Chapter 36: Recompense_1

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God damn Empire!

Are you from the Shimada family!

After Huai Shi opened his eyes, he felt like he had a belly full of gripes to spew: Shouldn't this be the time when, after defeating a formidable enemy, his health bar refills and even grants him two extra skill points?

He gazed at the ceiling, disinterested in life, watching the dust there.

Where am I?

Who am I?

Where am I going?

"Do you want to continue?"

The Raven seemed to snicker.

He sighed, recalling the killing intent he had once felt, as if he could sense that watchful gaze lurking in the shadows.

Just how much bad luck have I had in my past lives?

"Continue!"

Clenching his teeth, he closed his eyes and sank back into the darkness.

The Raven shook its head in what looked like pity, took out its phone, and under the recent emoji, it added one more line: Two servings are also fine.

So, the thrashing continued.

The beating went on until the next afternoon, and by the time Huai Shi was finally able to clear the level without injury, he nearly cried with relief.

Red Gloves, this guy, really not easy!

After refusing the Raven's suggestion for more relentless rounds, he took a rare hot shower with the leftover electricity bill paid by Old Liu, changed into a black suit that he only wore for formal performances, and prepared to go out.

"You rarely dress up so smartly," the Raven teased, "where do you plan to take a young lady?"

"… to the funeral home."

Huai Shi sighed.

What young lady?

Today was Old Yang's cremation day; no matter what, he had to make the trip.

That couple had always been kind to him, although the kindness mainly came from his sister-in-law, but in this day and age, how many people are willing to give you a chance to stand on your own two feet when you're at your wits' end and most in need?

Even though this damned guy had conned him quite a bit, at the end of the day, he had still given him a hand.

In some ways, him being able to maintain his dignity and survive to this day without resorting to manual labor, scavenging, or illegal work was all thanks to Old Yang.

Besides, Old Yang might have been unreliable at times, but Huai Shi was no high-end talent either. Over the years, they had been conning each other back and forth, almost getting used to it.

Isn't that what friends are, after all?

Now that Old Yang was gone, he had to see him off no matter what.

Even though he rushed the whole way, by the time he arrived at the funeral home, the farewell ceremony was nearly over.

Old Yang had been a broker his whole life, with broad connections and many friends. He also had many local relatives. The place was crowded with people coming to bid him farewell.

Huai Shi followed the queue silently. When it was his turn, not daring to look too much, he placed the flowers he had brought down, avoided his sister-in-law's gaze, and hurriedly retreated to the back.

Even though Old Yang had died in Lao Tang's church, the announced cause of death was a car accident. After the funeral home's restoration, his unrecognizable face somehow regained some of its former expression, looking as if he were just asleep, carefree and untroubled—a sight that made one unhappy.

This bastard had spent most of his life chasing money, and finally, he managed to sell himself at a good price, achieving his wish to die without any cares.

Listening to the people who came to say goodbye, they spoke of the sizable sum of money he indeed left for his wife, enough to cover her subsequent treatments.

Huai Shi listened for a while and then distanced himself, not wanting to hear any more.

After the viewing of the body was over, it was taken to be cremated… Contrary to Huai Shi's expectations, although her eyes were a bit red, the sister-in-law didn't cry from start to finish. Instead, she managed Old Yang's last farewell ceremony so well that it allowed him to depart with dignity.

How the hell did that bastard manage to marry such a good wife?

Huai Shi's feeling grew more complicated.

Soon, the funeral ended, and as the guests were dispersing, Huai Shi received a word from his sister-in-law, asking him to come to the back.

In the family rest room of the funeral home, the woman dismissed all the unrelated people, closed the door, and pulled out a thick envelope from her bag to give to him.

"… What's this about?"

Huai Shi was astonished, looking at the envelope on the table – if it contained money, it must be at least ten to twenty thousand.

"Take it, this is what Old Yang owed you."

She smiled as if embarrassed, "In the past, he did all those things for me, and ultimately, I owe you an apology.

Little Shi, you're a good kid. You've always been swindled and never said a word, but we can't keep owing you money. Now that he's gone, I thought it was only right to settle his debts.

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"If you really want to make me feel better, then please stop refusing."

Huai Shi was silent, looking at the envelope on the table for a long time before slowly shaking her head.

"What's this about owing or not owing?"

He said softly, "Back when I was young and foolish, I always thought that kindness from others was a given, because I was certain I'd repay them a hundred, a thousand-fold in the future.

But after growing up, I gradually understood that sometimes when people were helping me, they never expected anything in return."

