Chapter 14: See You For The First Time At Such An Old Age
Translator: 9inetales
Sponsor(s): n/a
The two friends bantered on while snacking on their food. Before they knew it, only two bottles of beer were left in the box.
Qin Hao blabbered about famous detective TV shows and major crime cases, boasting his expertise on how he could solve them. His face and speech were slouchy from the excessive alcohol, reducing most of his words to gibberish.
“Okay okay, we all know you’re the best.”
Xu Qing was also experiencing his fair share of dizziness. He passed the last bottle to Qin Hao so as to retain some level of sobriety, “It’s getting late. You still have work tomorrow, right? There are still more quarrels ahead of you; duty calls.”
“Quarrel my ass! Boss, the bill!”
The two didn’t loiter around too much. Xu Qing paid the bill and accompanied Qin Hao to the sidewalk to flag a cab. He gave his drunk friend a final pat on the shoulder before sending him off. Instead of departing immediately, Xu Qing returned to the food stall and ordered some takeaway fish tofu and meat skewers from the overhead menu.
The night breeze was a little desolate, and the fragrant smoke from the barbecue permeated the surrounding air. Xu Qing stood at the door of the boisterous food stall while waiting for the food. He was tempted to smoke a quick cigarette but struggled with his resolve to quit.
How troublesome.
I wonder if the moon back in the Tang Dynasty was also this round…
He raised his head to look at the night sky. The vast and starry firmament was like a long scroll of history. So many people and things from the past were buried in time and reduced to dust— only now, a single spec had escaped its fate.
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It so happened to be discovered by him.
…
When Xu Qing arrived home, it was around 9:30 in the night. Jiang He sat on the sofa, studiously watching her educational videos while Winter Melon snuggled into her lap, sonorously enjoying her occasional rubs.
Xu Qing was swayed by the room’s harmonious atmosphere, blooming a feeling of elation in his heart. He lifted the packaged food in his hand and said, “I’ve already eaten so I brought some food. Feel free to eat when you’re ready.”
“Thank you.”
“Go on…”
“...junior.”
“Don’t forget to raise a salute.”
Xu Qing smiled and unpacked the dishes, arranging them neatly onto the table. He also retrieved two small cups of yogurt from the refrigerator to combat the spicy barbecue.
Jiang He’s sensitive nose suddenly picked up a familiar smell from his body, “Were you drinking a lot of alcohol?”
“Not much, just a few bottles,” Xu Qing opened the plastic lid of the yogurt and demonstrated, “This is called yogurt. There is an unspoken rule when eating it. First, you must lick the top before eating the rest.”
This was the best part of the yogurt. Licking the yogurt lid was a must.
Jiang He followed his example and tore open the lid. She then stuck out her pink tongue and tasted the milky cream daubing the circular plastic. Her eyes lit up at the soothing sweetness.
“Delicious, right?”
“Delicious!”
“Haha, then hurry and eat before it goes bad.”
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Xu Qing smirked at her reaction. Glancing at the computer, he pressed the spacebar to pause the video and staggered to his bedroom. After finding his pajamas, he retreated to the bathroom and took a shower.
This kind of feeling...coming home to a lit house and having someone to talk to— it’s quite good.
Now that my living conditions are a little better, I guess it’s not too troublesome accommodating another person.
Ten minutes later, Xu Qing exited the bathroom with a towel draped over his head. While he searched for the hairdryer, he asked, “Ah, by the way, are you...out of clean ‘clothes’?”
Jiang He blinked at him, understanding his underlying hint after a while. She lowered her head without a rely.
Xu Qing read the response from her subtle movements and chose to address the matter at a later date. After using the hairdryer, he briefly showed Jiang He how to operate it for herself and returned to the living room.
Before shutting down his computer, he checked the time on its monitor which counted 10:00 PM— it was rather late.
With heavy steps, Xu Qing made his way to his bedroom to rest. Once his head hit the pillow, dizziness spun in his mind, spiraling him into the darkness of sleep.
…
Meanwhile in the living room.
Jiang He continued to study the hairdryer for a while. After hearing no movements from Xu Qing’s room, she went to her own bedroom to find a change of clothes. Although the pajamas she received were conservative enough, she still couldn’t accept wearing them. She instead settled for her usual clothes.
On her way out, she coincidentally spotted her old clothes that were folded in the corner. Subconsciously, she touched the clothes she currently wore, feeling their soft and smooth texture.
