Chapter 55 A large transport vehicle
In chaotic times, evil spirits roam freely.
The Five-Coin Odd Jobs Shop has been open for over three months now, and upon reflection, it has taken on quite a few jobs:
Like the neighbor's hen that doesn't lay eggs, treating a child who wets the bed after playing with fire, helping an old man find his walking stick, which is comparable to Abebe's...
After all that, it turns out it's all just bird-catching and dog-teasing stuff!
Although I know that Chentang Pass is prosperous and its people are well-off, this is not how you spend your spare money!
They're a monster-slaying jackpot, they're practically a modern fire brigade now!
well......
Pingyu lay prone, while Nezha lay on the rocking chair.
The child was perfectly healthy, but he looks no older than the salted fish drying in the sun outside the yard.
Pingyu rolled over and asked indistinctly, "Nezha, what do you think we should do now?"
Nezha paused in his rocking chair movement, then lowered his eyes to make an estimate.
The Yorozuya opened in June, and it's now mid-September. Five months remain until Pingyu's life-or-death crisis, which seems like a long time, but is actually extremely urgent. They've been too leisurely lately, making absolutely no progress.
That won't do.
Pingyu felt a familiar tightening around her waist, and upon seeing the Hun Tian Ling (a magical ribbon), she lost all her strength and abilities. She was hoisted to Nezha's feet and heard him say, "Closed today."
"Where are you going?"
She's been suspended in mid-air all day, and her fear of heights is almost cured.
"Looking for ghosts."
After saying that, he jumped off the chair.
Nezha, quick-witted, turned to leave. But a voice suddenly came from outside the door: "Boss, is the shop closed today...?"
A guest has arrived.
The two looked together and sure enough, there were two small shadows standing outside the door.
They were like twin lotus blossoms, inseparable. The one speaking had a left braid, and she held her sister with a right braid in her hand.
The two of them had clearly heard what Nezha had just said, and both seemed somewhat hesitant.
Pingyu was taken aback, then patted the Hun Tian Ling to let it release itself.
Bathed in Nezha's disapproving gaze, she grabbed two pieces of candy and went to greet him: "Did you run into some trouble?"
After receiving the candy, the girls' sad expressions softened somewhat. The girl with the right braid, nudged by her older sister, whispered, "My cat climbed up a tree and won't come down..."
Serving the people is the greatest honor!
Nezha frowned, wanting to refuse.
His usually sharp tongue was sealed shut by their hesitant gazes, and he couldn't open it no matter what.
Cats are living creatures. Because living creatures are constantly moving, their location cannot be determined using tracking methods. Taking this job would likely waste another day. But his throat felt like it was being choked, and he couldn't utter a sound. If Ping Yu were to do it, she would definitely…
"Okay, take us there!"
Sure enough, she patted the girl's head and readily agreed.
This person is completely indifferent to his own affairs.
The boy, with a sour face, was dragged out.
.
The shop was located in the heart of Chentang Pass's bustling city center, making it convenient to go anywhere. The girls led the two to a banyan tree. The tree was lush and its branches cast a dense shade, a place where many residents would seek refuge from the heat. However, it was daytime, and most people were busy making a living, so there was hardly anyone around.
This made it easier for them to carry out their tasks.
The twins stopped in the shade and pointed to the highest branch of the banyan tree, saying, "Mimi can't get down from here!"
Something was indeed trembling on the tree branch, shaking the branches and leaves violently, casting dappled shadows.
It has short ears and a not-too-long tail. Its fur is yellow and thick, so round that it's hard to tell whether the fat is from its fur or its flesh.
The worst part was that it noticed the gaze and turned to the few two-legged creatures under the tree, letting out a pitiful "woof".
Hey, weren't we supposed to be rescuing cats?
That's a dog!
Nezha remained silent for a moment, then looked at the two girls without saying a word.
He treats all animals equally; he doesn't just save cats and then stop saving dogs. There's really no need for him to tell this lie.
The child was innocent; when he saw his cat turn into a big yellow dog, he cried so hard he almost bit his own tongue.
"It's haunted!" she sobbed. "My breasts were eaten by this big dog!"
"Surely this won't happen," Pingyu thought to himself. "Not only are you crying, but this dog is going to cry too. It doesn't seem like it would do anything so cruel."
"...Anyway, let's save them first."
Pingyu covered his face, wondering how things had gotten so chaotic.
