A Single Flower Of The Village - Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Ruan Jingluo was as silent as a gourd, not having said a single word since returning. She didn’t ask a single thing about the suspicious red panda that had appeared in the house, either. Thankfully, she hadn’t forgotten her cooking skills.

Dinner was heartier than lunch. It was a menu earned by Lu Shouqiu buzzing behind Ruan Jingluo like an annoying mosquito. Besides the roasted fish and barbecue, there was also deep-fried pork ribs with mint, and sweet and sour pork bone cabbage soup. The staple food was Pu’er tea small tangyuan (glutinous rice balls) with flower and ham fillings. The portion was small because Ruan Jingluo, this Northern kid, wouldn’t eat tangyuan unless it was sesame-filled, so she only made a bowl for Lu Shouqiu.

Even though she prepared so many dishes every time, there were never any leftovers. Lu Shouqiu could really eat; her stomach was like a bottomless pit that could hold anything. With a large bone in her left hand and barbecue in her right, her bowl held her favorite roasted chili and fish mint dipping sauce. Ruan Jingluo, who had been extremely irritated, found that the knot of anger in her chest dissipated inexplicably while watching Lu Shouqiu eat like a reincarnated starving ghost.

In her spare time, Lu Shouqiu sniffed the air and stole away the resentment floating above Ruan Jingluo’s head.

According to the report from Intelligence Division 6—the birds at the gate A-Luo had sat there like a wooden statue after the phone call, looking pitiful as if she were about to cry. She had sold all the ginseng, not leaving a single root, and had transferred all the money except for a small amount of cash to her mother. She had had a little money before, but now she was back to square one.

What era is this that people are still favoring sons over daughters? Her father is a piece of trash, her mother is no better, and that useless younger brother of hers, wanting to act rich in front of his girlfriend but having no money, instigated his mother to ask her for money. When he didn’t get it, he complained to her father that she had a way to make money but wouldn’t help the family. Truly a white-eyed wolf… Before Ruan Jingluo returned to the Drum Tower, the birds had been chattering in Lu Shouqiu’s ear for a long time. This was their righteous indignation, and they had already notified their “friends and relatives” in the North to teach the Ruan family a lesson. Daring to bully Lady Shouqiu’s “property,” they must be tired of living!

Lu Shouqiu scooped the classic large bone from the casserole and pushed it toward Ruan Jingluo, who was listlessly chewing on grass roots (a type of wild vegetable). To Lady Shouqiu, who had lived for who knows how many years, there was no problem that couldn’t be solved with one meal. If there was, two would do the trick.

Ruan Jingluo’s gaze dropped. The sweet and sour pork bone cabbage today was made in the Northern style, using kimchi and adding fresh cabbage stems. It was a dish she often ate in her hometown during winter; it was easy to make, and eating something sour and spicy in cold weather was quite nice.

“What? If you show kindness without a cause, you’re either a traitor or a thief.” That’s right; that was her impression of Lu Shouqiu.

Seeing that she was truly in a bad mood, Lu Shouqiu decided to be magnanimous tonight and not bicker with her. “You take my good intentions for a donkey’s lungs. Eat more meat. This big bone was specifically designated for you by Sister Pig, saying she was thanking you for helping her find her pigs earlier.”

“…That was how many days ago? A bit late to be thanking me.” Despite saying this, she still moved the bowl containing the bone to her side.

Every piece of bone had meat and tendon, stewed to the point where a gentle poke with chopsticks would separate the bone from the meat. Because kimchi was added, there was a layer of spicy red color on the outside, but this level of spiciness was within Ruan Jingluo’s acceptable range. If it were like Lu Shouqiu’s—full of chili and fish mint—she would explode after one bite.

Lu Shouqiu changed the subject: “You’ve been working at the farm for so many days now, how about taking a day off tomorrow? Go back to the city to walk around, or take a one-day trip somewhere.”

This decision was entirely out of concern for the employee’s mental health. Although A-Luo was already critically ill—mentally unhealthy, personality-deficient, flawed everywhere, and holding no hope for the world—she still wanted to save her. Treating a dead horse as a living one; maybe it’ll work.

Ruan Jingluo refused flatly: “I don’t have that kind of leisure and elegance.”

“Then you don’t want a vacation?”

“Doesn’t make much difference whether I have one or not. It’s pretty good right now.” She accidentally spoke the truth.