After some time, the sound of running water echoed throughout the quiet house.
Regarding the future, Jiang He could only take one step at a time and mask the agitation in her heart. It was best to improve her understanding of this new world for now.
Fortunately, my first contact was with a kind young man who’s willing to go out of his way to help me.
A peaceful night ran its course.
…
Sunday the next day, Xu Qing got up earlier than usual. Normally, especially on the weekends, he would still be asleep like most other people. He drowsily left the comfort of his bed and went to the living room to catch up on the latest news.
Perhaps alerted by the noise, Jiang He opened her door and glanced over at Xu Qing who was focused on the news while jotting down relevant bits in his notebook. Droplets of sweat meandered her forehead, proof of her non-stop commitment to training. Before anything else, she made her way to the bathroom to rinse her face.
Xu Qing filtered through the news— a process now familiar to him. To be efficient was to grasp the key points and extract as much useful information as possible. This method saved a lot of time and improved his observation skills which proved useful in daily life.
Just like the time he met Jiang He. If he hadn’t noticed the straw sandals on her feet along with her many other peculiarities, maybe he wouldn’t have drawn the ridiculous conclusions he did. Who knows? Maybe things would’ve played out differently.
Thinking this, Xu Qing paused his movements and looked at the pair of worn-out sandals sticking out of the trash can.
“Are you working again?” Jiang He returned after washing up. She grew increasingly curious about how this world’s economy worked.
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Can you make money by sitting at home and watching others through clairvoyance?
She frowned and voiced her suspicions, “Are you an official?”
She remembered what Xu Qing told her before: something about officials watching others through clairvoyance to maintain law and order. By observing him every day, she associated his actions with that of the officials’.
“I’m not. If I were, your identity issue would be easier to handle.”
Xu Qing was going to add that he would’ve handed her over to the state too, but quickly dropped the idea. On second thought, official or not, he wouldn’t have handed her over.
The prospect of an ancient female knight is just too interesting...
“It’s rare for us to get up this early. Are you hungry? I’ll go buy breakfast.”
Seeing that Jiang He had nothing to do, Xu Qing decided to give her the computer so she could continue studying. Unlike before, he didn’t need to babysit her actions too much. She was making tons of progress and already learned how to pause and change videos.
“Okay.”
“Do you want to tag along?”
“...” Jiang He hesitated for a while but eventually shook her head, “It’s alright; no need.”
“Okay, then I’ll be back soon. Just keep studying.”
Xu Qing browsed his phone for a while before going out.
…
The gentle morning breeze was welcoming and the drifting clouds radiated a tinge of orange from its edges.
Although it was early, a few neighbors were already up and conversing, enjoying the morning air. At the gate, Uncle Zhao donned a solemn expression while listening to someone speak.
“Little Xu, Little Xu!” Hearing the approaching footsteps, Cheng Yulan turned around to greet him.
“Good morning, Aunty; Uncle Zhao. What serious matters are you discussing?” Xu Qing regarded the two with curiosity.
“Little Xu, have you heard any strange noises in the middle of the night recently?” Cheng Yulan asked in a lowered voice.
“Noises?” Xu Qing scratched the back of his head, “No, I’ve been sleeping well recently. What’s wrong? Is there a thief snooping around?”
“I wish it was a thief!” She slapped her thigh and said in a matter-of-fact tone, turning to look at Uncle Zhao.
“Uncle Zhao, what happened?” Xu Qing was puzzled.
“Well...we might be haunted.” Uncle Zhao frowned and replied shakily. His trembling hands jingled the dog leash he was holding. By the side, the big black dog whimpered as if to agree with him.
He continued, “Heizi here saw and barked at it last night. When I went to check things out, he was so frightened that his nails dug into the ground and his tail was tucked between his legs. He was also mute and refused to bark since then. It was really weird.”
“Old Wang also said that he woke up from the barks and saw a shadow through the window,” Cheng Yulan added, making spooky gestures, “...and then: whoosh! It disappeared.”
“What?” Xu Qing was stunned. He pretended to be calm and asked, “Did you see anything, Uncle Zhao?”
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The security guard jolted at the question, almost dropping his cigarette. He took a puff to calm his nerves and gazed up at the drifting clouds, “I saw it...I have proof.”
He had always been an atheist from young up until his old age. But now, he was persuaded.
“...”
“...”
Damn it!
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