"Whose little potato is this?"
"You're the little potato! Your whole family's potatoes! Hmph!"
The little girl puffed up angrily, her tiny fists swinging nonstop as she struck Huo Yuhao again and again.
Huo Yuhao barely felt anything, so he could only let her hit him. Seeing no one else around, he sighed helplessly.
"All right, come with me for now. I'll help you find your mom and dad in a bit."
Holding the little girl, Huo Yuhao continued looking for the everyday supplies he needed.
"Who asked you to find them? Put me down right now!..."
The little girl's face flushed red with embarrassment, and she struggled even harder in Huo Yuhao's arms.
"Don't be impatient. I'll take you outside once I've finished shopping."
Huo Yuhao paid her no mind and kept holding her as he pleased, carrying his purchases toward the counter.
The little girl looked at the boy only five centimeters away from her, at his perfect profile. He was clearly handsome, yet he was deaf.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. Her lips puffed into a pout, and a glimmer of tears appeared in her eyes.
In the end, she gave up struggling. Since she couldn't resist, she might as well enjoy it.
After all, this fellow was handsome no matter how she looked at him. She wasn't losing out.
"Boss, I'd like to pay."
Carrying bags of all sizes in one hand and holding the little girl in his other arm, Huo Yuhao called to the owner sleeping soundly behind the counter.
"What's all the yelling for? What's the racket?" Ming Long opened his eyes impatiently.
The little girl in his arms startled and hurriedly jumped down. Caught off guard, Huo Yuhao let her slip out of his arms.
Landing on the floor, the little girl ran straight to the shop entrance, opened the door, turned around, and made a face at Huo Yuhao.
"Bleh!"
The little girl ran straight outside.
Huo Yuhao looked at the items in his hand, then at the little girl who had already run outside. He could only settle the bill first.
After all, Shrek City was safe. Nothing would happen.
"How much is all this?" Huo Yuhao asked evenly.
Ming Long counted the items before him, his fingers tapping lightly over an abacus, and quickly calculated the total.
He hurriedly wiped the grease off his beard, straightened his clothes, and sprang to his feet, saying happily,
"Five hundred Gold Soul Coins, thank you."
Huo Yuhao swept the Soul Guidance Ring on his hand over the items. All the supplies vanished as he put them away.
"You know Shabo, right? He told me to come to you if I needed anything. I'll take these, then. Just consider this me asking you for help."
Huo Yuhao slipped both hands into his pockets and turned to leave the shop.
"What? That's five hundred Gold Soul Coins! How much is Old Sha's favor worth? No, you have to pay!"
Ming Long blocked Huo Yuhao, looking ready to fight for his life.
"You have a shop this big, and you're short of this little bit?" Huo Yuhao looked at him scornfully.
Make me pay?
Not a chance. Even my tuition wasn't paid with my own money. There's even less chance of me paying these five hundred Gold Soul Coins.
"What good is having a shop this big? Look around. Do you see any customers here?" Ming Long stubbornly blocked the entrance, refusing to let Huo Yuhao leave.
"Shabo said I could just ask you for help. If you want to sell the shop, I can put you in touch with someone."
Huo Yuhao reached out and pushed aside Ming Long, who was blocking his path. A fierce gust blew past, forcing Ming Long's eyes shut, and Huo Yuhao walked straight outside.
"The karmic ties are settled. The undercurrents will soon surge..."
Staring at the empty shop before him, Ming Long slumped to the floor. He could only accept his bad luck.
Jingle!
The shop door swung open, and two girls in black robes walked straight up to Ming Long.
"This is the shop transfer agreement. Sign it, and these fifty thousand Gold Soul Coins are yours," one girl said coldly.
Ming Long took the contract in confusion. Looking at the two strangers before him, he asked, thoroughly puzzled, "Really?"
A black card appeared in the other girl's hand, bearing two large gilt characters: "Mitsugoshi."
