The two entered the shop and found seats to settle down. The shop was already bustling with many customers eating or waiting for their dishes.
There were elderly people, children, as well as workers and soldiers……
This time, Hilvia and Sairi surprisingly didn’t exchange words with each other but sat quietly, soaking in everything around them.
This shop wasn’t luxurious; it was just an ordinary eatery. All kinds of people came and went, quite different from those upscale places that sought quietness and an artistic atmosphere.
Sairi easily caught snippets of conversations around her.
“Mom, I helped a classmate again at school today! The teacher gave me another little red flower! Look!”
A lively, adorable little boy said this, holding out a small red flower Crest for the adult beside him to see.
Sairi frowned slightly, recalling the boy from the orphanage.
“How was it, brother? Tiring today? It’s so hot during the day, and we were still laying bricks under the blazing sun. Not easy at all. Come, have a few more sips and some cold dishes. Rest well tonight.”
Sairi turned to look. A burly man was pouring wine for someone opposite him. On the table were two helmets, their clothes covered in dust, even their hands were smeared with white ash.
Sairi frowned again. At least be a little more hygienic when eating. If she ate like that, her Grandmother would have scolded her long ago.
“Lord Chufeng is so handsome today! So many wolves attacked, and they nearly got me, but Lord Chufeng was so brave. Thank you so much! You’re really amazing!”
Sairi turned toward the voice and saw a girl carrying a Bow and Arrows on her back.
“Not at all, you’re the most important thing.”
She was changing the bandages of a handsome young man beside her. Two others nearby began speaking.
“We did help too. Our department took care of many wolves. You two lovers sure have a lot of playful tricks…”
The two companions teased as they ate meat, and the girl replied, “Of course, we can’t forget all your help either.
Thank you so much today! This one’s on me!” They continued eating while the girl tended to her boyfriend’s wounds.
***
Sairi took a deep breath. Damn those lovey-dovey couples showing off.
“Hey, brother, really thanks for always taking care of my Grandmother.”
Suddenly, a man wearing a sword stepped in and directly spoke to the owner.
“How many years has it been? You still say that? We’ve known each other since we ran naked around town as kids.”
“Of course, I have to follow the guard squad on duty every day, no time to look after Grandmother, so I leave her in your shop every day.”
The man briskly walked toward a corner table where an old lady sat, her hair white and face covered with age spots.
The owner followed and brought over a plate of stewed tofu.
“Today’s stewed tofu has extra scallion oil. The old lady’s teeth aren’t good but she likes the taste. Our shop prepares a portion for you every day.”
“You’re really loyal, brother! I’ll buy you a few cases of wine when I get back.”
Meanwhile, the old lady shakily opened her mouth and said, “Ah… thank you…” with barely any teeth left.
Seeing this scene, Sairi exhaled deeply and kept taking deep breaths; her hands trembling as they rested on the table.
Noticing this, Hilvia deliberately moved closer to Sairi, asking with curiosity,
“What’s wrong?”
“… Heh… nothing.”
After a while, the owner brought over two bowls of tomato beef brisket noodles, along with a plate of meat steaks that Hilvia had requested extra.
“Eat up, this is their specialty.” Hilvia started nibbling in small bites.
“Specialty?” Sairi, puzzled, used her fork to pick up a big clump of noodles coated with meat sauce and tomato, slowly putting it into her mouth.
Mmm… it really is delicious… one of the best… Sairi praised silently to herself.
During the meal,
Sairi saw the little boy who had shown off the little red flower earlier finish eating and run over to the old lady.
“Grandmother, look at my little red flower! I got it for helping others!”
The old lady didn’t respond coldly either; she slowly reached out to stroke the boy’s hair. “Good child, so wonderful. Come visit Grandmother every day, and Grandma will buy you some candy later.”
“Oh no, Grandma, don’t buy him any. He’s already getting cavities from too much candy. It’s not good to spoil him.”
A young woman at the boy’s original table turned to say this, her tone gentle rather than stern.
“Boss, check please!” The two workers finished eating and were drunk, standing up and calling the owner to settle the bill.
One of the workers said, “Hey Lao Cui, we work from dawn till dusk every day, and you run this shop nonstop, hardly get to drink. When we rest this week, we’ll have a proper drink here.”
“Alright!” The owner replied promptly and decisively.