“Hmm?” Lu Shouqiu’s eyes widened suddenly, disbelievingly. “Hmm?!”

Ruan Jingluo put a hand to her forehead, cursing herself for being an idiot. Although life on the farm was comfortable and worry-free—well, a bit noisy, mainly due to Lu Shouqiu’s responsibility, who else talked as much as she did, like the geese raised by the villagers, gaga-gaga. Other than that, there didn’t seem to be any other problems. Food and lodging were great, no salary but other benefits, earning more than her previous part-time jobs. The only boss, aside from being noisy and gluttonous, was okay.

Life was indeed pretty good now, but she didn’t want Lu Shouqiu to see that.

“I just said that to please my employer; don’t take it seriously.”

Employer: “…Do I look like an idiot?”

Someone whose temper was bigger than her employer’s: “You don’t look very normal either.”

First impression was a psycho with ulterior motives squatting at the office building entrance; could you be normal?

Lu Shouqiu waved her fist, looking like she was angered, and asked: “When will you ever be pleasant to me?”

“I’m not being fierce to you.”

“But your attitude is always bad.”

“…This is just how I am; if you can’t stand it, then quit.”

Lu Shouqiu tsked: “Are you always this self-destructive? Are you like this to everyone?”

Ruan Jingluo couldn’t eat anymore. She looked up, her eyes cold and impatient, the repressed frustration on the verge of exploding.

“Then what else do you want from me? Patron.” The tone was extremely sarcastic.

If she continued, this person would surely walk away. Lu Shouqiu decided not to keep touching her sore spot. Her expression changed, and she grinned: “Oh, as long as you can guard the gate well for me, that’s enough. How dare I ask for anything else? In this society, it’s too hard to find an employee who doesn’t need a salary or social security. You are a treasure that I picked up. I’m too happy to have time for anything else; how could I dare to make demands!”

Just like that, it was really hard to say who exactly between her and Ruan Jingluo was the patron.

Ruan Jingluo let go of her hem under the table, and the tight breath she was holding relaxed. She didn’t want to retort to Lu Shouqiu with such an attitude; after all, she still had to rely on her for a way to survive. She had the self-awareness of a wage slave, but her mouth was faster than her brain, and she couldn’t take back the words once they were out.

She looked at Lu Shouqiu, who was happily eating again, opened her mouth, and with evident dejection in her eyes, said in a voice almost inaudible: “Sorry…”

It wasn’t that she didn’t know how to appreciate kindness. Lu Shouqiu could tolerate her temper and sharp tongue, really… no one had ever tolerated her like this, not even herself, because most of the time she hated this version of herself.

“Hmm?” Lu Shouqiu was gnawing on a bone. “Why are you apologizing out of nowhere? What did you do wrong?”

“I…”

“Just because you bickered with me? Pfft! What a big deal! No need to apologize. Actually, this is more fun. If a boring person came, whatever I said they’d agree to—that would be boring. I like you this way. It was because I took a fancy to this mouth of yours that meets people and bickers that I…” She realized she was slipping up and braked in time. “Hehe, anyway, I just like you, that’s all. No matter what you do, you don’t need to apologize to me.”

Ruan Jingluo’s love-deprived brain started malfunctioning again. She lowered her head and twisted her fingertips. She didn’t have much skill in reading people, so even after getting along for so many days, she couldn’t see through Lu Shouqiu. But her heartstrings were always plucked by some remark of Lu Shouqiu’s.

“Like me?” Her tone carried self-mockery. “A person like me doesn’t deserve anyone’s affection. Stop lying and deceiving me; it’s meaningless.”

Lu Shouqiu didn’t even stop gnawing on the bone: “Uh-huh, oh? What kind of person are you? Tell me about it.”

“An unpleasant person.” Ruan Jingluo turned her head, looking desolate.

Lu Shouqiu flipped the lemongrass-wrapped tilapia on the grill, peeled off the most tender part of the fish belly, and tossed it into Ruan Jingluo’s bowl: “Who said you’re unpleasant? I like you very much.”

Thinking she was lying, but unable to figure out why she would lie to a person like her, Ruan Jingluo remained silent, looking at the piece of fish belly in her bowl, her eyes burning slightly.

