"Or perhaps you just like the fish I choose for you. You tell how many fish you need, and I’ll pick them for you. How about that?" Xu Ke spoke up.
"Old lady here today just feels a connection with you. However many fish you take, I’ll take them too. Old lady here, doesn’t fret over a few cents." The elderly woman spoke as she patted her wallet at her waist with her bony hands, her expression smug and making people itch to do sothing about it.
If it weren’t for her age, with half her neck already in the grave, no ordinary person could stand this kind of attitude.
"What do you an by that? Are you saying you feel a connection with , or are you saying you find displeasing?" Xu Ke asked, licking his back teeth.
"Who cares about you? Old lady like this age, I do whatever I want, who are you to interfere?" The old lady snorted coldly, rolling her eyes at Xu Ke.
"Are you buying this fish or not? If not, then hurry up and get lost, don’t waste people’s ti doing business here." Before the shop owner could speak, the old lady chid in as if she were diligently minding her own stall, urging Xu Ke to leave.
"Fine, I can’t provoke you, but can I not avoid you? I won’t buy fish today, I’ll leave them all to you." Xu Ke gestured for her to proceed, then stood up and gave the shop owner an apologetic smile before turning to leave for the next stall.
Xu Ke skipped all the fish stalls and finally stopped in front of a stall selling chickens.
"How much are your chickens?" Xu Ke asked, looking at the chickens in the cage, fluttering around restlessly.
In the city’s restaurants, the chickens served are usually specially fard ones, which taste fine, but compared to farm-raised chickens, they lack a certain flavor.
While Xu Ke was haggling with the owner and thinking about how to cook the chicken, he noticed out of the corner of his eye the blue floral fabric on the old lady. Xu Ke looked up, and sure enough, the old lady had followed him over.
"Weren’t you buying fish? I just picked out three fish for you, why didn’t you buy a single one?" Xu Ke said, looking at the old lady’s empty hands.
"Suddenly I don’t feel like eating fish, I feel like having chicken soup. What’s wrong with that? Do I have to report to you what I buy? Who are you anyway? Why are you staring at all the ti? Are you thinking I’m an easy target because I’m an old woman with money? Are you planning sothing sinister against ?"
The old lady stared at Xu Ke with her wrinkled eyes, bombarding him with questions, each one sharp, as if Xu Ke were so heinous villain.
The old lady’s voice wasn’t low, and even in the noisy market, so people heard her words, and suddenly their looks towards Xu Ke changed, as if he were so kind of contemptible person.
In such a big market, the old lady wasn’t following anyone else, just him. If he couldn’t see that she was targeting him, then all his years of living would have been in vain.
Even not knowing whose idea it was, both malicious and vicious, can’t deny it was effective against Xu Ke, or rather, it would be effective against anyone.
In a bustling market, if sothing happens to the old lady, there’d be plenty of witnesses. If he spoke harshly and made her faint, or worse, he’d never be able to clear his na.
Xu Ke’s gaze looked iced over when lowered, but when raised, it revealed nothing.
"What are you talking about? I don’t know you, why would I target you? It’s a big market, you have the freedom to buy and eat whatever you want, I have no say. If you want chicken soup, I’ll give way, you pick first, I won’t buy it." Xu Ke stood up from the chicken stall, giving the old lady his spot and moved on to the next stall.
The old lady did not stop where Xu Ke had courteously left space but followed him to the next stall.
Xu Ke hardly had to turn around to know that the elderly woman was beside him.
"I don’t know what vegetables you want to buy, you go ahead and pick first, I’ll wait till you’re done." Xu Ke sidestepped to give space.
The old lady moved there but didn’t look like she was buying. They stood in a standoff, blocking others from buying. This ti, before Xu Ke could say sothing, the stall owner spoke up.
"Ma’am, just hurry and decide what you want, people are waiting. You’re here blocking my stall not buying anything, it’s affecting my business." The straightforward shopkeeper urged, seeing the old lady stand around without moving for so long.
"No point telling , go tell him." The old lady directly pointed at Xu Ke beside her.
"If he buys, then I’ll buy; if not, I don’t. I’m following him." The old lady spoke with her hands on her hips, looking as if daring anyone to do anything.
"Young man, are you and your granny buying or not? If not, you better move along, you’re blocking others." The vendor spoke impatiently.
"You misunderstood, I don’t even know this auntie. She’s been following since I entered the market, mimicking whatever I buy. I don’t know what I’ve done to upset her making her target like this." Xu Ke spoke looking wronged, his eyes sweeping the crowd noticing familiar faces from the chicken stall, adding more to his expression.
"If you don’t believe it, you can ask others what happened at the other stalls, so of them saw." Xu Ke continued, casting a glance at the old lady, expressing with his eyes that there was more he’d like to say, but couldn’t.
"I just moved to this town a few days ago, don’t know many people. Not sure what I’ve done to offend you. You’re older, so I dare not speak harshly. If I’ve wronged you, I beg your forgiveness. If it’s just my appearance bothering you, then I’ll stand here, let you strike if it eases your anger, then please stop following . It’s getting late, and I need to eat." Xu Ke humbly yet strategically said.
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