Chapter 52 The pork stall is like a lost soul imprisoned here...
After a half-hour drive, Liang Xun and Gu Keke finally arrived at Jinyang Community.
The old residential buildings stand densely here, their exteriors bearing the marks of years of wind and sun.
The black Highlander weaved back and forth among the buildings, like a tiny ant that had wandered into a giant maze.
They originally wanted to search for "Jinyang Community Farmers Market" directly on the navigation app, but unfortunately, the location wasn't precisely pinpointed. Liang Jun, as a second choice, had to arrive at Jinyang Community first and then search again in the vicinity. "These residential buildings are so close together..."
Gu Keke looked up. The endless buildings disappeared into the blind spot on the car roof, creating a sense of oppression.
Do lower floors really get sunlight?
Liang Jun shook her head, her hands still gripping the steering wheel tightly.
"The buildings in front will block the view of the buildings behind, so they definitely won't get any sun. This is how these old residential areas are built. They were basically built this way to maximize land utilization."
The car slowly drove through the road, and through the windshield, Liang Jun noticed that they had passed a small sports park.
This open space is full of greenery and is equipped with various fitness equipment.
The two swings hung in place, their rusty cables creaking in the gentle breeze.
Liang Jun suddenly said, "The vegetable market should be nearby."
"Huh?" Gu Keke didn't react. "How did you know?"
Liang Jun tapped the brake pedal, trying to slow the car down as much as possible.
“Look at these residential buildings, they are at least twenty or thirty years old. Most of the people living here should be middle-aged or elderly.”
A narrow path suddenly appeared on the right, just wide enough for one car to pass at a time.
Liang Jun turned on her right turn signal, preparing to drive into the small road.
"In that case, these public facilities may be concentrated in the same area."
A black cat suddenly darted past, and Liang Xun slammed on the brakes. "The fitness area is here, so the market can't be too far away."
As they were talking, a large blue greenhouse suddenly appeared in front of them.
The greenhouse occupies a large area. If you look closely, you can even see that it is vertically divided into three sections.
The red characters edged with gold reflected the sunlight, and the words "Jinyang Community Vegetable Market" caught their eye.
Gu Keke was extremely surprised.
"You're amazing! You even guessed that!"
"It's not a guess."
Liang Jun had already driven the car to the entrance of the vegetable market. After turning off the engine, she jumped out of the driver's seat.
"Maybe it's because I experienced a lot when I was young, so I have some relevant experience..."
Gu Keke noticed that her mood was a bit off, so she quickly changed the subject.
"Let's hurry inside and see where Old Ren is!"
There was no light in the market, but before the darkness came the stench of decay that reached straight to the soul.
Gu Keke only took one step inside before being driven back by the stench of fermenting feces.
Her face turned completely green, and she squatted by the door, gagging violently, "Why does it smell so bad..."
Even someone as adaptable as Liang Jun didn't look too good at the moment.
She turned around, went to the car, took out two masks, and gave one to Gu Keke. "Just make do with this. I guess something inside is broken."
Gu Keke nearly fainted from the fumes. Liang Jun advised her to rest in the car, but she refused.
She insisted that she could do it herself, so Liang Jun had no choice but to give up.
It took them more than a minute inside the market for them to fully adjust to the darkness.
With their vision clearing, Liang Jun realized that they had entered the "seafood section".
No wonder it smells so bad...
Rotten, decaying dead fish and shrimp were scattered in the surrounding seafood basins, and flies buzzed around their ears, bringing with them a nauseating smell.
This place looks like it was once ransacked, with debris everywhere and nowhere to step.
Wearing masks underneath and clothes on top, the two of them managed to barely make it past the "Seafood Area," with the "Meat Area" sign hanging above their heads.
Liang Jun still remembered what Lao Ren had told them.
He once said that he was the only pork vendor in the market, and that his signboard was always visible whenever someone went there.
The stench had lessened slightly. Gu Keke lowered the sleeve that was covering her mouth and nose, squinted, and pointed to a light board not far away.
"Hey, look, isn't that 'Old Pig Stall' sign the shop of Lao Ren?"
Liang Jun looked over and saw three large characters with wide spacing hanging on the shop's signboard.
The Chinese characters flashed red, adding an eerie atmosphere to the almost dimly lit market.
"Let's go take a look."
Liang Jun was also unsure and decided to go and investigate.
When they got closer, they discovered that there was a small light sign standing directly below the shop.
The sign's circuitry also appeared to be in disrepair, with the words indicating it was powered on flashing incessantly. Liang Xun and Gu Keke stared at it for a long time, but still couldn't make out the words.
A sudden hissing sound of electricity pierced through the air, and the circuit seemed to magically reconnect, causing the large characters on the sign to light up a dazzling red once again.
After they saw the words clearly, both of them gasped in shock.