Seeing her still drilling into a horn, her face dead and lacking any vitality, Lu Shouqiu sighed, put down her chopsticks, looked at her, and said with rare seriousness: “What is pleasing, and what is unpleasant? You say you’re unpleasant because you haven’t won the favor of those you despise. You despise them, so why do you want their approval? Isn’t that contradictory? I don’t like to lecture people or preach big truths; I find it boring. This world has thousands of faces, and all kinds should exist.

If everything were the same, it would be too monotonous. You exist, therefore you are reasonable. I say I like you, and that’s true. Otherwise, why would I choose you to work on the farm? You are beautiful, cook well, speak interestingly, and have a vivid personality. You are more pleasing than many people constrained by social rules, aren’t you? Those people who are smooth and slick, hiding their true faces and wearing masks while navigating between interests every day—you think they are thriving and you think they are pleasing. That’s not wrong, but I just don’t like it. I like people like you.”

The certification of a farm gatekeeper also had conditions; it wasn’t just anyone who could come. There had been many in the past—some she was satisfied with, others not so much. So far, Ruan Jingluo was the one she found most suitable and the one she gave the most preferential treatment to.

She said these things not because she wanted Ruan Jingluo to change anything, but simply because she didn’t want the other party to be unhappy. Living people, whether happy or unhappy, generate resentment. But the taste of the former and the latter is different. The resentment when unhappy is very bitter, and Lady Shouqiu, who was already an antique, didn’t like to taste bitterness.

Ruan Jingluo twitched the corners of her mouth: “Can’t tell that you’re also good at cooking ‘chicken soup for the soul’.”

Lu Shouqiu shrugged: “I’ve already said it; I don’t like lecturing.” She leaned forward: “This is the first time I’ve lectured; not bad, right?”

“Very educational.” The tone was perfunctory; it was unknown whether she had listened.

Lu Shouqiu didn’t care and continued to gnaw on the bone: “Alive in this world, live one day at a time. Why think so much? Eating is the most solid thing.”

The topic was glossed over, never to be mentioned again. After the meal, Lu Shouqiu took the initiative to wash the dishes, humming folk songs in the kitchen while washing. The tune was very familiar—it was the one Ruan Jingluo had vaguely heard every night.

The well-fed civet cat curled up on the chair licking its fur. The little red panda in the corner, which had curled itself into a ball, still attracted Ruan Jingluo’s attention. She was quite ignorant and didn’t know what this little thing was called, only knowing it looked cute, fluffy, and definitely felt good to touch. She wanted to pet it.

“Lu Shouqiu!” She shouted toward the kitchen.

The singing stopped, and came the response: “What?”

“Where did this fluffy bear come from? Did you go poaching in the mountains? Be careful or I’ll report you.”

“…Sitting at home, the pot fell from the sky. It ran in by itself; what does it have to do with me?”

Ruan Jingluo took a photo and Baidu’d the information about the red panda. Level two protection. Good fellow, it scared her so much she almost dropped her phone. She said in horror: “Lu Shouqiu! If you want to seek death, don’t drag me down with you!”

Making a fuss, Lu Shouqiu came out after washing the dishes: “What’s wrong with me now?”

“Still what’s wrong,” Ruan Jingluo wished she could jam the phone into her eyes. “Look what this is. Are you bored? You dare to keep anything at home. Just wait until the police come to handcuff you one day!”

Lu Shouqiu glanced at it casually and said innocently: “I already said it ran in by itself. Even if the police come, I’ll say the same.”

“Heh…”

“What’s with that expression? Don’t believe me? Then ask it if it ran in by itself.”

“I’d like to ask, but it has to understand and speak human language first.”

“It understands.” More than understands—if it weren’t for the rule that spirits weren’t allowed to exist after the founding of the PRC, it could even pass the IELTS and TOEFL.

“You don’t believe me?” She suddenly smiled slyly, her body leaning in to force Ruan Jingluo to the edge of the table.

She always liked to do this suddenly, scaring Ruan Jingluo’s little heart into pounding.

Close at hand, their breaths were intertwined. Lu Shouqiu had good skin—porcelain white, delicate, almost poreless. Her facial contours were smooth, and the mole on the bridge of her nose was the finishing touch. There were no flaws. Put this face in the entertainment industry, and even the haters wouldn’t be able to blacken her.

