After three rounds of drinks and nearly finishing the skewers, only two bottles were left in the case of beer.
Qin Hao, his face flushed, boasted that he would become a detective, solve major cases, and appear on TV.
"Sure, sure, you're the best."
Xu Qing, also a bit dizzy, still had a good tolerance for alcohol, having inherited that from his father, so he wasn't passed out drunk, "Can you make it back on your own? Don't delay mediating the old lady's quarrel tomorrow."
"Mediate my ass... Boss, the check!"
"I've got this."
Without much ado, Xu Qing swiftly scanned the code to pay, then accompanied Qin Hao to the roadside to hail a taxi for him, telling him to go ahead. Afterward, he turned back to the food stall, looked over the items on the shelf, and decided to have the boss pack up some meat skewers and fish tofu.
A gentle evening breeze blew, and the light smoke from the barbecue wafted far away. Standing at the entrance of the bustling food stall, Xu Qing suddenly felt like smoking, but patting himself down remembered he had quit.
I've taken on a bit of trouble... but it's kind of interesting.
I wonder if the moon was just as round in the Tang Dynasty...
He looked up at the night sky, where the vast and profound starry expanse resembled a long scroll of history, and many people and events of the past were buried in the sands of time, turned to dust — and now, a grain of that dust had jumped out.
And he had encountered it.
...
By the time he got home, it was already 9:30 in the evening. Jiang He was still sitting on the couch watching a video on the computer, with Winter Melon lying on her lap, purring contentedly as she stroked its fur.
Xu Qing looked at the pair on the couch, feeling an indescribable emotion welling up inside him, and lifted the bag in his hand, "You might be hungry since you ate early, so I brought back some more food."
"Thank you."
"Hm?"
"... Hero."
"No trouble at all."
Xu Qing waved his hand, placing the takeout barbecue on the table and opening the bag, then went to the fridge to get two containers of sour milk, handing one to Jiang He.
Jiang He smelled the alcohol on him and wrinkled her nose, "Did you drink a lot?"
"Not much, just a few bottles," Xu Qing replied, opening the lid of the sour milk and demonstrating, "This is called 'sour milk,' and you should lick it first before drinking."
The best part of sour milk is the bit on the lid, and licking the lid is a must-do ritual.
Jiang He imitated him, sticking out her tongue to lick the lid of the sour milk, her eyes lighting up immediately.
"Tastes good, doesn't it?"
"Yes, it's delicious."
"Hehe... go ahead and eat, I brought it all this way; don't let it get cold."
Xu Qing chuckled, glanced at the video on the computer, paused it for her, and then slightly stumbling, went to the bedroom to get his pajamas and into the bathroom to take a shower.
Coming home to a lit house with someone inside feels pretty good, adds a bit of life to it.
"We've got good living conditions now, bathing every day is quite enjoyable, and you don't need to save water on my account."
Ten minutes later, Xu Qing came out toweling his hair, searching for a hairdryer while saying, "And that clothing... you got it sorted out, right?"
Jiang He blinked, taking a moment to understand which clothes he was referring to, then looked down and said nothing.
Xu Qing took the hint and said no more, noting that it was already 10 p.m. He dried his hair, taught her how to use the hairdryer, turned off the computer, and then returned to the bedroom to rest.
Feeling dizzy, he lay on the bed and soon fell asleep.
...
Living room.
Jiang He studied the hairdryer for a while, and hearing no more noise from Xu Qing's bedroom, stood up to return to the bedroom for her clothes. Although the pajamas Xu Qing had bought for her were very conservative, she still felt somewhat uncomfortable with them, so she picked up her usual clothes, preparing to shower when her gaze paused on a small garment in the corner.
She touched her back and frowned slightly, then headed straight for the bathroom.
The sound of running water filled the solitude of the night.
As for the future, Jiang He could only take it one step at a time; burying the hesitation in her heart, she endeavored to learn and improve her understanding of this world.
Fortunately, she had encountered a kind-hearted hero, and that would help her gradually adapt to everything here.
