The sky collapsed, and in the blink of an eye, I found myself transported to Nanluoguxiang.

He quickly walked up to Master Chen and respectfully greeted him, "Master!"

Master Chen was talking quietly with several other experienced craftsmen when he heard the voice and turned around to see Li Kaixin.

He nodded and said, "I'm happy! What's up?"

"Master, have you had dinner yet?" Li Kaixin asked with concern.

"I've already eaten," Chef Chen said succinctly.

Then he countered with, "Where have you been all day?"

Li Kaixin scratched his head, a look of curiosity on his face, and replied:

"I just wandered around the neighborhood."

"Master, we haven't seen you at the guesthouse all day, and Captain Wang and the others are nowhere to be seen either. Is something the matter?"

Chen Dabing glanced at the few passersby around him, his brows furrowing almost imperceptibly.

He lowered his voice and said, "This isn't the place to talk outside. Come on, let's go inside."

Li Kaixin immediately realized she had spoken out of turn and quickly fell silent, nodding emphatically.

He then turned back and gestured to Wu Tian and Qian Dazhuang, who were not far away, indicating that the two should go back first. He then followed Chen Dabing and entered his master's room one after the other.

Master Chen closed the door behind him, pointed to the bed and said, "Don't stand there, sit down."

After listening, Li Kaixin sat down on the edge of the bed, her back naturally straight, looking like she was listening attentively.

Master Chen sat down opposite him, took out a cigarette, but didn't light it; he just held it in his hand and slowly rubbed it.

After a moment's hesitation, he looked up at Li Kaixin and said in a low voice, "Since you asked, I can tell you, but don't spread it around."

"Hey, Master, don't worry, that's all I have to say. I'll keep it to myself!" Li Kaixin quickly assured him.

Chen Dabing then slowly explained the reason.

"I'm not here today. I went with Captain Wang and the others to help the grain station transport grain to the countryside."

Li Kaixin looked puzzled, thinking, "Isn't hauling grain our job this time? Why don't we apprentices know about it?"

Master Chen seemed to see through Li Kaixin's thoughts and explained.

"This time it was private."

"It's Station Chief Huang's side. Seeing that the progress of grain storage in various villages is slow, he came to Captain Wang, hoping that our driver team could lend a hand and bring back the grain scattered in various places as soon as possible."

"Moreover, our station manager Zhao at the transportation station doesn't know about this; it's considered a private job that our drivers' team took on themselves."

"Therefore, it's not convenient to take on apprentices like you who haven't been officially hired yet."

Upon hearing this, Li Kaixin immediately understood and realized the truth.

These so-called side jobs are actually a way for experienced drivers to earn extra money during their work breaks.

Only those who have obtained a formal driver's license, like the instructors, are qualified to participate.

"Master, I understand. Thank you for your guidance."

Li Kaixin nodded solemnly, indicating that she fully understood the intricacies of the matter.

Seeing that Li Kai understood immediately, Master Chen's eyes flashed with satisfaction, so he stopped talking about it and instead asked him where he had gone that day.

Li Kaixin used the same excuse he had used with Wu Tian and Qian Dazhuang that morning.

The master and apprentice chatted idly for a while.

Seeing that it was getting late, Li Kaixin bid farewell to Master Chen.

Before Li Kaixin left, Master Chen gave him a special instruction.

"Go back and get some sleep, make sure you're well-rested. We need to get up before dawn tomorrow to load the truck and get ready to head back to Beijing."

"Alright! Master, you should get some rest too."

Li Kaixin agreed and gently closed the door.

Back in his room, Li Kaixin carefully reviewed his master's words in his mind.

This gave Li Kaixin a more genuine understanding of the work of a driver in this era.

After calming down, Li Kaixin began to take stock of what she had gained from this trip to Northeast China.

His mind sank into the secret realm, and one by one, the objects clearly emerged in his consciousness:

Besides the two wolf pelts I gave to my master, I still have eight left. Five of them were obtained yesterday during the battle when I used my mind to peel them off the wolf carcasses that I had stored in my spatial storage.

The wolf meat weighed over 300 jin (approximately 150 kg).

The most precious items were the tiger skin, the complete tiger penis, and the dissected tiger meat and bones, totaling over 300 jin (approximately 150 kg).

Wild boar meat, two large and three small, weighing approximately 700 jin (350 kg).

One deer penis and venison, totaling about 150 catties of meat.

Two flying dragons and three pheasants.

There were also gifts from the villagers of Kaoshantun and mountain produce that I had collected today:

The wild walnuts were piled up like a small mountain, weighing no less than a thousand pounds.