“Hey, boss, you still drink? Didn’t your wife say you need to quit lately? You wanna kneel on the washboard?”
“Ah… um… please go easy on me this once, miss, hehe.”
Facing the female adventurer’s question, the owner gave a weak reply.
Sairi felt a bit surprised. This scene was so warm and dreamlike, and she was right in the middle of such a beautiful moment, leaving her momentarily speechless.
After holding it in for a while, she finally raised her head.
“Hilvia sister, what are they…”
Before she finished, Hilvia answered, seemingly expecting Sairi’s question.
“This is a border region, a small unremarkable town. The people here divide work and cooperate, living self-sufficiently.”
“The lack of resources forces everyone to live closely united, so most people here know each other. If they live nearby, they always recognize one another.”
“Everyone knows each other?”
“Much wider than usual, but not everyone knows everyone else. Think of it as everyone being social butterflies. Even if they don’t know you, their attitude is friendly. That’s how they treat me.”
Sairi was momentarily at a loss for words.
After a while, she finally squeezed out, “Everyone’s really nice…”
Her voice was soft and slow, but Hilvia clearly heard it.
During the meal, Sairi was somewhat distracted. When Hilvia offered her some steak, she took two seconds to react.
But what surprised Hilvia was that Sairi was no longer very angry. Hilvia had thought Sairi would still be furious about the ambush, but Sairi didn’t care about that anymore.
As for why Sairi had been so listless earlier, giving half-hearted answers, it was simply because she was exhausted.
What truly bothered Sairi now was how she had lost control earlier.
To be precise, she had acted irrationally. Against villains straight out of a drama, she’d been knocked around a few rounds, mocked and insulted, and still lost her temper. That was far too unreasonable.
Moreover, she’d killed those villains without hesitation, completely blinded by anger. What would Hilvia think of her? Would she think Sairi was mentally unstable?
Recalling the Goddess Sister’s words clearly telling her that there was beauty but also fluctuating Blackness, she had been forewarned, but still got swept away by her emotions.
And now, her rashness had made her carry the weight of someone’s life. She had become a criminal.
Thinking this, Sairi lowered her head, frowning deeply as she sighed, biting her lip again.
“What’s wrong, Sairi? Suddenly sighing—still thinking about those things?”
“Um…” Hilvia guessed wrong again. Sairi lifted her head and stared at Hilvia’s concerned face, rubbing her two rows of white teeth together and, with a dazed voice, forced out a single word.
How to answer that?
Saying nothing would make Hilvia feel bad and think she was throwing a tantrum.
If she spoke, what could she say? Saying she no longer cared about the ambush would be unbelievable.
If she said she still cared, Hilvia would worry and probably urge her to move on.
God, if only she’d studied The Art of Language from the Goddess Sister before coming here.
Now, her situation was like crossing a single-plank bridge with a bear in front, a tiger behind, and waves crashing from the river at night—no good choice at all.
Just as Sairi was wrestling with her thoughts, an unexpected voice appeared.
“Sister, why do you look so worried? Did something unhappy happen?”
The voice was very innocent. Sairi turned and saw the little boy who had been with the old lady earlier, now holding a lollipop and looking at her with a pure and adorable expression.
“Ah… Sister, is it that obvious?”
“Of course! Sister’s so pretty, but she keeps a sad face. Something bad must have happened.”
“Ahaha… you’re really smart, little one. Sister did get a bit upset over something small.”
Goodness, had she really been that obvious? Even a child bluntly said so.
“Then smile, Sister. You’re so pretty. You’ll look great smiling. Put those unhappy things aside for now.”
Children really are pure at heart.
At the same time, the boy’s family spoke up.
“Yes, little girl, don’t keep such a sour face, it looks like you’ve eaten bitter melon. Smile more; it’s better. When I was chasing my wife, I never got discouraged, I never wore such a miserable look.”
The father said this while eating, the boy’s mother beside him.
“Yes, back then he was like a stubborn ox, finding all sorts of reasons to play with me for years. Only later did I agree to be together.”
“Hey, wife, don’t embarrass me in front of so many people.”
The man awkwardly laughed, trying to save face for his wife.
Great, gossip time, haha!
“Yeah… young people shouldn’t keep… a gloomy face all the time. Smile more… it helps you live longer…”
That shaky voice must be the old lady again.
