Styrofoam boxes served as containers, with pulp trays, complimentary from wholesale egg purchases, acting as dividers.
The potion, worth a staggering one million US dollars, was packaged so crudely... Coulson couldn't help but twitch his mouth at Shi Xiaolei's casualness.
"It's all here. Want to count it?" Shi Xiaolei didn't feel there was anything wrong with it; on the contrary, he was quite proud of his 'clever idea'.
Nodding, Coulson concentrated and began to count the number of potions.
As he started counting, he realized that Shi Xiaolei's idea of using pulp trays as dividers was indeed very clever—the potion bottles were shaped similarly to the small glass penicillin bottles commonly seen in hospitals, just a bit fatter. They required a slight push to fit, which was perfect for securing them in the 'slots' of the pulp tray. And because the tray wasn't made of plastic, it wouldn't automatically revert to its original shape, so once the potions were in, there was no need to worry about them being pushed out. One bottle per slot, each held securely; a custom-made container probably wouldn't be much better.
"The numbers are correct." After counting, Coulson pulled out a check.
Taking it and glancing at it, confirming the number was correct, Shi Xiaolei couldn't help but whistle. Looking at Coulson again, his face showed a bit more enthusiasm: "Pleasure doing business with you. Welcome back anytime."
"Okay, I will." Coulson nodded, closed the lid, and picked up the Styrofoam box: "Keep in touch anytime?"
"No problem." Without overthinking it, Shi Xiaolei grinned and gave a thumbs-up.
After seeing Coulson and May off, he returned to the small courtyard.
Looking up, Shi Xiaolei finally noticed that the sky was gradually darkening.
Stark had a few drinks, and slightly tipsy, he let down his guard and chatted animatedly with Old Liu; the little girl Connie was thoroughly delighted with her meal, her small face beaming with a happy smile, and her bell-like laughter added a touch of childish fun to the courtyard; Pepper was teaching 2B, guiding her on dressing and matching techniques, and because of 2B's serious attitude, Pepper, acting as a teacher for once, was in high spirits... Although there weren't many people, the atmosphere was lively and harmonious.
Carrying two cans of beer, Shi Xiaolei walked over to Happy, who was grilling in his place, and sat down with a smile: "Here, take a break. I'll take over."
"Thanks." Happy took the beer, opened it, and took two gulps, then smiled and shook his head: "No, I just got the hang of it. Let me grill a couple more batches."
"Alright, then let's do it together. Hand me one."
"Here." Happy grabbed a handful of skewers from the plate and handed them to Shi Xiaolei, then picked up a brush, and while oiling the skewers, he asked for advice: "Is this how you brush it?"
"You don't need that much oil, dip a little less. Yes, just like that, a thin layer is enough."
"Is that about right? Should I sprinkle the seasoning now?"
"First salt, then cumin and chili powder. Hold your hand a little higher so it sprinkles more evenly. Yes, yes, yes, after sprinkling the seasoning, add a little more oil to prevent the seasoning from burning."
"I need to oil it again? No wonder those few skewers I grilled earlier didn't look good at all."
...On the other side.
After receiving the potions from Shi Xiaolei, Coulson immediately contacted his waiting colleagues and arrived at the top of a tall building not far from Shi Xiaolei's home.
There was no helipad on the top of the building, so helicopters couldn't land. But for S.H.I.E.L.D., which possessed many undisclosed technologies, it was no problem. Indeed, as Coulson and May appeared, the Quinjet hovering above the building deactivated its stealth function and lowered its rear ramp... effortlessly, as if climbing stairs, and in a blink of an eye, the two had entered the aircraft.
The visual stealth effect, combined with its nearly silent hovering capability, was the biggest reason S.H.I.E.L.D. chose the Quinjet as its logistics support vehicle. Agents, after all, value moving without a trace.
From this perspective, the Quinjet's advantages far surpassed those of various helicopter models.
Coupled with flight speed and combat capabilities that were in no way inferior to mainstream fighter jets, and even better long-range endurance... you get what you pay for; the cost of a Quinjet also far exceeded that of mainstream fighter jets currently in service with the US military.
To be fair, at Coulson's current rank, he usually didn't have many opportunities to ride a Quinjet during missions.
This time, the reason a Quinjet was assigned was not because he and May had reached a corresponding rank, but because the potions Shi Xiaolei provided were very important and allowed for no oversight.
Knowing how much the director valued these potions, Coulson immediately gave instructions after boarding, heading to Washington, where S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters was located, at the fastest possible speed.
The distance of over 300 kilometers took less than half an hour.
"Director."
"Enter."
May reached out and pushed open the door to the director's office. Coulson followed behind, holding the Styrofoam box. The two entered the office and saw Nick Fury sitting behind the desk.
"Director, the potions have been purchased." Stepping forward a few paces, Coulson placed the Styrofoam box containing the potions on the desk.
Just like Coulson's earlier reaction, Nick Fury also hadn't expected such important potions to be 'packaged' so casually and crudely.
Sniffing, as if he smelled a faint fishy odor, Nick Fury unconsciously reached out a finger and touched the side of the Styrofoam box... "This is it?"
"I was also very surprised." Coulson smiled wryly and nodded: "I didn't expect him to use a seafood box to hold the potions."
"Next time you go, remember to bring some sturdier boxes." Shaking his head in exasperation, Nick Fury raised his hand and opened the lid: "Well, if I hadn't heard your report about his personality... egg trays, our friend's choice is indeed quite bizarre, huh?"
While examining the potions in the box, Nick Fury inquired about the details of the mission.
...After getting the potions, May and I left the party. Overall, everything went smoothly."
"Stark was there too?" Putting down the red potion he was holding, Nick Fury turned around, his sole remaining right eye showing inquiry.
"Yes. There was no particular reason; it was because Locke got a batch of very good lamb and wanted to share it with him, so he proactively extended an invitation." At this point, Coulson paused for a moment, frowning slightly with annoyance: "However, because of Stark's appearance, our future plans might be somewhat affected."
"Hmm?"
"According to the original plan, I intended to quickly build a relationship with Locke through repeated face-to-face transactions." Coulson explained: "But at the party just now, Stark reminded Locke... If nothing unexpected happens, Locke is very likely to hand over subsequent transactions to a company to handle, and no longer appear in person."
"..." No one likes unexpected complications, and Nick Fury was no exception.
Fortunately, this change wasn't too difficult to handle. After thinking for a moment, Nick Fury nodded and said, 'I understand,' while leaning over the desk and pressing a button: "Have Barbara come to my office."