Today, my second uncle was acting strangely; he hadn't come to the store since early morning.
Thankfully, Su Yimei was there, so neither I nor Huang Jiu had to go hungry.
Since my second uncle didn't leave me the store key, and I couldn't leave to eat, Su Yimei kindly ordered us some "eat-worthy" food.
I was curious about the name. What kind of food would be called "eat-worthy"?
When the food arrived and I saw the packaging, I was relieved I didn't ask earlier, or I would've looked foolish.
The food was delicious, something I had never tried before.
At that moment, I thought better of Su Yimei. Huang Jiu also seemed very happy.
After we finished eating, Su Yimei had something to attend to and left, leaving me and Huang Jiu to look after the store.
Fortunately, in this business, it might take days or even weeks for someone to come in, so it's a small circle. Without fame or connections, it mostly depends on appearances.
By afternoon, my second uncle still hadn't returned.
Around one o'clock, a middle-aged woman with a child came to the door. The little girl seemed around four or five years old and was very thin.
From their clothes, it was obvious they were from the countryside.
I don't mean to discriminate; it's just that the clothing of rural people is noticeably different from that of city folks.
I can say that because I come from the countryside myself.
The middle-aged woman seemed a bit reserved, looking around several times before nervously entering. She asked, "Young master, is this the place for consultation?"
Earlier, I couldn't see them clearly through the glass, but once they entered, I furrowed my brows.
An old saying goes, "Men fear the first day, women fear the fifteenth. The zodiac cycles, and women born in the year of the sheep are said to have difficult lives."
This woman had both traits—born on the fifteenth and in the year of the sheep—looking troubled and weary.
My gaze fell on the timid little girl, and I couldn't help but feel a jolt of concern. I immediately got up and went over, asking, "Miss, is there trouble at home, or..."
Seeing me approach with a friendly demeanor, the woman became less shy, brushed her messy hair, and awkwardly asked, "Is it expensive here?"
In our line of work, when people come for consultations, it's usually better to discuss the price beforehand. It keeps things clear.
As my grandfather always said, while his skills were not exceptional, the rules were always straightforward.
I stayed silent, and the woman seemed uneasy. She grabbed the little girl and was about to leave.
Poor people often feel like any little bit of money weighs heavily on them.
I quickly caught up with them and said, "Since you're already here, why not come in and have a drink?"
My warm invitation made the woman reluctantly sit down, still holding the little girl tightly in her arms.
The child was very thin, so much so that it was heartbreaking.
But her big eyes were bright and full of life, though if you looked closely, you'd notice her pupils were abnormally narrow and slightly yellow—nothing like the round pupils of a normal person.
Seeing me stare at her, the little girl became frightened and hid in her mother's arms.
I subtly nudged Huang Jiu, who was lying on the table, and it immediately got up, grumbling and ready to curse. But upon seeing the mother and daughter, it wisely kept quiet.
As soon as the little girl saw Huang Jiu, she cried out and insisted on leaving.
Huang Jiu grinned, and its eyes gleamed with a strange green light. The girl instantly calmed down.
Her crying made the mother embarrassed and even more nervous.
Fortunately, Huang Jiu knew how to handle things. It rolled around on the table a few times and soon had the little girl giggling with joy.
I didn't want to hear about their hardships, so I let the woman focus on the important part.
The little girl, named Tingting, had been healthy and chubby before, a very cute child.
But about six months ago, she started refusing food. No matter what was offered, she wouldn't eat.
A few days later, the mother noticed Tingting would sneak raw eggs from the rice jar and gnaw on raw cured meat hanging from the eaves.
If anyone tried to stop her, the girl would cry and throw tantrums. When angered, she would even hiss like a snake.
Over the past two months, things got worse. At night, she acted like a wild animal, crawling into the chicken coop and biting chickens by the neck, but she wouldn't eat the meat—just drank their blood.
The mother was terrified, and finally, with the little money she had left, she brought Tingting to the city for treatment. After a month, the money was gone, but the girl's condition hadn't improved. She still refused to eat or drink.
Coincidentally, an elderly man in the hospital bed next to hers suggested she seek help from someone who could perform consultations.
The woman walked nearly half the street asking for help, but no one would take her case or charged too much.
I poured the woman some water and reassured her, "Don't worry, after you leave here, the child will be fine. But you should still go back to the hospital for some nutritional injections. Let the doctors help her recover before taking her home."
Tingting was so thin that her tiny neck looked fragile, and I worried that if she moved too quickly, her head might just snap off.
The woman seemed stunned, not quite understanding what I was saying.
I stood up and grabbed some snacks from the table, opening the bag and waving them at Tingting.
The little girl hesitated for a moment, but the smell of the chips was too tempting. She cautiously reached out and grabbed them, eating right there in front of her mother.
The woman was shocked, grabbing Tingting, kissing her face over and over again, holding her tightly in her arms, tears of joy streaming down her face. She kept thanking me.
Rural people are so pure-hearted. The woman didn't ask how her daughter suddenly got better, nor did she question me. She nervously pulled a handkerchief from her pocket.
The sight of the handkerchief reminded me of my mother.
"Miss!" I quickly stopped her hand. "Don't worry about the payment. You should go back to the hospital, follow the doctor's advice, and take good care of your daughter for a few more days."
The woman insisted, but I couldn't refuse her. She placed four five-yuan bills and ten one-yuan bills on the table.
I couldn't argue with her, so I took the money and packed some of the snacks Su Yimei had brought.
As soon as the mother and daughter left, Huang Jiu jumped onto the table, saying, "I told you, this store is doomed."
"Stop talking nonsense. What's going on?" I glared at Huang Jiu.
Huang Jiu replied, "I caught a little worm!"
With that, it pulled out a small snake, about the size of a pinky finger.
Though the snake was small, it was surrounded by a faint green mist, and its tiny eyes were cold and merciless, sending a shiver down my spine.
Thankfully, Huang Jiu had it by the neck, so it couldn't do any harm.
Huang Jiu asked, "Should we keep it?"
The woman hadn't mentioned anything about her family's situation, but I could tell from the state of things that it was a family plagued with misfortune. It was their bad luck that allowed this creature to get in.
Cold-blooded creatures like this couldn't be kept. After all, not everyone can be like Xu Xian.
I waved my hand. "Kill it."
Huang Jiu, hearing this, quickly stuffed the little green snake into its mouth like it was eating a spicy snack.