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墨書 Inktalez
As night fell, the Old Town District became lively, with people returning from work and crowding into one food stall after another, enjoying their meals. The air in the streets and alleys was filled with the aroma of delicious food.
The Ancient Sorcerer hurried back, as Zhou Yake had called in the morning to say she was cooking dinner and insisted he must come home to eat.
He had spent the entire day wandering outside, taking note of all the surroundings, and even during lunch, he had only eaten a little something. By now, he was ravenous.
As soon as he pushed open the door, a small figure rushed out; it was Lai Chen.
“Uncle Luo, you’re back! Hurry, it’s time to eat.”
The Ancient Sorcerer noticed that Lai Chen was holding a chicken leg in her hand, and her little face was covered in grease.
“Wow, Chenchen, you’ve turned into a little raccoon.”
“Uh-huh, I know! I haven’t had chicken legs in a long time. I’ve already eaten one; this is the second one and also the last one.”
Lai Chen said this while stuffing the chicken leg into her mouth, using her other hand to pull the Ancient Sorcerer inside.
“I’m back.”
Seeing Lai Chen dragging the Ancient Sorcerer in, Zhou Yake recalled what her daughter had said earlier and felt a bit embarrassed.
“It smells so good.”
The Ancient Sorcerer sniffed the air; on the table were three dishes and a soup. Upon closer inspection, he found there was a large piece of Pork Belly braised in soy sauce, a steamed Lu Fish, a Stir-Fried Choy Sum, and for soup, there was Old Fire Soup made with chicken.
The dishes were simple home-cooked meals, but their enticing aroma made it impossible not to feel hungry just by looking at them or smelling them.
Lai Chen first placed the chicken leg in the bowl, then with her small body, she climbed up onto the chair and pointed to the two adjacent chairs across from her, saying to Ancient Sorcerer:
"Uncle Luo, you sit there."
"Ah? Why? Don't you usually sit with your mom?"
Ancient Sorcerer was momentarily taken aback, but Zhou Yake quickly understood her daughter's intention: this was a chance for her to sit next to him.
Feeling a bit embarrassed, Zhou Yake said, "Come on, sit with mom for a bit. Mom still needs to feed you."
Lai Chen immediately shook her little head vigorously and said, "Chenchen is already grown up; I can eat by myself."
As she spoke, Lai Chen picked up the chopsticks and carefully started to scoop up rice.
Seeing her like this, Zhou Yake helplessly shook her head; she truly was small but clever.
Ancient Sorcerer didn't think much of it and sat down. When Zhou Yake saw this, she had no choice but to sit down as well. Lai Chen's little face lit up with a smile as she said, "Let's eat."
"Here, let me serve you some soup."
"Okay."
Ancient Sorcerer nodded and handed the bowl to Zhou Yake...
Zhou Yake quietly ate her meal without saying much, while Ancient Sorcerer and Lai Chen chatted away non-stop.
"Uncle Luo, let me tell you, today I got a big red flower at kindergarten."
"Really, you, Chenchen, are that amazing!"
"Of course, among the twenty kids in our class, my grades are the best, and I'm also the most well-behaved. The teachers really like me."
Lai Chen lifted her little head high, quite proud of herself.
"This big one and little one get along really well. It seems a family needs a man; otherwise, it feels too lonely."
Startled by her own thoughts, Zhou Yake felt her face flush and silently scolded herself for having such ideas. She stole a glance at Ancient Sorcerer, relieved to see he wasn't paying attention to her. However, when she looked at her daughter, she was taken aback—her daughter was staring right at her!
"Time to eat."
In a rush, Zhou Yake picked up a piece of cabbage and placed it in her daughter's bowl to cover up her embarrassment.
"Okay, Mom."
Zhou Yake felt a wave of shame; there was clearly another meaning behind her daughter's words. Moreover, she noticed that her daughter was eating particularly fast tonight. Usually, it took an hour for her to finish a bowl of rice, but tonight she finished in less than ten minutes.
"Uncle, Mom, you take your time eating; I'm going to watch cartoons."
Seeing Lai Chen climb down from her chair and head towards the living room, Zhou Yake shook her head, wondering if her daughter was trying to create an opportunity for herself to be alone with Ancient Sorcerer.
Zhou Yake didn't eat much and had already finished. Ancient Sorcerer said:
"Yake, you should go keep Chenchen company."
"Oh... no... I'll stay with you..."
As if guided by fate, Zhou Yake shook her head as soon as she heard, and only after speaking did she realize it, quickly adding, "There's still some soup left; let me serve it to you."
"Oh, that's fine... Yake, are you okay?"
The Ancient Sorcerer glanced at Zhou Yake. He felt that something was off about her tonight; her speech was a bit strange. It wasn't just Zhou Yake; Lai Chen also seemed a bit odd. During dinner, she kept glancing at herself and then at Zhou Yake, her little face displaying a peculiar expression.
Zhou Yake's face suddenly flushed red, and she hurriedly said, "I... I'm fine."
"Your face is very red. Are you really okay?"
As the Ancient Sorcerer spoke, he handed the bowl to Zhou Yake.
"I'm really fine... ah..."
Zhou Yake didn't expect to slip and lose grip of the bowl, which fell down.
The Ancient Sorcerer reacted quickly, reaching out to catch the bowl in his hand.
"Yake, are you really okay?"
Faced with the Ancient Sorcerer's suspicious gaze, Zhou Yake's face turned as red as a monkey's bottom; it wasn't just her face—her neck and chest were also flushed.
"I... I..."
The Ancient Sorcerer took the bowl and served himself some soup, taking a sip before sitting down. "Yake, no matter what it is, you can tell me."
Zhou Yake thought to herself, how could she possibly say anything? Should she mention that rumors were spreading outside about her having an affair with him? Moreover, her daughter seemed to hope for that too; during dinner, she had even deliberately created opportunities.
How could such a thing possibly be spoken?
"Oh."
Although there were doubts in his heart, seeing that Zhou Yake did not want to say anything further, the Ancient Sorcerer did not press the matter and continued to drink his soup.
...
As night deepened, after finishing dinner, the Ancient Sorcerer returned to his room on the second floor. He first chatted online with some friends and checked the news. When he saw that it was about time, he went to take a shower.
After showering, the Ancient Sorcerer walked to the window and looked outside. Almost instinctively, he glanced towards the corner of the wall. As soon as his gaze landed there, he felt a jolt—he saw that shadow again, gently swaying on the flower branches in the wind, seemingly looking directly at him as if it was intentional.
After a long while, the Ancient Sorcerer took out his phone and dialed Fan Feng's number:
"I... saw that shadow again."
After a while, Fan Feng's voice came through the phone, saying, "Then come over here now. I checked this afternoon."
"Okay, I'll be there right away."
After hanging up the phone, the Ancient Sorcerer hurriedly left. As he was leaving the yard, he glanced at the shadow one more time. He couldn't tell if it was just an illusion, but he felt that the shadow was expressing a pleading look.
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