Chapter 130
Monday morning arrived in the blink of an eye.
Generally, transferring household registration requires going to the local police station in both the original and new locations to complete the procedures. After the laws disappeared, presumably to maintain the basic operation of society, new specialized agencies filled this gap.
In the clean and quiet office lobby, the staff stamped the newly printed inner pages and addition/deletion pages one by one, and handed them to Xie Xubai along with the household registration book. Looking at the nervous young man standing next to him, they said with a kind smile, "Congratulations, kid."
She noticed at a glance that from the moment the boy entered the hall, he followed Xie Xubai closely like a little tail, his eyes overflowing with dependence.
Just now, when she stamped the document, the young man craned his neck and stared eagerly, clearly having been looking forward to this transfer of ownership for a long time.
Upon hearing this, the boy was stunned. His lips moved, as if he was still in a daze and didn't know how to react.
It wasn't until Xie Xubai patted him on the shoulder, handed him the documents, and smiled at him, saying, "Still not awake? Here, pretend to be asleep."
The boy snapped out of his daze, hurriedly took it, and somewhat clumsily opened the household registration book, putting the brand-new inner pages into a transparent plastic protective sleeve.
I don't know if it was nervousness or excitement, but it took me a while to finally put it in.
He paused, pressing his thumb against the loose-leaf paper.
Flipping up reveals Xie Xubai's inner pages, and flipping down reveals his own, written in black on blue paper: Xie Kaile.
Jiang, no, Xie Kaile's eyes instantly turned completely red.
He stared at his new name, and all the past events suddenly flashed before his eyes like a fleeting glimpse.
The dark, shadowless room of reflection; the sharp crack of whips tearing through the air; the bloodstains on the floor tiles that can never be washed away; the mother's inexplicable indifference and disgust; the servants' screams and pleas for mercy; the ugly and cruel faces of the Jiang family's elders...
Taking a deep breath, Xie Kaile thanked the staff, hugged the household registration booklet to her chest like a precious treasure, looked at Xie Xubai with red eyes, and called out, "Teacher."
"Good boy." Xie Xubai gently ruffled his hair, pulled him close to the back of his head, and said solemnly, "Teacher is here."
Xie Kaile's pupils trembled, and then he bit his lip tightly, burying his head deeply in the other person's chest like a blade of grass nestled against a big tree.
All that pain and endurance, all that helplessness and repression, seemed to have burned to ashes at this moment, disappearing without a trace with the howling wind through the hall.
Back in the car, the children curiously gathered around, eager to see the household registration booklet in the boy's arms.
Xie Kaile carefully opened the book, and instantly, a series of rare and envious cries of "Meow! Woof!" rang out inside the car.
This is humanity's contract!
Does this mean Lele and Baibai are a family?
I'm so envious.
Upon hearing this, the somewhat melancholy young man couldn't help but curl the corners of his lips into a smile.
The little tentacle glanced at him, said nothing, and the next second it darted onto Xie Xubai's shoulder as he got into the car, clinging to his fingers and pitifully pleading: "Bai Bai, I want to be registered with you too—"
A large orange cat on the back seat shook its whiskers and meowed regretfully: "But I asked other cats, and only humans can be registered in human households."
Upon hearing this, cries of anguish immediately filled the car.
Xie Xubai saw their dejected and disappointed appearance in the rearview mirror and smiled: "It's okay, I'll ask my friends later, and they should be able to let everyone move in."
Upon hearing this, the cats and dogs burst into joyful cheers.
Some of the more mature little ones, knowing that human rules are numerous and complicated, and that they are not only non-human, but not even living beings, might find it difficult to enforce them, so they worriedly called out: "But we have so many of us, won't we be a burden to you?"
Humans are already busy enough; it wouldn't do to make this even more tiring.
"You are all my little ones, what trouble could there be?" Xie Xubai smiled gently, his calm and serene tone carrying the weight of a mountain. "However, even without a written contract, it will never change the fact that we are a family."
In an instant, the noisy car became quiet.
About half an hour later, Pei Yuheng waited for Xie Xubai, who had come to pick him up, at the hospital entrance.
With the car windows designed to prevent peeping from one side, he didn't notice the movement in the driver's seat for a moment.
When Pei Yuheng opened the passenger door, he was startled by the "mountain of plush toys" surging before his eyes.
Upon closer inspection, he realized they were a bunch of huddled cat and dog spirits. Xie Xubai's face was completely covered, and he immediately felt annoyed. He quickly grabbed two of them by the back of their necks and pulled them off, asking, "What are all these things on you?"
Cats and dogs are very well-behaved; they refrained from pouncing on humans while they were driving.
Only after the car came to a complete stop did they finally scramble to hug Xie Xubai.
Like a baby koala that hasn't been weaned, they're incredibly clingy, squinting and rubbing against each other frantically. Anyone who's a little slower gets pushed to the back row.
The spirits were half-real and half-illusory, able to control their own weight. Xie Xubai didn't feel any pressure, presumably because the little ones were carefully controlling their bodies.
He patiently let them run wild, his muffled laughter emanating from the pile of fur. He picked one up and ruffled its little head, his tone tinged with pride: "Didn't I tell you before? My cats and dogs, look, aren't they adorable?"
Pei Yuheng had known for a long time that he kept dozens of cats and dogs, but he had never seen them in person and had no real sense of their existence. He frowned and stared at them for a while, then heard Xie Xubai say, "Good boy, why don't you call out to someone?"
