The Record of Unusual Creatures

Before lighting up all the firecrackers outside, Lily ran back inside to the back room and moved a new box of firecrackers out again. Hao Ren was terribly shocked. He had tasked Lily with buying some firecrackers two days ago, hence he expected that the maiden would be having a field day. Nonetheless, it seemed like he had been too optimistic. The husky bought so many firecrackers that it looked like she was going to war. How much did she actually buy?

The smoke from the firecrackers had turned Lily’s face black. She overheard Hao Ren’s mumbling, yet was still as happy as ever. “Just let me be. It’s not like I can play like this every day. It’s to celebrate Uncle and Auntie Nangong’s return to modern society. You wanna give it a try, Y’lisabet?”

The demoness joined the husky.

As the two maidens happily lighting up the firecrackers, Nangong Wudi looked anxious on his face as he glanced into the street. “Where are our guests?”

Hao Ren had also felt something was not quite right. He tipped his toes and looked into the distance, but only saw the empty streets. Not to mention the neighbours who had promised to come, not a soul was seen on the streets. Nangong Sanba’s brows knit together as he comforted his dad. “At least there should be some onlookers, isn’t it? Can’t believe that we’re having a bad start.”

“I go and check it out.” Hao Ren waved at the Nangongs and strode down the street.

However, not even half way on his way, he saw several figures coming from the far end of the street. Leading in front was the elderly Mrs. Lee. Hao Ren hurried up to her. Before he could say anything, the old lady said, “I knew you must be here. But why do you let Daquan stop people at the junction there?”

Hao Ren scratched his head, perplexed. As the old lady walked past him, the chubby boss of the supermarket, whose smiling face was as bright as ever, came up to him and said, “Lily had sent me invitation yesterday. I’ve brought along my daughter-in-law. But how did you get Daquan to stop people at the junction?”

Hao Ren knew Lily had put in a lot of hard work. The maiden had been hanging around the town all this while and become familiar with all the neighbours. People in Southern Suburbs liked to keep dogs, so Lily could approach them easily as a veterinarian. Yesterday, she also told the all the neighbours about the opening of Nangongs’ restaurant while she went door to door pretending to give immunisation to their dogs. He sighed a little and was pleased that the husky had been of great help at the needing moment as he greeted the neighbours who had come for the restaurant opening. At this time, there was a person coming up, it was the young man operating the mobile phone shop in the business district. “Hey, Hao Ren, good to see you. By the way, why do you let Daquan stop people at the junction?”

Hao Ren could not stand it any longer. He said to his neighbours, “Please head over the restaurant where smoke is rising. You all will be able to get in when Lily finishes with the firecrackers. I have to go to the intersection to see what’s going on!”

He then dashed down the street. When he got there, his jaw almost dropped to the ground: he saw crowds of trembling passers-by and neighbours stopped in their track as a towering bald man was standing in the middle of the junction greeted them with his big mouth. “Come here. Why are you people keeping so far away? Since you have come so far, follow me to the restaurant that is the only one in town…”

Who would dare to come near when a vicious guy was standing right in the middle? Some took a detour, some were standing by, and a few of them even took out their phones, recorded, and uploaded to video to Weibo. Hao Ren was shocked and in disbelief. “Wang! What are you doing here?”

The one threatening people at the junction was none other than Y’zaks, who turned around and smiled at Hao Ren. “Isn’t Lily letting me out to get the guests in? I wondered how many guests I could get by just standing at the shopfront. So I decided to come here at the intersection…”

Hao Ren almost blew his gasket. “I knew I shouldn’t count on the husky! How could get you to do this?”

Y’zaks rubbed the back of his head. “Maybe I’m more eye-catching.”

Hao Ren had a head full of cold sweat. “Wang, you had better go back and look after your daughter, she is fiddling with the firecrackers with Lily right now. Don’t let her blow up the building.”

After Y’zaks withdrawn, things at the junction started to return to normal. Before that, people were scared; they didn’t know who the wicked guy blocking their way was. Only those who knew him, or had seen his face before dared to come near him. Now the road is open and the people are coming back. Hao Ren let out a sigh of relief as he saw more people heading in the direction of the restaurant. He could hear some voices saying, “Is it a scam?””Don’t be funny, you have read too many storybooks. There’s no scam in this town.””Didn’t you freak out just now?””Nonsense, I just freaking thought there was going to be a fight…”

Hao Ren let out a sigh again. It was the dumbest idea to let Y’zaks do the guest-greeting role. Didn’t Lily know that the Y’zaks was more of a roadblock than an advertisement billboard on the street?

Amid the chaotic dramas, Nangong couple’s restaurant had finally opened.

Shaking his head and walking back to the restaurant, Hao Ren found that Lily had finally finished the two boxes of firecrackers. Y’lisabet and her were now picking up the unexploded firecrackers and lighted them up one by one. It seemed the smoke would not disperse so quickly anytime soon. He could vaguely see in front of the restaurant, Nangong Sanba and his sister were welcoming the guests into the restaurant. He could not help but sigh, yet again. “It freaking looks like Tiananmen Square…”

Y’lisabet ran up with firecracker in her hand. “What?”

“I was saying some husky had gone crazy with the firecrackers!” Hao Ren rolled his eyes. “Why is there so much smoke?”

Y’lisabet raised her hands in the air, jumping left and right. “I’ve mixed the last half box of firecrackers with sulphur!”

Cold sweat trickled down Hao Ren’s spine. Before he could feel it lucky to have the restaurant not blown up, he heard the little demon girl’s excited voice. “This ‘firecracker’ is really fun. Uncle Ren says your New Year celebration is even livelier than this. That’s so exciting!”

Hao Ren gritted his teeth. “The next time I will bring you to the Middle East, and then you can hear what you want all day long!”

The shop entrance suddenly opened as Vivian walked out as if she was emerging from a cloud. “Have you had enough fun outside? Let’s get inside and help!”

On the first day of the restaurant opening, the Nangong couple who had never run a restaurant before seemed to have been overwhelmed. No one had expected that Lily could bring so many neighbours. While the supportive residents of Southern Suburb were full of the milk of human kindness, it was a backbreaking work to the rookies. As soon as Hao Ren stepped inside, he saw Nangong Wuyue was holding a plate running around between the tables, yelling, “Table Three, add a cold dish—any cold dish… Table Four, check! Table Two’s noodles ready? Oh, Table One, bean curd stick fry meat… Huh? No? You wanna try it? Bean curd stick fry meat tastes good… Who ordered sautéed chicken cubes with dried chilli? Which table ordered it? I’ll eat it if nobody wants it…”

Lily just skipped inside and immediately yelled. “I’ll help you eat!”

Hao Ren was stunned. “…Will this restaurant survive?”

A voice came from the side. “It’s a free and sloppy species. What do you expect when they open a restaurant?”

“Not necessarily. Vivian is a no slacker…eh?” Hao Ren chimed in instinctively. But he suddenly came to his sense. He turned around and was shocked to a man and a woman at the table next to him. The man dressed in a suit that was a bit rustic, common face like any other white collars. The woman’s face was deadpan with a striking scar on her face that looked pretty, but her scar and emotionlessness still made her look a bit weird.

Hao Ren was shocked. “You two…”

“Surprised?” the man in suit waved and smiled at him. “We’re just passing by, on time to join the party.”

“Who are you guys?”

The woman with scar was having her drink with a cool face. She suddenly coughed.

“Liu Sheng,” the man in the suit forced a smile, pointing at himself and then his partner. “Zhao Xi. You’re doing very well now, so well that you don’t even remember our names.”