couldn’t shut tightly, so they stuffed the gap with folded paper. Then they simultaneously took out their bags and pulled out the packed meals.

Each person took out three lunch boxes, all identical—aluminum lunch boxes of the same model, worn and dented from years of use, clearly well-used but still sturdy.

Xu Nuo’s three boxes contained pork with long beans, mushroom stir-fried pork, and vinegar-stir-fried cabbage.

The moment the lids were opened, a rich aroma filled the room. Both portion and appearance were excellent.

The cabbage, though a simple dish, still looked fresh and green even after being sealed in the aluminum box for so long. The vinegar aroma was strong but not overpowering, making one’s mouth water instantly. Clearly, the cook was highly skilled.

These dishes were obviously made by Jing Lixiang herself. No wonder Xu Nuo and Shi Dadan had sealed the windows so tightly—if the neighbors’ children smelled this, they’d probably drool in envy.

Without another word, they started eating.

Xu Nuo also had five rice wine buns, three of which she gave to Shi Dadan. The remaining two he used—one with fermented bean curd and small side dishes, the other with cabbage, pork, and long beans.

He didn’t touch Shi Dadan’s three lunch boxes at all; he couldn’t even finish his own.

Compared to Xu Nuo’s refined way of eating, Shi Dadan was much more rough and straightforward. He didn’t bother stuffing anything into his buns—just alternated between bites of bun and dishes, all mixed together in his mouth.

No concern about pairing or balance. He liked everything. Rice wine buns, corn buns, plain coarse buns—he ate them all without hesitation.

In the end, he used the last bit of dish soup in the lunch box to clean it out, wiping it dry with a bun until the box looked freshly washed. He finished with two apples.

Watching the entire scene, Qin Huai felt it was a truly satisfying meal—Shi Dadan leading the feast, Xu Nuo accompanying him.

At that moment, Qin Huai felt that compared to a real Dangkang, even Ou Yang and Luo Luo weren’t particularly big eaters. If Shi Dadan ever truly unleashed his appetite of eating 26 buns, those two probably wouldn’t stand a chance.

After eating and drinking his fill, Shi Dadan seemed a little carb-drunk. He sat quietly for a while to digest, then suddenly remembered something. He grabbed his small bag from the floor and pulled out a stack of money, vouchers, and a few loose cigarettes.

“This is my salary from yesterday. I forgot to give it to you—it’s all here.”

He counted it a bit but got confused and gave up. “I already bought meal tickets, so I’m not sure how much is left. Probably quite a lot. I remember the team leader mentioned something about subsidies.”

Xu Nuo didn’t refuse. He took the money and vouchers, counted them, and put them into his small cash box. Qin Huai glanced at it—inside was a thick stack of cash.

“Are you not keeping any for yourself? The transport team pays very well, not to mention you’ve already become a full-time worker. Don’t you have any other hobbies besides eating? For example, this outfit—this is the work uniform issued the year before last, right? Didn’t they issue a new one last year? Why aren’t you wearing it?”

Shi Dadan chuckled. “This one is more comfortable.”

Then he glanced cautiously outside. “Factory Director Xu should be back soon. I’ll head off first.”

Xu Nuo sighed helplessly, stood up, and handed him two biscuits from the table. “Did you hear some rumors again? That the two of us are a ‘pair of idiots + spendthrifts’? That my dad gets high blood pressure the moment he sees us together? That Director Xu, a man of great reputation, has a highly accomplished eldest son, but ended up with a careless younger son and a foolish relative who came to rely on him?”

“Nope,” Shi Dadan answered honestly. “I go out driving every day. Before, Brother Chen and Brother Liu were with me—they talk a lot. Today I was alone, so no one said anything to me.”

“I just felt that since I finished eating, I should head back. I have to go out driving early tomorrow morning. The team leader said I need to rest early before driving.”

Only then did he take the two biscuits from Xu Nuo and shove them into his mouth, chewing and swallowing them quickly.

Xu Nuo: “……”

Xu Nuo was speechless.

“Oh, but tomorrow I’m delivering goods for the meat processing plant. I’ll be going to the countryside. Didn’t you say you wanted crabs? I can catch some from the rural rivers for you.”

Xu Nuo: “?”

“Why catch instead of buy?”

“The crabs villagers catch aren’t as good as the ones I catch,” Shi Dadan said matter-of-factly. “If you only want crabs, I’ll bring a basket. If you also want fish, I’ll bring a bucket too.”

