Doctor Nile said.

"Alright. Ah Bao, you need to cooperate with the doctor obediently, don't cause trouble, okay?"

He patted the little panda's head as he spoke.

"Smack!"

The panda swiped away his salty pig hand, giving him a disdainful look.

It's just the body transforming back into a cub, not the brain.

"Quite a temper you've got there."

Liu Zheng chuckled nonchalantly.

Having a temper is good; it means there's vitality.

"Here, Lao Si, your takeout."

He handed the lunch box to Lao Si.

"Mr. Liu, you're giving it to me now? Not after everything's done?"

Lao Si asked.

"I might end up staying a while at the Du Kang Wine Workshop; it's better to deliver it early."

Liu Zheng shook his head.

The next visit to the Du Kang Wine Workshop is uncertain, so it's best to seize this opportunity for some benefits.

"Alright then."

Lao Si took the lunch box.

"Come on, Da Ji, let's go stock up."

He called out.

"Yes, boss."

Niu Daji replied happily.

The two got into the spirit car and sped all the way to the entrance of the Du Kang Wine Workshop.

"Watch the car, wait for me to come out."

Liu Zheng gave a brief reminder, then tapped a rusted knife against the stone tablet.

"Young friend, you arrived so fast. I thought you'd need at least half a month to gather funds."

Feng Jizi smiled as he stepped out.

"You're overestimating me, I suppose if I had to gather funds myself, I could celebrate New Year with you."

He joked.

"Ah, New Year. It's been years since I celebrated the New Year's Day festival."

Feng Jizi sighed.

"The first few years when I arrived at Metropolis, I would still celebrate the festival alone as a reminder of my homeland. But celebrating alone was too boring, so I stopped doing it."

There was an aged look in Feng Jizi's eyes that didn't match his appearance.

"Well, there's no time like the present, today I'll celebrate the New Year with you, senior."

Liu Zheng smiled.

"But today is not New Year's Day."

Feng Jizi said, puzzled.

"Dates are made by people anyway. I'm an orphan, and I haven't really celebrated New Year since I was young, think of it as taking pity on me, senior."

He said with a shameless grin.

"You're the one feeling sorry for this old man."

Feng Jizi shook his head.

"Supporting each other. It's settled, then, I'll go buy some New Year's stuff and be back shortly."

Liu Zheng said.

"Alright then, I'll leave it to you, young friend."

Seeing this, Feng Jizi had no choice but to agree.

"It's a small thing."

He waved a tentacle and turned to get in the car.

"Boss, aren't we buying wine?"

Niu Ma asked curiously.

It had been sitting in the spirit car the whole time, not hearing their conversation.

"Not buying for now, let's go get some other things."

Liu Zheng shook his head.

"Then tell me what to get, boss, I can go buy it."

Niu Ma volunteered.

"I don't even know what to buy myself, let's think once we get there."

Since leaving the orphanage, he hadn't celebrated New Year nor watched the Spring Festival Gala, so he couldn't think of what to buy at the moment.

"Okay. So where are we heading now?"

"To the shop."

Liu Zheng hit the gas and drove to the "Sadoyo" shop.

The clerk at the entrance called Hui San out immediately after seeing him get out of the car.

"Welcome, welcome."

Hui San welcomed him into the study.

"Mr. Liu, what do you want to buy this time?"

After they sat down, Hui San asked.

"Some New Year's items."

Liu Zheng replied.

"Huh?"

Hui San showed a confused expression.

"Doesn't Manager Hui know what New Year is?"

"Of course I do, our Five Families Outside the Pass gather every year to celebrate and have many activities to strengthen our bonds. But it's still a few months away from the New Year; isn't it too early to prepare New Year's goods now?"

Hui San said.

"I just met an elder who works at the Du Kang Wine Workshop, and he hasn't celebrated New Year in so many years. So I thought there's no time like the present, and during my trip to buy wine, I'd give him a good New Year."

He said honestly.

"Du Kang Wine Workshop, huh."

Hui San showed an envious expression.

