Chapter 111 The Only Relative
Chapter 111 The Only Relative
Dorian had reminded him, which was something Joe Ga had almost forgotten; he had indeed asked Dorian to help find a way so he could learn to adapt to the intense pace and avoid getting overly excited.
Africa was just Africa, and to be honest, the intensity of the battles there wasn't very high. With his shooting skills, Joe Ga could sweep through the opposition.
However, he couldn't always count on the enemy being subpar. Now that the team was getting larger, Joe Ga did not want to hold the others back, especially since he was the leader.
The group returned to the farm cottage, where Dorian and Karman drove off, taking some unnecessary equipment with them. These items would be stored with the car downstream, waiting for their reunion.
The leaky, abandoned cottage had a foul musty smell, so Antar sealed the windows facing outside with an old carpet and then lit a fire pit in the center of the living room.
Seeing that the girl was getting ready to eat two biscuits before going to bed, Joe Ga shook his head, went to the cottage's kitchen, and after searching for a while, found a pot.
He asked Nis to take the pot to the farm's well to clean it, and like magic, Joe Ga pulled out 6 packs of 'Shou Tao' spicy instant noodles from his backpack.
This was Joe Ga's favorite. When he was a child, these noodles cost only 0.50 yuan a pack, and he was thrilled to have them occasionally, considering it a celebration to add an egg.
Now, these noodles were only 1.20 yuan a pack. In the past, Joe Ga often asked senior managers at the construction site to stuff a few cases of these noodles outside the shipping containers when sending them to SD Company.
Since sea freight containers can't be fully loaded, they must be filled with some cushioning on the sides, typically choosing rolls of paper. However, within these rolls of paper, it's possible to smuggle in items like chili sauce, fermented bean curd, pickles, baijiu, and cigarettes.
Joe Ga was not sure whether that counted as smuggling, but these seemed like perks for their overseas workers. Sometimes, a can of chili sauce could help calm down someone homesick more than the mere numbers in a bank account.
The instant noodles Joe Ga produced were the last of his reserves. Once he left the labor service company, he had no chance of getting these noodles again.
Shipping a container full of such instant noodles was seen as foolish since the shipping cost more than the goods themselves.
After Nis cleaned the pot, Joe Ga set it over the fire pit, poured in some mineral water, and boiled it before adding the noodle cakes and sprinkling the seasoning powder, and then chopping up two cans of lunch meat to throw in.
Soon, a pot of fragrantly unusual fresh noodles was ready.
Whether or not it was nutritious, there was one word for it – "delicious"!
Nis and Antar had never tried such food, and the smell alone made them start sniffing hungrily.
The two fairly pretty girls looked eager and drooling, which was actually quite funny.
Joe Ga laughed heartily, rinsed a few chipped ceramic bowls he had found earlier, handed them to the two, and said smiling, "Eat up. After you've eaten, it's time to sleep. I'll take the first half of the night, and Nis, you take the second half.
I'm a bit delicate, so Nis will have it a bit tougher!"
After he finished speaking, Joe Ga gulped down a bowl of noodles, walked to the cottage door, sat on a worn chair, leaned his SVD against the wall, and started disassembling his handgun as if playing.
At first, he did it with his eyes open; then, he began doing it with his eyes closed.
After a few tries, finding it boring, he took out his personal phone, looked at the number on it, and hesitated a long time before making the call.
The phone rang a few times before it was picked up, "Hello, bro, is that you?"
Hearing the duck-like voice on the phone, Joe Ga laughed and said, "It's me. How are you doing at school? What time is it there now?"
Excited, Qiao Liang on the other end of the phone said, "Bro, it's two o'clock here. Where are you right now?"
Uncle Qing even came to see me last time and brought me a lot of stuff. I asked him how you were doing and he was all evasive and wouldn't give a straight answer.
Bro, what are you doing now? Why don't you come back? Our mom and dad have both passed away, you don't need to work so hard to earn money anymore."
Upon hearing this, Joe Ga laughed and cursed, "Bullshit, am I supposed to feed myself with the north wind if I don't make money?
No house, no car, no savings, how else am I going to find you lots of sisters-in-law?"
Qiao Liang on the other end of the phone laughed shyly twice and said a bit embarrassingly, "I don't need…
"Nonsense, of course, it's not for you. You think I'm helping you find a wife? Dream on!
Hey? How are you doing in college? Are there many beauties at your school?
Let me tell you, back in my day at school, I was quite the big shot, tons of girls were all over me.
You're a bit uglier than me, so don't be too stingy usually, spend money where it's needed; treat female classmates to meals and movies now and then, never be cheap."
"I got it, don't worry, bro. I'm different from before now, I'm six foot one, maybe even taller than you with shoes on, and lots of girls like me."
Joe Ga wasn't sure if his brother was boasting or not. When he had left to work that year, Qiao Liang had just started his first year in high school, and their family was so poor that they had nothing, with both elderly parents in the hospital and Qiao Liang moving to live in the hospital with his bedding after they had to sell the house.
To save some money on plane tickets, Joe Ga didn't even return for his parents' funerals.
Just this kid, taking care of two elderly people and managing his studies, sent off his father at 16, and his mother at 17.
Joe Ga only suffered physically, with a lot of mental pressure, but this kid's experiences weren't much easier than his.
But those days were behind them now. They were not yet having good days, but not worrying about food and clothing was definitely no problem.
"When you have time, bring all the girls who like you to me, and I'll help you screen them.
Your brother's made some money now, spend what I give you. I can't even figure out the domestic housing prices now, you've got to pay a little more attention, think about which city you want to work in after graduation, and try to secure a house before you graduate."
"I know, bro. I've just started a semester, I haven't figured anything out yet, actually, I'm thinking about coming to find you after I graduate and making a break with you."
"Don't, you just stay down-to-earth back home; it's safer there, and we're not lacking money now. You'd better stay put there, business can also be done in our country."
Qiao Liang paused briefly on the other end of the call and then said, "Bro, what exactly are you doing in Africa? I asked Uncle Qing, and he wouldn't say anything. We're the only ones left in our family, you better not…" Discover exclusive content at mvl
Joe Ga was startled for a moment, then laughed disapprovingly and said, "Don't say such unlucky things. I'm a big boss now. I'm in the tourism business, 'hunting guide' have you heard of it?
I tell you my business is booming!
If you don't believe me, just bring a girl with you when you come for the summer holidays, and I'll reimburse your plane tickets. Then I'll show you your brother's venture.
I've got cheetahs, leopards, lions, elephants at my place; if you can come, I'll take you out to the savanna for a spin."
"Really?"
"Really!"