Chapter 95

Then I saw a person with short red hair and dressed in all black.

"Isn't it a bit too much?"

Shirou walked over and flicked Ansuo on the head; the other party was overacting.

"Hehe, I really didn't recognize you at first glance. Why did you suddenly decide to cut your hair so short? Did you want to change your look and style?"

He covered the spot where he had been flicked, Ansuo chuckled to himself.

People like Shirou without racial characteristics are extremely rare in Lungmen; if you didn't recognize him, you'd probably have to go see an ophthalmologist.

However, when Ansuo first saw Shirou, he almost didn't recognize him, mainly because his style didn't quite match Shirou's.

"I wanted to ask the shop owner to cut my hair shorter because of the hot weather."

Shirou didn't think too much about that.

"Looking at you now, if I put a black suit on you, you'd look like some kind of gangster boss from the Slums. Did you go to that barbershop A-Xing recommended?"

Ansuo stood up and looked carefully at Shirou, who was sitting in the chair.

It's a very simple short haircut, and it's even styled a bit, with three lines drawn on both sides.

Judging by appearance alone, his ferocity far surpasses that of A-Xing, almost reaching the level of Jie.

Of course, this is on the premise that Shirou's expression is like Ja's—a dead fish eye. In his normal state, it just feels a bit out of place.

What happened to that shop?

Upon hearing Ansuo's words, Shirou asked curiously.

He didn't mind Ansuo's two hands circling his head; his freshly cut hair did have a unique feel to it, and he used to be often touched like that by Sister Fujie.

"There's nothing wrong with that shop, and the owner's skills are good, but you have to tell him you want a regular style first, otherwise he'll just cut the kind of hair that looks fierce."

The main reason for this was that Ansuo forgot about it, since when she or her children went to get their hair cut, the stylist always gave them a normal hairstyle.

A-Xing's words have always been the same, no matter what hairstyle he has, he always looks fierce.

It's a bit unusual to see Shirou with his hair shaved like this all of a sudden.

If someone unfamiliar with Shirou were to look at him at first glance, they might think he's a bad guy.

"Hmm... I see. I'll pay attention next time."

Shirou nodded, feeling that he had learned something strange again.

But it's not a big problem, since there are gangs in the Slums! It's reasonable that they would habitually cut their hair in this style.

Since his head has already been cut off, there's nothing they can say. They can't exactly put it back on, can they?

Although shaving his head is an option, Shirou thinks he's fine as he is now compared to being bald.

"Big brother, can you come and help me? It's okay if it's inconvenient for you."

The kitchen door was pushed open, and the little girl, Feline, poked her head out and asked Shirou a question.

It seems there's been a problem with their cooking, and they also thought they heard Shirou's voice just now, so they've come to call for help.

However, after they saw that Shirou was talking to Ansuo, they added another sentence.

Girls' affairs are something that those who know will understand.

"OK."

Upon hearing the child's plea for help, Shirou agreed without hesitation.

"Go quickly, go quickly."

Without hesitation, Ansuo let Shirou leave.

A lunch with Shirou is completely different from a lunch without Shirou's participation.

You know, last night the kids suddenly had the idea to make a steamed bun, and A-Xing actually took that steamed bun to hammer nails.

That's absolutely outrageous! They actually managed to get it in!

She grabbed a steamed bun and smashed it over A-Xing's head, how could she waste the children's hard work like that!

That's why A-Xing didn't come to the store today; he's probably trying to buy something to apologize.

Is there a problem?

Shirou entered the kitchen and briefly surveyed the situation.

The children were busy, and he couldn't see what was wrong.

"We won't handle this."

The child who brought Shirou in pointed to the large green oval object on the table and said...

"This is... a watermelon? No, a winter melon?"

Looking at the large green oval shape, Shirou's first thought was of a watermelon.

But he quickly dismissed his idea, since it didn't have the black stripes that a watermelon should have.

After thinking for a moment, Shirou finally remembered the name of this thing.

"Yes, it was grown by a grandfather himself, who said he wanted us to try it."

The little girl confirmed Shirou's statement.

"Winter melon? Let me see... It seems like there's nothing to pair it with."

After briefly checking the refrigerator's contents, Shirou couldn't find any ingredients that could be paired with winter melon.

"The old man also brought Brown Sugar."

The child next to him pointed to a small bag on the refrigerator door, which contained brown Brown Sugar, but Shirou could vaguely see signs that it had been opened.

It's likely that a few people shared some because they were greedy.

"Brown Sugar... do you still have White Sugar in the kitchen?"

Looking at the bag of Brown Sugar, Shirou knew what to do.

In this hot summer, drinking Winter Melon Tea would be a great idea.

In addition, he didn't eat much sweet food here; it was mostly snacks and cookies that A-Xing and his neighbors would occasionally bring him.

White Sugar? Yes, we have it.