This time when Yuan Baoer was raising funds, of course he participated too, but his share was small, and the profit was limited.

"Next time there's a good deal like this, you must look out for your little brother, Mr. Liu."

Thinking about the high profit margins in the liquor business, Hui San was willing to humble himself.

"It's all good. I'm all about tenfold returns, whether it's gratitude or grudges."

Liu Zheng replied.

"Understood, I'll have someone prepare the New Year's goods right away. Consider this my tribute to the elders. Mr. Liu, please don't compete with me for this."

Hui San said knowingly.

"Don't worry, I'm not competing with you, I'm tight on funds lately as well."

He laughed.

"Haha, then Mr. Liu, please sit for a while, I'll go supervise them loading the goods. Oh, and if you're bored, you can check out any of the books in my bookshelf."

Hui San said.

"No problem, I brought this."

He took out a game console and gave it a shake.

"A game console, huh. I have a mate who also loves playing this; should I call him to play with you, Mr. Liu?"

Hui San suggested.

"Sure."

Liu Zheng agreed readily.

"Alright."

Hui San went out.

After a while, a young man walked in, bearing a seven-point resemblance to Hui San.

"Hello, Mr. Liu, the manager asked me to play games with you."

The young man said respectfully.

"You're related to Manager Hui, aren't you?"

He asked directly.

"Mr. Liu, you have sharp eyes. Manager Hui is my dad, and I'm the eighth in the family. You can just call me Xiao Ba."

The young man replied.

"Xiao Ba, any game recommendations?"

"What kind of games does Mr. Liu usually like to play?"

The young man asked.

"I like those that involve fighting monsters, collecting materials, and crafting equipment."

Liu Zheng replied.

"Then I recommend the 'Monster Hunter' series to Mr. Liu. They recently released a new one called 'Monster Hunter Pale Star', it's really fun."

The young man thought for a moment and said.

"Huh?"

He looked shocked.

"Has Mr. Liu ever played this series?"

"I did play a game called 'Monster Hunter', but I'm not sure if it's the one you're talking about."

Liu Zheng said.

"Mr. Liu, just look, it's this game."

The young man took out the game console and switched the interface to a game screen.

On the screen, a giant with a bare upper body and a grass skirt around his waist was holding a massive Obsidian Stone Axe above his head, eyes furious, as though about to strike down at any moment.

And beneath him, a Slime clad in armor, wielding a sword in one hand and a shield in the other, was in an attack stance.

Liu Zheng found this composition vaguely familiar, but the character setting was a bit foreign to him.

"So the Monster Hunter is about monsters hunting humans, is it?"

He asked.

"Mainly humanoid creatures, but there are humans too."

The young man replied.

"Is the designer of this game that Slime?"

Liu Zheng asked again.

"Indeed, Mr. Liu, you're amazing for figuring that out instantly."

The young man said admiringly.

"It wasn't that hard to guess..."

He said, squinting.

If he ever designed a 'Beating up Old Niu Ma' game, the protagonist on the cover would definitely be himself.

"Pick another one, no humans as enemies."

Liu Zheng said.

"How about this one? 'Dreaming Ape', it's about an ape working as a mercenary for the folk military company 'Dreaming', exploring and adventuring in various worlds."

The young man said again.

"This one sounds good."

He nodded.

Seeing Liu Zheng agree, the young man set up the game for him, and they began to play together.

The time flew by while playing games, and before they finished the first act's boss, Hui San came in.

"Mr. Liu, the New Year's goods are ready."

"Already done?"

Liu Zheng was a bit reluctant to leave.

In reality, he's a hardcore gamer, and the games in Metropolis are indeed different from those in reality, making them irresistibly fresh to him.

"No worries, Mr. Liu, if you want to play more, just come to me anytime, I'll arrange for Xiao Ba to accompany you."

Hui San laughed.

"Great, then I won't be polite."

Liu Zheng said, with a double entendre.

"Mr. Liu, please, don't be polite. If you do, then I can only be polite too."

Hui San said, equally hiding his sharpness.

"Haha!"

The two veterans exchanged smiles, everything said without words.