Even Old Yang would laugh at me, right?

For me, the fact that Old Yang extended a hand to me during my toughest times, that's enough. Nothing else matters; there are no debts, no you owe me, I owe you."

He pushed the envelope back across the table slowly, saying earnestly, "So, even if there's just a tiny bit in here that came from me, please consider it a modest token of repayment from someone you've helped."

The sister-in-law was silent for a long time, not saying anything further about refusing.

She only lowered her head, wiped her nose, and forced a smile: "If Old Yang were still alive, hearing you say that, he would surely feel ashamed."

No, that guy would definitely be smug, right?

Tidily pocketing the money, stuffing it into his wife's purse, then excitedly telling him that it was he who had refused it, and it was too late for regrets now. Tonight, I'll treat my wife to something nice.

How on earth did that bastard end up marrying such a wonderful wife?

Huai Shi sighed.

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Huai Shi did not follow through with the funeral afterward. Attending one farewell was sad enough; there was no need to grieve for Old Yang twice.

Moreover, he really didn't want to see his sister-in-law cry.

After saying goodbye, he prepared to go home.

Unlike the trip coming here, where he was in a rush and took a taxi, on the way back, he chose to take the bus to save some money, having to change lines twice, crossing the entire city to reach his home on the other side of Xinhai.

It was said that life would be easier after the subway opened, but the Xinhai subway was rumored to have been under construction since Huai Shi was born, and after all this time, still no sign of it.

Besides, Xinhai being a mid-sized city with a constant flow of people, though it could get a bit clogged during peak commute hours, the idea that it couldn't function without a subway was just implausible.

Eventually, everyone stopped expecting it.

During the long wait, he rarely opened his WeChat, which had been inactive for eons, just to see if there were any updates.

Thanks to the persistent pressure of poverty, his social circle was nothing to brag about. With only one or two acquaintances, almost all of them understood his situation, so there was no mess of people bothering him over the entire summer.

Apart from the class WeChat group, which had now become a mobile game forum, there were hardly any messages.

Huai Shi scrolled up to find that aside from daily gaming team-ups and dinner invitations, there were only notifications about adjusting the piano room schedule after school and a bunch of silly images.

And sadly, Huai Shi found that his own photo taken in front of the Cowherd Club had been turned into an emoji...

"Could you guys act like human beings!"

Huai Shi was furious and proceeded to dig out photos of the few in the group spamming his emoji, attaching panda heads to each one, and posted them one by one.

Amidst the silly banter of online friends, his movements suddenly halted as he felt a malevolent gaze from the back of the bus fixed on him.

Whether it was Raven's claim that puberty improved perception or just being used to the sensation triggered by Death Perception, Huai Shi had grown increasingly sensitive to ill intentions from others.

Though not quite mind-reading, after being followed for the entire trip, his neck felt as though caterpillars were crawling on it, making him tense all over.

Using the reflection from the bus window, he barely caught sight of the man in the back row wearing a duckbill cap, seemingly asleep but definitely the source of the malevolent look.

Seeing the man seemed to be sending a message on his phone, Huai Shi abruptly stood up, swiftly disembarked the bus as it came to a stop.

As expected, the man hesitated for a moment before following him, without leaving a trace.

In the bustling city center, on the most crowded pedestrian street, he strolled leisurely, as if taking a walk, even stopping to buy a pack of cigarettes. Yet, all the while, the stranger followed closely behind, never losing sight of Huai Shi.

Noticing the stranger's odd expression, sleazy gaze, and the prominent pectoral muscles straining against his shirt, Huai Shi shuddered, clenching involuntarily, a troubling thought flashing through his mind:

Damn it, could it be a perverted stalker?

After loitering for ten minutes, Huai Shi was certain that the guy behind him was tailing him.

It couldn't be a coincidence that he followed him even into the same restroom, right?

Pretending nothing was amiss, Huai Shi quickened his pace amid the throng on the pedestrian street, cutting through two malls, rounding several corners, and made his way into the old town's civic plaza.

The follower kept up with every turn Huai Shi took, ensuring he didn't escape his line of sight. But as soon as they took a corner, the follower found that Huai Shi had vanished from the street.

As he looked around bewildered, the stalker saw through a glass door, the young man pulling out five yuan from his pocket. After negotiating with the lady at the counter for half a day, he stubbornly exchanged it for a locker key.

Then, he walked through the door behind the lobby.

The stalker paused, then, looking up, he saw the storefront's sign.

Spring Great Bathhouse.

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