A night of peace.
The next day was a weekend, and while normal people slept in, Xu Qing did the opposite, rising early before the sunlight had even streamed through the window onto his face, already up and watching the rebroadcast of last night's news in the living room.
Before long, the door to Jiang He's room opened, and she emerged, sweating lightly, glanced at Xu Qing sitting on the sofa with a pen and notebook, and thought for a moment before going to the washbasin to freshen up.
Watching the news was about filtering information, capturing the useful bits to jot down, and Xu Qing was well-practiced in this—extracting key points from a mass of information had almost become an instinct.
It was just like when he first met Jiang He, if it weren't for her out-of-place straw shoes that he subconsciously noticed, things might have gone in a different direction.
Thinking of the shoes, his hand paused with the pen, looking at the broken shoes in the trash can.
"Are you working again?" After freshening up, Jiang He walked over, still unable to understand how the economy of this world functioned.
Sitting at home and making money by using Thousand-mile Eye to watch others?
She frowned, thought for a moment, then suspiciously asked, "You're not a government officer, are you?"
Government officers use Thousand-mile Eye to keep watch on people, maintaining public order, something she connected with what she and Xu Qing were doing.
"I'm not. If I were... your situation would be much easier to handle."
Xu Qing almost said to turn her over to the state, but then he thought, even if he were a government officer, he wouldn't hand her over.
An ancient female warrior, how fun...
"Hungry? It's rare that we're up early today, I'll go buy breakfast."
Seeing Jiang He with nothing to do, Xu Qing offered his seat to her, handing over the computer for her to continue learning. She's now learned how to switch videos, making good progress.
"Okay."
"Do you want to come with me?"
"..." Jiang He hesitated for a moment, then shook her head, "It's all nearby, no need."
"Alright then, I'll go by myself, just stay here."
Xu Qing instructed her and took his phone as he left the house, walking into the more than 8 AM sunlight to buy breakfast outside.
...
The breeze was gentle, the sky blue with white clouds.
Early in the morning, a few neighbors stood at the entrance of the community, having finished their breakfast and now gathering together, whispering secrets. Security Guard Zhao's expression was solemn, silently listening without interrupting.
"Xu, Xu!"
Seeing Xu Qing approaching from afar, Cheng Yulan summoned him over in a mysteriously hushed voice.
"What is it, Auntie Cheng? Uncle Chen? Are you discussing some state secrets?" Xu Qing asked curiously, moving closer to ask the elders.
"Have you heard any noises during the night lately when you were sleeping?" Cheng Yulan asked in a lowered voice, while the others also looked over.
"Noises?"
Xu Qing scratched his head, "Nope, I've been sleeping well. What's up? Is there a thief?"
"If only it were a thief!" She slapped her thigh, opened her mouth but said nothing, then turned to look at Chen Aiguo.
"Uncle Chen, what's going on?" Xu Qing was confused.
"There might be... a ghost here," Chen Aiguo said with furrowed brows, shaking the leash of his large black dog, "Heizi saw it, barking like mad every night after midnight..." He paused, looking seriously at the neighborhood, "A few nights ago, something scared it so bad it ran under the bed, tail between its legs, couldn't even cry out. That's when I felt something was off."
"Old Wang also said that he was half-awake, disturbed by the dog, and saw a shadow from his window," Cheng Yulan added, gesturing with her hands, "Just like that, whoosh... and it was gone."
"Huh?"
Xu Qing was bemused, glanced at them, and tried to remain calm as he turned to Security Guard Zhao, "Did you see it too, Security Guard Zhao?"
At that question, Security Guard Zhao's hand, holding a cigarette, trembled slightly. He brought it to his lips and took a deep drag, then slowly exhaled the smoke, looking up at the sky hesitatingly before speaking in a grave voice, "I didn't encounter it... but... it's caught on camera."
He had lived to a ripe old age firmly as an atheist, but now, he was spooked.
"..."
"..."
Damn, seeing ghosts!