The card before him said it all, but this was far too much of a coincidence.
Unless these two were connected to him!
Ming Long was so shocked that he couldn't speak. He turned to look in the direction Huo Yuhao had left.
In the end, he signed his name on the contract.
"Little potato? You're the little potato!"
The little girl stood with her hands on her hips, kicking a small pebble with her little leather shoes as she spoke viciously.
"If I see you again, I'll beat you until you're searching the ground for your teeth!"
The little girl clenched her tiny fist and waved it through the air, speaking with a smug look on her face.
A dark shadow slowly enveloped her. Still cursing Huo Yuhao, the little girl failed to notice any movement behind her.
Huo Yuhao narrowed his eyes and scooped her up from behind.
"Ah! Aaaaah!"
The little girl turned pale with fright. She squeezed her eyes shut, her tiny fists and little leather shoes flailing through the air.
"My name's Huo Yuhao. What's yours, little potato?"
"And where's your home? I'll take you back."
Huo Yuhao held her a little tighter, stroked her head with his right hand, and asked.
"Pah! You big pervert! I'm not telling you!"
The little girl opened her eyes. Seeing that it was Huo Yuhao, she immediately grew angry, turned her little face away, and spoke haughtily.
"Wasn't someone just saying she'd beat me until I was searching the ground for my teeth?" Huo Yuhao asked, raising an eyebrow.
The little girl instantly panicked. She hurriedly covered her mouth and shook her head vigorously.
"No, no! You heard wrong."
"All right, all right. Do you know the way home?" Huo Yuhao coaxed her.
"I do! Of course I do!" the little girl said with a smug smile.
"Okay, then I'll take you back." As he spoke, Huo Yuhao carried the little girl forward.
"I don't need you to take me."
The little girl frowned and pouted, looking utterly adorable.
"Then I'll treat you to a burger, and you can go home yourself. You can manage that, can't you?" Huo Yuhao continued coaxing her.
She was still a child, after all. Of course he ought to be more patient.
The little girl rested a finger against her chin and blinked, thinking it over. Then she clapped her hands. "Then it's happily settled!"
The little girl sat on a roadside bench, her short legs dangling in the air and swinging up and down. She was very happy.
Holding a paper bag printed with the Mitsugoshi logo, Huo Yuhao walked out of the burger shop and sat down beside her.
"The burgers are here? Quick, give me one!"
Smiling happily, the little girl took the paper bag from Huo Yuhao, pulled out a burger, and deftly unwrapped it.
"Mmm! It's delicious!"
The little girl held the burger in one hand and pressed the other to her cheek, looking blissful.
Huo Yuhao reached into the paper bag for a burger, slowly unwrapped it, took a bite, and asked the little girl beside him.
"Once you've finished this burger, hurry home. Don't keep wandering around outside."
Huo Yuhao looked up. Fiery clouds filled his vision, and the sun was slowly beginning to set.
"Are you a student at Shrek Academy?"
The little girl blinked, her legs still swinging back and forth.
"How did you know?"
"It's a secret."
Putting on a mysterious air, the little girl raised one finger and playfully winked.
"What about your name, then?"
"That's a secret too."
Finishing the burger in her hands, the little girl hopped lightly off the bench and rested both hands leisurely behind her back.
Her little leather shoes clacked against the paving stones as she skipped off into the distance.
Huo Yuhao sat on the bench beneath the glow of the setting sun.
Not far away, the little girl turned around, spread her arms, and waved excitedly, calling out to Huo Yuhao.
"Hey! Huo Yuhao, I believe it! I believe we'll meet again!"
The sunset dazzled his eyes. Huo Yuhao dazed for a moment, and the little girl ahead had already disappeared.
Huo Yuhao took a small notebook from his pocket, wrote a few lines in it, and snapped it shut!
He picked up the paper bag beside him, took a bite of his burger, and headed toward the setting sun.
"All right, time to head back. It's time to meet my new roommate."