The two of them then started to eat the roasted turkey fried noodles, which smelled so tempting. Qiuzhen didn't have the slightest idea what they were talking about. But certain words in their conversation made him interested in hearing them. He wanted to keep eavesdropping on their conversation. After a while, the food he ordered was ready. Qiuzhen looked at the dish with sparkling eyes. His stomach was screaming, begging Qiuzhen to immediately put the dish in his stomach. With a steady motion, Qiuzhen started digging into the food with his chopsticks.

"What about those people? Did they do anything extraordinary?" The man in the brown jacket spoke again.

"Nothing out of the ordinary. They are doing their normal activities. Daily routine." The man in the dark green coat shoved the food into his mouth.

"Didn't you say they had lost their jobs?"

"Yeah, about three months ago, they lost their jobs in a row. I don't know if it was a coincidence, or they were just unlucky. But as I recall, for the last two weeks or so, they went out every day in the morning and came back in the afternoon. Like people who are busy working every day."

"Maybe they've got a job."

"Not yet. They're still unemployed. They're very picky when it comes to working. If they feel they don't really fit the job offered, they won't accept it."

Hearing the series of sentences that the two of them had just said, Qiuzhen became even more curious. He listened carefully. Because he had to listen to the conversations of the people next to him, this time Qiuzhen couldn't focus on enjoying the dish he was eating. But he knew his beaushu could understand. In such circumstances, some things were far more important to do.

"Are they really that unique?"

"Everyone has their own uniqueness. I see them as interesting people." The man in the dark green coat sounded so enthusiastic.

"They're all middle-aged, right?"

"You could say that. Although often their way of thinking and speaking is not very similar to the way middle-aged people think and talk. Sometimes their behavior and speech are more like people in their twenties. I don't know why they act like that. Maybe I should research their background as well. What happened to them since decades ago is probably no less interesting topic."

"That would be very difficult."

"Yeah, it's almost impossible to even for me to do. They came from far away from here. I don't think I would have gone there to research their past lives."

"Was there a change in their character?"

"I haven't watched them long. As far as I know, nothing has changed."

"Everything static?"

"I've been watching them for the last six months. Lived around them for the past five months. Before that, of course, I don't know."

"Are they typical people from Yuandong?"

"Not really. But I don't know what the typical person from Yuandong is like. But clearly, their nature and habits are very similar to each other. I haven't been able to determine whether the similarities between them are the result of their mutual influence during their stay together or whether they've been similar from the start. It's natural for people who have the same interests to form a club. So it's possible that the eldest among them is deliberately gathering people who look like him to live together."

"The eldest of them, isn't he the one who used to work at the used bookstore?"

"Yeah, that's him. He's the leader of the group. Even though he looks the youngest in appearance, he's the oldest."

Uh? Are they talking about Beaushu?

"I think that person is also somewhat similar to you." The person in the brown jacket said with a serious face. After that, he laughed.

The man in the dark green coat didn't answer. He even ate voraciously. The way he ate reminded Qiuzhen of his beaushu, Shanquan. Upon closer inspection, of course, with stealth, Qiuzhen realized this person did indeed look a little like Shanquan. That person was thinner than Shanquan. But as Qiuzhen recalled, Shanquan was also very skinny many years ago. Although the frequency and amount of food that entered Shanquan's stomach was very high, his body's fast metabolism made him difficult to gain weight. Shanquan didn't gain weight until he was close to forty. When Qiuzhen last saw him about six months ago, Shanquan weighed sixty kilograms. Qiuzhen still remembered when Shanquan was in his twenties. He never weighed over forty-five kilograms. According to Qiuzhen's estimation, this person in the dark green coat weighed only about fifty-two to fifty-five kilograms.

If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

"After this project is finished, I will move at once," said the man in the dark green coat.

"How much longer will this project you're working on be over?"

"I can't say for sure yet. Maybe between two weeks and a month. But it depends on other things too. Maybe there will be new developments that will require me to stay here longer."

"Oh, I see! Then where do you want to go next? Are you going to tackle the new project right away?"

"Still don't know. But I don't think so. In fact, this project is just about to enter the next stage."

"Then the case of Huangmu and the others who had disappeared would likely not interest you."

"I still don't know. There's so much I still need to do on this project."

"What stage have you reached?"

"This observation stage is only the initial stage. There are still many stages to go through. Of course, with the help of several assistants and people who are willing to help me."

"In this early stage, is there no one else to help you?"

"Of course there are. But they're not always around. Only at certain times."

