By now the girl had finally collected herself.
Looking at Shan Ran, she said, “You’ve got blood on you. I have a damp towel here, wipe yourself off.”
She soaked a towel and walked over to hand it to Shan Ran.
The girl had blood all over her face and body too, but she paid it no mind, only kept her eyes on Shan Ran.
“Those scumbags came from the District 5 slums. They tailed my little sister and forced their way in as she was coming through the door. My sister has a bauhinia ability, her body can turn into a plant, and she can grow flowers, the pollen makes people cough and wheeze. The two on the floor couldn’t stop coughing and couldn’t move, so the other two just knocked them out. My sister ran out of strength fast and got kicked aside. Thank goodness, thank goodness you came…… May I ask your name? I, I’ll definitely find a way to repay you.”
“Shan Ran. My name is Shan Ran.” Shan Ran thought for a moment, then looked at the girl. “There’s nothing I want right now. If you want to repay me, then live hard, live until District 1 is temporarily stabilized, and go to a safe zone. If we can meet again then, you can repay me.”
“Safe zone?” The girl was puzzled.
Shan Ran nodded, said nothing more, rinsed the towel a few more times, and once she’d wiped the blood from her skin, turned to leave.
“Lord, Lord Shan, my name is Mo Yunyun, my sister is Mo Qiqi. I don’t have an ability, but I’ll do my best to survive!”
Hearing how the girl addressed her, Shan Ran nearly tripped over her own foot.
‘Why did “Lord Shan” sound so much like “mountain bandit king”?’ [1] “Lord Shan”, 山大人, sounds almost like 山大王, “king of the mountain,” the term for a bandit chief jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_2777447_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_2777447_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });
“Right. Live hard.”
Once outside, Shan Ran placed a call.
“Hey there, esteemed Miss Shan, did you get the blade?”
“Zac, thank you, the blade is excellent….. but your management of the urban village is too lax. Robbers from the District 5 slums are coming and going as they please now.”
Zac was Shan Ran’s black-market contact, and also the underground manager of this stretch of urban village.
“What? Damn it, what kind of mangy dogs from District 5 dare run wild over here? Where? I’ll send people right away.”
“I already dealt with it.” After giving the address, Shan Ran went on, “Zac, as a friendly business partner, a word of advice: stock up on plenty of supplies, lay in some cold-weather gear, get yourself enough self-defense weapons. Three days from now, be careful about everything, find a safe, solid building to hole up in.”
“Hssss….. Miss Shan, what do you mean by that? Three days from now? Do you have some kind of intel? I can buy information, the price is negotiable.”
Shan Ran let out a soft laugh. “Zac, this piece of intel is free, if you trust me. That’s all. Goodbye.”
With that, she hung up.
Zac had known Shan Ran’s parents and had dealings with them once, after learning Shan Ran had moved to the Third Continent, he’d reached out to her himself.
The two had had little contact before, but for Shan Ran as she was now, he was a decent connection.
After she got in the car, a din rose from the roadside. Shan Ran looked over, Zac’s men had hauled out the other intruders and dragged them into the street for a beating.
She shot a glance over and turned away, driving off.
When she got home, the workers told her that a man and a woman had come by in the morning. From their description, Shan Ran guessed it was Auntie Zhang and her son.
She clicked her tongue in disgust. She hadn’t gone looking for them, and here they’d come knocking on her door instead.
Just then her phone rang.
Seeing Auntie Zhang’s name, Shan Ran frowned slightly.
“Hello, Auntie Zhang.”
“Ranran, are you home? I came to your place today to clean, but you weren’t in, why’s the door lock changed? My key won’t open the door anymore.”
Auntie Zhang deliberately glossed over the fact that her son had come too.
Shan Ran twirled the end of her hair idly. “Mm, too many workers, so I changed the lock once the interior was done. I’ll give you the new key when you come tomorrow.”
“Okay. What time will you be home tomorrow, Ranran?”
Shan Ran considered. “Let’s say ten at night. I’m out all day.”
“That late? It’s not very safe out lately. I saw several beatings today, I’m a little afraid to go out at night……”
Feigning hesitation, Auntie Zhang stated her real aim. “Ranran, ten’s a bit late, could I bring my son along?”
Shan Ran raised an eyebrow. “Sure, come together.”
‘Makes it easier to net you all in one go.’
Auntie Zhang agreed with a smile, then hung up and nodded to her son to signal all was well.
“Ma, when we go tomorrow, let’s not rush. We still need to feel out whether Shan Ran has an ability, and what it is.”
“I know, I know. But there are two of us, you scared of one little girl?”
Zhang Xinren shook his head in disagreement. “Ma, you’ve got it wrong. Better we not use force. Your son here is a fine figure of a man, and now I’m this strong too, is winning Shan Ran’s favor really such a hard thing?”
Auntie Zhang pictured the scene and a satisfied smile spread across her face.
“My son’s the thoughtful one. Take it slow, then. Once you’re together with her, everything of hers will be yours.”
Zhang Xinren smiled too. “Not just mine. Yours as well, Ma.”
Shan Ran was likewise full of lovely anticipation for tomorrow’s operation. Humming a tune, she took out the fresh vegetables she’d bought today.
After days of instant food, she’d make a feast tonight.
The hand holding the vegetables suddenly stopped.
‘How do you cook, again?’
Wash the veg, into the pan, add oil, light the flame, add salt, dish it out~
The edges were a little burnt, and the flavor…. had no flavor.
Shan Ran set down her chopsticks in disgust and propped her chin on her hand, at a loss.
No matter which world it was, it seemed Shan Ran’s cooking skill had never once been unlocked.
Forget it, better go heat up a burger. Food was hard to come by now, mustn’t waste it.
After finishing the burger, Shan Ran narrowed her eyes contentedly.
‘Comfy.’
Just then came a knock at the door.
Shan Ran opened it to find one of the workmen.
“Boss, there’s a guest outside, says he’s looking for you.”
Shan Ran found it odd. Who’d come looking for her at this hour? Surely not Auntie Zhang at her door?
Mm, didn’t seem like it, if it were that mother and son, they wouldn’t be so polite, they’d have come banging straight on the door.
Shan Ran walked to the courtyard gate. Standing by it was a stranger, a man with a head of silver-gray hair and a sculpted Western face, like an image out of an old Western film she’d once seen, a sun-bright handsome face that left a stunning, fleeting impression [2] 惊鸿一瞥, a breathtaking glimpse, gone in an instant jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_2777447_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_2777447_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, retro and stately.
He lifted his gaze, the gray eyes were deep and coldly sharp. Seeing Shan Ran, he froze for a moment, then narrowed his eyes into a smile that melted away that ice.
The man bent slightly at the waist and extended a hand, his tone gentle and refined, his voice pleasant, carrying a polished aristocratic accent.
“You must be the honored Miss Shan. I’m your neighbor, Rhine Lawrence.”
References[+]