“Hey!” Her heartbeat skipped a beat for no reason. Ruan Jingluo pushed her away, stood straight, and said: “Anyway, I’m not the one who will be eating prison food.”

She went upstairs.

“You’re allowed to sleep until you wake up naturally tomorrow. Don’t sleep so early tonight. I’ve cooked tea eggs; let’s have a late-night snack together.”

Ruan Yunfei sent many pictures of Xue Caiyun’s bruised face, along with a video: “If you had transferred the money earlier, Mom wouldn’t have been beaten. This is all your fault.”

Ruan Jingluo didn’t dare to click on the pictures to look closely. She scolded Ruan Yunfei online: “Shut up, you idiot. You’re the same as that animal Ruan Minglou. Watching your own mother get beaten—you’re awesome, Ruan Yunfei. Using my money to eat, drink, and be merry with that woman, are you happy? Fuck you, why didn’t lightning strike and kill you all.”

She knew what kind of creature Ruan Minglou was and what kind of thing Ruan Yunfei was, but she still transferred the money. If she didn’t, Xue Caiyun would keep getting beaten. Calling the police was useless; those people would only say it was a family dispute and couldn’t interfere. At most, they would give a verbal warning; there wouldn’t even be detention. When they turned back, Ruan Minglou would beat Xue Caiyun to death.

She couldn’t ignore it because her life was given by Xue Caiyun. At the same time, she hated herself for being bound by this blood relationship.

After cursing, she threw her phone hard onto the bed. The violent heaving of her chest was her helpless anger at this predicament. She had thought about dying, thought about ignoring it, but she just couldn’t sever the tie. No one could understand this suffering, except herself.

After a while, Ruan Jingluo leaned against the window, looking at the brilliant starry river in the night sky.

Singing, drum music…

She didn’t know how long it had been. Her restless heart finally returned to calm, and her legs were stiff from standing. Just as she was about to turn back to the bed to sleep—

Knock, knock…

There was a knock on the door.

There was only her and Lu Shouqiu in the Drum Tower. She didn’t need to guess who it was. This was the first time Lu Shouqiu had knocked on her door in the middle of the night.

“It’s not locked. Come in.”

Lu Shouqiu grabbed the doorknob, twisted it, and poked her head in. Seeing Ruan Jingluo standing by the open window, the corners of her mouth curled up, and she said: “Why are you hiding in your room alone eavesdropping?”

Before going downstairs, she had changed back into her daily clothes. The silver jewelry on her head was reduced to a single silver hairpin. There was a pair of silver bells on her ears, and a small silver lock hung under the silver collar on her neck.

Ruan Jingluo moved her stiff legs: “Hiding away for fear of seeing you kill people for property and silencing me.”

“You say that, but I’m doing a legitimate business.”

“Which good person doesn’t sleep in the middle of the night and jumps around like a shaman upstairs? Your two cousins left again?” From initial suspicion to present acceptance, Ruan Jingluo admired her own ability to accept things. Anyway, it was none of her business.

Lu Shouqiu pushed the door and entered: “They left.”

She came to find Ruan Jingluo to eat a late-night snack downstairs. The autumn moon pears sent by Auntie A-Mei were still steaming in the pot. They were quite large. After peeling the skin and digging out the inedible parts in the middle, she added a few wolfberries and pitted red dates, added a little water, and steamed them on low heat. Pears contain their own moisture, and the resulting juice was very clear and sweet. It was delicious even without adding sugar, and it could moisten the lungs and stop coughing.

After peeling, each was steamed individually in a round porcelain bowl. When the lid was lifted, the sweetness of the pear juice mixed with the wolfberries and red dates wafted toward her. The sugary soup swayed gently. Using a spoon to scoop out a large piece of pear meat, it was different from the crispness before steaming. After being steamed, the pear meat was soft and melted away with a sip. It slid warmly into her stomach along the esophagus. Ruan Jingluo experienced this strange texture for the first time; she had never eaten stewed pears before.

Lu Shouqiu also took out a few tea eggs that had been boiled and soaked in the afternoon. The color was well-absorbed, and the tea fragrance overflowed. The Pu’er tea tangyuan she had for dinner also used this tea leaf. She had lied to Ruan Jingluo that it was Pu’er, but actually, it wasn’t. This tea originally had no name. Because it grew on the top of Zhangwei Mountain and Biyi birds nested on the tea tree, it had a name Zhangweifu.

