Hidden Moth-Chapter 266 - 144: The Freshest and Most Tender Delicacies

After crossing the Ancestor River, the city he stayed the longest in was the Eastern Country Capital, Pingjing. His car didn’t have a permit, so he didn’t dare to drive around recklessly. He found a hotel outside the Sixth Ring Road and stayed there, then rented another car locally and toured around for two days.

Departing from Pingjing, he drove through the pass into the Northeast Region... On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, he arrived in Kuan Chun City and brought many local specialties from Qi Yuan to his uncle’s family.

He had been to Kuan Chun City twice before. The first time was when he was young, accompanying his grandfather to visit his uncle’s house; the second was last year, when he was trapped wearing only a shirt in the freezing park restroom, nearly unable to return home.

His uncle is named Zhou Feng, whether to call him Second Uncle or Third Uncle was somewhat uncertain. According to the old family traditions, as the second son of his grandfather, he should be called Second Uncle.

But in the new society, men and women are considered equal, and since his uncle is third in the family, after an elder aunt, he could also be called Third Uncle?

In the Northeast, this problem is easier to solve; you can just call him Old Uncle.

The term ’Old Uncle’ does not imply the oldest in age but refers to the youngest in rank. Similarly, the youngest aunt is called ’Old Aunt.’

Zhou Feng is the youngest in the family, most loved by his parents, and taken good care of by his older siblings. By the time he was in high school, the family’s conditions had improved, allowing him to attend university and get into Acheng University of Technology in the Northeast.

Agong University was a key national college, and in the nineties in Puhu Village, this was quite an achievement. Back then, his grandfather hosted large banquets in the village, feeling it was a matter of family pride.

After graduating, his uncle went to work in Kuan Chun at a major state-owned enterprise producing cars, starting as a technician and progressing to engineer, senior engineer, and now is a mid-level leader, living fairly well.

Remembering after his uncle started working, every year he would give him New Year’s money, gradually increasing from hundreds to thousands, until last year’s Spring Festival. This year, He Kao specifically told his uncle that he was already working and didn’t need New Year’s money anymore.

His aunt was a colleague his uncle met after starting work at the factory. They have a son named Zhou Ligong, who is now in his sophomore year of university and is home on winter break.

He Kao had already informed his uncle in advance, saying he was passing through Kuan Chun on a self-driving tour, arriving on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, choosing a day with auspicious meaning, known as Breaking Five and Welcoming the God of Wealth, also called Opening the Wealth Gate.

His uncle jokingly said, "He’s come to play the role of the God of Wealth."

He Kao had already mentioned this, so there was no need for his uncle to specially host anything or arrange food and accommodation; he was just dropping by for a visit. Since his grandfather’s passing, it had been four years since they last saw each other.

However, his uncle was very warm-hearted, booking a large private room at the best hotel nearby, ordering a table full of dishes mostly consisting of main courses! The plates were as big as small wash basins, piled high with food, giving the feeling that even just looking at them would make you full.

Originally, this was just a family dinner for four — uncle, aunt, cousin, and him. Perhaps his uncle thought it wasn’t lively enough, so he called over a few friends, who then called a few more friends, totaling fifteen people filling the large round table.

He Kao wasn’t a stranger to drinking or attending banquets, but this scene was still a first. Since it was ostensibly in his honor, even the friends he didn’t know called on him to drink. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

He Kao drank quite a bit, feeling dizzy, and suddenly thought of the wild grass root extract from the depths of Dabie Mountain that could alleviate his current intoxication... But unfortunately, he hadn’t prepared any.

He Kao was feeling dizzy, but he still managed to drink several people under the table. His uncle, of course, drank too much, excitedly boasting about He Kao’s achievements during the feast, seemingly quite proud.

After drinking too much, his uncle shared a legendary story about his older brother, He Kao’s father Zhou Du, leaving a safe deposit box at a bank before his death, which was only opened twenty years later by He Kao... speaking in a tone full of sighs.

How did his uncle know? Surely his aunt told him. Looking at the reactions of those around the table, curiosity outweighed surprise; evidently, they had heard this story in other settings.

He Kao didn’t originally want to bring up the topic, but his mindset was now peaceful and graciously didn’t interrupt his uncle’s storytelling. When others asked curiously afterward, he briefly confirmed a few points but didn’t elaborate much.

When his aunt went to settle the bill, He Kao overheard from afar, finding that the cost was much cheaper than he expected; compared to Qi Yuan, the restaurants here had excellent value for money!

The next day when he awoke, He Kao suddenly realized something: time was running out. It was already the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, and his unit started work on the eighth day. Even if he left immediately to head back, it would be hard to drive from Kuan Chun back to Qi Yuan.

Looking at the map, it was about eighteen hundred kilometers, and the shortest route recommended by the navigation system was mostly highway. With He Kao’s energy and physical strength, driving continuously was no problem, but the highways had started to congest in the past couple of days.

Furthermore, his original destination was north of Kuan Chun, ideally to travel deep into the snowy forests.

Since becoming the Hidden Moth, he often overlooked the issue of spatial distance, as he could return to Qi Yuan anytime for business. But this habit needs to be changed, or else his identity as Hidden Moth could be exposed.

So he explained the situation to Gao Xue’e, asking if he could take a few extra days off after the New Year holiday. Gao Xue’e replied that it was not a problem, but told him to be cautious and not to rush back by driving fast.