558: Outside World 558: Outside World Editor: TheSloth Life still goes on, though it’s a little rough lately, and the tofu shop isn’t doing as well as it used to.
Xiao Zhi’s been a handful these past days, crying and fussing nonstop, only just now calming down.
But now she’s gotten even more clingy with her mom—if not glued to her side, pretty much close enough.
Word is a bunch of people suddenly disappeared from town: the notorious thug Zhang Kun, and a few goons who used to run with him.
A few days ago, there was even a fire outside town; rumor has it several people died in it… The talk about San Er quickly shifted to this incident.
Guess people really are good at forgetting.
“Mom!
There’s a customer!”
Xiao Zhi, sitting out front reading a fairy tale book, shouted into the shop.
San Er hurriedly put down what she was doing, wiping her hands as she walked out, greeting warmly, “What would you like?”
The customer was a young man, a stranger, definitely not a local… But he wasn’t carrying anything, didn’t really look like a tourist either.
Still, was this young guy kind of similar to that young cop from before?
San Er felt suddenly dazed.
The young man said, “Could I buy two pieces of tofu?”
“Oh, sure!
Hold on, I’ll get them for you.” Snapping back to herself, San Er chided herself for spacing out, quickly cut two pieces, and wrapped them up in bamboo leaves.
“This tofu looks great.” The young man smiled.
“If I need more, I’ll e back to buy some again.”
San Er paused, a bit regretful.
“Sorry, you might be disappointed.
Next time you e, you might not be able to buy any.”
The young man asked curiously, “Why’s that?
Is the shop closing down?”
San Er smiled a little, glanced over at the big and small wooden swans pieced together on the table at the back, and nodded, “We’re not doing business here for now.
I’m thinking of going to the city… Maybe I’ll open a smaller shop there, who knows… we’ll see.”
The young man looked around at the old house, then suddenly said, “Won’t you be reluctant to leave?”
“Of course there’s some attachment, but I don’t plan to sell.
I’ve been saving a bit along the way, just never dared to think what to do until now.”
San Er didn’t notice she was confiding in a stranger; she looked around, “And recently… well, I honestly just want to go out, see what the outside world is like.
Not sure if this kid will get used to it, though.”
“Xiao Zhi can cook!
I can wash clothes too!
Anywhere’s fine!” the child lunged to her mother’s side.
The young man gently offered his blessing, “May good luck find you both.”
San Er froze a second, then nodded, “Thanks… wait, let me give you two extra pieces!”
So now the young man had another leaf-wrapped tofu in hand.
Looking at the mother and daughter, he said softly, “By the way, these wooden swans are beautiful—make sure to treasure them.”
San Er was startled, feeling this young man was odd, too.
She followed his retreating figure out the shop door, but when she looked up the street, his back was already gone.
Just then, Xiao Zhi dragged a stool over, took the two wooden swans off the table and hugged them close.
“Mom, gotta treasure these!
I’ll wipe them clean!”
“Didn’t you just wipe them?” San Er plained, half amused.
Xiao Zhi didn’t care at all; she grabbed the two swans and raced off.
While running, her hands swung, and the bigger swan seemed to make a faint knocking sound.
Inside it… maybe there was some little trinket hidden away.
San Er smiled, and took a deep breath.
…
…
The motorcycle rumbled quietly up the muddy mountain road.
The driver wore a worried look, and the man on the back seat had his arm in a sling, pale-faced.
“Couldn’t you pick a nicer road?”
“Now’s not the time to fuss—we’re sure the boss died in the mill fire.
No telling who he pissed off, and if it’ll spill onto us… Let’s grab our stuff and get out, quick.
I’ve got it set up, we’ll lay low at my cousin’s place in the city for a while!”
“Just slow down, it hurts!
Up ahead… up ahead!
Watch out!” The man behind suddenly yelped.
“Up ahead what?”
“A person!!”
This kind of mountain road is hard enough on a motorcycle, let alone with people around… but sure enough, someone was standing right on the path, blocking their way.