As if bewitched, Gu Keke unconsciously read it aloud in a low voice.
"Meat...meat...meat...meat..."
On the pitch-black sign, four blood-red characters for "meat" were arranged vertically.
Perhaps the light tube of the font fell off, the penultimate stroke of the last "meat" character was crooked, and the last stroke was even hanging and falling off.
A single red dot hangs there all alone, like a tear of blood, a resentful soul imprisoned here.
And right next to that strange signboard, there was a wooden stump.
The wood was covered in knife marks, with two dull kitchen knives stuck in it and a bloodstained boning knife stuck vertically in the middle.
The wood was soaked in blood, and a large patch of blood tofu had formed beneath it.
Calling this a dismemberment scene wouldn't be an exaggeration.
Gu Keke immediately shuddered and grabbed Liang Yun's arm with both hands.
"Sister Jun...is this the right place...Old Ren wouldn't be lying to us, would he...?"
"Probably not."
Liang Jun patted her hand, then mustered her courage and shouted into the shop, "Old Ren, are you in there—"
As soon as Liang Jun finished speaking, a rustling sound came from inside the shop.
The shop windows were all covered with newspapers, making it impossible for people outside to see inside. Hearing this chilling noise, Gu Keke just wanted to disappear into the ground and run away immediately.
But Liang Jun kept holding her hand until the people inside came out.
Old Ren looked the same as before. However, compared to his appearance in the instance, the person standing in front of them now looked much more weathered.
His hair was messy, his clothes were disheveled, and he looked like he had just crawled out of the ruins, giving off a worn-out vibe.
Upon seeing the newcomer, Old Ren's eyes immediately lit up.
"You've come!"
He instinctively wanted to rush to them, but as if suddenly realizing his poor appearance, Lao Ren stopped in his tracks, stood in front of them, and scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly.
He also tidied his frizzy hair, saying, "My shop is too messy, so I won't let you in."
"It's nothing," Liang Jun said with a polite smile.
Gu Keke, who was next to her, finally breathed a sigh of relief, but half of her body was still hidden behind Liang Jun.
Gu Keke's eyes kept glancing at Lao Ren. "What's the deal with this light stick of yours?"
She pointed to the eerie light sign that resembled a strange tale of rules and supernatural phenomena.
Old Ren looked in the direction she was pointing, puzzled, then exclaimed "Oh!" and reached out to slap the top of the signboard several times.
After being hit hard by the outside world, the words on the sign flashed rapidly, but soon they all lit up again.
"Pork belly, tenderloin, pork shoulder, pork neck..."
Gu Keke's lips twitched slightly. "So it's a sign for selling meat..."
“Yes,” Old Ren said with an embarrassed smile, “I ordered this sign a long time ago. After so many years, the circuitry has aged, so I need to tap it a bit to get the words to show.”
As they spoke, the words "pig neck" in the last line flickered a few times before going out again, leaving only the lone word "meat".
After several merciless slaps from Lao Ren, the red dot dropped a few more points.
Liang Jun smiled and shook her head. Then she looked up and discovered that the "Old Pig Stall" sign they had seen in the distance was also quite remarkable.
Similar to this small light-up sign, several words on the signboard were not lit up.
Liang Xun squinted, barely managing to make out the complete content—
Lao Ren's pork stall.
People can actually laugh when they're speechless.
A smile played on Liang Xun's lips as she asked Lao Ren, "Are you the only one in the market?"
Old Ren picked up a damp towel hanging to the side and carefully wiped his hands.
"I'm probably the only one left. There aren't many young people selling things at the market; most of them didn't make it past the first two stages..."
As he spoke, Old Ren's tone became somber, "If only I could have teamed up with them back then..."
Gu Keke empathized with his feelings. She stepped over the bloodstains, walked up to Lao Ren, and patted him on the shoulder.
"You should team up with us now. There's strength in numbers, and we'll definitely make it through the next level alive."
Tears welled up in Lao Ren's eyes.
Liang Xun continued, "The reason we came here is actually to tell you about the team arrangements for the future."
She shared the information about Luo Chuange and Wang Jianping joining the team with Lao Ren. Having spent many years navigating the complexities of life, he naturally understood the situation quickly.
He did not show any rejection or aversion, but rather naturally accepted these two teammates he had never met before.
A huge weight was lifted off Liang Xun and Gu Keke's shoulders. They told Lao Ren to pack his luggage, and once he was ready, they could set off with them.
Before getting into the car, Liang Jun specially opened the trunk, took out a brand new walkie-talkie and a handbag, and handed them to Lao Ren.
A gentle breeze swept by, ruffling the strands of hair on either side of Liang Xuan's head.
"Welcome to join us."
-----------------------
Author's note: The second day of the Lunar New Year is still the New Year!
Wishing everyone a Happy New Year!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
