Chapter 61 Chapter 61 The song of the piping bag and the boning knife.
Su Cheng really wanted to say that you got the wrong one, that was an egg roll, and there were only two left inside and a pile of crumbs.
However, the man had already walked away, and he looked very annoyed. She suspected that if she said that, he might get even angrier.
She walked around the small bookstore silently twice and found some interesting books. She felt a little sorry that she couldn't take too many, so she just started reading here.
There weren't many customers in the store, with a few people passing by occasionally, but no one was walking this way.
Su Chengsui read carefully for a while until he heard footsteps.
At the corner between the bookshelves, a small figure came around from behind.
She took a casual glance and was slightly stunned.
It was a very young child, perhaps only seven or eight years old, with soft, fluffy white hair that was curled and shone like pearls in the light.
His skin was so white that it was almost transparent, his face was round, and his cheeks were lightly flushed, like snowballs.
The child was wearing an ordinary shirt and overalls. The fabric of the clothes was not expensive. He was probably a resident of the town, but he was just too good-looking.
only--
He covered his eyes with a wide white silk ribbon embroidered with silver thread, which also covered most of his forehead, leaving only the tip of his straight nose and rosy lips exposed.
It seems that he is blind.
Su Cheng noticed that he would slightly hold on to the bookcase when he walked.
But his movements were very familiar. He just touched it once and continued to move forward. He must be used to this state.
Suddenly, the child sniffed lightly, as if smelling something, and tilted his head slightly to look towards her.
Su Cheng looked down at the paper bag in his arms.
She was just thinking about the child's keen sense of smell and whether the other party would come to ask for food, but the man just walked away.
Su Cheng: “…”
She ate the last three rolls silently.
I don’t know how long it took, but the child came back with the same paper bag in his arms. He took out a small piece of bread from it and ate it slowly.
His eating movements were not very elegant. Unlike those trained noble sons, he would not deliberately slow down or make any gestures.
But he was also very slow, with his cheeks only slightly puffed up, which looked very cute.
Su Cheng couldn't help but stare at him.
He turned around as if sensing something, "Do you want to eat?"
As he spoke, he held up the paper bag, "They made another batch, this time with peach jam and orange jam. They're sold out now. This is the last bag."
Su Cheng was a little moved when he heard it, but also a little embarrassed.
She had previously thought that if the other party asked for it, she would probably refuse - she was only willing to share the food she liked with friends.
"No, thank you," she declined. "Besides, I just took a look around, and the boss said they changed the layout a while ago, and now all the embossed books are upstairs."
"Oh," the child nodded, "thank you, my lady."
This guy is really cute and speaks politely. Su Cheng doesn't like children very much, but now he wants to chat with him more.
Su Cheng: "What book are you looking for? Do you need me to get it for you?"
The other person was probably blind or had an eye disease, and she didn't want to hurt him.
Su Cheng: "What I mean is, the two rows above are quite high. I can't even reach them. I have to stand on a stool. I guess it's about the same upstairs?"
The child shook his head and said, "I heard from the boss that there are some new books here. I want to take a look first. My brother will come to me later and read them to me."
Su Cheng understood that he was here with his brother, "What kind of books do you like to read?"
He tilted his head slightly, "What are you reading?"
Su Cheng sighed, "It's a book that teaches people how to transform elemental magic spells. To be honest, I only understood a small part of it."
He mused, "I don't think you need to feel ashamed. Authors of books like this should learn how to express themselves. Readers may not be able to do what the book says due to lack of ability, but they shouldn't be confused by the content. That's the author's fault."
Su Cheng was very surprised.
Su Cheng: "I—uh, actually there are still some problems, that is, there are some words I don't know."
The child still didn't change his attitude. "No concept should have only one interpretation, Miss. This may still be something the author needs to think about."
Su Cheng closed the book and looked at him.
The child pulled out a bench from somewhere and sat upright on it, with his legs hanging in the air and his hands on his knees, looking very well-behaved.
Su Cheng: “…”
She looked at the furry white hair and suddenly felt itchy.
Su Cheng looked around. "Besides the spell books, there are books about various legendary magicians, uh, growth adventures, or love stories."
It’s just that some book titles contain adult elements at first glance. After all, there is no harmonious control in this world, and both pornographic books and pornographic books can be sold freely.
The child tilted his head again, "That all sounds interesting."
