Grocery Store No.514

Chapter 5

Gl l, gl l

The shop was very quiet, except for the sound of the boiling water from the egg cooker. Knowing that Ling Huaans eyes could not see, Jiang Chengyan consciously stood aside and watched. Until ding sounded, Jiang Chengyan realized that there was no need to watch at all.

Ling Huaan fumbled to find a small plate before handing it to Jiang Chengyan then  said, take out the egg and peel off the shell.

Jiang Chengyan obediently did as he was told, and soon both eggs were peeled, Okay, here is it.

Ling Huaan took out a clean handkerchief, wrap the eggs and apply them to your face.

Jiang Chengyan was stunned. He said with a smile, dont bother, its all right.

He lied. If he was okay, how could he still be wearing a mask.

Ling Huaan eyes fixed on Jiang Chengyan, will you do it yourself or should I help you?

Jiang Chengyan hurriedly took the handkerchief and said, Ill do it myself, I wont bother you.

Ling Huaan fumbled to the shelf and took a box of instant noodles. He opened it, put another egg in it, added seasonings and boiling water, and sealed it with a fork. After that, he pushed it to Jiang Chengyan and said, Eat less spicy. Its fire¹.

Jiang Chengyan was moved when he looked at the braised beef noodles in front of him. He had only ever bought spicy beef noodles before. He knew Ling Huaan could not see, but he did not expect him to know.

Thank you.

I already sterilized that handkerchief, the other egg can still be eaten after you finish applying it. Two eggs and a bowl of noodles should be enough for you. Go back home and drink a glass of milk before going to bed.

Okay. Jiang Chengyan couldnt help but raise the corner of his mouth.

Laoban, this man giggled when he looked at you, I bet he doesnt have good  intentions towards you. Wang Lei couldnt help but mutter in Ling Huaans ear.

Ling Huaan did not say a word, he fumbled to pick up his phone, put on the headphones, and listened to the music. Jiang Chengyan also did not speak again.

He moved a stool, sat in front of the cash register, and ate the instant noodles. After eating and drinking, Jiang Chengyan was about to leave, when  heard Ling Huaan say, Captain Jiang, is the recent case difficult to handle?

Jiang Chengyan stepped back after hearing the words, and said with some difficulty, Laoban, the police station has regulations that no information about the case can be leaked.

My name is Ling Huaan.

Ah? Oh, Ling Laoban. Jiang Chengyan felt a little nervous for some reason.

Im asking because I want to ask a favor of Captain Jiang.

When he heard that it had nothing to do with the case, Jiang Chengyan couldnt help but breathe a sigh of relief and said with a smile, What is it? just say it, I will definitely help if I can.

Some time ago, I was discussing business with a gallery owner. He owed me a lot of money, but I couldnt find him in the past few days. I suspected that he wanted to renege on the debt, so I thought that Captain Jiang would find time to help me check.

Gallery owner? Which gallery? What is his name? Jiang Chengyan got angry when he heard that someone was plotting against Ling Huaan.

South Zhonghua Road No. 73 Changping Gallery, the owner is Jiang Changping.

Its easy to handle when you have the name and address. I will run in person tomorrow.

Ling Huaan raised an eyebrow and said, Captain Jiang, dont you ask me if I have an IOU²?

Jiang Chengyan was stunned. He almost subconsciously chose to believe in Ling Huaan, which was completely contrary to his usual professional habits. He asked, does Ling Laoban have an IOU?

Yes. Ling Huaan took out the IOU signed by the headless ghost from his pocket and handed it to Jiang Chengyan.

Jiang Chengyan took the IOU and looked at it, and asked hesitantly, Are you sure the signature and fingerprint below are Jiang Changping?

My friend was also present at the time. After seeing the ID card and confirming it was Jiang Changping himself. The fingerprints are also from me holding his hand.

The fingerprint actually belonged to Ling Huaan.

Jiang Chengyan smiled with relief and said, then I will take this IOU for time being. If theres any news, I will return it to you.

Okay. Thank you.

Youre welcome. Its Serve the People.³ Jiang Chengyan carefully put the IOU note into his pocket. When he saw that Ling Huaan was no longer speaking, he hesitated for a moment and said, That, if theres nothing else Ill go back first.

Ling Huaan took his phone out and said, Captain Jiang, leave your number.

188****9032.

What about the name? Ling Huaan asked naturally.

Jiang Chengyan. Jiang of the river, Cheng of bearing, and Yan of color. Remove the Yan beside the words on the page⁴. Jiang Chengyans answer naturally.

To Jiang Chengyans surprise, although Ling Huaan could not see clearly, he could accurately enter his name. Looking at the number in front of the name, he couldnt help but ask curiously, are those numbers a code?

Yes, I cant see it, so the number can be dialed out accurately.

So, what happened to your eyes? is there any hope for treatment?

It cant be cured.

Sorry

Im used to it. Ling Huaan put away the phone and said, Captain Jiang, its getting late, go back to rest early.

Okay, then Ill go first. If I hear anything tomorrow, Ill By the way, I dont have your number yet.

I will send you a message later.

Okay. Jiang Chengyan was inexplicably excited, and said, well although the opposite side is the police station, most people dont have the courage to do anything illegal and criminal here. But if you meet someone who doesnt have a good eye⁵, you must not resist, save your life first, dont say anything. If you encounter something that you cant solve by yourself, give me a call at any time, and I will be there when I have time.

Thank you, I will trouble the  Captain Jiang to take care of it from now on. Ling Huaan was not polite at all.

