Cave Refuge

The reason they took turns like this was mainly because they barely touched the dishes when they drank, so after every gathering, some leftovers remained.

Before the natural disaster, these leftovers had little value, but now, even if they were leftovers and served to others the next day, no one objected.

Besides leaving a lot of leftovers after the gathering, there was another significant factor, an aspect everyone overlooked. Even though dining at home was lively, cleaning up after everyone had left was a big hassle.

Some people clearly expressed their dislike for hosting gatherings at their homes mainly because they were too lazy to clean up, openly refusing to do so.

Both Mr. Thompson and Old Jefferson felt this way. With no children at home and no shortage of food, they explicitly stated there was no need to hold the gatherings at their place.

Their attitude let others understand that both of their family situations were good, and every time they gathered, they usually brought meat dishes, which made others secretly envious.

However, it was precisely for these reasons that Mr. Thompson and Old Jefferson became targets for others.

Mr. Thompson wasn't wrong; the one scheming behind their backs was indeed Old King. When the Black Market was first established, it was set up on a large ship, showing an impression of strength.

Initially, not many people knew about it, and both sellers and buyers were scarce. After a while, the Black Market issued a bounty that anyone who could bring people to make purchases or long-term rentals could receive a generous reward.

After learning about this, Old King, aiming to earn the reward, began to look for targets and initially set his sights on Old Jefferson. With Old King's recommendation, Old Jefferson, unable to resist the temptation, was the first to purchase a shop in the Black Market.

After all, the money spent on the shop was just a trifle for Old Jefferson, so he didn't plan on telling others. However, after receiving the commission from Old Jefferson's purchase, Old King felt this business was quite profitable, so he encouraged Old Jefferson, eventually persuading Mr. Thompson to buy a shop in the Black Market as well.

Originally, through Old Jefferson, Old King had made several hefty commissions in the Black Market and should have been content. But as foot traffic in the Black Market grew.

The shops, initially not worth much, suddenly began to rapidly increase in value. When Old King learned the shop prices in the Black Market had increased several folds, he became jealous, especially since he had received commissions from other people's purchases.

He was well aware of how low the initial prices of those shops in the Black Market were, and how much the early buyers had earned after the prices had increased so much.

If he had used the commissions he earned to buy several shops in the Black Market, it would have been more than enough. But he assumed the Black Market wouldn't develop further, so he ended up not buying any shops.

Who would have thought the Black Market would develop so quickly? No one expected that the stores would appreciate so fast.

Old King was resentful, not because he lacked long-term vision, but because most early buyers had made their purchases due to his influence.

So, in Old King's view, those like Old Jefferson and Mr. Thompson who reaped huge benefits did so because of his advice.

That's why, being narrow-minded, upon knowing someone wanted to buy a shop in the Black Market, Old King took the initiative to disclose the shop and owner information of Old Jefferson and Mr. Thompson.

He knew by doing this, the probability of earning high commissions from Old Jefferson and Mr. Thompson was slim because by then, anyone could see that the Black Market shops were like a goose that laid golden eggs – not something a sane person would sell.

For this reason, he chose a method that could potentially harm mutual friendships by directly selling the shop owner information and contact details.

Once Mr. Thompson understood the circumstances, he went to Old Jefferson's house early the next morning. As soon as they met, before Mr. Thompson could speak, Old Jefferson said, "Brother, I'm planning to sell that shop I bought in the Black Market back then.

I won't hide the reason from you, it's because of that inhuman Old King. For a little money, he directly sold out my status as the shop owner to many people.

Lately, people have been contacting me, wanting to buy the shop from me. Initially, I wasn't too keen, but with more and more people approaching me, it's becoming bothersome.

You know my temperament; I don't like those nagging and persistent affairs, otherwise, I wouldn't have the leisure and mood to go fishing with you every day.

If those who approached me initially had been strangers, it might have been fine since I don't know them, and I could just ignore or reject them outright.

But now, more and more acquaintances are reaching out, and just to give it to you straight, these acquaintances know my character and keep pestering me daily. Plus, they are offering a good price, so I am planning to sell off this headache."