Chapter 012
Duanmuh Shannchyuan
Shannchyuan and the girl exited through the back door of the building. They did this for security reasons. The back yard of the building was roughly the same size as the front yard. From the back door, they walked towards a small door in the back fence wall. Behind the door, there was a passage that led to the station.410Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7C2e6RVF2v
"Now, where are we going, Sir?"
"I'm already starving. How about we have breakfast first at one restaurant at the subway station?"
The girl's face became glittering after hearing Shannchyuan's answer. Shannchyuan smiled. His stomach was already screaming to be filled with food. He was sure that she also felt more or less the same as him. The girl's backpack was huge compared to the girl's body. Shannchyuan was amazed yesterday that the girl could run while carrying such a big bag. Despite its enormous size, the backpack looked very heavy. Shannchyuan couldn't bear to let the hungry-looking girl have to walk carrying such a heavy load.
"Let me carry your backpack," said Shannchyuan.
"No, Sir! I'm used to it," said the girl.
"Never mind! Please, don't refuse. I feel bad to see you carry such a heavy burden while I'm just watching."
"Then let me carry your bag." The girl said while pointing at the bag Shannchyuan was carrying. This Songfei's bag seemed indeed much lighter than the girl's backpack.
"Okay! I think it's fair," said Shannchyuan.
After exchanging bags, the two moved towards the station at the crossroads. Because they were hungry, they could not move as fast as they were full. Arriving there, they directly headed to the food stall. The mall at this subway station was not big. There were not too many shops selling food either. But as long as there was proper food, it was enough for them. Shannchyuan ate very well. Usually, he ate four times a day. In fact, when he was young, he ate five times a day with large portions of food. Even then, sometimes, he still added more portions every time he ate. But since twelve years ago, he had tried to limit himself to eating only four times a day, and even then only with reasonable portions. He also rarely had more for seconds. It differed greatly from in the past when he could eat two or three servings at once.
"So your name is Duanmuh?"
The girl started the conversation. Several times Hannrong had called Shannchyuan "Mr. Duanmuh." So it's not unusual for the girl to mention it.
"Right." Shannchyuan nodded. "Is there anything strange?" Shannchyuan asked that because the girl had a certain facial expression on. The facial expression that people used to show when Shannchyuan introduced himself.
"Is that the 'Duanmuh' Family?"
"That's right. It is indeed the 'Duanmuh' Family."
The girl nodded. "Turns out I've spent the night with someone who isn't an ordinary person."
Shannchyuan laughed. "I'm just an ordinary person. Just happened to be born into that family."
"Yes, it's the same thing. That means you're not an ordinary person."410Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY3DGvxRxgn
Shannchyuan smiled. Based on his experience, this was indeed the most difficult thing when introducing himself.
"My name is Liuchiou." The girl said her name as she pressed her palms together in front of her chest.
"Nice to meet you, Miss Liuchiou," said Shannchyuan. He smiled.
The girl laughed. Shannchyuan didn't know exactly why. But he guessed the girl felt that the two of them were in a ridiculous situation right now. It's natural for people to get to know each other and then just spend the night together. The two of them even spent the night together and then got acquainted. This was really an uncommon thing.
Shannchyuan wanted to know more about the life the girl had lived so far. So he thought now would be a good time to ask a few questions. He hoped the girl wouldn't mind sharing the story. "You move from one relative to another like this your whole life, so what about your school?"
"When I was in elementary school, I often changed schools. However, I did homeschooling in junior high and high school. I only lived in elementary school for four years. I also finished junior high and high school much faster than I should have."
"So it means you graduated from high school a lot earlier than people your age?"
The girl nodded. There was pride in her eyes.
"Does that mean you're really smart?"
The girl shook her head. "Maybe because I can focus more on studies than the other kids."
"Don't you feel lonely or have no friends?" Shannchyuan stared in surprise.
"I get to know kids my age who live near the houses of relatives I live in. So you can't say that I don't get along at all."
"Never had a hard time fitting in?"
"Of course, it's not easy. But it's no different from before. When I change schools, I also have to always adjust to new friends."
Shannchyuan nodded. What this girl felt, of course, she did not know exactly because she had never experienced it. But at least Shannchyuan hoped he could understand a little more if he knew more.
After they were full, they inched away from the food stall. Shannchyuan said, "Do you want to come to the surface now?"410Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk0QZFZyLJ8
Miss Liuchiou, the girl, looked at Shannchyuan with an astonished look. As if asking for an explanation.
"I'm afraid the thugs were still trying to find you up there this morning. Better to stay underground for a while. Of course, it's much better if you go to another area. I think it might be good if you go to Yuehming to meet your relatives. It's definitely safer for you than wandering around alone."
"But I still have three more days. I'm afraid I will not be able to walk freely after I meet with my relatives. Actually, I don't know them either. Even though they are my relatives, to me, they are strangers. In fact, I think you are more familiar to me than them."
This girl is so weird!
