"Boss, give me two jin of these Su Mei (a type of sea bream), and some scallops too! Oh, and six sea urchins, please!"
Chen Yang and Liu Xinyao stared dumbfounded at Yuan Fang, who was squatting on the ground picking through the seafood. Where was the air of a high-flying captain? Wearing shorts, a t-shirt, and flip-flops, he was haggling with fishermen returning from fishing on the noisy dock—he looked like a middle-aged man buying groceries on his way home from get off work!
However, Liu Xinyao had indeed misjudged Chen Yang. When they arrived, they only saw Yuan Fang; there were no flight attendants.
In a short while, Yuan Fang had several bags full of seafood. Chen Yang looked at him strangely and asked,
"Captain Yuan, you're not planning to take it back to the hotel and cook it yourself, are you?"
Liu Xinyao also stared at Yuan Fang with wide eyes. The contrast was too great. In her mind, captains were high-income earners, belonging to the high-end, classy type, and frequenting upscale places. How could Yuan Fang be so low-class?
Yuan Fang laughed heartily,
"Little Fang! You don't understand. When eating seafood in Sanya, you really have to buy it yourself to feel safe! But you don't need to cook it yourself. Look, those food stalls over there all have seafood processing services, and the prices are very cheap."
Yuan Fang led Chen Yang and Liu Xinyao towards the food stalls by the pier, explaining as they walked. Sanya, as an internationally renowned tourist city, is known as the "Hawaii of the East," and is teeming with tourists every day. However, some businesses in Sanya are of varying quality, and overcharging tourists is rampant. Yuan Fang had learned his lesson the hard way when he first went to Sanya, so he developed a habit of personally selecting seafood at the dock. The prices were reasonable, and the seafood was incredibly fresh. The prices for cooking seafood at the food stalls were also transparent, and Yuan Fang gradually grew to like this way of consuming seafood. Even after becoming familiar with some of the stall owners, he still insisted on buying his own seafood and having it cooked at their place.
"Old Liu! Come! Come! Come! Help me cook these things!" Yuan Fang led Chen Yang and his companion into a seafood stall called "Nanhai Renjia," loudly calling out as soon as they entered, clearly already quite familiar with the owner.
"Alright!" The owner, Old Liu, immediately jogged over and took the seafood from Yuan Fang's hands.
"Old Liu, pay attention! I'm treating my little brother to dinner today, don't let me down!" Yuan Fang reminded him from behind.
"Don't worry, Captain Yuan! I'll cook it myself, okay?" Old Liu replied without turning his head.
Yuan Fang immediately beamed. The three of them found a seat by the window and said with a smile, "Old Liu's cooking is amazing, especially the garlic scallops, they're absolutely divine! You guys have to try them later!"
This food stall was right by the sea. Sitting by the window, the three could see the ocean and faintly hear the waves crashing on the beach. The environment was actually quite nice, but because it was so popular, it was a bit noisy, and the hygiene was only so-so. Chen Yang was worried that Liu Xinyao would find it unpleasant, but to his surprise, she just plopped down on the seat.
Since the food wouldn't be ready anytime soon, the three ordered a few beers and some side dishes, intending to drink and wait. Just then, Liu Xinyao's phone rang. She answered, saying,
"Hello, Dad... um, the plane landed on time, I'm at the hotel... What? Uncle Luo from the South China Sea Fleet? What is it? Couldn't I just send it to you? Why did you have to bring it personally... Okay, okay, I know! I have meetings all day tomorrow, I'll go to his house tonight if I'm free!"
After saying that, Liu Xinyao hung up the phone and looked at Chen Yang, unusually explaining,
"My dad called, saying an old comrade-in-arms has something to give him, and he wants me to pick it up tomorrow."
"Is it Rear Admiral Luo Zili, the fleet's deputy chief of staff?" Chen Yang asked with a smile.
"How did you know?" Liu Xinyao was very surprised. Logically, Chen Yang, a child from the countryside, shouldn't know so much about the military and Liu Guoqiang's situation!
Chen Yang smiled mysteriously and said, "I learned a little divination when I was little. I just did a quick calculation, and everything became clear!"
"Tch... so mysterious!" Liu Xinyao rolled her eyes at Chen Yang. Upon hearing this, Yuan Fang asked with interest:
"Xiao Liu, does your father work in the military?"
"Yes, Captain Yuan," Liu Xinyao nodded in reply. "My father is the chief of staff of Group A Army stationed in Southeast Province."
Yuan Fang immediately gaped in surprise and murmured, "Is your father's name... Liu Guoqiang?"
Liu Xinyao nodded curiously, wondering why Yuan Fang was so excited.
Yuan Fang slapped his head hard and said with a smile:
"Hey! I was wondering why you looked so familiar! Turns out you're the old company commander's daughter!"