Shirou took the White Sugar and told the child to continue with his work while he dealt with the big guy.

"Let me think... wash, peel, remove seeds, and cut into pieces..."

He cleared out a small space, Shirou kept moving the knife in his hand, eventually producing a large bowl of finely chopped winter melon pieces.

Boil water, winter melon chunks, White Sugar, and Brown Sugar until it becomes viscous. Then, poke it with chopsticks and let it solidify in water before pouring it out.

Pour into a tray lined with parchment paper and wait for it to cool and solidify slightly before cutting into pieces. Then wait until it is completely solidified and cooked through.

If you are very confident in your knife and arm strength, you can simply wait for it to solidify completely.

"Shirou, what are you cooking? It smells cloyingly sweet."

As Shirou began to cook, the children who were still in the shop spontaneously gathered in the kitchen.

It was mainly because it was lunchtime, and they smelled the sweet aroma.

Even Ansuo, who had just finished a task next door, peeked out from the shop to see what Shirou was doing in the kitchen.

"Winter Melon Tea, but it's concentrated; this pot should last for several days."

Wearing an apron, Shirou kept stirring the pot.

"Is that how it's done?"

Upon hearing that Shirou said it was Winter Melon Tea, Ansuo leaned over to take a look.

It was a little different from what she had imagined, but it also seemed quite reasonable.

"Yes, if you want to drink it later, just soak it in hot water and then add ice cubes."

Shirou lifted the stirring spoon upwards, and the winter melon syrup on the spoon began to sink very slowly.

"It tastes a bit like maltose."

Watching the winter melon syrup slowly fall into the pot, I Ansuo thought of the maltose I had seen at the roadside stalls, which looked like this before it solidified.

"Want some? Go wash a chopstick and bring it over, remember to dry it."

He glanced at Ansuo beside him, then at the several pairs of eyes behind him staring at him with longing in their eyes, Shirou said.

After hearing Shirou's words, a crackling sound came from behind, and then everyone lined up behind Shirou, each holding a chopstick.

"You guys... could you get me a small bowl of ice water?"

Seeing how quickly everyone acted, Shirou found it quite amusing.

Take a dry chopstick and stir it around in the mixture, then put it in ice water. Although it's not completely solidified yet, it will hold onto the chopstick and won't burn your mouth.

"Ugh... it's so sweet."

He took the chopsticks from Shirou Ansuo put them directly into his mouth.

It's terribly sweet, like someone is pouring sugar directly into their mouth.

"I already said it's concentrated, and there's winter melon flesh on top that you can eat."

Shirou took the other chopsticks and proceeded step by step, and soon everyone had one in their hand, finding their own place to eat slowly.

"It's quite nice once you get used to the taste."

He held the chopsticks in his mouth, Ansuo wondering if he could get another bite.

"Stop looking at it, or you'll get cavities."

Shirou delivered an Ansuo's head, stopping him from taking any further action against the pot.

"Mean."

After washing the chopsticks clean, Ansuo went back to tend the shop, sticking out her tongue and making a face at Shirou before leaving.

Shirou, on the other hand, continued to tend to the large pot in front of him.

The Fuyuki Store was bustling with activity, while outside, people were shedding tears of envy, tears involuntarily streaming from the corners of their mouths.

It's this restaurant again! The food they cook there always smells amazing, are they trying to kill us?!

All they could say to that was, "Boss, stop thinking about your broken bowls and plates and just open a restaurant."

Fortunately, the smell dissipated quickly. It's also worth mentioning that Lungmen Candy Store had a significant increase in revenue today.

"Don't you dare touch it, or if I catch you... I'll have Uncle Jie come and play with you."

After finishing everything, Shirou took the slightly warm plate and used a fan to blow on it. He also gave a warning to the children present, but couldn't think of anything that everyone would be afraid of, so he finally brought up the banner of "Jie".

"Achoo." A seafood shop owner nearby sneezed.

After giving him repeated instructions, Shirou returned to the shop.

Shirou paused slightly as he looked at the customers in the shop.

Anyone who saw a... cough cough, that's not very polite. Shirou shook his head, dismissing the thought.

However, the scene before him still felt somewhat strange.

An elderly Zhalak Ancients, dressed in a black suit with a white overcoat, was wandering around the shop with a uniquely designed cane.

There were quite a few flaws, but Shirou managed to suppress them all; he didn't think the old man in front of him was an ordinary person.

What respectable person carries a dragon-headed cane?

Shirou silently walked towards the cashier and asked Ansuo:

"Do you know this lady, Ya?"

"Not familiar with them, but they came by yesterday, picked out a cup, and left."

While busy keeping accounts, Ansuo glanced around the store and immediately understood who Shirou was asking about.

The main reason is that there was only one customer in the store.

She remembered making a purchase yesterday, after all, besides the fact that the Ancients were easy to recognize by their appearance, their oppressive aura was also very impressive.

"I see."