Su Cheng flipped through a few books and found them not very interesting. Many of the stories were similar and had a strong sense of fabrication, a bit like formulaic literature.
She searched for a while and suddenly found a storybook that looked like a fairy tale from its packaging. She picked it up and took a quick look. It was full of various short stories.
Su Cheng: "This looks good. Do you want me to read a passage to you?"
The child raised one hand to support his cheek, "Okay, thank you for your help."
He patted the slightly worn bench and said, "Aren't you going to sit down?"
Su Cheng sat down immediately. Since one of them was thin and the other was just a child, it wouldn't be crowded if they sat side by side.
She flipped to the table of contents and scanned the text. "How about this? The song about the piping bag and the boning knife? Sounds like it's about food?"
The child ate the bread quietly and didn't say anything when he heard it, but he seemed to be interested.
Su Cheng turned the page and began to read. "The Red Oak Tavern is located at the end of the cobblestone street. The outer wall is covered with ivy. On the door hangs a mottled sign with the Holloway family emblem on it, a cat holding a wheat ear. The previous owner of the tavern, Mrs. Ellen, was a master brewer. Her eldest son, Mr. Ander, the current owner, inherited his craft. His wife, Mrs. Nina, is good at cooking various meats. Their business is quite prosperous, enough for the family to live a decent life -"
As she read on, she felt more and more at ease, thinking that this was probably an ordinary fairy tale.
"Their eldest son, Grutnes, was a tall and sturdy young man with dark blond braids like heavy ears of wheat. His eyes were like frozen lakes reflecting the frosty sky. His face was handsome yet rough, with an unpolished wild beauty. He had broad shoulders and a burly build, and his hands were covered with calluses from beating dough and rolling icing sugar. In the Principality of Anther, which values slender and elegant beauty, he was like a bull among a herd of antelope, but he didn't care. His world was only about sugar, flour, butter, and ovens—"
In fact, according to the general story routine, if the pastry chef is the protagonist, then he may become an adventurer for some reason.
Then by some strange coincidence he became some legendary warrior mage.
Or maybe you meet a passing warrior or mage in town and start a romantic relationship.
"...because he hated blood and killing, he never touched meat, but devoted himself to studying pastries. He became famous in his youth, and his delicious tarts attracted travelers from as far away as Thornwick, and even the nobles in the city sent servants to place orders. The Red Oak Tavern prospered because of his fame, but he still hid in the attic room, alone, pondering new recipes -"
Su Cheng read with great interest. "According to the laws of the Principality of Anser, the first child will inherit the majority of the family property. This means that Grutness will get the tavern, the ancestral home, and the family's accumulated wealth. His brothers and sisters are resentful of this, and his parents are dissatisfied because he refuses to slaughter pigs and chickens, and are also angry because he rejected the marriage they arranged..."
Is this not a story about a family feud?
Su Cheng thought uncertainly, but his curiosity grew. "One spring morning, he walked through the deserted market after the rain and found a shivering little rabbit by the ditch outside the town. Its snow-white fur was stained with blood, and one of its legs was caught in a rusty trap. The blond young man squatted down, gently rescued the rabbit with his rough hands, and held it to his chest. The young rabbit's moist black eyes looked at him brightly, and he smiled for the first time in months..."
He named the little rabbit Soufflé, took it home, and let it sleep in a wooden box covered with straw.
Grootness placed the box next to his bed and fed it with carrots and various vegetable leaves. Soon the soufflé became round and its warm white fur looked like a soft cloud.
"They stayed together in the quiet attic. Those were the warmest years of his life—"
Su Cheng suddenly had a bad premonition in his heart.
The child next to her was still sitting quietly with a focused expression, as if listening very seriously. When he noticed she stopped, he tilted his head in confusion.
Su Cheng hesitated for a moment before reading on: "One autumn evening, Grootness returned from the market, his coat soaked by the torrential rain, carrying a box filled with honey jars on his shoulders. The ancestral home was brightly lit and filled with laughter. He pushed the door open and entered, smelling the rich aroma of roast potatoes and stewed meat. It turned out to be his aunt's family visiting from Thornwick. His parents were busy in the kitchen, and his brothers and sisters were busy serving the dishes. They looked at him with malice. His aunt, as always, kept nagging him about his marriage, and she looked at him with dissatisfaction, saying that he should be an obedient son. He ignored them and went back to his room to feed his milk puff. However, when he opened the attic door, he saw the wooden box overturned on the ground, with hay scattered around it -"
Oh no.