Yuan Fang excitedly downed a glass of beer, wiped his mouth, and began to explain. It turned out that when Yuan Fang enlisted, Liu Guoqiang was his recruit company commander. Yuan Fang performed exceptionally well in recruit training, achieving excellent results in all assessments. Therefore, when recruits were assigned to their units, Liu Guoqiang personally took him to his own company to serve as a clerk. Later, due to his outstanding work, Liu Guoqiang personally intervened to secure Yuan Fang a spot for direct admission to military academy. Following the normal career trajectory, Yuan Fang would have become an excellent field officer. However, near graduation, the Air Force recruited pilots from all military academies, and Yuan Fang became the only one selected from his school. His life trajectory changed, and he became an Air Force fighter pilot.
Unfortunately, Yuan Fang was too straightforward. After joining the Air Force, he never encountered a leader with the discerning eye of Liu Guoqiang again. After several years, his career advancement was limited, and he dejectedly transferred to civilian life as a pilot.
Initially, Yuan Fang maintained correspondence with Liu Guoqiang. Later, after his transfer, and as Liu Guoqiang's rank rose, he felt embarrassed to bother his former leader any longer, and the two gradually lost contact. Today, unexpectedly encountering his former company commander's daughter under these circumstances, Yuan Fang was naturally extremely excited.
"Xinyao! I can't believe you've grown up so much!" Yuan Fang downed another beer and said with a smile, "I remember the year I was recommended to military academy, you were just born! You were born in a military field hospital, right? I remember the old company commander was leading us in intensive training back then, and he only rushed back to headquarters two days after you were born!"
"Captain Yuan, I never knew we had such a connection!" Liu Xinyao was also very surprised. She took out her phone and said, "I'll call my dad right away. You haven't seen each other for so many years; he'll be so happy to hear from you!"
"No! Xinyao, I haven't contacted him for so many years; the old company commander will definitely scold me to death!" Yuan Fang waved his hand nervously and said, "I'll visit him after you return to Rongcheng!"
"That's fine too!" Liu Xinyao smiled sweetly and put her phone away. "And also, please don't call me Captain Yuan anymore, it sounds too formal!" Yuan Fang continued. "Just call me Old Yuan!"
"That won't do! How about we call you Uncle Yuan? You are Xin Yao's uncle after all!" Chen Yang chimed in with a smile.
In the military, everyone is like brothers, and military wives are addressed as "sister-in-law," even if that "sister-in-law" might be older than one's own mother. So from this perspective, Yuan Fang, who was Liu Guoqiang's clerk back then, was indeed Liu Xin Yao's uncle.
With this connection established, everyone chatted even more warmly. Soon, Old Liu brought out plates of seafood dishes, including his specialty garlic scallops, as well as boiled mantis shrimp, stewed grouper, and conch soup, all prepared in a light style to preserve the original flavor of the seafood.
"Come on! Chen Yang, this glass is a toast on behalf of the company and Old Gu and the crew! Thank you for everything you've done!" Yuan Fang raised his glass and said. Hearing this, Liu Xinyao raised her glass and said,
"Chen Yang, I'll also toast you. If it weren't for you, I would have been dead by that thug's gun long ago."
Liu Xinyao's words were heartfelt. She had indeed been filled with gratitude towards Chen Yang these past few days. After all, in a situation where he himself was in danger, he had risked his life to save her—a truly commendable act. Although she disapproved of Chen Yang's womanizing ways, that was a moral issue and didn't diminish her gratitude.
This drink was unavoidable, so Chen Yang smiled and raised his glass, saying,
"Don't say that! I was saving myself too! We were all on the same plane; it was truly a matter of life and death!"
The three of them clinked glasses and downed their drinks in one gulp, even Liu Xinyao. The beer glasses at Sanya's side were quite large; about three glasses made a bottle. Liu Xinyao choked immediately after drinking so quickly, covering her mouth and coughing violently.
Chen Yang quickly handed her a tissue and patted her back repeatedly, saying,
"Xin Yao, you're not feeling well, drink less..."
After coughing for a while and catching her breath, Liu Xin Yao glanced at Chen Yang and said,
"I'm fine! Come on! Uncle Yuan, I'll toast you on behalf of my father! My dad often says he misses some of his old comrades-in-arms the most. Many of them, like you, have gradually lost contact. He always sighs when he talks about them! You must visit him when you go back this time!"
"Okay! I'll pay you a visit when you return to Rongcheng!" Yuan Fang raised his glass and clinked it against Liu Xin Yao's, then downed it in one gulp.
Liu Xin Yao completely lost her icy beauty demeanor, transforming into a tomboy, and promptly downed another glass, making Chen Yang's heart tremble.
He then realized that Liu Xin Yao's drinking was situational; last time she was a teetotaler at the bar, but today, meeting her father's old comrade-in-arms, she was so forthright. Who would have thought the icy beauty could have such a bold side?
However, seeing Liu Xinyao empty a bottle of beer in no time, Chen Yang couldn't help but remind her:
"Xinyao, drink less!"
"It's okay! I'm Liu Guoqiang's daughter, I can hold my liquor!" Liu Xinyao said nonchalantly, "My dad said that when it comes to drinking, men can't say no, and women... can't be too casual!"
"Hahaha! The old company commander is right!" Yuan Fang laughed heartily, "Xinyao, you truly are a daughter of a military family! Come on! Chen Yang, drink! You can't be even worse than a girl, can you!"