Chapter 17: Being Broke is the Most Painful
The owner of the skewer stall was called Zhu. Whether it was his actual surname or just for image purposes, he insisted on being called Zhu. Despite being greasy all over, he held a cigar in his mouth while grilling skewers, giving off a mysterious sense of vicissitudes reminiscent of a character from a Stephen Chow movie. Zhu occasionally looked up at a 45-degree angle, exuding an air of an old artistic soul.
“We come here often,” said Zhu.
We had a feast for the night with several plates of skewers and bottles of cola.
“Snap.” Zhu brought us another plate of lamb skewers. Mao Mao looked at him strangely and said, “Zhu, you gave us too much.”
Zhu took a puff of his cigar and winked at me. “Little girl, you played well. Let me treat you.”
I was shocked. “You watched it too?!”
He put down his cigar and exhaled smoke. “Hoo…I haven’t seen such a good video in a long time. TV dramas in the mortal world are getting worse and worse, but today, I saw your brilliant performance. Look.” He gestured for me to look up.
I followed his gaze and saw a huge screen hanging in the sky above the food street. It was still playing the scene of my exam.
Embarrassed, I covered my face. “How bored must the gods be to watch a joke for so long?!”
“Terror, tension, special effects, explosions, you did it all by yourself. Thank you for bringing us so much fun.” Zhu patted me on the back twice. I couldn’t lift my head, but I saw people passing by pointing and whispering about me.
“Don’t mind them,” Mao Mao said and gave those people a cold glance. “If you care too much, you’ll lose. Come on, let’s eat skewers.”
Mao Mao was right. I couldn’t stand being bothered by these things any longer. In this world, only those with thick skin can win. So, I must continue to bear it.
“Congratulations on passing the level!” We clinked our cola cans. Jian Qian was holding a blood bag instead of a can. Then I saw him pick up a skewer, hesitate for a moment, put it down with a sigh, and continue sucking his blood bag.
“Why aren’t you eating?” I asked him while munching on my skewer.
Jian Qian’s mouth watered as he watched the skewers, but he sighed again and continued to suck on his blood bag, resting his chin on his hand.
“Sister Xiaolan, senior can’t eat,” Mao Mao, Qing Ming, and Si Yino all sympathized with him. “Because he drinks dog blood all year round and has ruined his body. Besides dog blood, he’ll have diarrhea if he eats anything else.”
“Vomiting and diarrhea?” I looked sympathetically at Jiang Yan, whose haggard appearance had diminished his good looks. He frowned and appeared uncommunicative, as if unwilling to talk. Even the sound of him sipping on his blood bag had ceased. However, I couldn’t resist asking, “Then why do you drink dog blood?”
“Snap!” Someone kicked me. I looked over and saw Mao Mao giving me a stern look, while Qing ming shook his head in disapproval. Si Yino hid behind the White Snake, his gaze fixed on Jiang Yan.
Jiang Yan stood up, no longer consuming from his blood bag. “I want to be alone,” he said, before turning to sit at another table, staring blankly at his blood bag. His solitary figure evoked a sense of pity in me.
“No money,” Qing Ming suddenly spoke in a lowered voice. I looked at him, and he too lowered his head, only eating his own skewers. Mao Mao sighed, “Senior Jiang Yan is from the Jiang clan, but the Jiang clan is already in decline among the vampire families. Their conditions are not good, and vampires rely on drinking human blood to maintain their stamina…”
“Human blood!” I quickly covered my mouth and lowered my voice. “So they really drink human blood!”
Mao Mao nodded. “There’s a store here where they can buy expired blood bags imported from the human world, so it’s not harmful to humans. But even expired blood is sold at a high price in the immortal realm, and Jiang Yancan’t afford it. He can only drink the cheapest dead dog blood, which is detrimental to his health. His physical condition has deteriorated, and he can’t secure good jobs or earn much money. It’s a vicious cycle…” Mao Mao sadly lowered his head, raising his hand to stroke his long eyebrows as if stroking his hair.
“Life in the immortal realm… is very pragmatic,” said Si Yino timidly, his face barely visible from how low it was. “No money… nothing… so, Sister Xiaolan, you also need to make money…” He cautiously looked up at me before quickly lowering his gaze again, as if afraid of making me angry. “But here… it seems like… there’s nothing that humans can do…”
What?!
Am I going to starve to death here?!
Even if I don’t buy anything else, like Jiang Yan, I still need to eat! A person can’t survive without three meals a day!
Thinking this, I quickly ordered two more skewers. I didn’t even know where my next meal would come from, so I decided to eat my fill for today.
“We can beg for food,” Qing Ming suddenly suggested.
“Snap!” I almost spat out my food and quickly covered my mouth. I didn’t want to waste any food, so I swallowed everything and smiled at them, lifting my glass. “Don’t worry! I can pass the exams, so I won’t be unable to earn money! Come on, today’s a celebration for me. Let’s be happy and cheers!”
Everyone lifted their cola cans skeptically, their eyes still filled with worry.
At night, I sat alone on the steps in front of the door, which had finally become quiet. I looked at my phone, but there was no signal here, and I couldn’t let my dad know that I was safe.
As I sat there, a group of fluorescent butterflies fluttered gracefully past me, resembling the beauty of fireflies.
Jiang Yan, my companion, sat down beside me. “Can’t sleep?” he asked, turning his face towards me. His complexion, already lacking in color, seemed to take on a sinister shade of green amidst the swarm of glowing butterflies.
I shook my head and held onto my phone. Jiang Yanglanced over and remarked, “You can’t contact your family in the immortal realm.”
I was surprised, turning to face him immediately. “So you can’t make phone calls either?”
Jiang Yannodded in response. “But there’s campus Wi-Fi, see?” He pulled out his phone, which displayed a video. “Your video had the highest views today, hehe.” He even smiled, something I had not seen before.
“Don’t show me anymore,” I groaned, holding my head. “My phone seems useless here.”
“Useless? Let me take a look,” Jiang Yan offered, taking my phone to examine it. “Ah, you have a card from the mortal realm. It needs to be upgraded here, but that costs money.”
“Money again!” I exclaimed, covering my face in exasperation and rubbing it. “Your immortal realm is so pragmatic.”
“Here’s what we can do. Let Mao Mao and her brother lend you some money.”
“Mao Mao and her brother?” I turned to look at Jiang Yan. He picked up his blood bag and nodded. “Yes, her brother… ” Jiang Yan hesitated before adding, “In the immortal realm, there’s a rule that you can’t borrow money from your own siblings. It implies that you’re not capable. In the immortal realm, you have to rely on yourself for everything.” He clenched his fist and then smiled, looking at me with his clear, bright blue eyes. “But your situation is special. I think Mao Mao will help you out. Get some rest. The days ahead will be even more difficult.”
My face darkened as a fluorescent butterfly flew across Jiang Yan’s eyes, leaving behind a green glow. Senior, by saying that, you’ve made it even harder for me to sleep!
“The days ahead will be even more difficult!” Jiang Yan gave a dry laugh, seeming to realize that he had truly “scared” me. He stiffly patted my shoulder, picked up his blood bag, and “snored” away.
I turned back, rubbing my forehead. Regardless of how difficult life would be in the future, the first problem I needed to solve was breakfast for tomorrow.
