Chapter 96
Hearing what Ansuo said, Shirou felt much more at ease.
"Hey... little girl, do you still have the same cup as the one I bought yesterday?"
The old man wandered around the shop for a while, then asked Ansuo.
"You mean the white one with the little mouse pattern on it?"
After thinking for Ansuo, he said.
This situation is not uncommon; most people with a race are quite fond of their animal relatives.
It's quite common to see people like Feline keeping cats or Casters keeping rabbits.
"Yes, yes, I want to buy two more."
The old man nodded and said.
"I'll go look in the warehouse, please wait a moment."
Ansuo pulled Shirou closer to the cashier and made him sit down, then dashed off towards the warehouse.
"???"
Looking at the vanished Ansuo, Shirou felt as if he had been betrayed.
"You're quite energetic, would you like to chat with this old man for a bit?"
The old man naturally didn't dislike someone as energetic as Ansuo; a lively person was always better than a lifeless one.
"Certainly."
Shirou did not refuse the old man's kindness and pulled out a chair from the side.
After all, they didn't know how long the Ansuo take, and they couldn't keep the elderly person standing and waiting, could they?
Are you an employee here?
The old man, who knew everything, pretended to know nothing and tried to get information out of the young man in front of him.
"They're just people who came to help. I know the store manager here."
Shirou replied.
At least Ansuo is the nominal manager of this store, but he is not registered here, so he did not intend to deceive the other party.
"I see. No wonder you came out from the other side. Were you in the kitchen just now?"
Following Shirou's words, the old man replied.
He casually raised a question, recalling that many spies had mentioned that the children's diet was something even they envied.
In addition, he had already smelled the sweet, cloying scent in the air before he even entered the store.
"Ah... you noticed that. I did something in the back just now."
"It's sweet, right? That's the smell in the store now."
"Someone delivered a winter melon, and I just made it into Winter Melon Bricks, which are now waiting to solidify."
"Oh? I see. No wonder I smelled Brown Sugar just now."
"If you're interested, I can get you a piece later so you can take it home and soak it. Just pour hot water over it and add some ice."
Seeing that the old man seemed quite interested in sweets, Shirou figured it wouldn't be a problem to give him a small piece.
It's about respecting the elderly and honoring the virtuous, and also about making some atonement for my earlier thoughts.
110 It takes at least three years!
Shirou chatted with the old man... or rather, Elder Lin, for quite a while.
The name was mentioned after they had been chatting for quite a while. At the time, Shirou didn't know how to address the other person, so the other person said that his surname was Lin.
So Shirou addressed the other person as Elder Lin and also introduced himself.
For some reason, when he mentioned that his name was Shirou, the other person laughed out loud, while constantly rubbing the dragon head on his cane.
Incidentally, when Shirou mentioned his name, he used Lungmen dialect, since many people of Elder Lin's age are not very accepting of some novel things.
However, Shirou didn't sense any malice from the other party; perhaps the old man was just recalling some amusing incident from before?
Although the dragon on the dragon-head cane was well-maintained, Shirou could still see that the dragon's head was particularly bright.
"Hehe, young man, you have pretty good skills."
The old man held a transparent cup in his hand, the brown liquid inside emitting a faint sweet fragrance.
It was made from the leftover ingredients from Shirou's cooking; there wasn't much, just two cups.
He gave one cup to Ansuo and the other to the Elder Lin in front of him, Shirou drank his own water.
Seeing how satisfied the two of them were with their drinks, Shirou felt quite pleased.
It was the resentful gazes from the other side of the door that were getting a little unbearable for Shirou.
"Stop looking, we'll have drinks at noon."
It was Ansuo noticed Shirou's unease, discovered the source of the problem, and went directly to nip it in the bud.
The solution is simple: just close the door.
Before closing the door, he specifically spoke to the others, and then closed and locked the door.
Shirou didn't know, but Ansuo knew that things here couldn't be easily spread. The current scale was already quite the limit; any more and there would be problems.
Life is tough, Rabbit sighs!
"The kids are quite lively."
Elder Lin naturally noticed the children as well, since they were his main target for the past two days.
It seems that, just as the report said, they are doing quite well.
He could tell whether life was good or bad; he hadn't wasted his life.
With the primary objective confirmed, the secondary objective is now within reach.
He does seem like a spirited young man, kind-hearted and somewhat naive. He answers whatever the old man says, even though he already knows the answers to all of these questions.
