To Get Married - Chapter 20.1

Chapter 20.1

Ever since Lu Yudong recognized Yan Zhaomu as her master, she began to frequent Not an Old Acquaintance.

Not an Old Acquaintance wasn’t open during the day, but “not open” didn’t mean “not empty.”

The demons and spirits who couldn’t even maintain a complete human form rarely left the bar during the day. After all, going out was troublesome; it was much more comfortable to stay nestled inside the bar.

The bar had staff dormitories on the second floor. A small sign hung at the staircase entrance: “Staff Dormitory Area. Guests, please stop.”

The dorms were two people per room, with a restroom and air conditioning, and single beds. The living environment was quite decent.

During the day, the demons ate, drank, and played in the bar’s first-floor business area. They were always scattered in small groups of three to five around several tables, each engrossed in a laptop, watching live streams, variety shows, or TV dramas.

Because of this, no matter when Lu Yudong came to Not an Old Acquaintance, if she stood at the door and called out a few times, someone would always open the door.

Initially, the demons would just open the door for Lu Yudong and let her search the bar for people herself.

Later, as soon as they heard Lu Yudong’s voice, they would go upstairs to call Yan Zhaomu down for her. Everything became so natural.

Yan Zhaomu was not as difficult to get along with as Lu Yudong had initially imagined. He was very patient and meticulous when teaching. His voice was always soft. He didn’t put on any airs of a master, acting more like an older brother. He had no sense of distance and, naturally, no sense of oppression.

If she had to pick a flaw, it would be that it was indeed a little strenuous to hear him speak.

As a beginner, the first thing to learn was how to control the spiritual power within her body. But before that, she had to determine her future cultivation path.

Yan Zhaomu cultivated Water-element magic, and Lu Yudong naturally chose the same path as her master.

From the day Lu Yudong decided to cultivate water magic, Manzhu often saw the girl standing in the restroom, silently concentrating her energy on a basin of still water across the space.

It was clear that the little girl was very serious about her cultivation.

Even before she began practicing, Yan Zhaomu had repeatedly warned her that cultivating magic was not for showing off but for defending against dark and evil beings, and she must never use it casually in front of ordinary people.

Mu Chensan had also said that years ago, when the Peace Accords first came out, many demons weren’t compliant, and demon hunters still had a decent living.

However, in recent years, the rowdier demons have either died or settled down, and the demon hunting profession has become a hand-to-mouth existence.

Countless people whose ancestors were demon hunters for generations are now determined not to let their children inherit the family business.

Ultimately, being a demon hunter was no longer a high-risk, high-income profession.

In this great era of peaceful coexistence between humans and demons, the demons are all keeping a low profile and hiding themselves well.

Many people born with spiritual veins cultivate all their lives, gaining a whole host of skills, but never fight a single decent demon, only getting to bully some low-level evil spirits—a definite overkill. In the end, they still have to find a job and scrape by, just like ordinary people.

In short, cultivation was not simpler than going to school. It required a lot of hard work, and the skills might not even be useful.

However, Lu Yudong clearly didn’t care about this.

She understood perfectly well that she would still study hard, find a suitable job when she grew up, and give Manzhu a better life.

The reason she chose to cultivate was simply to be closer to Manzhu.

After all, she didn’t want to be the one who was always protected. She didn’t want to be entangled by some strange thing again and still have to cry and wait for Manzhu to rescue her.

She didn’t want to be a small burden that constantly required Manzhu’s effort and worry.

Thus, Lu Yudong diligently cultivated with Yan Zhaomu during the day and spent her evenings leisurely playing on Mu Chensan’s laptop at the bar, waiting for Manzhu to finish work so they could go home and sleep together.

The winter vacation was always brief. School was about to start in a week.

Lu Yudong, who had been completely immersed in the world of magic, had just managed to manipulate the still water in the basin when she received a “catch-up on homework invitation” from Zhang Ziyun.

It was then that Lu Yudong realized the winter vacation was ending, and she hadn’t done a single bit of her holiday assignments for any subject!

In previous years, her father and mother would have certainly scolded her.

But Manzhu didn’t seem to know that students had holiday homework. From the start of the vacation until now, she hadn’t mentioned it even once.

Fortunately, she had been running to Bu Shi Gu Ren every day, so Manzhu naturally stopped asking her the reason for going out.

