“How much is this per jin?”
Luo Zhizhou rode his somewhat old bicycle, weaving through the Town Market.
“Two yuan fifty per jin.”
“Two fifty? That’s a bit pricey. The stall next door only sells it for two yuan.”
The vegetable vendor, a stout middle-aged woman, pulled out a slightly worn hand scale from under her stall and gestured, “My vegetables are much fresher than hers, picked fresh today.”
The woman from the neighboring stall was not convinced.
She grabbed a basket of vegetables and approached, “Don’t listen to her nonsense! Mine were just picked too! Young man, buy from me, fifty cents cheaper than hers.”
The first woman grew angry and stood up, “What are you saying?”
“Fixed price, two yuan per jin, fifty cents cheaper. Little brother, do you want some?” The first woman slashed her price and glared hard at Luo Zhizhou.
If this dragged on any longer, the two would probably argue endlessly. Luo Zhizhou finally bought two jin from the first woman, silently happy to have saved a yuan.
“Yellow Linxiang’s stealing my business. We’re not done!” the neighbor shouted angrily.
Taking the crumpled bills, the first woman smiled with a hint of sarcasm, “Liu Lanhua, don’t even think about competing with me. I was married before you were even born. The old ones have the tricks. You really want to fight me?”
“You old hag, get lost!”
Luo Zhizhou packed the vegetables into a plastic bag and placed it in his bike basket, quickly escaping from the two quarrelsome women.
Middle-aged women really weren’t to be trifled with.
Leaving the market, he passed by a newly opened electronics store where a large LCD TV was playing an advertisement.
“I am Magical Girl Miaoxuan, endorsing Jiangxin Television—Jiangxin Television, everything for the user, everything responsible for the user.”
“120Hz high refresh rate, wide-angle ultra-clear screen, supports 4K ultra-high resolution…”
He glanced at the price—12,000 yuan.
Luo Zhizhou had long wanted to replace his broken TV at home. It always failed to get a signal, and the speakers were busted.
He planned to talk to Father Luo about replacing that old box TV. It was about time they had cable TV.
Speaking of money… Luo Zhizhou planned to find a proper job. His current work depended entirely on luck and weather, and the income wasn’t stable.
After all, relying on his sister all the time wasn’t ideal.
He left the small town and returned to Xinping’an Village.
“Hey! Little Luo, you’re back!”
Aunt Xie approached at the village gate, holding a basket of cauliflower.
“Aunt Xie, I’m back.”
“I heard you were attacked by an Extradimensional Beast yesterday. Little Luo, are you alright?”
Feeling Aunt Xie’s concerned gaze, Luo Zhizhou quickly said, “Thank you, Auntie, I’m fine. Just the bike broke down, so I couldn’t continue work afterward.”
“As long as you’re okay. Here, take this cauliflower as a gift.”
“Eh? I can’t accept this. The harvest hasn’t been good lately. You should take it home yourself. I’ll just buy vegetables in town.”
Though he wanted to refuse, Aunt Xie insisted and wouldn’t take no for an answer.
“Yo, isn’t this young Luo?”
Uncle Huang happened to pass by, saw the two pushing the bike, and patted Luo Zhizhou’s shoulder.
“You look pretty energetic. I told you, those who’ve served in the army aren’t afraid of Extradimensional Beasts. We are the people’s soldiers—just a little beast is nothing.”
“Uncle Huang, you flatter me…”
Other villagers gathered as they saw Luo Zhizhou at the village entrance, all concerned for his safety.
Luo Zhizhou was fairly well-known in the village—partly because of his sister, and partly because he was the only one who had served in the army and fought in battles.
After the warm greetings and receiving many gifts, Luo Zhizhou returned home.
“Where’s that old man?”
Father Luo was probably out playing mahjong again.
The villagers had given him so much lettuce that the fridge was nearly full.
Luo Zhizhou went to the kitchen to prepare dinner.
Drip…drip…
He glanced outside; the sky was gray and overcast. It was about to pour.
“Still not back?”
Wearing an apron, Luo Zhizhou picked up a knife and started chopping vegetables.
He had recently replaced the old stove with a gas range, so cooking was much easier now.
Tonight’s menu included Aunt Xie’s cauliflower and cured meat sent by Sister Li from next door. There seemed to be too much food; it would be hard for two people to finish it all.
Ring…ring…
A call from Father Luo.
“Zhizhou, it’s going to rain hard. I can’t come back for now. Just make yourself some dinner. I’m at Uncle Huang’s, don’t worry.” Then he hung up.
He was probably going to play mahjong all night again.
