Chapter 207: Chapter 204: The land is not something we inherit from our ancestors.
The group got in the car and headed toward the restaurant, along the way, they could still see plenty of vendors hawking small gifts in light of the holiday, immersed in a strong Christmas atmosphere.
Is Christmas coming already?
Bi Fang felt a little disoriented, only now remembering that he had set out in mid to late November. After a journey of over a month, it was almost the 25th.
“Could I borrow some money?” Bi Fang turned to look at Elvan in the back seat. They had been in such a hurry on their journey that he hadn’t even thought of exchanging currency and didn’t carry any extra cash.
“Of course! Any amount is fine, you don’t have to pay me back.”
Elvan took out his wallet, signaling Bi Fang to take as much as he liked, but Bi Fang only took the smallest denomination and then asked Lenin to stop the car. He went to a small stall selling gifts, had a brief chat with the vendor, and then got back into the car.
Elvan came forward and asked, “What’s up?”
“Nothing much, just bought something.” Bi Fang shook his head, “Let’s get going, I’m starving. I haven’t had anything decent to eat in a month.”
Hearing Bi Fang say this, the others became less curious and assumed he had just bought some souvenirs.
The car stopped in front of a white French-style building with a sign planted on the lawn bearing the restaurant’s name. The waiter, dressed in black with white gloves, opened the car door respectfully. Elvan really wasn’t stingy, taking them directly to a famous local restaurant that, according to a quick internet search by Bi Fang, was said to serve authentic French cuisine.
Reflecting on it, he had been in Europe for over a month, France for over a week, yet he had hardly had any good food.
The only decent meals he had were the liquid foods provided by the hospital, with a faint burnt taste.
Bi Fang took the chef’s menu from the waiter, and after confirming there were no dietary restrictions, he asked for a double portion.
“Double?”
The waiter was taken aback; it was the first time he had heard of ordering a double serving.
Bi Fang closed the menu, “Is there a problem? Just pretend five of us came.”
The waiter hesitated, “Sir, our individual meals should be satisfying enough.”
“No worries, just serve five portions, and quickly.”
Elvan cut off the waiter’s words, urging him to bring the food quickly. Having come here, he was prepared to spend a good amount, and he knew Bi Fang could eat a lot. When in the hospital, Bi Fang was able to consume what three people could eat, leaving even the nurses astonished, fearing the patient might overeat and cause himself issues.
However, nothing bad happened, and his wounds actually healed quite faster.
[French Cuisine—Leading the Trends in Western Gastronomy!]
[Wilderness Broadcaster Turns Into Mukbang Host!]
[Master Fang can really eat, haha, Elvan’s wallet is twitching, foaming at the mouth!]
[I see everyone else in pairs, a man and a woman, but why does Old Fang have four guys, so boring!]
[I want to see Old Fang team up with a young lady (Dog’s head)]
“Thinking of staying in France a little longer?”
“Depends. I might stay a few more days in the wetlands to observe the geese.”
Étienne tried to persuade him, “Won’t you stay a few more days? You could come to our place for Christmas.”
“No, I have lots of things to take care of.”
Bi Fang bent his head to wrap the gift box and responded, “Today is the 21st. I have a lot to sort out after these couple of days. The geese migration has brought me not only great fame but also a host of affairs to deal with.”
Étienne felt quite downcast. Not only did he have to part with the geese, but he also had to say goodbye to the idol he had spent over a month with, which was tough for him to accept all at once.
A slim, red gift box was handed to Étienne.
Étienne looked up at Bi Fang, not understanding what it meant.
“Aren’t you going to open it?” Bi Fang extended the red gift box toward Étienne, “Even though I can’t be with you for Christmas, I wouldn’t skimp on the Christmas gift.”
Étienne, excited, looked at Elvan, who nodded with a smile.
[Wow, what did Master Fang give?]
[I don’t know, just now the camera angle got blocked, I didn’t see what Old Fang put in there]
[Darn, I want a gift personally given by Master Fang too!]
[Did he just get out of the car to buy a gift box?]
