Chapter 48 Upon arriving at their stall location, He Zhao set up his stall and sat down with Qiao Yanyu. Two…
Upon arriving at their stall, He Zhao set up and sat down with Qiao Yanyu. Neither of them spoke; He Zhao played on his phone, while Qiao Yanyu scribbled and drew on it. Qiao Yanyu hadn't worked for the past two days and was getting better rest than before, so He Zhao didn't suggest that she lie down and sleep.
He Zhao was playing a game she hadn't played for two days, and as the game progressed, her face grew increasingly red, even feeling somewhat warm in the middle of winter. Qiao Yanyu, seeing this, became curious and, having just finished her work, came over to watch for a while.
Under Qiao Yanyu's watchful gaze, He Zhao's gameplay became even more erratic. After finishing the game, he yelled, "I'm not playing anymore! They're all terrible teammates!" He then conveniently blamed his phone, saying it was too laggy.
Hearing her say that, Qiao Yanyu started talking to her about the latest mobile phones. He Zhao pursed her lips and chatted with Qiao Yanyu: "There's really not much innovation in mobile phones now, just that the camera pixels are a bit better and the running speed is a bit faster. And I always feel that mobile phones aren't as durable as they used to be. At the beginning, I could go for several years without changing my phone, but now I feel like I'll change it in as little as six months, or if I use it a lot, I should change it every year or two."
"And the battery... the current batteries aren't as good as they used to be. They used to have amazing battery life, lasting two or three days on a single charge." Although the current batteries don't last as long, it's also related to usage time, but He Zhao still feels that the phone's battery life is really insufficient.
Qiao Yanyu wholeheartedly agreed with He Zhao's words, but she also had a very durable phone: "The ones the bureau provides us are quite good, especially the standby time, which is exceptionally long." She showed her work phone, and He Zhao picked it up and thought—this phone is quite heavy.
She asked Qiao Yanyu about it, and Qiao Yanyu said it was nothing, she had only played with it for a while, and felt that the operating speed was worlds apart from her own old, beat-up phone. After playing with it for a while, He Zhao returned it to Qiao Yanyu: "Being a civil servant is really nice."
He Zhao felt increasingly that his crappy phone was unusable: "I'll get it replaced in a couple of days! It's just too laggy."
Her phone was a second-hand item that the system had somehow gotten from some obscure corner. It looked like it had been used for several years. She once checked the battery life and found that even when fully charged, it could only reach 70%. Just by looking at the battery, you could tell that this crappy phone had been used for a long time.
It would be a miracle if this phone didn't lag.
Qiao Yanyu casually mentioned that she would accompany He Zhao to see it when she had time.
He Zhao's heart started pounding again. She was thinking, "What's the difference between this and a date?" But on the surface, she remained composed, and her charming words slipped out again: "Wouldn't this be too much trouble for Sister Qiao?"
"No trouble at all. I'll also check out my phone while I'm at it. I've been using the same phone for a while now, and I'd like to get a new one."
The two chatted for a while before the guests arrived. The first to arrive was the Mud Ghost, who happily ran over wearing the outfit the two of them had made. Upon climbing onto the chair and seeing that it was Qiao Yanyu, the ghost became a little happier.
"Oh, you're here! I didn't see you the other day. It's good that you came, otherwise the boss would be very bored."
He Zhao felt annoyed that her secret had been exposed, and said directly to the mud ghost, "Shut up and eat your food!" She served the dead man's food, but it still couldn't shut the mud ghost up: "Really! And that substitute is nothing compared to this sister; she doesn't exert nearly as much pressure on me. Boss, when you're looking for a helper, you should find someone more capable!"
Qiao Yanyu was a straightforward person. When she heard what the mud ghost said, she not only did not stand up for Wang Yu, but nodded and said, "Wang Yu is indeed a bit mediocre and her skills are not up to par. What you said is right. She should motivate herself to take another step forward."
Hearing Qiao Yanyu agree with him, the Mud Demon was even happier, and even gestured towards He Zhao with his chin: "See, I was right!"
He Zhao fell silent.
Seeing that He Zhao didn't speak, the Mud Ghost got bored and started eating rice by itself. After it left, the old woman and the big ghost came. As usual, the old woman still wanted to give He Zhao a few more pieces of ghost money so she could buy candy, and the big ghost ordered two bowls, the other one of which he drank like soup or wine.
Two more unfamiliar faces arrived, but they seemed clueless and posed no threat. Neither He Zhao nor Qiao Yanyu took these newcomers seriously.
At 2 a.m., He Zhao thought the ghost with the stitches wouldn't come, but just then, Qiao Yanyu, who was sitting in her seat, raised her eyelids and looked ahead. He Zhao followed her gaze, but there was no one or ghost in front of her. However, not long after, that somewhat familiar, eerie, and salty smell wafted over.
There was a small detail that He Zhao hadn't noticed before, but Wang Yu discovered and told Qiao Yanyu about it.
That is, the seamstress had an earthy smell on it. It was the smell of river water, the earthy smell of river water carrying mud and sand as it surged in the waves, spreading in all directions.
This is also why Qiao Yanyu visited so many body disposal sites near rivers during the day.