“Sigh… that old man is so stubborn.”
Since it was just him, eating one dish was fine. The extra portions would go into the fridge.
The rain grew heavier. Luo Zhizhou closed the doors and windows early and took down the laundry from the balcony.
The house was quiet most of the time, with only the old TV babbling away. But Luo Zhizhou didn’t feel lonely—or rather, he was used to this kind of life…
His sister too, was probably the same, he didn’t want to think about it.
He cooked a simple dish of broccoli with pork, set it on the table, and turned on the TV to see if the signal came through.
Outoutout…
As usual, only static.
Rainy days had terrible reception. He turned off the TV.
The kids next door were crying again… The wind seemed to have knocked over a metal sheet… A car passed by the gate…
On rainy days, Luo Zhizhou was especially sensitive to every sound.
After all, the day the Extradimensional Beasts appeared was also a rainy day.
The horrifying beasts destroyed his home and killed his mother. He could only hold his sister’s hand and escape that hell.
His sister tightly clutched a small pinwheel—the toy she loved most.
Their mother’s last words had been to protect his sister.
Leaning on his shoulder, his sister and he stepped away from the ruins through the pouring rain…
Rainy days… watch out for slippery roads.
When you have someone to protect, you absolutely must not fall.
Just as he was about to sit down, he suddenly heard a sound that didn’t belong here
***
Getting clearer.
Luo Zhizhou realized it came from reality.
It was the sound of knocking.
He went to the door.
Opened it.
A familiar yet strange figure stood before him.
Her long hair reached her waist, wearing a blue dress, drenched.
“You are… Luo Xi?”
“Mm.”
“Why did you come back without telling me? And it’s pouring—why didn’t you bring an umbrella?”
Luo Zhizhou hurried her inside, fetched the shoes she used to wear from the drawer, and had her change into them.
“Quick, change your clothes. The electric water heater is fixed now, go take a shower. I made extra dishes just now. Dad can’t come back for dinner, but we can eat together.”
“Mm.”
Luo Zhizhou searched the wardrobe for a while before finding Luo Xi’s clothes—a skirt she often wore when she was still in school, white long socks, and underwear.
“Go take a shower quickly. You’ll catch a cold otherwise.”
“It’s fine, I’m not afraid of getting cold.”
“I know, I know. Hurry up, you look a mess like this.”
After Luo Xi went to the bathroom, Luo Zhizhou took the vegetables he had just stored back out of the fridge and reheated them.
Why would Luo Xi think of coming back?
Luo Zhizhou couldn’t figure it out, but it was good she was back. Rare family reunion.
Luo Xi changed clothes and came out. Luo Zhizhou had already set the table and was waiting for her.
“Try this, sister. This is cured meat from Sister Li next door, and this cauliflower is from Aunt Xie. The villagers sent us quite a bit today.”
Luo Xi sat down and picked up her chopsticks.
She had grown quite a bit over the past two years—her old skirts were a bit small now. Luo Zhizhou only now noticed how much his sister had changed.
“I just happened to have a mission nearby, so I came back on the way. I have to train in the rain sometimes. I’m used to it. You don’t have to worry about me,” Luo Xi said coldly, without emotion.
“I see. Then eat quickly. Missions must be tough. You need to replenish your strength.” Thinking that his sister might still resent him, Luo Zhizhou forced a smile, trying to ease the awkward atmosphere.
After that, they ate dinner silently.
“Were you attacked by an Extradimensional Beast last night?” Luo Xi suddenly asked.
“It was nothing serious. Just a Knight-Class Aberrant Beast.”
His sister studied him with those deep eyes.
“Still the same. You’re such a worry.”
Hearing that from his sister made Luo Zhizhou feel guilty.
“197…”
“You never really cared about me,” Luo Xi muttered softly. But Luo Zhizhou could still hear it through the noisy rain.
“If you really cared about me… why did you leave me again six years ago?”
That same question again.
Luo Zhizhou wanted to answer but couldn’t.
“You were almost dead then, and you still wanted to go to the battlefield? What would I do if you died? Did you think that would protect me?”
“When I was bullied, where were you? It was just for that money. You could have come back. We could have figured out a way to get that money together and gotten through it. Why?”
One question after another crashed into Luo Zhizhou’s pounding heart.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s too late. If you want to apologize, say it to the old me.”
Luo Xi stood up.
“I still have a mission, I’m leaving.”
“What about your clothes…”
“Doesn’t matter. Leave them there. Those aren’t my work uniform.”
Luo Xi pushed the door open. The rain outside hadn’t stopped.
She stepped back into the pouring rain once more.
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.