In the Old Housing Area on the south side of town, the morning sunlight was full of vibrant life.
Dew dripped from the slanted eaves onto spiderwebs below, where a spider the size of a thumbnail wiggled its two pairs of forelegs.
Using its silk, the creature pulled the dew to its hideous mouthparts and began to greedily suck it down.
The microwave stopped spinning with a soft ding.
The old man smiled as he pulled open the door.
The freshly heated bread was steaming, and its golden-brown crust alone was enough to make anyone’s mouth water.
Gu Lian sat on the sofa, her eyes fixed unblinkingly on the fried rice, butter, and a small slab of glistening ham on the table.
The fat on the ham was so thick it looked like a gemstone.
Gurgle—
Gu Lian pursed her lips, her throat bobbing as saliva slid down into her stomach.
Her belly was rumbling in protest, urging her to hurry up and feed it these delicacies.
“Hahaha, the bread is here.”
The old man placed several croissants on the dining table.
Gu Lian swallowed hard, staring at the bread that looked as soft as cotton.
Zzz…
Yi Yi lay spread-eagled on the sofa, a tiny bubble on her nose expanding and contracting.
The old man picked up a croissant and tore it open.
Using a butter knife, he spread a layer of butter inside, tucked in a thick slice of ham, and handed it to Gu Lian.
Gulp—
Taking the bread, Gu Lian swallowed.
She glanced at the fast-asleep Yi Yi.
‘Why isn’t she awake yet? I’m about to faint from hunger here!’
“Don’t worry about that little girl. You eat first. This old man hasn’t cooked in a long time.”
The smile on the old man’s face caused his wrinkles to bunch together.
Though it should have looked unsightly, he possessed a kind and benevolent air.
Gu Lian looked left and right, then her body suddenly tensed before she raised the bread and shoved it into her mouth.
“Eat slowly, no one is—oh?”
The old man froze, looking dazed.
He watched as the bread, which was as big as his fist, was stuffed into Gu Lian’s mouth in a single bite.
Gulp. “Ah… so good!”
Once the small piece of bread hit her stomach, the protest instantly stopped.
The rich aroma of the ham and the softness of the bread blended perfectly with the silky butter, leaving a lingering aftertaste.
A warm current rose from her belly and began to flow through her limbs and bones.
Gu Lian let out a breath of hot air.
After starving all night, she finally had a good meal.
“You must be starving. Eat slowly, I’ll prepare some more.”
The old man reached out and ruffled Gu Lian’s hair.
The kitchen light flickered back on as he went to prepare more food.
At his age, he naturally cherished cute children.
Just as a person would treasure a jewel and wipe it clean with a flannel cloth, he cared for them regardless of whether they belonged to him.
Once the old man left, Gu Lian reached for another ham sandwich, ready to finish it in one go.
Just as she picked it up, she felt a gaze on her.
Gu Lian turned her head and saw Yi Yi quickly closing her eyes.
“Heh—”
Gu Lian let out a strange cry and scooted her butt over to Yi Yi.
She slapped the girl’s head.
“If you’re awake, you’re awake! Why are you pretending to sleep?”
“Sister Lian, you caught me… eheh~”
Yi Yi stuck out her pink tongue, sat up, and tried to act cute to get away with it.
“Ooh… what’s that smell? It’s so fragrant!”
“If you’re hungry, just say so. Don’t be so shy.”
Gu Lian stuffed the bread into Yi Yi’s arms.
Yi Yi leaned forward and sniffed the bread with a blissful expression before opening her mouth wide to take a huge bite.
“Don’t you dare choke…”
Before she could finish, Yi Yi’s eyes widened, and her small hands began frantically patting her chest.
“I told you to eat slowly. I don’t know who you learned those table manners from…”
Gu Lian patted Yi Yi’s back.
The rhythmic thuds revealed a sense of warmth.
In the kitchen, the old man smiled to himself.
‘A tsundere girl and a high-spirited little thing… what a lovely pair of sisters.’
Gu Lian’s ears twitched.
A smile uncontrollably surfaced on her face as she picked up a bowl of glistening fried rice and began devouring it.
The eggs in the fried rice blended perfectly with the aroma of the rice, and the garnishes of carrots and green onions were just right, spreading an elegant fragrance across her taste buds.
“Delicious!”
While praising the food, Gu Lian took several more large bites.
Her eating style wasn’t exactly ugly, but it definitely wasn’t refined—her good looks were the only thing saving her.
Slurp, gulp—
The sound of her eating successfully triggered Yi Yi’s greed.
The little girl grabbed whatever food she could reach and stuffed it into her mouth.
Their eating could only be described as a whirlwind.