The red silk ribbon rolled up on the tree branch, gently carrying the dog down. The ribbon moved slowly and trembled, as if the entire magical artifact was sinking. The dog's four paws formed small mounds on the ribbon, demonstrating its considerable weight. Not only did it appear imposing on the tree, but when it was placed on the ground, it felt like it weighed a ton. The moment it hit the ground, a deafening thud resounded, as if the ground beneath it had cracked open.
Whose lucky star has landed on the tree?
"Fat dog!" The girl was the first to pounce on it, stroking the yellow dog's belly repeatedly: "Give me back my Mimi!"
The dog whimpered twice and happily wiggled its paws a couple of times.
“It couldn’t have eaten your cat,” she said, bending down to examine it. In the past, Pingyu would go back to her grandparents’ house in the countryside every year for holidays. Every household in her village had a guard dog, including hers, so Pingyu was very experienced in judging the condition of dogs. The one in front of her had shiny fur and a sturdy build; it was clearly a domesticated dog.
"It was so scared that it cried up in the tree, how could it still have the mind to eat cats? Besides, it's all pure fat, how could it have gotten that from hunting?"
Pingyu tried to pick up the dog, but it didn't move an inch. The distance from the base of the tree to the branch was quite long, and that branch was the highest point in the tree.
"But how did it get up there?"
An adult skilled at climbing could barely make it up by themselves, but it would be impossible to bring this large truck along.
The four children surrounded the dog, staring intently into its eyes.
Now we not only need to find the cat, but also the owner responsible for finding the dog.
Troublesome things are like threads; they only get longer and more numerous as they are pulled along.
"If my Mimi isn't in the tree, where is she?"
The little girl squatted down on the spot, cupped her face, and turned into a mushroom. She asked the puppy, "Do you know?"
The puppy tilted its head.
Pingyu watched for a while and then asked Nezha, "Can you determine the cat's approximate location? I want to know if it's still in Chentang Pass."
If someone manages to slip out through the closed door, it will be difficult to find them again.
The leaves on the trees, the wind blowing, the pebbles scattered on the ground—everything was suitable for divination. The hexagram formed in his mind, and Nezha quickly deciphered it with a few flicks of his fingers: "Nearby."
There are many houses and narrow corners in the surrounding area, with piles of clutter, providing ample hiding places.
The words had barely left his lips when a piece of adobe fell from the roof. Ping Yu's ears twitched, and he turned to look. On the roof opposite the banyan tree, a long, black, coiled tail hung gracefully. It emerged lightly and called out to the crowd:
Meow~
The girl shouted, "Mimi!"
The cat is here.
The tree branch was opposite the roof, so the cat wasn't trapped at all; it had the ability to escape!
Judging from the dog's stupid appearance, it probably wanted to help get tricked into going up there.
The Heavenly Silk ribbon transformed into a lasso and charged forward once more. Just as it was about to touch the cat, the cat seemed to have anticipated this, twisting its body and leaping out from the gap.
In the blink of an eye, the cat vanished.
The red silk, sadly broken, slowly slid down from the roof.
......
"Mimi ran away again!"
The girls chattered on and on, emphasizing this point.
Nezha's already dark expression worsened after his attack missed. Ping Yu glanced at him sideways, adding fuel to the fire: "Looks like even a little deity can't handle a cat."
As soon as she finished speaking, Nezha hooked his arm around her neck. The boy gritted his teeth: "Catching you is more than enough."
Ping Yu, being pragmatic, pleaded, "Third Prince, spare my life!"
The cat ran away; we have to chase it now.
The Heavenly Silk Lock had locked onto the cat's scent and was giving chase. Nezha also decided to take matters into his own hands and teach this little brat a lesson! Just as Pingyu was about to move, she felt a tearing sensation from her skirt. Looking down, she saw that it was the yellow dog that had been being manipulated, trying to stop her. The big yellow dog held onto her skirt but didn't pull hard, gently tugging at it and leading her in one direction.
Nezha ran a few steps and, seeing that Pingyu hadn't kept up, asked, "What's wrong?"
Pingyu tugged at her skirt, locked in a struggle with the puppy: it seemed to want me to go somewhere!
“Then let’s go together.” Nezha was about to turn back when Pingyu stopped him with a gesture.
“You two go chasing the cat, or it will get lost,” she said, and then she swept her fingers together to include the two twins beside Nezha: “I’d also like to entrust the guests to you, is that alright?”
Having both a cat in front and a dog behind isn't always a good thing.