No trouble, you should, the police and the people are families

Although Jiang Chengyan often comes over to buy things, whenever he tried to talk to Ling Huaan, he always acted cold which made the two only exchange a few words. But today, Ling Huaan sudden change made Jiang Chengyan a little flattered and in a happy mood. 

Seeing Ling Huaan fall silent, Jiang Chengyan said, Then Ill leave first, see you tomorrow.

See you tomorrow.

The store door was pushed open then closed again, and Ling Huaan looked out the glass window in the same darkness.

Laoban, this man went out and kept looking at you, just now almost hit the bus stop sign. I dare to guarantee that he must have an intention for you. Wang Lei began to chatter in Ling Huaans ear again.

Ling Huaan said indifferently, Wang Lei, how long do you have before you can go to reincarnation?

There are 63 days left. Wang Lei answered honestly.

If it was a normal case, immediately after death there will be a messenger who will lead them to go to the underworld to reincarnate. But if people die unnaturally and hold resentment,  they will become resentful ghosts. The Underworld will also take them away but they cant reincarnate. They will be taken to a place called Hung⁶ to purify their grievances. The process is very painful and takes ninety-nine eighty-one days. If the process is not successful, it can only stay there forever.

Of course, there is another way which is to find the spirit in the Yang world⁷, help them to find out the truth, resolve the grievances in their hearts, to obtain the opportunity to reincarnate.  In this way, they not only avoid the pain of taking away grievances but also find out the truth about their death. It is the best way to achieve the best of both worlds.

They only have only eighty-one days, and if the resentment cannot be resolved within eighty-one days, a Yin⁸ will appear and take it to the Hung⁶.

If they want to get help from Spirit Guide⁹, they have to pay enough commission otherwise they wont bother to help. These rules have been passed down from generation to generation. To become a Spirit Guide also has to pay some price. And Li Huaan price is his eyes.

Wang Lei, do you still have unfulfilled wishes?

Ling Huaan looked at Wang Lei, a skinny boy who had only just reached adulthood before he died. He accidentally witnessed a murder case and get killed by the murderer. After he was killed, he had been wandering around the crime scene and was bumped into by Ling Huaan who was passing by. Because Wang Lei was an orphan before his death and could not afford the commission, Ling Huaan asked him to help him in the supermarket and be his eyes until his reincarnation time.

Wang Lei touched his head and said somewhat hesitantly, Actually, I dont have any wishes. I just want to go to the beach, but I havent been able to

Ling Huaan nodded and said, Ill take you there before you leave.

Wang Leis eyes lit up and said emotionally, Laoban, to meet you in this life is the luckiest thing for me, thank you!

Ling Huaan shook his head, pulled out his phone then typed a text message to send it to Jiang Chengyan, Ling Huaan.

***

Jiang Chengyan just got into the car when he heard the sound of an incoming message. He opened his phone, looked at it, and couldnt help but raise the corner of his mouth and he saved the number.

Jiang Chengyan hesitated for a while before replying, Thank you for your noodles and eggs today.

Jiang Chengyan waited nervously. Then he remembered that Ling Huaan couldnt see. He threw his phone aside in annoyance, started the car, and left the police station slowly.

When he got home, another notification alert rang from his phone. However this time it wasnt a text but a friend request to his SNS account followed by a voice message. 

Lets use voice messages in the future.

Okay. That I just got home.

Take a hot bath, drink a glass of milk, and go to bed early.

Jiang Chengyan was in a happy mood as if all his exhaustion had been swept away. He charged his mobile phone, took his changed clothes to the bathroom, and comfortably took a hot bath, and a heated glass of milk. After drinking, he lay down in bed and fell asleep.

In fact, in the evening, Ling Huaan received a phone call from Jiang Changpings wife. He asked Ling Huaan to give them time one more day because she cant contact Jiang Changping for the time being. But Li Huaan refused it directly. After all, he didnt really want to hold a painting and calligraphy exhibition. The purpose of this trip was to determine the identity of the headless ghost, and Jiang Changpings wifes phone call just confirmed Jiang Changpings disappearance which increased the possibility that the headless ghost might be Jiang Changping.

The reason why Ling Huaan said that Jiang Changping owed him money was to remind Jiang Chengyan of the true identity of the headless corpse in the police station. This will not only help Jiang Chengyan get out of the predicament but also help him solve the case, which simply kills two birds with one stone.

~~~

The author has something to say:

Hahaha (?)? ?) Hiahiahia, little ones, Im the king, and Im also the one whos been the king!

Cafes Memo :

Hello, Im here again. I get more more curious about the plot.

Captain Jiang seems like started to feel the butterfly haahaha

Anw, Im trying to post this every two days!

Feel free to leave a comment if you guys find some typos or mistranslations. See ya.

1. The raw: (shnghu), which is also called (rq), is a term that is derived from Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). According to the theory of TCM, (shnghu) is a symptom related to internal heat. TCM believes that the imbalance of yin and yang, and vigorous heat inside ones body would lead to (shnghu). Here, the (hu) internal heat refers to some fever-like symptoms including red and swollen eyes, sore mouth and tongue, toothache, sore throat, etc
2. IOU = bill/letter agreement.
3. CCP political Slogan.
4. Talking about how to write his name
5. I kinda hard to find the right one. I guessed it was might mean a bad guy or someone with bad intentions.
6. Huang Wilderness/wasteland
7. Yang World = Human Realm / Living World
8. Yin = in the previous paragraph I choose the word messenger, but I thought it could be a grim reaper?
9. The MTL showing Spirit Crosser or Spirit Guide, I choose the later

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