Chapter 182: Just… Very Enthusiastic
Chapter 182: Just… Very Enthusiastic
Even though it was a dinner at home, the spread was unexpectedly lavish.
After only half an hour of clattering noises in the kitchen, Drunkard had already steamed a fish, stir-fried several side dishes, braised a pot of red-cooked pork, and steamed rice… and incidentally spent ten minutes lecturing Drunkard’s Mother.
When all the dishes were laid out on the table, Drunkard bit open the cap of a white porcelain liquor bottle and warmly beckoned Lu Xin and her parents:
“Come, come, hurry and eat.”
“…”
Drunkard’s parents looked utterly forlorn, occasionally throwing Lu Xin imploring glances.
What could Lu Xin do?
Of course, pretend not to see them, while incidentally packing away two bowls of rice.
“Soldier, don’t just focus on eating, come on, fill your cup…” Drunkard was exceedingly enthusiastic, not only eating and sipping her liquor sip by sip herself but also urging Lu Xin to join.
This being his first time here, Lu Xin, feeling too shy to go for a third bowl of rice, quickly shook his head, “No thanks, besides, we…”
He trailed off before finishing his next words; after all, he wasn’t sure if Drunkard’s parents knew about her recruitment.
The Special Clean-up Department had confidentiality regulations; you couldn’t discuss these matters in front of outsiders.
“Hey, it’s fine! Liquor is the essence of grain, keeps you young…” Drunkard insisted, pouring a little liquor into his cup, then added with a chuckle, “Eat the meat if you want to! You’re young, still growing, after all…”
“Ahem…”
Lu Xin stared at this High School Student-looking Little Sister, her pale, delicate feet kicking in a pair of old-fashioned flip-flops, now changed into a wrinkled, white grandpa-style undershirt, urging him to drink while telling him to eat. He couldn’t shake a strong sense of unreality.
Drunkard’s Father came to the rescue, “If he doesn’t want to drink, don’t make him… and you… drink less too. A little girl shouldn’t…”
Here, he suddenly bit back his words. What had been about to spill out naturally became impossible to say.
“Aiyo, you’ll understand when you reach my age…”
Drunkard sighed with deep feeling, instead grabbing another cup. Placing it before her father, she filled it to the brim and advised, “No outsiders here now, so I won’t call you Father… Xiao Wu, not to criticize, but you… you’re just too honest…
“Don’t drink, don’t smoke… what did Xiao Wang ever see in you back then?
“Look at how you handle relationships at school…
“Honestly, if it’s too much, just retire. Come home. I’ll take care of you. We can afford your share of rice…”
“…”
Drunkard’s Father looked like he was about to cry from this outpouring of… something.
Drunkard’s Mother had wanted to interject, but after one glance at her daughter, she simply didn’t dare to open her mouth.
After all, she’d just endured a lecture lasting over ten minutes…
…
…
What kind of life does this family even lead normally?…
Lu Xin thought inwardly, feeling so tortured by the atmosphere he didn’t dare speak, just concentrating on stuffing food into his mouth.
After what felt like an eternity, the meal finally ended. Drunkard’s Father, Xiao Wu, was coerced into drinking three cups. Even Drunkard’s Mother, Xiao Wang, couldn’t withstand her daughter’s enthusiasm and was persuaded into drinking one cup. As for Lu Xin, he only managed a couple of sips, but he had indeed eaten quite a lot of rice…
“The thing tonight…”
After dinner, Drunkard and Lu Xin sat on the sofa smoking. Xiao Wu and Xiao Wang were washing dishes in the kitchen.
Seeing Drunkard still hadn’t brought up the main affair, Lu Xin tentatively raised it.
He still didn’t know what Drunkard’s concrete plan was. Was the purpose of the evening to discuss business, or to find him a place to stay first?
Unexpectedly, as soon as he brought it up, Drunkard waved her hand dismissively, “Tonight, you’ll sleep in my room!”
Slap…
A sharp clatter suddenly rang out from the kitchen, immediately followed by the complete cessation of any washing sounds.
One didn’t even need to look to know four ears had perked up sharply.
Lu Xin was also startled: “What?”
Drunkard looked puzzled, “What ‘what what what’? You’re here at my place, of course you’ll stay the night?”
Lu Xin stared at this dewy, 17 or 18-year-old Little Sister, pipe in hand, entirely baffled. It took him a long moment to stammer out a suggestion he would never usually volunteer: “That… that… perhaps staying at a Hotel would be better…
“…Headquarters… the company reimburses it anyway.”
“Hotel? What for?” Drunkard shot him an unhappy glance. “The company’s money isn’t money?”
She exhaled a puff of smoke, then pointed the stem of her pipe towards the bedroom. “My bed is big and soft. Plenty of room for both of us. Besides…” She lowered the foot that had been propped on the sofa, then hoisted the other one up instead, studying Lu Xin as she smoked, eyes narrowed. “…I invited you here specifically because I had something to discuss. Staying here, we can finally chat tonight, can’t we?”
“But you…”
Lu Xin had never been more embarrassed in his life. He looked at the Drunkard, his face blushing crimson.
“For heaven’s sake, we’re both grown men! Why are you so prissy?”