His head and neck were held in place by an invisible tenon and mortise joint, and it took him a long time to finally nod his head.
I shouldn't have accepted this job!
Ping Yu breathed a sigh of relief once their figures had completely disappeared from sight.
"And what about you?" She tugged at her skirt. "Where do you want to take me?"
The yellow dog seemed to understand human speech, and let go, leaving a trail on the ground where the wet hem of the skirt had been dragged.
The dog took two steps forward, then turned back to signal Pingyu to follow.
A man and his dog walked through the bustling city and arrived at a residential area, stopping in front of a house.
She stopped at the doorway and heard sobbing coming from inside.
Her voice was sharp and mournful, and tears fell like rain.
Pingyu tried knocking on the door: "Is anyone home?"
The crying stopped, and the footsteps approached and stopped at the door.
The door opened from the inside out, and a young woman with her hair styled in a high bun stepped out. She leaned gracefully against the doorframe, her eyes brimming with tears, her face ashen; anyone could tell she had just had a good cry. The girl looked down at the visitor and asked in a hoarse voice, "Little sister, who are you looking for at my house?"
"Sister, do you recognize this dog?"
Big Yellow darted out from behind Pingyu and nuzzled affectionately against the girl's leg. She said, "I just rescued it from the tree, and it told me to come here to find you."
Upon seeing the dog, the usually taciturn girl let out a howl and burst into tears. The tears welling up in her eyes fell like a burst dam, quickly forming a puddle on the ground.
Pingyu shuddered in fright and quickly pulled out a handkerchief to stuff into her hand: "Sister, don't cry! What... what happened?"
Someone nearby peeked through a door and discovered it was just a farce involving children, a dog, and a teenage girl. Since it lacked any real love, hate, or drama, it was rather uninteresting, and the onlookers shook their heads and left.
The girl didn't take the handkerchief from the other girl. Instead, she wiped her tears all over the dog's fur, crying and saying, "How could you climb a tree? How could you get so fat and come down from the tree?!"
Pingyu: Well, it almost didn't make it down.
"Seeing you is like seeing my beloved Zhu Lang; my heart aches as if it's being torn apart! Since he has no intention of marrying me, then don't bother me anymore. Consider all my years of devotion as being wasted... wasted on chickens, ducks, and geese. Don't come back!"
She's a very kind person. Even when scolding men, she considers the puppy's feelings and doesn't just feed the dog all sorts of nonsense.
Through her tearful account, Pingyu understood the reason for her sorrow. It seemed that a man named "Zhu Lang" had once been her lover, but they had a falling out when discussing marriage, causing the beautiful woman to shed tears.
Pingyu looked at the soaking wet dog, unsure how to begin. Fortunately, the girl stopped crying after a while, her eyes darting between Pingyu and the dog. After crying, her mind cleared. Leaving the child and dog outside wasn't a good idea, so she stood up, stepped aside, and ushered them inside, saying, "Never mind, you two go in first and we'll talk."
Meanwhile, Nezha also followed the cat to a certain place.
He failed to catch the Hun Tian Ling several times, and he took the twins all the way to a long river outside the pass.
The river here is swift, and the local people are afraid of falling in, so they rarely come here even to wash clothes.
On this treacherous riverbank, instead of seeing a cat, I spotted a human figure standing there.
He was restless with the water, looking as if he wanted to jump into the river and die.
Since we've encountered this, we can't just ignore it.
With a flick of the Universe Ring, the figure was completely trapped within it. He was dragged away from the river; he was a young man. Nezha brought him before him, the man still struggling, writhing like a worm, howling at the top of his lungs, "Leave me alone!"
"oh"
The golden ring loosened and returned to Nezha's hand.
If someone wants to die after being saved, there's nothing that can be done; just go with the flow.
The young man recognized the boy as the Third Prince and was surprised that the boy had untied him so quickly. Without listening to the boy's further attempts to persuade him, he prepared to leave with the two little ones.
He closed his eyes, then beat his chest and stamped his feet: "If I can't marry Juan Niang, I'd rather die!"
The young man got up and ran wildly towards the river.
But his waist tightened again, and the Qiankun Ring pulled him back.
"Oh? Troubled by love?"
This time, Nezha became interested. He chained the person to a tree trunk and asked with a smile, "Tell me about it."
Author's Note: Nezha: Even negative examples of pursuing a wife should be studied; take the essence and discard the dross!
Cherish the everyday, or things will get complicated in no time. [glasses]
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