Chapter 12: One-stop Service
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Brother Earthworm and his men slinked away like scared mongrels.
“Madam, all is settled now.” Huang Xiaolong said with a grin, turning to the lady boss.
The lady boss finally snapped out of her daze but still a little incoherent.
“Young man, what you just, just now, you…”
“Oh, you mean throwing the chopsticks? That was nothing. Just the ‘Sky Full of Blossoms’ hidden weapons technique. Quite simple.” Huang Xiaolong chuckled. “Actually, I only exerted a tiny bit of my strength. Had I put in a little more, their knees would have shattered. We villagers are kind-hearted. We didn’t want to cripple them.”
“Um…” The lady boss didn’t quite know how to proceed with the conversation.”Young man, who taught you all this?” She asked.
“They taught me,” Huang Xiaolong casually replied.
Of course, the lady boss didn’t realize that by ‘they’, Huang Xiaolong wasn’t referring to people but things.
“Young man, you really are amazing!” Her eyes welled up with admiration and gratitude.
Over the years, in the eyes of others, she was like a jinx. Losing her parents at an early age and taking care of a burdensome younger brother, anyone who got close to her would face misfortune, thus avoiding her as if she was a venomous serpent.
Huang Xiaolong was the first person to step forward in her defense, to help her, to save her!
She wanted to thank Huang Xiaolong, but a simple thanks seemed inadequate, considering his kindness to her.
“Young man, you… you should leave Hua Lake Street, leave the Lychee District as soon as possible… Brother Earthworm is Brother Hu’s lackey. After you taught Brother Earthworm a lesson, Brother Hu will not let it go… Brother Hu is forceful and has a considerable influence…
“What would you do if I walked away though?” Huang Xiaolong asked earnestly.
“I…” Tears welled up in her eyes, silently rolling down her fair cheeks then rested on her delicate chin before merging and falling onto the floor, shattering into a thousand droplets.
His words had touched the softest part of her heart.
For the first time in her life, she experienced what it felt like to be protected by a man.
‘At last… someone cares about me… worries about me…l would be content even if it cost my life…’ Her eyes softened as she gazed at Huang Xiaolong.
“Actually, there’s no need to be scared. You can rest assured, Madam.” Huang
Xiaolong smiled nonchalantly and pulled out his mobile phone. “Add me on WeChat and call me if they come to bother you again. I live nearby, you can also call me.”
She quickly wiped her tears then retrieved her phone from a drawer. They exchanged mobile numbers and added each other on WeChat.
“Huang Xiaolong… your name is Huang Xiaolong…”She repeated his name several times, committing it to memory.
The madam’s name was Su Xiaoman, a pleasant sounding name.
“Then from now on I’ll call you Sister Xiaoman.” Huang Xiaolong pocketed his phone.
“Okay.” Su Xiaoman nodded emphatically.
“Sister Xiaoman, I’m a bit tired. I’m going home to sleep.” Huang Xiaolong then yawned and said, “Oh, by the way, I have something to give you.”
Before he left, Huang Xiaolong pulled out a crumpled yellow talisman from his canvas bag.
He folded the talisman into a tiny intricate origami crane and handed it to Su Xiaoman with a smile. “Sister Xiaoman, take care of this. Remember, it should be on your person at all times.”
“Okay,” Su Xiaoman replied as she accepted the origami crane. Holding it dearly in both her hands, she murmured, “Xiaolong, thank you. This is the most precious and joyous gift I’ve received. I will…l will always keep it close…
“That’s good,” Huang Xiaolong nodded. “Sister Xiaoman, don’t be scared of those bullies. If you have this talisman-made origami crane with you, they can’t harm you… I need to go home to sleep. The nights in the agrarian areas fall early normally I would be asleep by this time.”
After saying this, Huang Xiaolong turned to leave the restaurant. As he stepped out, he heard Su Xiaoman calling out from behind. “Xiaolong, you said today I would meet a benefactor, is that you?”
“Er… well, Sister Xiaoman, the benefactor is supposed to be your future husband,” said Huang Xiaolong ambiguously, disappearing into the bustling night scene on Hua Lake Street with just a few steps.
“I know… it must be you!” Su Xiaoman said while clutching the origami crane tightly, her tone slightly lost.
Huang Xiaolong walked briskly down the street heading to his uncle’s house, which was situated on the same street, not far from Su Xiaoman’s diner.
He found his uncle’s house and climbed up the stairs.
Pulled out the key and opened the door.
Found the light switch by the door and turned it on.
Then Huang Xiaolong was dumbfounded…
This was an empty house.
Empty, meaning there was nothing inside!
Appliances, furniture, decorations… absolutely nothing!
A scrawny little mouse squatted in a corner, teary-eyed, it spared Huang Xiaolong a glance before weakly scuttling away.
“Oh my God, did my uncle’s home get burgled?” Huang Xiaolong entered the house and closed the door behind him.
After a quick look around, indeed, the place was incredibly clean.
This was a one-bedroom, one-living room, one-kitchen, one-bathroom apartment. It didn’t just appear bare in the living room, but also in the bedroom and kitchen.
In the bedroom, there wasn’t even a bed. In the kitchen, not a single bowl. And naturally, the bathroom didn’t have any toilet paper.
“Uncle, you’ve really outdone yourself this time!” Huang Xiaolong felt as though a stampede was charging through his mind.
“I can’t live like this… I must get a job hastily tomorrow, at least to buy some furniture and appliances. I at least need a bed and a bowl to eat my meals. I reckon, that’ll cost me thousands!” Xiaolong was ruthlessly calculating. “Uncle, you’ve crossed a line!”
Huang Xiaolong complained a bit, then went to the bedroom and took out a thin, almost transparent rope that seemed to be made of silkworm thread from his bag.
Then he took out a couple of yellow talismans and affixed each on two opposite walls. The talismans held the ends of the string at about a metre above the ground, forming a makeshift hammock.
“I guess… I’ll just have to make do.” Huang Xiaolong sighed, flipped onto the string, and fell asleep immediately.
Early next morning.
Huang Xiaolong didn’t even bother with breakfast and went straight to a part of Hua Lake Street.
This particular segment of the street was peculiar. It had no restaurants, no massage parlours, no beverage shops. Instead, it was lined with funeral supply stores.
There were old, disabled fortune tellers along the street, predicting people’s destinies and fortunes.
Even the stalls on the street were packed with Buddha beads, prayer beads, talismans, magic artifacts, and scriptures, etc.
Yes, a plethora of spiritual practitioners congregated in this part of the street.
After a quick observation, Huang Xiaolong could tell that all of these spiritual practitioners were impostors and their so-called magic artifacts were imitation goods.
Naturally, Huang Xiaolong didn’t have control over what others did; he was just hoping to find a job.
Huang Xiaolong casually found a spot and sat. He placed a piece of paper beside him which read.
“Full service, one-stop solution”