The pine nuts weighed over 200 jin (approximately 100 kg).

Several kilograms of dried hazel mushrooms, daylily buds, and other dried goods;

Dozens of high-quality wild Ganoderma lucidum; several Hericium erinaceus mushrooms;

Ginseng purchased at the Pigeon Market that has not yet been planted.

And that century-old ginseng.

Looking at the massive amount of supplies, Li Kaixin felt a deep sense of reassurance.

He carefully stored most of his belongings in the secret space, taking out only two inconspicuous packets of dried goods and placing them by the bedside, intending to use them as a cover-up tomorrow.

……

The next day, before dawn.

The guesthouse was bustling with people, all carrying large and small bags filled with various local products they had purchased or traded here.

Li Kaixin was also carrying three packages, including the two he had prepared the night before, as well as his original luggage.

Upon arriving at the parking area of ​​the convoy, one could see that more than a dozen trucks were already filled with bulging sacks of grain, piled up like small mountains.

Mr. Chen was standing next to his car, struggling to tie three heavy-looking packages to the roof rack.

"Master, let me help you!"

Li Kaixin shouted and ran over quickly.

"You've come at the right time. Bring your package over too, and tie it together with yours," Master Chen said, extending a hand.

"Okay!" Li Kaixin replied.

Then, they nimbly climbed up and down, the master and apprentice working in perfect harmony, and quickly secured the packages firmly.

"Alright, hurry up and go to the cafeteria for lunch, we'll be leaving soon," Chen Dabing said, clapping his hands.

"good!"

Li Kaixin nodded, jumped out of the car, and jogged to find Wu Tian and Qian Dazhuang.

After the three met up, they walked together towards the cafeteria.

On the way, Wu Tian looked at Li Kaixin and Qian Dazhuang's obviously extra luggage with curiosity on his face. He moved his lips a few times, but in the end, he didn't ask.

It wasn't until he sat down in the cafeteria and drank cornmeal porridge that Wu Tian finally couldn't hold back anymore.

Lowering her voice, she asked in confusion, "Kaixin, Dazhuang, I saw you two only had one bundle each when you came. How come you have two more on the way back? What good stuff is in them?"

After asking a series of questions, Li Kaixin and Qian Dazhuang exchanged a glance.

Qian Dazhuang smiled憨厚ly and spoke first:

"My master took me to the pigeon market. The grain here is almost half the price of what it was back in Beijing!"

"My master even lent me some money so I could buy more."

Li Kaixin chimed in, "Yeah, my master took me there too, on the night before we arrived."

"I bought some local mountain products and dried goods. They're not worth much, I just wanted to take them home for my family to try because they're a novelty."

Li Kaixin did not mention buying medicinal herbs.

Upon hearing this, Wu Tian was stunned. His hand, holding the cornbread, froze in mid-air, and his expression changed from confusion to shock.

He muttered, "Pigeon... Pigeon City? I... how come I don't know about it? Nobody told me!"

Li Kaixin and Qian Dazhuang then realized what was happening and exclaimed in unison in surprise:

"Oh? I thought you knew!"

"I...I thought you knew too..."

These words were like adding fuel to the fire. Wu Tian abruptly put down his steamed bun, his chest heaving violently, his face flushed red, and his low voice was filled with barely suppressed anger.

"I...I'll go find my master!"

He was about to get up when he said that.

Li Kaixin reacted quickly, grabbing Wu Tian's arm and saying, "Wu Tian! Don't be impulsive!"

Why?

Wu Tian stiffened his neck, and his eyes were a little red.

"Why is it that your masters always bring you along when there's something good, but my master treats me like this!"

Li Kaixin looked at Wu Tian with an undeniable calmness.

"What good will it do if you go to him now? Argue with him? Scold him? You're the apprentice, he's the master!"

"If this gets out of hand, you're not in the right. Everyone will think you're immature and unruly. How will you stay at the station after that?"

These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over my head.

Wu Tian's excitement vanished instantly, replaced by a deep sense of powerlessness and confusion.

She slumped back into her seat, her voice trembling with emotion, "Then... what should I do? Just give up like this?"

Seeing his expression, Li Kaixin felt a pang of sympathy and sighed softly.

"Sigh... there's not much we can do right now. We can only wait and see if there's an opportunity to find a different mentor for you."

Wu Tian lowered his head and remained silent.

Seeing this, Li Kaixin and Qian Dazhuang also fell silent.

The three of them ate their meal in silence, remaining silent in this atmosphere.