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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 98: The Mystery of the Alley (Part Fourteen)
"How about we leave the car here? It's not far to the Farmers' Market, and just a bit past that is Fruit Street."
"That's fine, but it depends on your skills in finding a parking spot."
What has happened to China? There are fewer bicycles, and more electric scooters and cars, which is one of the reasons for global warming. I said, "If every household could only buy one car, it would significantly reduce the number of vehicles. Plus, there are still some impoverished areas where people can't afford cars, so there would be a lot fewer cars overall!"
"That's definitely true." Qin Jian's eyes were fixed ahead at a spot where there were roadside parking spaces. Finally, he spotted a car slowly leaving a space and exclaimed happily, "Got one!" He honked the horn urgently, trying to get the people crowding in front of the space to move aside.
However, those people had just dispersed only to gather again, completely ignoring Qin Jian's car.
With no other option, Qin Jian activated the police lights. The lights spun instantly, accompanied by a piercing siren. Nearby people glanced over at the police car and hurriedly moved out of the way, allowing him to safely pull into the parking space. This area was crowded; parking required some skill, but fortunately, Lao Qin was an experienced driver. He maneuvered in and out with ease and parked without much hassle.
"This isn't someone else's shared vehicle, is it?"
"I'm not sure. What we need to do now is focus on our business and not worry about anything else."
On the way here, Qin Jian had contacted the Street Office on Fruit Street, which then reached out to the construction workers responsible for maintaining the street's restrooms. By the time we arrived at the site, several construction workers wearing hard hats were already dismantling the restroom on Fruit Street.
They had also set up a prominent sign that read: "This restroom is temporarily closed to the public. We apologize for any inconvenience caused. Please find alternative facilities."
Of course, before dismantling the restroom, last night the Street Office had sent someone to thoroughly clean it out. Although they cleared away visible debris, this was still a place for human convenience. Those who knew would understand that human waste smells worse than animal waste; thus, even after cleaning, it was inevitable that some odor would linger.
This time, Qin Jian was dressed in his police uniform. As for me? I was in plain clothes with a large backpack filled with various tools to deal with Evil Souls.
The weather today was decent; the ground was crowded with people bustling about like steaming buns. Occasionally, a faint ray of sunlight lazily fell upon people's heads and buildings above them. Since it was autumn, there was no hint of warmth from the sun.
Qin Jian and I stood guard by the restroom.
Those buying fruit glanced at us intermittently. An elderly man with graying hair and wearing a jacket watched us for quite some time before seemingly gathering his resolve to approach us.
An elderly man with a nose like a laughing face and a body that seemed to have shrunk in various ways, appeared to be sent by the Street Office. He hurriedly stepped forward to block my way, saying, "I'm sorry, but you can't use the facilities here. Please go check the alley."
The elderly man looked at me helplessly, and under the obstruction of the Street Office, he eventually left.
Once the person from the Street Office moved away, I saw Qin Jian and I standing there. He quickly brought over the stool he had been sitting on and offered it to me with a smile, saying, "Please sit."
"No need, let my boss sit."
Qin Jian shot me a glare but didn’t take the stool. He then asked a few simple questions. Watching them engage in a focused discussion about the restroom issue, I quietly slipped away. I went to find the person who had tried to approach us earlier, zeroing in on the elderly man in a jacket as I walked over.
"Excuse me, sir, I'm buying some fruit."
The old man looked up at me, momentarily surprised before quickly regaining his composure and smiling as he asked, "What kind are you buying?"
"Oranges."
The elderly man saw that I was from the office and picked out only the large ones. It was known that fruit vendors would display the bigger fruits on top to attract buyers. Seeing him select like this meant that what was left didn’t look good.
"Please don’t, sir. I'm not from the office; I'm just assisting in verifying something," I said. Noticing a dark spot at the corner of his eye and his short, narrow philtrum, it seemed like he had lived a life full of struggles without children or a partner around. Unsure if my assumptions were correct and wanting to spare his dignity, I wouldn’t reveal what I had discreetly calculated.
"Oh. Let me give you some advice; that restroom is dangerous."
Feigning surprise, I asked, "How so?"
"Ah! That restroom is cursed; when it was first used back then, I was still young and went once. After that, I never dared to go again." The elderly man spoke with fear in his voice as he glanced anxiously at the restroom being demolished and whispered, "That place is evil."
"My daughter-in-law Bao Hui didn’t listen to my warnings and got into trouble. Tsk tsk! She died but was freed from suffering in this life; it just shouldn’t have happened!"
"Granny, please tell me more."
"You don’t know? Just after they renovated that restroom, an accident happened—one worker got injured when a half-brick fell on his foot. The worker caused quite a stir with the construction company over this issue. The Street Office suppressed it so many people don’t know about it; the construction company didn’t pay a dime, and now that worker is disabled, limping around. Alas! Such misfortune."
"Oh, what does it mean that you went once and then didn't go again?"
"Try this flavor, it's quite good." I was facing away from the bathroom, while the Elderly Man was facing it. I genuinely didn't know that the Street Office had come over; perhaps he was afraid she would talk nonsense! I was puzzled, wondering if this old man had trouble hearing since he avoided discussing such a close question and instead chatted about how good the orange tasted.
Until I heard the Street Office say, "Liao Yunhua, don't talk nonsense."
"No, this person bought me oranges, and I'm just telling him how delicious this orange is."
The Street Office gave me a look and cheerfully asked, "How many pounds did you buy? If you're going to buy some, buy more. Liao Yunhua, did you hear that? Let him weigh a bit more; I'll cover the cost."
"How can I let you pay? I have..." Initially, I used weighing the oranges as an excuse to communicate with the elderly man. But with the Street Office butting in, it made everyone hesitant to speak. I was genuinely angry but couldn't show it. I pulled out a fifty-dollar bill and handed it to the Elderly Man, saying, "Just weigh a few more pounds; no need to give me change."
The Elderly Man hurried to weigh again. The Street Office stood there with his hands behind his back, adopting a leadership posture. He looked around and muttered, "This street used to be so clean; only some kids and people passing by for work would come through. The ground was spotless. It's all these Fruit Vendors making the whole street a mess."
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