However, Lu Yudong usually wouldn’t go out with her schoolbag. She didn’t want Manzhu to know she had left the teacher’s assignments until the last few days. So, with a guilty conscience, she secretly packed her holiday homework, and only when Manzhu went to the kitchen to boil water did she dare to sling on her bag and hurry out the door.

After leaving, Lu Yudong took the bus to the KFC she had arranged with Zhang Ziyun. She used the last bit of money she had to order a hot orange juice, found Zhang Ziyun in a corner, took out her assignments, and started desperately catching up.

Zhang Ziyun saw that Lu Yudong hadn’t written anything, just like herself, and was shocked: “No way, Lu Yudong! How come you haven’t written anything either? I was counting on you to help me with some…”

“I… I just played too much,” Lu Yudong said, a little embarrassed, burying her head and copying the answers from the back of the workbooks.

“What have you been doing all holiday?” Zhang Ziyun asked curiously.

She remembered Lu Yudong didn’t have a computer at home and didn’t have a large mobile data package. She couldn’t have just watched TV for the entire vacation, could she?

“I… I’ve been at my little uncle’s bar recently, lis-listening to music, or playing on his, his computer…” Lu Yudong said.

“We haven’t seen each other in a few weeks, why are you stuttering?” Zhang Ziyun looked disgusted.

Lu Yudong couldn’t help but rub her forehead.

If Zhang Ziyun hadn’t mentioned it, she wouldn’t have noticed that she had started stuttering. Could a stutter be contagious?

“Hey, Lu Yudong, don’t they kick you out of that bar anymore?” Zhang Ziyun leaned close to Lu Yudong, curiosity plastered on her face.

Lu Yudong shook her head: “My sister works there, so no one bothers me.”

“That’s so great!” Zhang Ziyun grabbed Lu Yudong’s arm and began her ten thousand whys: “I’ve never been to a bar. What does a bar look like? Is it really just listening to music, drinking, and chatting? Do they have those cocktail shows where they throw the bottles way up high like it’s an acrobatics act? Is your handsome little uncle there every night? Does your sister sing beautifully?”

Lu Yudong: “…”

Zhang Ziyun excitedly asked: “Can you take me to play?”

Lu Yudong: “Ah…”

“Just take me to play once!” Zhang Ziyun shook Lu Yudong’s arm back and forth. She didn’t look like she was there to rush her homework at all.

“School starts soon! You’re really a dead pig unafraid of boiling water!” Lu Yudong put on an expression that clearly said, “Don’t bother me while I catch up on homework.”

“Just take me once, just once! I’m just curious!” Some people are so good at pouting that it’s hard to refuse them.

Lu Yudong frowned for a moment. Seeing the anticipation in Zhang Ziyun’s eyes, she finally nodded.

“I love you!” Zhang Ziyun said, opening her arms and giving Lu Yudong a big hug.

Lu Yudong subconsciously pushed her away, laughing helplessly: “Ugh! Hurry up and finish your homework!”

Zhang Ziyun pouted, stretched, and stood up: “You write for a bit. I’m going to buy a sundae.”

Lu Yudong was shocked: “Eating that in winter? Aren’t you cold?”

Zhang Ziyun tilted her head and asked: “Well, do you want one? Help me copy one unit of math, and I’ll treat you.”

“I do!”

“It’s a deal, one unit of math!” Zhang Ziyun said, then turned and skipped toward the counter.

On the first day of the catch-up session, Lu Yudong wrote non-stop, while Zhang Ziyun casually checked Weibo and chatted in group messages next to her. She looked utterly relaxed, and anyone who didn’t know better would think she had finished her homework and was just there to accompany her classmate.

The two wrote from just past ten in the morning until half past two in the afternoon when Lu Yudong’s phone suddenly vibrated.

Lu Yudong was a complete good girl. Her phone had absolutely no secrets and, naturally, no lock screen password.

Zhang Ziyun heard the noise, picked it up, glanced at it, and read the text message out loud: “Why didn’t you come today? Lu Yudong, your little master sent it.”

Lu Yudong instantly looked up.

Oh no, she was so focused on the homework that she completely forgot to tell Yan Zhaomu.