[Oh my gosh, such thoughtfulness, I want a boyfriend just like Master Fang, waaaa]
[Wake up, you’re a guy!]
Untying the ribbon, Étienne opened the gift box, and a beautifully crafted hunting knife was quietly lying inside.
“It’s a hunting knife!” Étienne’s eyes lit up as he looked up in disbelief at Bi Fang, “Are you giving it to me?”
Bi Fang smiled and nodded. He had purchased this hunting knife from the System store after his first live stream. It had been with him through many adventures and held a lot of sentimental value. Now that he had a harpoon as a replacement, he decided to give the knife to Étienne.
As a testament to a month of adventure.
Having been in this world for half a year, Bi Fang’s gains weren’t only the repeated adventures, but also fans who liked him and many friends.
Yao Jun, Lin Chang, Lin Xue, Gu Qingyuan, Zheng Tianfang, some people from the geography magazine, and now Elvan, Lenin, Étienne, Bi Fang was gradually establishing a deeper connection with the new world.
Because he had experienced loss, he would cherish what he regained all the more.
“Merry Christmas!”
…
After the meal, Bi Fang stepped out of the restaurant. The live stream was about to end, and he was ready to say his official goodbyes to the audience.
“The live stream is coming to an end. Leading the geese to learn their migration route was indeed an impressive act, but as a public figure, I still need to tell you, I didn’t do well enough.
“You must remember that this started as an illegal act, even if it was only in France where it was not allowed, and obviously, many more rules were broken along the way, making this trip dangerous for a young man.”
“I was initially moved by Étienne’s sincerity and made a rash decision. Although later I also established a bond and trust with the geese, I must admit, I regretted agreeing to Étienne more than once. But there’s no helping it, a man has to keep his word.”
Bi Fang spread his hands to show his own helplessness, having acted impulsively in the beginning. Behind him, Elvan laughed, vigorously ruffling Étienne’s hair.
“Back to the main point, environmentalists are often discredited for lacking people who truly make efforts and undertake actions, being only echo chambers. So I’ve made a decision here, from now on, I will donate one third of the income from each of my live streams to the CWCA, to make my own contribution.”
[!]
[One third? How much would that be? Old Fang’s live streams make millions in turnover, right?]
[My God, isn’t that too much?]
[Big spender, huh?]
“Stop it, I’m making this promise here because I’m afraid I’ll regret it later. If I don’t say it out loud now, I might back out in a couple of days.”
Bi Fang laughed, aside from that one time in Mohe when Lin Chang made a surprising breakthrough, his income from each live stream had been steadily over a million, and one third meant he would be donating hundreds of thousands from this broadcast alone.
But it wouldn’t pain him, because Bi Fang knew that his main income was no longer from the gifts during live streams, but rather Wolf Fang’s salary and more commercial activities. Although hundreds of thousands was a lot, it wouldn’t cause him distress.
Bi Fang never went out of his way to avoid taxes, even if it was legal. He has always been a man easily contented. As long as he had enough money, that was fine for him; there was no need to accumulate too much.
But the viewers in the live stream room admired Bi Fang from the bottom of their hearts; to donate one third of his earnings, and on a continuous basis, was not a decision just anyone could make.
Getting back on track, Bi Fang looked towards Elvan, “Professor Elvan, why don’t you say a few words as well? You’re the initiator of this plan.”
Elvan was taken aback and pointed to himself, “Me?”
“Of course. You’re a professor at the University of Paris, say a few words, as if we were your students,” Bi Fang encouraged Elvan.
Elvan hesitated, “Will they understand what I say?”
“Don’t worry, it’s automatic translation, didn’t I just speak in French?”
“Okay, then I’ll say a few short words.” Elvan scratched his head. “Honestly, I’m not much of a talker, my students don’t like my classes, so I’ll just mention two figures.”
“In thirty years, Europe has lost over 420 million birds, and every year there are 80,000 hectares of land turning into concrete and roads. I don’t have many ideals to preach, but I want to share an Indian proverb with everyone: We don’t inherit the land from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.”