Chapter 77 Reality and Illusion This time, if you eat it, you will really turn into a pig! ...
Ye Wan had a dream. In the dream, it was a summer full of greenery. The sun shone through the train windows, and the forest outside the window flowed like watercolor. Then the train drove out of the forest, and the sea appeared outside the window. He could see the endless indigo skyline and white waves bouncing on the sea.
Even the sea breeze that came in through the window tasted salty.
The train suddenly entered a long, long tunnel. There was endless darkness inside, the lights went out, and the darkness was so thick that it made it difficult to breathe.
A cool breeze covered her eyes:
"Don't be afraid."
Then a soft touch fell on the lips.
And then nothing happened, because Ye Wan woke up.
The morning light slowly streamed in through the folds of the white gauze curtains. Ye Wan woke up to the sound of cicadas. It turned out that it was already summer.
She was ready to go downstairs, but she hadn't thought about what to say after going downstairs. After all, that person kissed her and said calmly:
"Go home."
Go home, go home, kids. It was just like a normal trip to the vegetable market for them and that was it.
Finally, Ye Wan rolled around on the soft bed several times and decided to pretend nothing happened.
If only a comet suddenly decided to hit the earth after she went downstairs, she would have other topics to discuss with Youan instead of just thinking about the kiss at twelve o'clock last night.
The gods had indeed heard her prayers, and something more serious than a comet hitting the earth occurred.
That is, the tavern was plagued by thieves.
Pancake's chubby figure was buzzing around in the kitchen. Hearing a familiar voice coming down the stairs, it quickly scurried to Ye Wan's feet and then clung to her shoulders.
“Squeak! Squeak!”
When Ye Wan entered the kitchen, he saw that the flour jar was empty, the bucket for red beans was also empty, and all the sugar, butter, cream, etc. were gone.
But strangely, there was a set of expensive brass cutlery in the kitchen that didn't move at all.
"What kind of thief is this? Why does he only steal worthless things?" Ye Wan was also shocked.
You An came down from upstairs. He had just checked the safe and found that the valuables were intact. "It shouldn't be a thief. Where did Mr. Civet Cat go?"
Ye Wan was stunned for a moment.
Every morning Mr. Raccoon is the first to get up, go to the market to buy vegetables, and then come back to prepare a rich breakfast, which is basically a Japanese breakfast. Occasionally there will be a bowl of natto on the table. No one knows where he got it from, but he enthusiastically recommends it to Ye Wan, You An, and Pancake.
Ye Wan knew what it tasted like and quickly shook his head in rejection. Only Youan and Pancake politely took a bite, their faces turning green. So the raccoon cat silently began to stir the natto frantically with chopsticks, the stuff even stringing together.
Where has the raccoon cat gone? Where has Mr. raccoon cat who loves natto gone?
Ye Wan set out to look for it and ran into Penny from the tailor shop. Penny's round face always had a warm smile, and today she looked especially happy. She seemed to be holding a half-eaten cake in her hand and chatted with Ye Wan:
"Oh Ye Wan, I have to say, this Dorayaki is amazing. I have a real sweet tooth. Can the tavern serve this in the evening?"
Ye Wan was completely confused: "What is that?"
Following Penny's guidance, they walked towards the entrance of Honey Lane. There was a small stall at the entrance, and the signpost said cheerfully: "To the left is Honey Lane, and to the right is delicious Dorayaki!"
The raccoon cat had a small floral scarf wrapped around its head and cotton gloves on its paws. It set up a small stall, and the round pancakes on the baking tray in front of it were bubbling with "sizzling" sounds.
The raccoon cat skillfully picked up the cream piping nozzle and twirled it, covering the caramel-colored round cake with cream, then scooped a spoonful of red bean paste and handed it to the diner in front of him.
Soon the whole pot of batter was baked, and the raccoon cat held up a piece of paper with the words: "Today's Dorayaki is sold out."
The diners in the queue dispersed with sighs.
Ye Wan and You An ran over, and the raccoon cat quickly wrote something on the paper: "Leave it for you."
The freshly baked Dorayaki is hot, the crust is soft and trembles slightly in the hand, and the rich aroma of egg, milk and butter will hit your nose when you take a bite.
"This is delicious." Ye Wan praised, and You An asked if there was any more of this delicious red bean cake.
The cat squatted there and counted the money for a long time, who knows how many times, and then stuffed the money into Ye Wan's hand: "The materials are all from the tavern. How about we split the profit 30-70? I'll take 30 and you take 70."