Shannchyuan looked at the girl in amazement. This girl seemed reluctant to be with her family. "Regarding what happened last night. Do you think we shouldn't go to the police?"
The man's question made the girl put on a doubtful face. In a low voice, the girl said, "What about the building custodian from earlier? If we report this matter, I am afraid he will be in trouble."
Shannchyuan smiled. He tried to calm her down. "If Hannrong's superior had asked, we could have said that Hannrong, the custodian of the building, had indeed asked permission to go home before the incident. Let me take over the responsibility later."
The girl still looked unsure of Shannchyuan's words. "As good citizens, of course, we should report to the authorities if we see a crime." The girl stopped talking. Her brow furrowed. There was a look of conflict on her face.
"But…..?" This time Shannchyuan tried to continue the girl's words.
The girl looked straight ahead. "I don't know how to explain it." She stopped talking again. After about five seconds, she continued her speech. "I've had a terrible experience when I reporting a crime. There were some consequences that I had to face."
The girl stopped talking again. Then looked at Shannchyuan and continued. "And it wasn't just once. It's happened three times in my life. Even the last one was really annoying because it dragged me into trouble."
Hearing that, Shannchyuan was stunned.
It turned out that this girl had experienced bad things regarding legal action. I better not push it any further.
"Okay, if that is the case. How about for a while you just rest at my house? Of course, if you don't mind."
The girl gasped. Shannchyuan guessed that such a thing was what the girl had been waiting for.
"Will my presence at your house not disturb you and your friends?"410Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp5PLNZ9RVw
"Of course not. In fact, we would be delighted," said Shannchyuan.410Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpbfdA8nCSM
Shannchyuan felt that this time he was thinking and behaving strangely. An incident like this was not an ordinary thing that he should just ignore. As a grown man, of course, he was always aware that he had an obligation to report crimes that occurred around him. Shannchyuan also knew that he was already involved in this incident. Being silent meant that he had allowed a crime to occur.
He knew that his decision not to report it was unfair to the person who was the victim of the crime. For example, the woman who seemed to be the victim of a kidnapping, as this girl told. Silently means that Shannchyuan also had a hand in this crime, so it's not just letting it go, but Shannchyuan may have become part of the crime itself.
Shannchyuan could understand that many people didn't want to get too involved. As this girl said, being a witness to a crime has consequences. Not to mention the complicated and tedious procedure. Many people do not want their lives to be disrupted because they have to be witnesses. Even further, in this case, if there really had been a kidnapping as they suspected, then this girl's safety was in danger.
Thinking that far, Shannchyuan felt that this girl's meeting with him was not a coincidence. It might be an introduction arranged by the universe for Shannchyuan to enter this girl's life, or maybe vice versa, for this girl to enter Shannchyuan's life. After all, since this girl refused to involve the authorities, as well as declined to meet her family, then Shannchyuan, at least for the time being, was the one who had to take responsibility for this girl's safety. Half of him felt that the best way was to contact the police and this girl's family, but the other half of him wanted to be the one to take care of this girl. This is really confusing. This time Shannchyuan felt he could not understand himself.
Then they went back to Shannchyuan's house by subway through this station. From the station near the house, Shannchyuan could also take the train to this station, but the process was much more exhausting. There were two reasons. The first reason was that Shannchyuan had to change lanes three times. The second was, the route was longer because the train had to make a detour. So yesterday afternoon, Shannchyuan chose to take another train line and get off at the station two kilometers away from the Dafeisy building to save time. Shannchyuan's experience of visiting Dafeisy Tower many times has made him realize that the travel time for trains on the line is much longer than the travel time for trains on the line that stops at the station, which is two kilometers from the building. This may be because the duration of the stop at each station that the train passes is slightly longer.
On the way, they didn't talk much. The girl's face was bright. Shannchyuan felt that this girl was not in any fear. She seemed to enjoy every second that happened on the trip. The train was not too full because it was past rush hour, when workers go to work and when students go to school. Just before noon, the train would be full again.
Shannchyuan knew for a fact that later when they had to change trains, the number of passengers began to grow rapidly. When entering midday, the train would be crowded with passengers. Although the number of passengers would not be as much as the number of passengers in the morning or evening when the mobility of the population in this city was very high.
Finally, they arrived at the subway station near Shannchyuan's house almost four hours later. Even though Shannchyuan wasn't starving yet, it was already lunchtime. He happily took Yinqyueh to the food stall at the station for lunch before continuing on to Shannchyuan's house. Shannchyuan was worried that there was no food at home because, most likely, everyone was away. As scheduled, everyone should be busy looking for a new home or moving things to the small warehouse at the station by now.
This time, they didn't eat as much as before because they weren't starving yet. Shannchyuan chose to eat his favorite food, namely lamb noodles, while the girl ate seafood fried rice. While enjoying their meal, they chatted again.
"The fried rice is delicious," said the girl. Her face brightened again. It seemed, like Shannchyuan, she was a foodie.