A woman, with white hair, chewing bubble gum.
“Move it!!” The driver barked angrily.
The woman waved her hand.
A cold gleam flashed, and then two heads dropped.
The bike veered out of control and crashed into a ditch.
“Scum… better not leave you around.” the woman muttered.
Then her face changed suddenly, cursing out loud, “Hey!
Stop eating that—those are my spending money!
Yama Sword… you shameless bastard!!
Give it back!!”
…
“So much tofu, Boss.” The maid looked curiously at Boss Luo carrying two leaf-wrapped packets.
“Let’s have that for lunch, alright?” Luo Qiu lifted them up and shook them, looking like a fisherman freshly back from the river.
“Got it… Uh, can I make Mapo tofu?” the maid asked.
“I’ll help you out too.” Luo Qiu rolled up his sleeves and went into the kitchen.
…
…
A little earlier… maybe a day or two ago.
Another mysterious spot in the city… Actually, it was the pet hospital run by the true dragon of China.
Out on the main street, a kid pointed at a silhouette.
“Mom!
There’s a weird person there!”
“Shhh, don’t look.
Let’s go, quick!”
The odd figure wore a yellow trench coat, a big hat and sunglasses, limping along holding a newspaper up to hide their face.
This figure didn’t enter through the hospital’s front… The main entrance hadn’t opened for days, the red sign for temporary closure still taped up.
The stranger went to the back door, twisted the lock—still locked… but that didn’t seem to stop them.
“Heard Granny Long disappeared again, so the back’s all locked up too… Inner border?
Like that would stop me!”
The stranger easily unlocked the door and slipped inside, sneaking around until they found a room, then started rifling through everything in sight.
“Who’s there?”
A sudden shout made the thief jump and whip around, blurting out by reflex, “Lord Long!
I wasn’t stealing anything!”
“Sun Xiaosheng?”
“Who are you?”
Two very different voices—a big and a small figure now stared at each other.
One, the true dragon of China, who’d seen Sun Xiaosheng sneak in on the security monitors, and burst in, forgetting her own appearance; the other, the Elysium Pub’s owner with a weird mission and now spooked by a little girl.
“I… I’m Gui Qianyi’s new apprentice.” Long Xiruo said coolly.
Sun Xiaosheng was stunned.
“That old turtle’s got weird tastes now?
Who knew… Wait, you’re his student?
How e you look human?”
“None of your business!” Long Xiruo snorted, “And what are you sneaking around here for?”
Brother Xiaosheng instantly put his hands on his hips, viciously: “What I’m doing here is none of your business, kid!
You know who I am?
I’m Sun Xiaosheng!
Gui Qianyi wouldn’t dare cross me, and who the hell are you, little brat?
You got a death wish?”
Brother Xiaosheng waved his arms and then clutched his own throat, making a ghostly strangulation gesture, “Kachak, dead!”
“Su Zijun’s my aunt!” Long Xiruo might struggle with most people, but handling a sketchy monkey like this—piece of cake.
“Shit…”
Brother Xiaosheng blinked rapidly a few times.
“Ahaha… really?
Uh, little one—no, little sister, look, I—Sun Xiaosheng, right?—am totally reputable in the whole demon world!
I definitely wasn’t up to anything shady, you got that?
Don’t get me wrong!”
“Then what are you doing here?”
“Uh… uh…” Brother Xiaosheng shook his head, then suddenly pointed out the window and yelled, “Ha!
There’s a perv with underwear on the outside!”
But Long Xiruo just stared at him like he was an idiot… Brother Xiaosheng acted like nothing happened, sweating bullets as he slid along the wall and darted out at lightning speed—faster than the wind!
“Lunatic.” Long Xiruo looked at his weird walk, shook her head.
If her power worked right now, she’d have totally grabbed the crazy monkey and taught him a lesson.
She sighed and started tidying up the medicine storeroom, a mess thanks to that damn monkey.
“That idiot—what did he steal?”
Long Xiruo stared at the opened boxes.
“Antiseptic medicine… burn ointment?”
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