He Zhao didn't think of the reason at first, but then the unique earthy smell of the river water hit his face, and He Zhao wouldn't miss it.
The suture-sealed water ghost arrived as promised, sitting opposite He Zhao and Qiao Yanyu. The puddle under the seat quietly spread over, and He Zhao subconsciously lifted her feet. Her fever had just subsided and her cold was not yet cured; to let her shoes and socks get wet at this time, especially on such a cold winter night, was just asking for trouble.
As the puddle silently spread towards her feet, Qiao Yanyu suddenly took a step forward. She usually wears high-top boots on her motorcycle, especially in winter, her long legs firmly encased in short boots, yet she remained fearless in the face of the puddle.
She stepped directly into the puddle, splashing a little water, and Qiao Yanyu stood up smoothly. She looked at the stitched-up water ghost before her; the invisible flames slowly burned in the air. Qiao Yanyu was completely different from Wang Yu. Wang Yu was afraid, but Qiao Yanyu wasn't—that was the confidence of a strong person.
Qiao Yanyu placed one hand on her waist and the other on the table behind the food cart. The puddle under her feet stopped spreading, as if she had really stepped on it.
Qiao Yanyu, in a menacing tone, spoke without any politeness: "Guest, please watch your step. The water isn't even reaching us. Our boss is just an ordinary person; he can't withstand your flood."
The water ghost with the stitches stared at Qiao Yanyu, but it was clearly inferior to her in terms of presence. They stared at each other in silence for a long time before the ghost finally gave in, and the water beneath Qiao Yanyu's feet slowly receded. He Zhao, watching the scene before her, couldn't help but have her eyes light up with excitement. She didn't even have time to say a few words to Qiao Yanyu before exclaiming, "Sister, look at it!"
At this moment, even the sutured water ghost became a little more polite: "Please give me a bowl of extra spicy rice."
Under Qiao Yanyu's pressure, Xuexue even learned to say the word "please".
With Qiao Yanyu backing her up, He Zhao became smug. She leaped up from the stool and quickly ladled rice for the "stitched water ghost." As she ladled, she kept muttering, "I'll make you die of spiciness! I'm going to make you die of spiciness today!"
"..."
He Zhao's voice wasn't quiet, and the stitched-up water ghost on the other side heard it clearly, but it remained calm because it was indeed the stitched-up water ghost that suggested it wanted to eat the extra spicy version of rice.
The food for the dead was served, and the sutured water ghost, holding the rice, resumed its awkward eating style. This time, He Zhao was actually quite curious about what this sutured water ghost was eating. What was it that absolutely needed to be extra spicy to be flavorful?
He Zhao's extra-spicy rice truly lived up to its reputation, immediately making the stitched-line water ghost so spicy that it was crying and sniffling. Ghosts don't cry, but even a mud ghost can find a way to express how spicy it is by dripping mud, let alone the stitched-line water ghost who was already dripping wet.
As it ate, water kept dripping from its body, and some water droplets even slid down its cheeks into the rice bowl. It looked so pitiful, as if it were really crying.
He Zhao could only think that the customers who used the "stitched water ghost" bowl later were also unlucky, and he wondered if the system's dishwasher could actually clean it properly.
As it ate, it was constantly hurt by the spiciness, tears streaming down its face, and it even made hissing sounds from the heat. The sutured water ghost was in a lot of pain; the spiciness was so intense it connected to its pain receptors, and few people could withstand it. Even Qiao Yanyu, who loves spicy food, could only dip it in a tiny bit, which shows just how spicy that bowl of rice was.
But... perhaps the water droplets falling from the sutured water ghost neutralized the spiciness of the rice, because the sutured water ghost actually stayed in one place and finished the whole bowl of extra spicy rice.
So far, aside from the stitched-up water ghost, only two customers have tried the extra spicy rice. One was the mud ghost, whose ordeal is well-known; it shivered and spun around while eating, clearly suffering from the spiciness. The other, a large ghost, seemingly composed, also lost face when faced with the extra spicy rice.
Surprisingly, the stitched-up water ghost was the best-behaved of the three guests. Apart from his hissing and "shedding tears," it didn't do anything else. Clearly, it actually quite liked the extra spicy rice.
He Zhao became even more curious. What exactly was this thing that was so spicy yet could make the sutured water ghost eat it with relish, and even give people a feeling of "satisfaction" after eating it?
If Wang Yu were there, He Zhao would definitely be hoping the sutured water ghost would leave as soon as possible, and as far away as possible, preferably never to return. But now that Qiao Yanyu is here, He Zhao is taking advantage of her position and acting arrogantly again. She even dares to say to the sutured water ghost, "Wait a minute, don't rush to pay and leave. Answer me one question first."
The sutured water ghost didn't really want to answer He Zhao's question, but with Qiao Yanyu right next to it, under the watchful eyes of her, the sutured water ghost was like a little mouse being stared at by its natural enemy, and didn't dare to move at all.
All it can say is, "Ask away."
"What exactly are you eating? How can you eat something so spicy? That's too much!"
The answer from the sutured water ghost was beyond He Zhao's expectations.
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