Live longer by smiling? Never heard that one before. She wanted to see how old that old lady really was.
“Ahaha, just asking, how old is your Grandmother?”
“Oh? Ask my mom, she’s 105 this year. Not exactly in peak health, but still much better than most elderly people.”
Wow, that’s huge. Sairi’s Grandmother in her previous life was only in her sixties and already had white hair, couldn’t walk well, and couldn’t eat anything hard.
Looks like smiling really helps one live longer… maybe…
“Hey, little girl, don’t judge my mom by her age now. She was one of the most beautiful women when young—just like you!”
“Huh?”
“Don’t doubt it, my mom was a big beauty. Many men chased her and competed to send her flowers.”
“Wow, I’ve never heard of a scene like that…”
Time’s power is strong; stories over a century fade and get forgotten when no one pays attention.
“Hey, sister! No need to be so sad. I don’t know why you’re upset and wearing a sour face, but everything will pass. A girl who’s always unhappy won’t have any boys liking her~”
“Eh! Boys liking me?”
Listening to the girl cheerfully saying this while tending to her boyfriend’s bandages, Sairi was puzzled. When did she have any boys liking her? Or was she just giving an example?
“No way? Sister is so pretty, such a cute face, and no handsome boys like you yet? Must be because you always frown and make others uncomfortable. Boys like cheerful girls better.”
The girl’s boyfriend spoke up too.
“Yeah, little girl, don’t keep a sad face. Everything will pass. Our team has been through countless accidents and battles; we’ve lost count of injuries. Yet we still laugh all day and complete every mission.”
Sairi felt like she was about to burst. Although these people were nice, what an awkward situation! They were all social butterflies, united just to cheer her up. You guys are too good.
“Sister, lower your head, just a little.”
Hearing the little boy’s voice, Sairi casually lowered her head, thinking he wanted to say something.
But when she saw the boy, she couldn’t hold it in anymore. The boy made a funny face with both hands and twisted his expression.
Though the face was ordinary, Sairi used to be blind and hadn’t really seen faces clearly before.
“Pfft… hehehehe, kid, you’re really good. You made me lose my composure so easily…”
Finally, Sairi laughed out loud. Though not loud or wild, everyone could feel her mood had lifted immensely.
Her bellbird-like laughter spread, and the crowd joined in laughter—clear, rough, delicate, slow, all mixed together—adding a joyful atmosphere to the eatery.
“Haha, thank you all. Everyone cares so much about me, a stranger.” Sairi thanked them while scratching her head shyly.
“What are you saying, little girl? Meeting and gathering here, we’re all friends. Brothers all over the world.”
“AA?…”
“Yes, meeting is fate; no need to know each other too well.”
“Really? Didn’t expect everyone to be this open.”
At the same time, Hilvia put down her cutlery and finally spoke.
“That laugh earlier was beautiful. It can easily capture many boys’ hearts~”
“Hilvia, what are you saying! Who’s trying to capture boys’ hearts?” Hilvia’s words caught Sairi off guard, and her face instantly flushed, eyes fluttering.
But Hilvia kept going.
“Don’t be fooled by her appearance. She probably ate her way through the snack street all morning without stopping, and she loves to act cute, twisting and turning with a weak voice—it’s quite a sight.”
“Hilvia, what are you saying!”
But the customers were already imagining Sairi acting cute and coy.
“Everyone, don’t listen to her! She just bullies me!” Sairi tried to save face.
“No worries, little girl. Who doesn’t like kind and cute little girls?” The shop owner launched the first attack.
Then the boy with bandages joined in.
“If you think so, that acting-cute scene really would be irresistible.” But he was immediately smacked on the head by his girlfriend.
“What’s wrong? Lord Chu He, now that you have me, why still act lovesick over other girls?”
“Ouch! I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I won’t do it again.”
“Go home and kneel on the washboard.”
“Ah! I’m sorry, I quit. Please forgive me, dear wife!”
“Not married yet, who calls who wife? Shameless, I’m mad now!”
“No, I’m sincere with you. My heart only holds you…”
“That’s better. No more flirting!”
For a moment, the restaurant was filled with cheerful energy.
Maybe because Sairi finally smiled and was happy, or because the atmosphere shifted so quickly everyone laughed. Either way, everyone was merry and joyful.