“Forget it. My dad won’t be back that early anyway. I’ll take you home first.” Xu Nuo stood up and led him out. Shi Dadan obediently followed.

Qin Huai noticed that when they left and closed the door, a neighbor’s child poked his head out curiously and shouted into the house:

“Mom, the two Xu brothers have finished eating. Should I go to the factory to call Uncle Xu back now?”

Xu Nuo and Shi Dadan went downstairs and walked until they were far away from the residential area. Only when no one else was around did Xu Nuo finally speak slowly.

“My dad doesn’t dislike you.”

“He thinks you’re a good person. Not very smart, but honest and reliable. Me hanging out with you all the time is still better than mixing with shady friends.”

“He and my mom have been coming home late recently because the factory is busy. Also… maybe they just don’t want to see us eating together, because the food makes him think I’m a spendthrift and he gets angry.”

“And since you give me all your salary every month in cash and vouchers, my dad thinks I’m cheating an honest man. Every time he sees you eating at our place, he feels like his son is out there swindling money from a good person again.”

“I know Factory Director Xu doesn’t dislike me,” Shi Dadan nodded. Seeing that Xu Nuo didn’t seem convinced, he nodded even harder. “I really know.”

“I’m not as smart as you. I only know how to write my own name. I can’t really behave properly, I can’t study, and I definitely can’t go to university like you—but I can feel it.”

“The director doesn’t dislike me. He also believes I saved your life, so he says I’m a relative of your family and arranged for me to learn driving and get a job.”

“The team leader really likes me too. He doesn’t think I’m stupid, and he teaches me how to repair cars every day, hoping I can become a full-time worker soon.”

“Brother Chen and Brother Liu don’t dislike me either. Since they know I’m dumb and don’t talk much, they say whatever they want in front of me. Of course, I don’t really understand a lot of it.”

“Also… I know you think I shouldn’t be going through my tribulation like this, but I don’t really know how I’m supposed to do it either. After coming to the human world, I found it’s different from what the seniors said. Sometimes I wonder if their method even works—but I can’t figure it out.”

Shi Dadan looked confused. “You know, us Dangkang don’t think much.”

“The human world is indeed different now,” Xu Nuo nodded. “If you had come a hundred years earlier, maybe their method would’ve worked. But now… even I failed my tribulation. I don’t really have anything to teach you.”

After saying that, the two “Xu” spirits in this life both sighed at the same time.

“You’re much smarter than me—how could you fail your tribulation?” Shi Dadan didn’t understand.

Xu Nuo: “…Maybe I’m just not smart enough. Or maybe I’m limited. Or maybe… I like meddling too much.”

“So you failed because you like meddling?” Shi Dadan suddenly realized and memorized it. “Then I shouldn’t be like you. I think things are fine now. Even though I still haven’t become very ‘understanding,’ everyone doesn’t seem to care.”

“Whatever I say or do, or even if I don’t say anything, everyone thinks it’s normal. They even say I’m a fool with good fortune.”

“Xu Nuo, the elementary school textbooks you gave me are really too hard. I can’t understand anything after third grade. Can I not study them?”

Shi Dadan’s face practically begged: I am truly allergic to studying, please believe me.

He might as well have had “I’m a bad student” carved on his forehead.

“Then what about repairing cars…”

“I’ll study hard with the team leader. I know that in the transport team, to be a good driver, you need to not only know how to drive but also how to repair cars. I can learn that without reading books.”

“And I actually quite like driving.”

Xu Nuo’s eyes lit up. “So you’ve found your interest?”

“Every time I deliver goods to other factories, the food is really good. I don’t dare stay to eat because I don’t know them, and I’m afraid I’ll say or do something wrong—but they always stuff me with white flour buns. Pure white flour buns!”

“I love buns the most!”

Xu Nuo: “……”

“Alright, alright, I get it. You don’t just like buns—you like steamed buns and white rice too. As long as it’s refined grain staple food, you like it. Your legendary record of eating 26 buns is now well known in the textile factory.”

“Last month I went to Hangzhou and had a bun made with crab roe and sea cucumber. I’ve been experimenting these days, but I don’t have sea cucumber at home, so I can only make crab roe ones.”

“If you come back early tomorrow, help me catch some crabs—fat ones with lots of roe.”

“Day after tomorrow you’re off, right? I’ll make you crab roe pork buns. Not soup dumplings.”

Qin Huai: “???”

Crab roe pork buns—and not even soup dumplings?

What kind of new combination is this? Xu Nuo, your cooking path is getting way too wild.