The food on the table disappeared at a pace visible to the naked eye.
Finally, Yi Yi reached for the fried rice and bread on the right side of the coffee table.
As her hand was about to touch the bread, Gu Lian grabbed it with lightning speed.
She turned her head and gave Yi Yi a look.
Yi Yi tilted her head, not understanding.
Slap—
Gu Lian placed a hand on her forehead.
She put down her nearly clean bowl and pointed toward the kitchen.
Suddenly, Yi Yi’s eyes lit up.
She snatched up Gu Lian’s unfinished fried rice and began devouring it.
This happened so fast that Yi Yi had the rice finished in no time.
She put down the empty bowl and rubbed her small belly, a look of pure satisfaction and happiness on her face.
“Hic— So good, hic… I’ve never eaten… hic… anything this delicious before.”
“Uh…”
Gu Lian lowered her hand, staring blankly at the bowl that was now cleaner than if it had been washed.
She pointed at Yi Yi for a long moment before finally managing to speak.
“Damn it, you tricked me?!”
“Ah, didn’t you give it to me? QAQ, you wouldn’t want to see me go hungry, right?”
“Don’t act cute. And… you really are a little clever ghost, aren’t you!”
Gu Lian gave her a thumbs up.
In terms of being quirky and mischievous, she considered Yi Yi the strongest!
Tap, tap, tap—
Footsteps approached without concealment.
The sound of slippers hitting the tile floor sounded like a flyswatter.
The grease on the surface of the bread was still bubbling, splattering slightly on the plate before cooling in the air to form a glossy film.
Steam rose slowly.
Though it looked oily, it somehow gave off a fresh and elegant sweetness.
Hearing their conversation, the old man carried out a plate of freshly toasted small breads, laughing heartily.
His wrinkled face bloomed like a withered chrysanthemum.
He walked to the coffee table and set them down.
“Alright, you two stop messing around. Eat well; there’s plenty for everyone.”
“Grandpa, you’re the best!”
Yi Yi picked up a croissant with both hands and happily swallowed it.
The old man stroked the few strands of his beard, his affection for them plain to see.
The old man’s actions undoubtedly sent a signal, but whether that signal could truly help her was still unknown.
Gu Lian felt that the time was right.
After a brief test, there seemed to be no problem with this old man.
For the short term, she could safely leave Yi Yi in his care.
Meanwhile, she needed to find someone to help her at the town’s Black Market.
One shouldn’t assume that small towns lacked Black Markets.
In fact, it was quite the opposite; either only large cities had underground Black Markets, or only small towns did.
Before her resurrection, she had done plenty of dirty work in the gutters.
Selling goods and gathering information at Black Markets was routine for her, so she was very familiar with how things worked.
As the old man and Yi Yi chatted and laughed—with the old man beginning to tell stories of his youth—a flash of decisiveness crossed Gu Lian’s eyes.
She stepped forward and gently tugged on his sleeve.
He immediately looked at her, puzzled.
“Little girl, why aren’t you eating?”
Gu Lian shook her head, looking at him expectantly.
“Grandpa, I want to talk to you in private.”
Seeing her expression, the old man didn’t say much.
After telling Yi Yi to keep eating, he led Gu Lian into the bathroom.
The old man turned on the faucet, washing off the grease from cooking.
He looked cheerful.
“Hehe, child, what do you want to talk to this old man about?”
“I just wanted to say thank you…”
Channeling her emotions, Gu Lian blinked, forcing out a few teardrops.
The tears rolled down her cheeks and splashed onto the floor, leaving small wet marks.
One after another, the tears fell, bouncing off the floor and merging into the puddles.
“The two of us have been wandering for a long time. People hit us, people curse us… this is the first time I’ve met someone like you, Grandpa… I… sob…“
‘Damn, this isn’t easy…’
Gu Lian kept blinking, tears falling like they cost nothing.
Some tears slid down her neck, soaking her collar.
“Alright, child, say no more. You can just stay at my house. What’s in the past is in the past.”
“No, Grandpa, the rent here…”
A pair of calloused hands pressed onto her shoulders.
Gu Lian’s body stiffened as a “reflex,” but she forced herself to endure it.
In reality, Gu Lian had instinctively wanted to throw the old man over her shoulder, because having someone place their hands on your shoulders during combat was a provocation.
If she hadn’t held back just now, the old man would have gone flying in a three-hundred-sixty-degree spiral.
If that happened, forget staying here—she’d probably be under police investigation, and that might even drag those Hunters into the mix…
The old man sighed, his eyes full of heartache for Gu Lian.
“It’s fine. You two girls don’t need to pay any rent to stay here. I just need you to keep this old man company.”