The Drunkard seemed a little annoyed, rolling her eyes at Lu Xin. But following his gaze downwards to her own T-shirt-clad chest, she suddenly understood what had him so flustered and flushed. She chuckled.
“Don’t think of me as a woman. Just treat me as your uncle.”
“……”
Lu Xin felt his worldview shattering.
Just then, Xiao Wu and Xiao Wang emerged nervously from the kitchen. Hoping for reinforcements, Lu Xin was dismayed to see their faces light up. Xiao Wang cried out:
“She’s right! Guests in our home shouldn’t be sent to a Hotel! Stay here!”
Xiao Wang’s husband, Xiao Wu, opened his mouth as if to voice caution, but Xiao Wang quickly nudged him, tilting her head towards their daughter who was puffing on a pipe on the sofa. Steeled, Xiao Wu changed his mind.
“I’ve got new pajamas. I’ll find a set for the young soldier later…”
Their insistence was overwhelming. Lu Xin shifted uncomfortably, feeling utterly trapped. He yielded helplessly.
“Fine, I really could just sleep on the sofa…”
“No need!”
Xiao Wang, the Drunkard’s mother, revealed unexpected determination. She gritted her teeth.
“He’ll stay in Wu Gege’s room! It’s spacious!”
Lu Xin glanced at the Drunkard, who was grinning slyly at him, and felt a wave of despair.
……
After washing the dishes, the four sat on the sofa, watching TV in a strangely tense atmosphere until Xiao Wu and Xiao Wang abruptly declared they were tired.
Urged along, Lu Xin and the Drunkard hurriedly washed up and were promptly shooed into the bedroom.
The room was quite large and surprisingly resembled that of a teenage girl. Cartoon-patterned bedding adorned the bed. Old movie posters clung to the walls – many restored and reprinted from original stills, exactly the kind of trendy items popular with kids today.
Dominating the wall directly above the headboard, a poster showed a caped, bald man staring vacantly into the distance…
“Uh… the room isn’t that huge…,” Lu Xin mumbled awkwardly, clutching his backpack, too nervous to sit down.
“Shhh…!”
The Drunkard perched on the edge of the bed, one leg crossed over the other. She shot Lu Xin a meaningful look.
“They’re listening.”
It took Lu Xin a moment to grasp her meaning. His face instantly flared red again.
The Drunkard, however, was utterly nonchalant. Taking a swig of tea from her large enamel mug, she shook her head, a hint of sadness in her sigh.
“They’ve had it hard. Pouring their hearts out for their daughter. They’ve consulted so many Doctors, brought in countless exorcists. Everything in this house is styled like it should belong to a young girl. They even considered pushing me into an arranged marriage…”
“If only I’d changed my preferences, switching from uncle to aunt…”
“……”
Lu Xin didn’t know how to respond. Something felt profoundly wrong, yet… it also made a strange sense.
“But…,” the Drunkard sighed deeply, “…it’s useless. Even the old hands at the Special Clean-up Department can’t figure me out, let alone someone like Wu Laoer (Second Elder Wu) – an exorcist…”
“……”
Hearing this, Lu Xin paid slightly closer attention. He had recently apprehended a Ghost – one capable of existing as a Spiritual Entity inhabiting others. Could the Drunkard’s condition be similar? Was there an uncle’s Spiritual Entity residing within this young girl’s body?
However, Ghost Ability Users supposedly couldn’t permanently dwell in another’s body. They’d eventually be assimilated by the host’s mind and become that person.
Yet the Drunkard’s state seemed long-term, making a Ghost-event explanation unlikely.
Moreover, if this was just a cognitive impairment, she shouldn’t possess such lucid reasoning and clear self-awareness.
He was curious, but didn’t push further. This delved deep into personal territory; probing too hard would be impolite.
……
“About time…”
Just as Lu Xin was pondering, the Drunkard glanced at the bedside alarm clock, suddenly rose, and drew the curtains closed.
“Wh… what are you doing?” Lu Xin’s voice trembled with genuine panic.
“What do you think?”
The Drunkard retorted, pulling off her T-shirt and shooting Lu Xin a glare over her shoulder.
As Lu Xin froze, mortified and ready to bolt for the door, she squatted down, pulled out a case from under the bed, and retrieved a specialized protective vest. She swiftly fastened it, then proceeded to don a full Protective Suit. She laced up thick-soled combat boots, fitted on a headset, picked up a gun, meticulously inspecting it – ejecting and reloading the magazine before holstering it securely on her thigh.
“But… this is?” Lu Xin stammered, utterly confused.
The Drunkard raised a finger to her lips, “Shhh,” and flipped off the light.
Shrouded in darkness, she pressed close to Lu Xin’s ear, her breath warm and carrying a trace of alcohol.
“I spiked Xiao Wu and Xiao Wang’s drinks a bit. They’ll be out soon.”
“Those Monsters? They should be arriving any minute now…”
“……”
Lu Xin inhaled sharply. “Monsters?”
“Of course…,” the Drunkard murmured, her voice low and serious. “They’ve been after me for days…”
She shot him a sidelong glance. “You didn’t honestly think this uncle bunking with a young fella like you… was because I was coveting your body, did you?”