"Don't your assistants always report to you? As far as I know, you ordered them to observe also?"

"Yes, in past projects, sometimes they also observe. In this project, they also observe several times. Even though I usually order them to observe from a distance. Don't interact with the object we are observing. I want their report to feel more natural," said the man in the dark green coat.

"Then how did it turn out? In this project, do you feel their reports are more natural?"

"It was the same."

The man in the brown jacket laughed. "Isn't that just how you feel?"

"It's also possible that I've been less sensitive lately, so I can't judge reports well. Even so, their reports are quite detailed. They do add some unnecessary things sometimes."

"I don't understand. Please explain further."

"I have two assistants who have extraordinary powers of imagination. When I read their reports, I feel like reading a novel. They love to embellish what they observe with their imagination. This is, of course, not what I want. Clearly, it is not their job to mix facts with fictitious things. I warned them. But still, such a habit is hard to change. Luckily I've been doing this since time immemorial, so I can predict which part of their report is fact and which part is just fantasy only."

The conversation between the two people was getting more and more interesting. Qiuzhen ate slowly so that he wouldn't finish the meal, so he had a reason to sit there for a long time. In fact, he had planned that if the two of them were to converse any longer, Qiuzhen would order another serving of roasted turkey fried noodles. It tasted pretty good. Although, according to Qiuzhen, the roast beef was a bit undercooked. Qiuzhen really preferred meat that was cooked very well. This differed from Shanquan, who did not have a particular preference in choosing dishes made from meat.

For Shanquan, overcooked, moderately cooked, three-quarters cooked, half-cooked, quarter-cooked, or even raw meat was never a major problem. Processing raw meat into a delicious dish was not just a matter of overcooked or not. There were many things that made dishes made from meat worth eating. For example, the quality of the meat, the completeness of the spices, then also the right composition of the spices. Certain dishes were better when the meat was cooked thoroughly, but certain dishes were more suitable when the meat was half cooked.

"What about your other assistants? Is there a problem?"

"It's not that there's no problem. But the problem isn't there. Everyone has certain strengths and weaknesses. My other assistants are the same. There are always things they don't do as I expected. It's just, it's not as bad as my two imaginative assistants."

"I think you should be more careful. Don't push them too hard. It's a good thing they're still willing to work for you, even though you move around a lot."

"You're right. I think I'm fortunate. I even have an assistant who's been following me for the past ten years. It's tough to find people with such loyalty."

"Therefore, I suggest that you treat them much better than now in the future. Even if you have to rebuke them, do it in a gentle way as much as possible."

"Yes, I know. If I had always rebuked them harshly, by now, none of them would have been willing to stay by my side."

The conversation between the two of them was pretty clear. But Qiuzhen failed to get the gist of what they were talking about. Qiuzhen didn't know what kind of project the dark green coat was working on in this place. His incomprehension only added to the curiosity that churned in his chest. When he saw that the person in the brown jacket ordered extra food, Qiuzhen also got ready to order another dish.

Turned out the guy ordered a black pepper turkey. Qiuzhen actually also wanted to taste the black pepper turkey, but he was worried that if he ordered the same food, he would attract the attention of both people. Qiuzhen read the names of the dishes written on the stall wall. He decided to try a dish with a slightly unique name, namely turkey fried in butter sauce. Qiuzhen didn't know what kind of food it was. He just wished the turkey meat was fried more thoroughly.

Not long after, that person's order came. Qiuzhen's order also followed about five minutes later. While eating, Qiuzhen eared well. But their conversation then just revolved around things that had nothing to do with the topic Qiuzhen wanted to hear. They'd just been talking about what kind of turkey would make a better stew. Such a conversation might be interesting another time, but at that time, Qiuzhen was more interested in hearing the continuation of the project that person was working on.

While Qiuzhen was engrossed in eating the dish in front of him, someone walked towards them. At first, Qiuzhen didn't pay much attention to the person because he was focusing on the two people sitting next to him. The newcomer then sat on a bench in front of the stall. It was located right next to the stall that Qiuzhen came to.

Qiuzhen turned to the stall next door. The food stall sold food that used tuna as the principal ingredient. Qiuzhen looked at the face of the newcomer. That person's face made Qiuzhen so shocked. That person was none other than the person previously wearing a luxurious suit and a black hat. Now he was wearing different clothes. But Qiuzhen clearly still remembered that he was the person he had been following for some time.

Luckily, I had changed clothes before going to this stall. If not, then there's a chance he'll recognize me!