The kitten, after being patted on the head, immediately began to meow sweetly in a soft voice, which sounded to Pei Yuheng as a series of "Grandpa! Grandpa!"
Pei Yuheng's hand trembled, and the two little ones he was carrying fell directly onto the seat.
They turned around, looked at Xie Xubai's encouraging eyes, and without any fear, raised their little heads and readily rubbed against the middle-aged man's body, chirping along with him.
Pei Yuheng had never imagined in his life that he would suddenly have so many "grandchildren." He was greatly shocked, and being aloof and indifferent by nature, he felt extremely uncomfortable. He awkwardly waved his hand and said, "Alright, alright."
This made the boy in the back seat, who had just mustered up the courage to speak, immediately shut his mouth.
Xie Xubai glanced back casually and said with a smile, "Today is the day Lele comes home. As her grandfather, shouldn't you do something to celebrate?"
Even the most aloof person would lose their composure after such a commotion. Pei Yuheng expressionlessly fastened his seatbelt, silently glancing over and mouthing: You little brat, are you never going to stop teasing your dad?
Xie Xubai returned an innocent look.
Most people would find it hard to accept suddenly becoming a father, and coupled with the boy's inexplicable inferiority complex, fearing that Pei Yuheng would hold a grudge against Xie Xubai because of him, he suddenly sat up straight, trying to smooth things over: "Teacher, no need..."
Pei Yuheng turned around upon hearing the sound and met the boy's gaze.
As fellow demon kings, both could feel their auras repelling each other to varying degrees. The boy's hair stood on end, as if he were being interrogated in an interrogation room. He instinctively gripped his chair tightly, suppressing the urge to unleash his scales and reveal his true form.
Xie Xubai: "Don't scare him."
Pei Yuheng glanced at him: "Am I that scary?"
As he spoke, he took out a red envelope from the inner pocket of his coat and handed it to the boy: "A little something to say."
He glanced around at the little ones in the car again and said hesitantly, "I didn't bring that many of the others. I'll prepare more when I get back."
Seeing that the boy was still in a daze, Xie Xubai smiled and reminded him, "Hurry up and catch it."
The boy hurriedly accepted the package and thanked the seller, but upon touching it, he realized there was a problem; it didn't seem to contain cash.
He peeked ahead, opened the red envelope, and poured out a store key and a card with "So-and-so Snack Shop" written on it, along with the address and phone number below.
Pei Yuheng explained, "I heard from A Yu that you have a sweet tooth and love to eat snacks, but the ones you buy outside are never as good as the ones you make at home in terms of hygiene and quality. There are people in charge of running the stores, so if you want something, just call them and they'll deliver it to your door."
Xie Kaile gripped the key tightly in an instant.
He was once the heir of the Jiang family. What kind of haute couture, luxury goods, and delicacies hadn't he seen? But in his eyes, none of those things could compare to a piece of fruit candy that his teacher gave him.
Similarly, looking at the gift that Pei Yuheng had carefully chosen for him, the boy couldn't help but feel touched: "Thank you... Grandpa."
Pei Yuheng hummed in agreement.
After lunch, Xie Xubai contacted a real estate agent to look at apartments. Since it would be where the whole family would live in the future, he had to look carefully, taking into account factors such as sunlight, location, environment, and transportation.
Seeing the large garden, the little ones, overcome by their playful nature, vanished in an instant, running around and frolicking in various places.
Xie Kaile took some of his cats and dogs to check the surrounding area or neighbors' homes for any dirty things and to check for safety issues.
Ping An followed beside Xie Xubai, tilting its head up to look at its owner and unconsciously wagging its tail. The latter turned on the motion camera and broadcast the situation of the house to Lü Xiangcai.
The real estate agent, who worked for Lü Xiangcai, waited quietly by the side, listening to Lü Xiangcai's sharp comments over the phone. He was sweating profusely and trembling with fear as he summarized all the flaws and problems, repeatedly assuring that future listings would not have these issues.
Xie Xubai didn't have to manage any affairs, so he had a rare moment of leisure. He really had no experience in decorating and house hunting. Halfway through, he listened to Lü Xiangcai's advice, handed the action camera to the real estate agent, and let him follow orders, while he sat on the sidelines and slacked off.
A moment later, a small, gleaming gold lock appeared before his eyes.
"This is... a longevity lock?" Xie Xubai looked at Pei Yuheng behind him.
"Yes," the middle-aged man said, "You should have had it on when you were little..."
He stopped talking and fell silent, probably recalling the ups and downs and unexpected twists of fate over the years.
Xie Xubai responded softly and took the longevity lock. The lock was exquisitely crafted, with almost no visible artificial polishing marks. It was made of gold, yet it felt warm to the touch, not cold, suggesting the use of some ingenious craftsmanship.
"My Ayu." Pei Yuheng rubbed his head, his voice slow and sincere, "May you have abundance every year, live a long life, and live happily."
Xie Xubai paused for a moment, then smiled and assured him, "Yes, Dad."
"We all will."
Not far away, the setting sun gradually sank below the horizon, and the dim, somber twilight climbed into the sky. The neon lights on the city streets lit up, but the area around Hongyin Ancient Town remained silent, with a slight chill in the air.
Only when staff dressed in white and wearing masks came out and hung large red lanterns at the entrance did the long-waiting tourists excitedly file in, and the night market began.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com