Su Cheng took a breath. "His heartbeat quickened, and he rushed downstairs like a gust of wind into the kitchen. Mrs. Holloway was removing bones, and Mr. Holloway was checking the cured meat. The air was filled with the smell of fish and grease, and a bloody face—"
Su Cheng stopped.
Su Cheng: "Sorry, I shouldn't have chosen this story. Let's read another one again?"
The little listener next to him raised his head slightly, "Aren't you curious about what happened next?"
Su Cheng: “…”
Of course she was curious, but she would read it herself. She just didn't think it was a good story to read to a child.
Although this guy doesn't look like an ordinary kid.
But what if you really have a nightmare or get scared because of this, and your family comes to claim compensation?
Su Cheng didn't say anything, but lowered his head and read quickly.
The speed of reading aloud is very limited. If you just read it by yourself, it will be much faster.
"Your rabbit?"
——The bloody rabbit skin was hung on the iron hook, and the bloodstained white fur was piled aside. Mr. Ander grinned and said while drinking.
"It's on the table outside!"
He walked out of the kitchen in a daze and saw pieces of meat covered in golden sauce on the dining table, and roasted rabbit legs with dipping sauce next to them.
The two cousins were fighting for the last leg, and the table was shaking slightly because of their collisions.
His ears were ringing, and then he heard his parents laughing.
"Look at him being so silly, hahahahahaha!"
The younger brothers and sisters also started laughing, "Brother, your rabbit is really delicious!"
My aunt's family also understood the whole story. She and her husband looked at each other with disdainful expressions.
"Are you crying?" Auntie pretended to be shocked. "Look at your son, Ender, this guy who looks like a wild man, is even softer than those noble priests. He even treats food as a pet——"
She said this and burst into laughter.
Su Cheng: “…”
She couldn't bear to watch it any longer.
However, the scene then suddenly changed. When the family was going crazy, Grootness slowly turned around, walked to the kitchen, and pulled out a boning knife from the knife rack.
He looked at the sharp blade flashing coldly in the candlelight and uttered his first words.
"She's not food."
The blond young man said softly.
“…You are.”
Ender's laugh caught in his throat.
Mr. Holloway was stabbed in the shoulder by his eldest son with a knife, and blood spurted like a fountain. He screamed and reached out to cover the wound, but four fingers were cut off. Then his nose was broken by a punch, and he fell to the floor wailing.
The younger brother who was closest tried to escape, but was quickly dragged back by his hair. The blond young man easily threw the boy to the ground and stabbed him in the waist and abdomen with his knife again and again.
Mrs. Holloway picked up a bench and hit him on the head. Grutness was hit but did not move. He grabbed his mother's arm and twisted it hard, and the white bone splinter immediately pierced out.
The woman fell to the table and saw her eldest son grab the youngest daughter's head and smash it against the wall. The skull suddenly cracked and blood and brain matter stained the wallpaper red.
My aunt and uncle were already stunned. Soon my uncle knelt down and begged for mercy, and then his throat was cut with a knife. My aunt screamed that he was dead, and then her neck was crushed by a kick.
My cousins died very quietly and did not suffer any further torture.
Mr. and Mrs. Holloway collapsed in a pool of blood. They were still alive, but their breaths were weak, and their faces were covered with blood and tears.
The blond young man came over with a knife, stepped on their stomachs, and stuffed his sister-in-law's fingers and liver into their mouths, asking if they tasted good.
Su Cheng: “…………”
The following are some quite detailed cooking processes, including peeling, deboning, frying, stir-frying, roasting and deep-frying.
Plates of barbecued meat were brought into the tavern hall. The guests ate with their mouths drooling and praised the food repeatedly. They were also surprised to hear that the boss's eldest son was cooking today.
"Are you finally willing to make barbecue?"
At closing time, several regulars encountered a blond young man coming out of the kitchen.
He took off his blood-stained apron and looked at them nonchalantly.
"No," the young chef said, "just this once."
The story ends here.
The next page was an illustration of a forest at night, with dark clouds half covering the moon. On the road, there was a man on horseback, carrying a box, hurrying into the dark shadows of the forest.
Turning the page, it was still the same man, holding the box in one hand and leading the horse in the other, standing in front of a magnificent-looking palace.
