dmims Chapter 16 Constructing a Paradise
Chapter 16 Constructing a Paradise
"Freshly fried dough sticks! Three for five yuan!"
Zhu Jin angrily took a bite of the fried cake. The soy milk in her hand was still a little hot; she had almost burned her mouth when she took a sip earlier.
"Brother, I want to eat shumai! Buy me a steamerful!"
"Will you listen to me?"
Zhu Jin quickly packed up the remaining half of the fried cake, her eyes glistening with tears as she nodded vigorously.
"I'll be good!"
"Then you'll listen to me, we won't buy it."
"Ma Ye, you bastard!"
Zhu Jin kicked Ma Ye in the butt, almost knocking the half-pound of pork ribs she had just bought to the ground.
The two got up very early but arrived late. The nearest morning market required taking a bus, and by the time they got there, it was already dawn.
She didn't eat much for breakfast either. Zhu Jin insisted on eating the shumai from the stall with the longest queue, so she naturally wouldn't drink tofu pudding with Ma Ye.
When they returned after going around in circles, the queue had grown even longer, so the two of them didn't go into the mutton soup shop.
"Uncle Liu, why are you out buying seafood so early in the morning?"
As soon as he turned the corner, Ma Ye saw a familiar middle-aged man standing in front of a seafood stall.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be one of his clients.
"Fortunately, my home is nearby."
Today is the last day before the ceremony. My wife wanted to let Xiao Gan taste this year's crabs before his cremation, so she came to buy one.
Uncle Liu had nothing in his hands except a bag of mussels.
I looked at several shops, and I think I chose this one because it's fresh enough.
A flower crab was placed in a bag and lay quietly on the counter.
"By the way, Mr. Ma, I received your message this morning, and I also had my wife take a look."
If I don't have anything else to do later, I'll take my wife over there; she's been thinking about it for the past couple of days.
"Sure, I'm ready anytime."
If you're coming, please let me know in advance. It's not easy to get from the bus stop to my place, so I'll come pick you both up myself.
Uncle Liu nodded in agreement, and before leaving, he bought half a pound of flower clams for the two children.
I originally wanted to buy two crabs for these two kids who are about the same age as Liu Gan to try.
However, Ma Ye refused, saying that it was not advisable to eat before the ceremony.
Walking towards the station, I happened to be on the stretch of road where the sun was at its strongest.
Ma Ye was carrying vegetables in both hands, so he could only squint as he walked forward.
Zhu Jin picked up the small bag of clams and shook it, causing the crushed ice inside to make a rustling sound.
"Uncle Liu is a really nice guy. I'll make some scrambled eggs when we get back."
"Scrambling eggs is such a waste; it's better to make steamed buns instead."
"Then you knead the dough!"
No customers will come to Aokido in the morning.
The murder mystery game shop in the backyard had also closed for the day, and the two buildings were relatively quiet between the demolition site.
The door that was left for King Jin III was blown shut by the wind, and the kitten is meowing inside, probably because it woke up and wants to go out to play.
"Can't you bring me back some shumai when you go out?"
I feed you cat food every day, but you never bring anything back.
"How dare you say that? Have you forgotten his father, Little Gold?"
"Back then, my teacher's wife scolded him a couple of times, and the next day there were two rows of dead rats at the door, which almost scared you to tears."
Recalling the past, Zhu Jin also remembered that chaotic afternoon and quickly put down what she was holding.
I quickly ran to Kaneko III and hugged its little black face.
"Golden Three is the best! She doesn't want anything, so never be like your dad!"
Meow~
Unable to understand what this person was doing, Kaneko III saw the window open, used his rear end to propel himself out, and disappeared around the corner in the blink of an eye.
The refrigerator's crisper drawer was crammed with newly bought vegetables, and even the ribs were divided into three small portions, each two ounces being enough for the two of them for a meal.
Ma Ye couldn't catch up on sleep now, so he closed the windows tightly and hid in his master and mistress's small room, which hadn't had its windows open for a long time.
He placed Liu Gan's locust wood plaque on the ground and waved his hairpin.
"Liu Gan, show yourself!"
After he finished speaking, the spirit of a man wearing a slightly wrinkled shirt floated out of the locust wood tablet, and the dark circles under his eyes became transparent.
Since his sudden death from overwork, he had never taken the initiative to look at the world again. This time, he was awakened and was not surprised to see the unfamiliar scenery around him.
"Are you Little Ma? You look even more handsome than you did over there."
"We don't need to be so polite."
Brother Liu, I estimate your parents will be here today. I'll use the same method to get them into that world.
This time, you have complete control; you can build whatever world you want.
This is your last chance to see them both anyway, so don't leave with any regrets.
Upon hearing this, Liu Gan wasn't particularly excited; instead, he lowered his head in confusion.
Just as Ma Ye was about to send him back into the locust wood tablet, he also noticed his abnormality.
"What's wrong? Don't you want to meet?"
"It's not that I'm unwilling, it's just that after seeing you this time, would I want to see you again?"
"Don't worry, I won't give you that chance."
These words relieved Liu Gan somewhat. He smiled and nodded at Ma Ye before being put back into the locust wood tablet.
Before leaving, Liu Gan seemed to have thought of something very important.
"Mr. Ma, I still don't know how to create the environment for that place."
Have you seen Inception? The principle is similar, but our purpose here is not to solve the mystery.
I'll give you four paper figures as templates in a bit, and you can build some NPCs.
Once you're inside, just imagine some environments for yourself. It's best to choose from scenes you've experienced to avoid confusion.
The rest of the story can unfold as you wish, but the core principle is still to let your parents know that you have no regrets now.
Having learned all this, Liu Gan silently memorized it, then transformed into a wisp of green smoke and drifted into the locust wood tablet.
Ma Ye hadn't been to his master and mistress's room for a long time, and this time when he came in, he felt that the room was a bit stuffy.
Since the two of them left quietly, the room has been managed by Zhu Jin.
The bedding is changed every month, and the room remains clean even though no one lives there.
Even with his hand resting on the windowpane, Ma Ye couldn't touch the dust.
The two still lived in the same little house, with a large sheet hanging between their small beds.
It was crowded, but I felt safe.
But neither of them planned to move into the house.
If their master and mistress were to return one day, they might be punished by copying the Qingjing Jing (a Buddhist scripture) a hundred times for "usurping someone else's place."
Seeing that it was still early, Ma Ye opened the window to let in some fresh air, and the aroma of the mixed filling with chives wafted in.
Various seasonings were laid out on the ground. Zhu Jin picked up a little filling with her hand and tasted it. The taste was alright, about 80% of her master's wife's.
Seeing that Ma Ye had opened the window, she didn't ask any questions.
"Brother, are you going to finish kneading the dough before going to sleep, or go to sleep first?"
"No, you prepared the filling so early?"
"Of course! If I wait for you to arrange it, I won't be able to eat it when I go back to school. I'd better hurry back to my room and sleep. I'll put the filling in the fridge first!"