"Right. Next time you should try this lamb noodle too," said Shannchyuan.
The girl laughed. "It's a huge city. I think there's a lot of food I should try."
Brilliant idea! Anytime, I'll always be ready to take you around the city!
Shannchyuan and the girl laughed together. But their joy was interrupted by a loud, disturbing sound.
"Anyway, now you have to eat!" There was a deafening scream.
Shannchyuan and the girl turned their heads towards a few tables beside theirs. Not many people were there. The table to the right of their table was empty. But two people were sitting at a table to the left of that table. They were a mother, and a little girl whom Shannchyuan assumed was his daughter. The mother's voice was so loud it could be heard clearly from where Shannchyuan was sitting. From the conversation they later overheard right after, Shannchyuan knew that the mother was nagging her daughter because she was unwilling to eat. Apparently, the daughter ate too much candy every day, so she lost her appetite.
The girl who was with Shannchyuan watched them. The expression on her face was not easy for Shannchyuan to describe.
Suddenly, the girl said something completely random. "Last night, I had a very strange dream!"
Incidentally, last night, while trapped in the elevator, Shannchyuan also had a strange dream. He dreamed of meeting the girl who was currently sitting in front of him. Shannchyuan had no recollection of the dream until the girl's words brought him back to mind.
"I dreamed of selling candies in the middle of a field close to a meadow."
The girl's words shocked Shannchyuan. It was exactly what Shannchyuan was thinking. In Shannchyuan's dream, the girl also sold candies.
The girl continued her story. "Perhaps my subconscious remembers that I used to sell candy, so it got carried away in a dream."410Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh0SurMfmCh
Shannchyuan was curious. "Have you ever sold candy before? I mean, when you were little."
The girl nodded. "Once. Actually, it's just for fun. There used to be a candy shop near where I lived. I often play there. The candy shop owner really liked me because he thought I looked like his daughter when she was my age. He gave me a lot of candy. Sometimes he just put it in my school bag. Because I was too lazy to unpack my bag when I came home, the candies were usually still inside the bag when I went to school the next morning. When my friends saw me, they asked me for candy. I saw an opportunity to earn some extra money, so I sold the candies to those people. Of course, at half the normal price. That's why, after that, my friends called me Candy Shop."
This girl's story sounds very interesting. Apparently, she's had a business spirit since childhood. 410Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEaPIQWWMRe
Shannchyuan nodded at that.
"I realized it turned out that little children really like candy. So when I move to another place to follow the family who takes a turn to take care of me, sometimes I also sell candies. But it's been years since I stopped selling candy."
"What do you think if I call you 'Sheautyan'?
The girl looked at Shannchyuan. "Sheautyan? You mean 'Tyan,' which means sweet?"
"Yes! 'Tyan,' which means sweet," replied Shannchyuan.
The girl seemed to think for a moment. Then she smiled. "It's okay if you want to call me 'Sheautyan.'"
Shannchyuan was happy because it meant he had taken another step forward. After a moment of silence, Shannchyuan suddenly asked. "Have you ever eaten horse meat?" In his dream last night, the girl cooked horse meat. Then he served the horse meat dish to Shannchyuan, who immediately ate it voraciously.
The girl's expression changed after hearing Shannchyuan's question. Instantly Shannchyuan regretted asking such a ridiculous question.
"I ate once!"
The girl's short answer was completely beyond Shannchyuan's expectations.
"At that time, there was a relative of mine who liked to eat food that was not commonly eaten. One of them is horse meat. Actually, horse meat is not uncommon to eat because, as far as I know, people who live in some areas in the north usually eat horse meat. It's just not unusual for those of us who live around the equator."
The girl stopped talking when she saw the girl sitting at the next table acting up again. The little girl, who had been scolded by her mother, suddenly threw her bag on the floor. Indeed, this action made the mother even angrier. After picking up the bag, the mother immediately dragged the child and left the place where they were eating. The girl looked at the mother and daughter until they were out of sight. Shannchyuan got the impression that she was jealous of the child who still had the mother. But she said nothing about what they had just witnessed.
The girl looked back at Shannchyuan. She continued her words. "It's weird! Last night I also dreamed of cooking horse meat!"
Shannchyuan almost jumped from the chair he was sitting in. It seemed that their dreams were connected. If it turned out that Shannchyuan also appears in the girl's dream, it meant they were dreaming the same thing. It really was a magical thing. But Shannchyuan had to harbor his curiosity because the girl said nothing more about her dream after that. Shannchyuan didn't want to push her to tell the story, either. He only hoped that one day the girl would be willing to tell him more about it. That was if she still remembered the dream.
After they finished eating, they speedily rose to the surface. Shannchyuan noticed the girl kept looking left and right all the way home. The hot weather didn't seem to make her feel uncomfortable. Before they got home, Shannchyuan had already told her not to say anything when he got home. Let him explain to his friends first before the girl told them anything. After walking for a while, they finally arrived at Shannchyuan's house.
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