Chapter 273: Chapter 234: Good Samaritan
"5 yuan." Mo Daidai haggled.
In the end, after a bit of back-and-forth, Yang Xiao spilled everything about how he disciplined the father and son surnamed Chen in room 8009 for the price of 7 yuan.
Upon hearing that Yang Xiao had given the ghost a beating, Mo Daidai couldn’t help but be astonished; this revelation opened a new door for him. It proved that under certain extreme conditions, ghosts could be attacked, and the results were astonishingly good.
Just for Yang Xiao’s courage and audacity, Mo Daidai felt the price was worth it; it was a dangerous and bold attempt.
However, what happened next made Yang Xiao even more puzzled by the guy before him. Mo Daidai took out another 5 yuan note from his pocket and handed it to Yang Xiao, "I’m buying this piece of information exclusively; you can’t tell anyone else."
Yang Xiao: "???"
"This information can make money. I guess by morning, your bonus will either be nonexistent or exceptionally generous. You should understand that if all of us here have money, it will greatly diminish your and my advantage. It wouldn’t be surprising if the ghost increased the ransom amount," Mo Daidai explained earnestly while looking at Yang Xiao.
Seeing Mo Daidai like a long-lost brother, Yang Xiao laughed and accepted the 5 yuan, "Interesting, I agree to your terms."
"Chu Xi, I need to say this upfront, I’m a businessman; trust is everything. Since you’ve agreed to it, you must follow through," Mo Daidai emphasized.
After taking the money, Yang Xiao got a new perspective on Mo Daidai. He was an intriguing person—appearing dull yet smart, and unusually fixated on rules, "There’s something else I want to ask, why were you following me during the day?"
"I’ve told you, it wasn’t me, it was Tong Han. She said she felt something was off about you," Mo Daidai explained candidly.
"What’s off?"
"I don’t know; you can ask her directly," Mo Daidai seemed not too keen on continuing this subject. He waved his hand, dismissing Yang Xiao, "Chu Xi, you can go now; I need to rest."
Seeing that Yang Xiao didn’t move, Mo Daidai exhaled and explained, "Rest assured, you’re useful, I won’t harm you. Each of us can only be targeted by the Ball-slapping Ghost once per night, just be careful to avoid the female ghost."
After saying goodbye and leaving, and just as Mo Daidai had said, Yang Xiao safely made his way back. When he finally got to his own room and closed the door, he heaved a long sigh of relief.
The information gained tonight was plentiful and very useful. Yang Xiao thought of Tong Han, who had been hanging around with Mo Daidai during the day. He suspected that Mo Daidai had also taken money from Tong Han and had shared key information about the mission with her.
Just as Mo Daidai had said, he was a businessman, and for a businessman, who he deals with doesn’t matter as long as the price is right.
...
hours earlier.
Wang Longhui stood in front of a mottled wooden door, looked up to confirm that this was his destination for the night, room 9032.
After steeling his nerves sufficiently, he finally extended his hand and knocked on the door.
Soon after, strange sounds emanated from the room, as if someone was dragging a lump of flesh across the floor, which made Wang Longhui’s heart jump into his throat.
The door creaked open with difficulty, revealing an old man wearing a dogskin cap and heavy grey cotton-padded clothes in front of Wang Longhui.
The old man looked haggard, his eyes dull and deep-set, his complexion sickly and waxen yellow. His body was swaddled in thick cotton padding, and under his armpits, he clutched a pair of wooden crutches that obviously had been used for many years, their edges severely worn.
"Old Man Song, I’m here to cook for you," Wang Longhui politely introduced himself, having made an effort to make his hair look good before leaving the house to appear more cheerful.
The old man’s cloudy eyes gradually focused as he laboriously made way, his voice hoarse but polite, "Thank you for taking the time to care for an old wreck like me."
"Don’t mention it, sir. You’re being too kind," Wang Longhui replied with a smile as he walked in, behaving as obedient as a grandchild.
After entering, he first surveyed the room. There was nothing particularly unusual about the old man’s room, but a large wooden table in the center of the living room caught Wang Longhui’s attention.
It was a large black round table made of wood, very sturdy, it looked to be of great quality. What really puzzled Wang Longhui was the six chairs arranged around the table.
One of the chairs in the center with a backrest was clearly the old man’s own seat, but what about the remaining five chairs?
According to the agency, Old Man Song was a solitary elder. Could it be that he had the habit of inviting neighbors over to share a meal?
At this thought, Wang Longhui began to panic slightly since the "neighbors" Old Man Song could invite wouldn’t be anything pleasant; he feared that tonight he might be dealing with more than just one ghost.
"Old Man Song, do we have any other guests tonight?" Wang Longhui asked casually, "I’m an average cook, and I wouldn’t want to embarrass you."
Old Man Song shook his head with a sigh, "No more, who else would bother with an old wreck like me, apart from kind souls like you?"
Relieved by this, Wang Longhui’s smile became even more genuine, "Don’t talk like that. If you need company, I can come again in a few days to join you, how about a week from now?"
"That would be a trouble for you, kind soul," Old Man Song said, moved to tears.
Wang Longhui didn’t want to waste time with him, so after a pretense of asking about any dietary restrictions, he started preparing the meal.
Wang Longhui was shocked when he opened the fridge. It was crammed full, mostly with fresh vegetables and various types of thawed meat ready to be cooked, including fish and whole chickens which were cleaned quite neatly.
Wang Longhui inspected these meats very carefully because since he entered the room, he could always smell a faint rotting odor.
Yet even after checking the entire fridge, he couldn’t find the source of the foul smell. The food inside was very fresh, as if it had just been bought from the morning market.
And there was a very large quantity of food, enough to feed four or five people for a week. Wang Longhui couldn’t help but wonder, how could a lone old man consume so much food?
"Sir, how much food should I prepare?" Wang Longhui probed, "How much can you eat alone?"
"Whatever you make, I’ll eat. Cook more, please try to use up all the food in the fridge," Old Man Song, leaning on his crutches, stood not far from Wang Longhui, watching him intently, "But hurry up, young man. The old man is terribly hungry."
Upon hearing this, Wang Longhui instantly understood. His movements became very quick. It seemed that the crisis of the night lay here: Old Man Song was a starving ghost. If he didn’t fill him up in time, he too would be devoured.
Old Man Song had no dietary restrictions and his requirements for food were very low, eating anything was fine. Wang Longhui roughly cooked up a pot full of water, tossing in large chunks of beef and pork, along with whole frozen chickens. Seeing that Old Man Song had no objections, he dumped in a hodgepodge of food and added plenty of seasoning.
He wasn’t sure if it tasted good, but it would certainly be filling. Not daring to slack off, he then cooked a big pot of white rice in an old-fashioned black iron pot next to him.
As the scent of the cooking spread, Old Man Song’s eyes fixed on the iron pot, drool running down from the corner of his mouth, "Hungry... so hungry, how much longer?"
"Almost done, almost done," Wang Longhui was bustling about, holding an iron spit with half a duck on it, roasting it.