She quickly grabbed her phone back, drafted a text message explaining the situation, and asked Yan Zhaomu not to tell Manzhu.

Zhang Ziyun took a look, clicked her tongue twice, and asked curiously: “Little Master? Is that a master in a game or something?”

It wasn’t surprising that she thought so. These days, people who taught knowledge and skills were called teachers. The term “Master” was more common in games, and the message asking “Why didn’t you come today” certainly sounded like someone urging her to log on.

Lu Yudong shook her head: “It’s not a game.”

“Then what kind of master is he?” Clearly, Zhang Ziyun’s curiosity was piqued again.

“It’s… it’s just a nickname. He didn’t really teach me anything… He, he’s also at my sister’s bar. He was just asking why I didn’t go to play on the computer today.” Lu Yudong lowered her head and continued copying her homework, using this to avoid Zhang Ziyun’s questions.

Seeing that Lu Yudong didn’t want to talk, Zhang Ziyun stopped asking, just muttering softly to the side: “It’s a promise, you’re taking me to play tonight.”

Lu Yudong nodded repeatedly: “I know, I know. Now hurry up and write your homework, or don’t come begging me to help you write it on the last day.”

“Writing, writing now!” Zhang Ziyun replied with a laugh.

She said so, but she didn’t actually do any work, continuing to slack off just as before.

Although they were supposed to be catching up on homework together, only Lu Yudong was diligently writing the whole time. As she wrote, the alarm on her phone went off at four o’clock. Lu Yudong instantly stopped writing, sat up straight, and began packing her things.

“Not writing anymore?” Zhang Ziyun put down her phone, looking confused at Lu Yudong.

Lu Yudong stood up: “I’m going to the bar now. Didn’t you want to go play? Let’s go together.”

Zhang Ziyun instantly sprang up from her seat, packed her assignments, threw on her schoolbag, and followed Lu Yudong out.

Lu Yudong originally wanted to wait for the bus, but Zhang Ziyun, who found it inconvenient, pulled her into a taxi, taking them directly to the destination.

When Lu Yudong asked the driver to stop in front of the Bu Shi Gu Ren bar, the driver looked back at the two little girls with a subtle, curious expression.

The two lowered their heads, blushing, and scurried out of the car, feeling as guilty as if they were thieves.

After the taxi drove away, Lu Yudong breathed a sigh of relief. She walked to the closed bar door and knocked.

“Lu Yudong, it doesn’t open until five o’clock,” Zhang Ziyun whispered, pointing at the sign outside.

No sooner had she spoken than the bar door was opened by Xiao Zhi.

“This, this…” Xiao Zhi looked at the little girl standing behind Lu Yudong, her eyes utterly bewildered.

Lu Yudong looked up and asked softly: “Sister Xiao Zhi, this is my deskmate. Can she come in?”

Xiao Zhi stood in the doorway, her expression hesitant, as if debating whether to let the little girl Lu Yudong had brought in.

“Xiao Zhi, what’s wrong?” Huan Xi rushed over, glanced outside, and was also momentarily stunned in the doorway.

However, her acceptance was stronger. She quickly recovered and enthusiastically welcomed the two children inside.

It was Zhang Ziyun’s first time in a bar, and her eyes were full of curiosity. Although she was a little nervous, she couldn’t help but look around as soon as she entered.

The decor of Bu Shi Gu Ren was quite unique and completely different from her idea of what a bar should look like. It was utterly novel to her.

Lu Yudong took off her schoolbag, ducked behind the bar, looking left and right, and finally hid the bag in a small corner.

As she stood up, she saw Yan Zhaomu standing silently outside the bar counter, watching her.

“Little Master,” Lu Yudong raised her index finger, making a shushing gesture, “I hid my schoolbag here. Don’t tell my sister.”

Yan Zhaomu: “…”

“Can I come back and get it tomorrow during the day?” Lu Yudong asked again.

Yan Zhaomu thought for a moment and nodded: “Okay.”

Lu Yudong breathed a sigh of relief and then made the same gesture to Zhang Ziyun: “Don’t tell my sister that I came out to finish homework with you today, okay?”

Zhang Ziyun nodded and whispered: “Does a good girl even have to hide catching up on homework from her family?”

Lu Yudong giggled and ran out from behind the bar, pulling Zhang Ziyun further inside like a little tour guide: “I’ll give you a tour of our bar!”