The towering palace looked somewhat eerie in the dark night. A group of people in gorgeous robes stood on the steps and looked at him.
On the next page, there was a tall, burly man covered in armor, bound in a magic circle, with golden hair flowing out of his broken helmet.
A knight in white armor tried to strike him with his sword.
However, the blond man bit the sword.
Su Cheng didn't fully understand the connection between the two, so he just turned the page and saw a blood-red pattern at the back, covering the entire page.
A kitchen knife piercing the heart.
Those faded blood-red lines crisscrossed and intertwined, like flowing blood vessels or flowing flames, constantly burning her eyeballs.
Su Cheng almost felt pain in his eyes and slammed the book shut.
"...I guess I won't be able to hear any more from you, right?"
The child next to him suddenly asked.
Su Cheng woke up as if from a dream. "Well, it's like this. The rest of the story is very simple. Nai Su died of an illness, and the protagonist's family threw her body away. The protagonist was very sad, so he ran away from home. I think this story is very sad, so I'd better not listen to it."
The child didn't speak.
Su Cheng felt a little guilty, "Well, when will your brother come to pick you up?"
He shook his legs that were hanging in the air. "It's hard to say. He still has to meet his students."
"Ah? Here? Is your brother the teacher of Cross Star?"
"No," the child continued, "his student was troubled by something and sought guidance from my brother."
Su Cheng just hoped that he would not ask about that story again, so he quickly asked: "Why are you troubled? What about it?"
"Something about emotions," the child mused, "perhaps that's it."
The way he looked and the words he said made people feel a little strange for no reason, but he still spoke in a serious tone.
Su Cheng couldn't help but want to laugh, "Since he is your brother's student, then what does your brother teach him? Why is he also responsible for handling his emotional problems?"
She couldn't help but picture a middle school boy in her mind, who was in adolescence and was just beginning to fall in love.
Or an unlucky adult with little love history, caught in a love-hate tangle of hatred and love.
"Hmm," the child said, holding out another loaf of bread. "The essence of a teacher-student relationship is the exchange of knowledge. What's the difference between teaching him how to control magic and teaching him how to understand himself?"
Su Cheng couldn't help but be surprised, "Did your brother say this? That's great."
Then he sighed again, "It's a pity that my teachers, at least one of them, clearly doesn't like me."
The child raised his head, as if to "look" at her, "Why does this bother you? Is it because you've been misunderstood? Or do you think this will affect your studies?"
Su Cheng hesitated to speak.
She originally thought that the other party would ask the teacher why he didn't like her.
Su Cheng: "...If it's the latter, then the school teacher still has the basic qualities. No matter how much I hate it, it will be the same when it comes to teaching."
Whether or not she is accepted into the elective course is another matter.
Just like Xiao Yun didn't like her, but he didn't deliberately make things difficult for her when he gave her the test. If she passed, she passed.
"So it won't have much of an impact," Su Cheng thought. "Then it's probably the former. You making that statement makes me feel a little silly."
The child tilted his head. "It's human nature to desire to be understood. It's just that every listener will have his or her own response, just like the same story, different people will have different feelings about it."
Su Cheng was speechless.
"What do you think," he raised his little hand and pointed to the book in her arms, "about the story just now?"
Su Cheng thought for a moment and said, "To be honest, I'm not a person of good character, so I don't think it's appropriate for me to share my feelings with others. They might be wrong."
The child "looked" at her again.
"Right and wrong are inherently crude yardsticks," he said softly, "not to mention that human suffering can never conform to worldly standards."
Su Cheng fell into deep thought.
However, after a few seconds of contemplation, a familiar figure appeared at the stairs.
The black-haired man walked up the stairs. Because he was too tall, his head almost hit the wall, and the hilt of the sword behind him almost brushed against the bookcase.
"My friend is here," Su Cheng stood up. "I'm leaving, sir. It's a pleasure to spend this time with you. I'm sorry about that story."
He then ran towards his leader and asked, "How did you get here?"
"Camus said you were probably still here," Kai patted her shoulder. "Are you done shopping?"
At the same time, he looked at the white-haired boy in the aisle.
The latter was still sitting in the chair, smiling and nodding at him.
Su Cheng didn't notice the scene behind him. He nodded and walked down the stairs briskly, buying the collection of dark stories by the way.
"Where's Camus?"
"He has an appointment to meet someone."
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