Ye Wan returned the money to it: "You can take the fruits of your labor. Are you short of money recently? I can lend you some..."
Before she could finish her words, Kiara hurried over from a distance and interrupted their conversation: "Please wait a moment."
Ye Wan quickly swallowed the last bite of Dorayaki: "You are late, Kiara, the Dorayaki is out of stock. Please come early tomorrow."
"What fever?" Kiara paused, and then said anxiously: "Have you seen Mr. Leo? I went to the healing home to volunteer this morning, and he actually ran away secretly. Holy Mother, he just had a heart surgery and still needs to recover and take medicine. How could he run away? Doesn't he want his heart anymore? The entire Undead Song and Dance Troupe and doctors and nurses are looking for him!" Ye Wan and Youan looked at each other, and they inevitably thought of the shrine.
......
The shrine was really remote and there was no direct platform, so they had to take a public carriage to the train station, then take a train to a small station in Hongqiao Valley, and then walk back slowly.
Summer is approaching and the weather is already very hot.
Kiara was still wearing heavy leather boots and a leather neck guard, and her face was already covered in sweat. "Where is that shrine you're talking about? I've been circling around it for several times."
Ye Wan also began to feel drowsy. Muffin was lying sprawled out in her hat. Ye Wan asked, "Would you like some water, Muffin?"
The muffin squeaked weakly twice.
The mist in the valley was like freshly brewed green tea, creating a gauze-like green haze in the valley. Ye Wan ran to the stream to drink a few sips of water: "No, no, I really can't stand it anymore. The shrine was nearby last time, why can't I find it?"
Euan marked the path as he walked. He looked carefully at the mark on a tall beech tree and said, "Did we just pass this place?"
Ye Wan was drinking water when he choked. "No way, are you saying we're lost in the forest?"
Kiara also sat down. "This should be a safe area. You won't usually get lost in the Rainbow Valley. But don't let monsters appear again. I don't have a knife with me."
The fog that emerged from the mountains and forests became thicker and thicker, almost covering the shadows of the trees. A few people were still wondering what to do when the fog suddenly dissipated as if it was pushed away by an invisible hand.
Ye Wan: "Is this fog teasing us?"
The valley became bright again, leaving only the fragrance of various plants.
In the distance came the sound of bells and a loud noise.
The three of them looked at each other and continued to move towards the source of the sound. The first thing that caught their eyes was the torii gate. Unlike a few days ago, the torii gate had been repainted in a bright vermilion. The high approach was clean, and the stone lanterns on both sides emitted a warm light. Even the moss in the cracks in the ground was full of vitality.
It was completely different from the abandoned shrine I saw a few days ago.
The most outrageous thing is that the shrine is packed with people, all kinds of colorfully dressed Japanese people walking around holding amulets and ema.
"The Spring Festival is about to begin. I hope you will bless us with a good harvest next year." They were saying some strange things.
Ye Wan was very surprised and pulled Youan's hand: "This place is too weird, it wasn't like this when we came here before."
Kiara's cheerful voice came from the side: "Boss, give me a serving of Taiyaki."
There is a row of food stalls at the entrance of the shrine: apple candies, three-color dumplings, okonomiyaki... It is clear that a lively festival is about to take place here.
Kiara hadn't even had a good breakfast, and after all the running around, she was already growling with hunger. When she saw all sorts of delicious food at the entrance of the shrine: tiger-skin-patterned pancakes topped with shredded cabbage and eggs, with the aroma of oil steaming up, her appetite was whetted.
When the stall owner handed over the pancake, the full brown sauce dripped down the edge of the pancake, which looked delicious.
As soon as Qiara opened her mouth, Ye Wan immediately ran down the main path and snatched the cake from her hand: "You can't eat this, or you might turn into a pig!"
Ye Wan said excitedly: "This shrine is not the same shrine I saw before. It might be some strange other world. It would be terrible if I ate the food here and turned into a pig!"
Obviously, Kiara had never been to this shrine, nor had she seen "Spirited Away". In short, half of the cake was stuck in her throat, and she couldn't swallow it or spit it out, so she could only look at Ye Wan in confusion.
You An slowly walked down the main path: "If you are hungry, just eat some. It's useless to just eat it. It won't fill your stomach. These are not some strange other worlds. This should be someone's fantasy world."
Ye Wan and Qiara were both confused: "What illusion?"
Youan went to a stall nearby and bought a cup of brown rice tea, and poured the hot, goose-yellow tea onto the ground.
In the reflection of the tea, Ye Wan saw the huge torii again.
The dilapidated and mottled torii gate...
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