Zhang Ziyun followed Lu Yudong around, noting that Lu Yudong actively greeted everyone she met, and couldn’t help but sigh: “You’re really close with everyone here!”

Lu Yudong smiled without speaking, a hint of smugness in her eyes. She thought that if Zhang Ziyun knew the people here were all demons and spirits, she would probably be terrified.

Zhang Ziyun looked around, then excitedly pulled Lu Yudong into a deserted corner and whispered: “Your little master is so handsome! What does he do?”

“A bartender,” Lu Yudong said.

“Does he do those cocktail acrobatics you see on TV? Like… flair bartending? Yeah, flair bartending,” Zhang Ziyun asked.

Lu Yudong shook her head: “I don’t know. I haven’t seen him do it.”

“Then he probably can’t.” Zhang Ziyun sighed regretfully: “I thought all bartenders could do that. He’s so handsome. If he did a performance and you filmed a video for the internet, he might become famous! Then your business would be booming!”

“No, that’s not allowed,” Lu Yudong tugged at Zhang Ziyun’s sleeve and shook her head, “Little Master doesn’t like people filming him. He especially doesn’t… Little Uncle Mu doesn’t either.”

Lu Yudong remembered that there was a rule in the Demon Code that stated demons were not allowed to appear in the public eye in any form.

The purpose of this rule was ultimately to avoid unnecessary trouble. After all, demons had long lifespans, and their appearance wouldn’t age. If they looked the same for ten or twenty years, it could be explained as good maintenance, but if they barely changed for thirty or forty years, it would be difficult to explain.

Another very important point was that the Higher Ups did not want demons to have too much public influence. They felt it was inconvenient to manage, so they strictly restricted it.

As a result, even if a demon was secretly photographed and unexpectedly went viral online, the Demon Management Bureau would personally contact the Higher Ups and pressure various platforms to delete all photos or video resources.

Of course, these details couldn’t be explained to Zhang Ziyun, so she could only say that everyone disliked being filmed.

Hearing Lu Yudong say this, Zhang Ziyun was a little disappointed. She puffed out her cheeks and muttered softly: “Lu Yudong, I know why you don’t follow celebrities now.”

“Huh? Why?”

“If I had that many handsome guys and beautiful girls around me, I wouldn’t need to follow celebrities either,” Zhang Ziyun said. As if remembering something, she poked Lu Yudong’s arm and asked: “Have you ever drunk alcohol?”

Lu Yudong quickly shook her head and countered: “Do you dare to drink?”

Zhang Ziyun also shook her head: “How could I dare? If my dad found out I drank, he’d break my legs!”

“And if your dad finds out you’re at a bar, he won’t break your legs?”

A voice suddenly sounded from behind, startling the two children.

“Little Uncle Mu!”

“Uncle…”

“This isn’t a milk tea shop or a dessert place. If we let junior high students in and someone reports us, we’ll be fined,” Mu Chensan looked at the two children with a headache, his expression very stern. “Lu Yudong, Manzhu works here, so you have an explanation if you get caught, but your classmate doesn’t.”

Zhang Ziyun was clearly scared, shrinking entirely behind Lu Yudong.

She had a deep impression of this handsome man with the scar on his neck. If she remembered correctly, he was supposedly involved in some underground stuff. He’d scared the most rowdy boys in her class into submission with just a few words. He was definitely not someone to mess with.

Seeing his stern expression, was he really going to tell her parents?

“Uncle, I was wrong. Please don’t tell my family…”

Lu Yudong bit her lip, looked up timidly, and said: “Little Uncle Mu, I was the one who insisted on bringing her. I told her that Sister sings really well, and I promised to bring her to listen… My classmate brought her homework. We’ll just find a quiet corner to sit, listen to some music, and write our homework. Really…”

Mu Chenshen: “…”

“Really!” Zhang Ziyun took out her holiday homework from her backpack, desperately trying to prove that she was a good child and that her motive for coming to the bar was very pure.

Lu Yudong pitifully held Mu Chenshen’s little finger, gently swaying it from side to side, and whispered: “Little Uncle Mu, can we really not stay for just one night?”

“Can’t we even do our homework, Uncle?” Zhang Ziyun quietly echoed beside her.