No, let me correct that. At first glance, Shirou doesn't seem very approachable; he still has a bit of a gangster vibe.
I don't know which barbershop cut someone's hair like this. Doesn't it look perfectly fine like in the photo?
"Yeah yeah."
Shirou said with an awkward laugh.
He could answer whatever he wanted to the questions about himself, but he couldn't casually reveal the true purpose of Fuyuki Store.
"Well... if there's nothing else, I'll be going now. I've bought everything, so I won't bother you any longer."
Seeing that the other party at least knew how to conceal some information, Elder Lin didn't ask any more questions.
The main reason was that it was almost lunchtime, and he had no intention of eating out.
If I get home any later and miss lunch, my wife will scold me.
Before leaving, Elder Lin finished his drink in one gulp, then took out the largest denomination Lungmen Dollars from his pocket, placed it on the table, and prepared to leave.
"Wait a moment, we haven't given you your change yet."
Looking at the large denomination Lungmen Dollars, Ansuo a little panicked.
The main concern is whether there is enough change in the cash register to make change.
"Consider it payment for the drinks and a tip. We had a very pleasant chat."
Elder Lin waved his hand and said this, then picked up the cup he had bought and a small piece of wrapped Winter Melon Bricks and left.
"What to do?"
Ansuo looked to Shirou for help; this situation had never happened before.
"Just accept it. If he comes to buy something in the future, I'll give him a discount."
Looking at the Lungmen Dollars on the table, Shirou hesitated for a moment before accepting them.
Although Elder Lin was using a cane, he still walked quite quickly. He couldn't possibly chase after him into the street to return the money, could he?
"Hmm... okay."
Since his boss had said so, Ansuo had no choice but to put the money into the cash register.
Outside the shop, as soon as Elder Lin stepped out, someone came over to help him carry the bags in his hands.
"Don't bump into it, it's for a gift."
Elder Lin gave his subordinates some instructions, telling them to be careful.
Yes, are you heading back now?
The subordinate carefully held the bag and asked.
"I've arranged to have lunch at home with someone."
"Understood, please get in the car."
"Um."
Elder Lin sat down in the back seat with practiced ease, then took a tissue and wiped his mouth.
I drank too quickly just now, and some of it got on my lips, making them sticky.
"We don't need to monitor that area anymore. Send a few people to take turns protecting this place, and remember to keep it well hidden."
After wiping his mouth, Elder Lin said, his demeanor completely different from when he was chatting with Shirou earlier.
At this moment, Elder Lin had a serious expression on his face.
"Understood."
The subordinate driving the car kept the other party's instructions in mind and dared not slack off in the slightest.
After all, he was the Rat King of the Slums, a man who once dominated the entire underground of Lungmen.
"Have they left?"
On the other side, by the window on the second floor opposite the Fuyuki Store, A-Xing watched the car that looked very expensive drive away and immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
Heaven knows why such an important person would come here for no reason, and even come for two consecutive days.
Although he didn't know the other person, he had been around for so long that he had some sense of judgment and the man was clearly not someone to be trifled with.
I just informed Sister Xiong, and all I got was a "it's nothing" response.
"It really feels like I've taken on a hot potato."
A-Xing leaned against the window and sighed. At first, he thought this job was pretty easy, but the events of the past few days made him feel that this place seemed to be under someone's watch.
I don't know if it's good or bad.
He checked the time on his phone and realized it was almost noon; he should go over and mooch lunch.
Yesterday, I prepared a gift of steamed buns as an apology. I'm sure a big bag of candy and cookies will win over the children.
"Welcome, Guang-ah? I thought you weren't coming today."
Hearing the bell ring at the gate, Ansuo assumed another guest had arrived, but it turned out to be A-Xing carrying a large bag of unknown contents.
"Hehe, after all, there's only good food here, so I brought some candy and cookies."
A-Xing lifted the bag in his hand and said.
"Go to the back yourself."
Looking at A-Xing's expression, Ansuo felt utterly bored and let the other person go over by themselves.
What are we eating today?
A-Xing obediently went straight to the kitchen, where it was quite lively.
"You're really late today. Come and help me knock these open."
Seeing A-Xing walk in, Shirou ruthlessly ordered him around.
After all, the solidified Winter Melon Bricks are quite hard. If it weren't for the concern that excessive force would turn them into powder, Shirou would have dealt with them long ago.