“Who eats tea eggs in the middle of the night?” Ruan Jingluo couldn’t control her mouth again, having strong opinions.

Lu Shouqiu didn’t care at all: “It’s not easy to get them soaked and flavorful, so of course I have to taste them. If I don’t eat them, I won’t be able to sleep.”

When peeling the eggshell, the black juice flowed down from between her fingers, almost reaching her wrists. No matter what, Lu Shouqiu refused to put down the half-peeled egg first, twisting left and right, changing various postures, trying to rub her sleeve to her elbow so it wouldn’t get dirty.

Ruan Jingluo was standing by with an “old man on the subway looking at his phone” expression. Seeing she couldn’t get it up after a long time, she rolled her eyes. Impatiently, she snatched the tea egg, stuffed a tissue into her hand, and said: “Clumsy. Wipe it first; I’ll do it for you.”

“Hehe, thank you, A-Luo!” Lu Shouqiu sent “biu-biu” hearts toward her.

“…Enough.” Ruan Jingluo gritted her molars.

Lu Shouqiu ate three tea eggs herself, and Ruan Jingluo ate one. The rest were placed in the kitchen to be eaten as breakfast tomorrow.

Before going upstairs, Ruan Jingluo looked at the red panda again. It was no longer curling in the corner, but was playing a scratching and grabbing game with the civet cat. It was hard to imagine what kind of devastating scene would be seen in the main hall tomorrow if they played like this all night. Would the scattered ornaments in the house still be left?

“Aren’t you letting it out?” She didn’t ask where it came from; anyway, even if she asked, Lu Shouqiu wouldn’t tell the truth. The surroundings of the farm were hills and orchards, extending into woods. It was normal for wild animals to exist; it might have been hungry, came to the farm to find food, and accidentally ran into Lu Shouqiu.

Lu Shouqiu looked at the two goods playing well there, spread her hands, and shrugged: “I didn’t close the main gate just now. Do you see it leaving?”

It was already shamelessly staying.

Ruan Jingluo frowned. She didn’t want to care, but she had to. It was a national level-two protected animal. If it were seen by others, they would mistakenly think they were keeping it privately, and that would be a big problem. Lu Shouqiu could go to jail, but she couldn’t.

Remembering the owl she saw the first time she came, Lu Shouqiu said she had already reported it. “Then did you report it to the relevant department over the phone?”

“Reported it, reported it.”

Ruan Jingluo breathed a sigh of relief and stopped asking.

It was already very late, and she was sleepy, so she returned to her room to prepare for sleep. Originally, she was about to sleep, but was pulled down by Lu Shouqiu to eat stewed pears. Now her stomach felt uncomfortably full.

She stopped in front of the door for a few seconds and asked back as if she had made a major decision: “What do you want to eat tomorrow morning?”

Couldn’t just eat tea eggs.

The inside of the Drum Tower was a hollow structure spiraling layer by layer. Although the two rooms were opposite each other, they were separated by railings. Lu Shouqiu was leaning on it, her braids hanging down to her chest, thinking seriously for a long time.

“Hmm… want to eat… want to eat sour soup cuanrou (blanched meat) rice noodles.”

“Got it.”

Click—

The door opened, then closed.

Lu Shouqiu rested her chin on her hands, staring at the door opposite, lost in thought.

A-Luo must have listened to the big lecture-like comfort I gave during dinner, right? Sigh, how could this person say she is unpleasant? There is no living person more pleasing to me than A-Luo.

Thinking about it, she thought about the cuanrou rice noodles she would eat tomorrow. The feeling of having a reliable chef at home who could order dishes at any time was too good. The employment period would definitely be extended, but she didn’t know how long it would be best to extend it. For generations? She had no problem, but she didn’t know if A-Luo was willing. Should she find a suitable opportunity to talk about it later?

En…

What if she gets scared away? A-Luo would definitely do something like running away.

She returned to her own room, passing the table and seeing the rows of family photos displayed. They were all left behind when she was reincarnated as a human. Some were from a long time ago and were painted by painters. Later, for the convenience of preservation, they were photographed and framed. The family members in each photo were different; only she didn’t change.

She had been to the Underworld to see the souls of her family members. Some had already been reincarnated as humans, while others chose to stay there. They hugged and cried when they saw her, but she had no feeling anymore.

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