Good Night, Mr. Ghost - Chapter 93

Jiang patiently looked around and said, “This feels so familiar.”

“Really?” Mr. Ghost glanced at him. “Last time, I brought wontons for you, planning to give them to you when we met. But then you got a high fever, and I completely forgot.”

“Such a shame,” Jiang smacked his lips, imagining how delicious they must be.

The little black cat nestled timidly in his arms, glancing around nervously.

This time, the grandmother was full of energy, quickly wrapping the wontons and then starting on the tangyuan.

After twenty minutes, steaming hot tangyuan and wontons were served.

The grandmother carried the large bowls to them, smiling, “Eat while it’s hot; it’s the best now.”

The short, plump elderly lady looked very kind. Jiang took the bowl and smiled, “Thank you, grandma.”

“Oh, you’re too polite, such a well-mannered young man,” she said, standing nearby with a loving gaze.

“So, grandma, how much do I owe you?” Jiang pulled out his wallet, relieved he had cash with him; otherwise, he might have had to dine and dash.

The grandmother counted on her fingers, “Fifteen, seventeen… hmm, just give me twenty yuan, child.”

“Wow, that’s so cheap!” Jiang was surprised, looking at the generous servings of wontons and tangyuan.

It didn’t seem like something that would only cost twenty yuan.

“Yes, just twenty. That’s our price here,” the grandmother said with a smile.

“Alright, thank you, grandma.” Jiang took out a twenty-yuan bill from his wallet.

The shopkeeper accepted the money, tucked the bill into her small pouch, and shuffled back inside.

The floral curtain swayed gently, concealing the interior.

Jiang picked up a spoon, looking at the two large bowls in front of him. “This is really a great deal!”

“Indeed, let’s eat,” Mr. Ghost said, picking up a spoon and scooping up a tangyuan, blowing on it.

They were used to it, sharing two meals between them.

Jiang also scooped up a wonton.

The translucent skin revealed the meat inside, glistening with oily broth, tempting in its appearance.

The broth was savory, the skin thin and the filling generous.

Jiang blew on it, then offered it to Mr. Ghost’s lips.

Mr. Ghost, who was focused on blowing his tangyuan, paused in surprise.

“Eat up, are you stunned?” Jiang teased with a smile.

Mr. Ghost opened his mouth, biting into the wonton, feeling warmth spread through his heart.

His Chenyi was truly adorable.

After feeding his man, Jiang scooped another wonton, biting into the skin to reveal the meat filling. He took a small dish and asked through the curtain, “Grandma, can I use a dish to feed the cat?”

“Of course, child, go ahead!” The elderly woman’s voice came faintly from behind the curtain, still cheerful.

Jiang Chenyi heard this and smirked.

For some reason, he always felt like he was being cared for like a junior by the grandmother.

“The shopkeeper grandma is so lovely,” the young man sighed.

Jiang placed the meat filling from two wontons onto a dish for Jiang Meng.

The little black cat waited patiently.

Sitting elegantly on the table, it looked particularly graceful and dignified, completely different from its brother.

Once fed, it happily licked Jiang Chenyi’s hand before starting to eat.

Mr. Ghost finally cooled down the tangyuan and brought it to Jiang’s lips.

“Give it a try.”

“Alright.” Jiang took the spoon and slurped the tangyuan. The outside was cool, but the inside was still a bit hot. He bit into the soft, glutinous tangyuan, revealing the rich black sesame filling. The aroma was intense, spreading in his mouth. The sticky skin was elastic but not sticky to the teeth, with a subtle sweetness that wasn’t overwhelming. “Wow, this is absolutely delicious!”

Jiang happily cupped his cheeks.

“So happy.”

“Is it that good?” Mr. Ghost scooped a tangyuan for himself.

Jiang Chenyi looked at Mr. Ghost, “Of course, it’s the taste of love.”

The tangyuan cooled by a loved one carried a sweet flavor.

“Oh, the wontons earlier were also amazing, the best I’ve ever had,” Mr. Ghost said softly, lowering his eyes with a gentle smile.

The two finished their meal in cozy companionship.

After they finished eating, the grandmother didn’t come out.

Jiang tidied up the bowls and chopsticks and called inside, “Grandmother, we’re leaving!”

“Oh, so soon?!” came a faint voice from inside, followed by a series of clattering sounds.

The grandma rushed out from behind the curtain, her white hair a bit disheveled.

She wore a joyful smile, though a bit reluctant, “Let me see you off!”

Jiang looked at the slightly messy grandma.

He suddenly wanted to laugh.

So adorable.

“Alright.” Jiang accepted her kindness.

The grandma took small steps, following them out of the shop.

Then the two bid her farewell and walked deeper into the night.

The grandma stood there, watching the graceful young man leave, tears suddenly welling up in her eyes.

“Chenyi, our little Chenyi.”

A huge head poked out from the shop, white and fluffy, looking like a big dog. Before it could catch its breath, the grandma lifted her skirt, raised her foot, and kicked it on the nose.

The grandma, exasperated, said, “Get back inside! You little rascals, causing trouble if I don’t keep an eye on you!”

The head whimpered in grievance and retreated inside.

The two walked on.

Following the previous route, Mr. Ghost led the way into the pawnshop.

Jiang looked at the room filled with gauzy curtains and said, “It feels quite peculiar.”

“Is that so? The owner here is the most peculiar of all,” Mr. Ghost said with a smile.

Jiang Chenyi followed him, walking forward.

The black cat, Jiang Meng, looked around, its ears perked up, cautiously surveying the surroundings.

This time, the shop owner Bao’er wasn’t napping on the counter. Instead, he was sitting up, fiddling with an abacus in his hands. Hearing footsteps, he turned around.

“Oh-you’re here?” Bao’er flicked his long hair back, his delicate face showing no surprise.

Mr. Ghost darted forward. “You know, right? I’ll pay any price to save him.”

Jiang Chenyi’s mouth twitched. He reached out and pinched Mr. Ghost’s side hard, snapping, “What are you talking about?!”

Mr. Ghost remained unfazed. “What price is needed?”

Bao’er tilted his head, looking past Mr. Ghost. “Are you Jiang Chenyi? I’m Bao’er.”

The young man nodded, stepping forward. “I am.”

Bao’er scrutinized him, nodding. “You’re quite handsome.”

“You’re too kind,” Jiang Chenyi nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

Bao’er extended his hand. “You’re really in trouble now.”

“Yes,” Meng Loudi looked at him. “Do you have a solution?”

The childlike demon blinked. “Of course-there is, but it’s not up to me.”

“What do you mean?” Mr. Ghost frowned slightly.

Bao’er stood up from the table, allowing him to look down on the two of them.

With his hands on his hips, Bao’er looked at Meng Loudi. “You are Meng Loudi from a thousand years ago, the famous one.”

Then he turned to Jiang Chenyi. “You are a descendant of the Jiang Family, and now, the inheritor of the Eye of the Lunar Halo.”

He stood there, head held high, exuding an air of arrogance.

This posture lasted for a minute.

Then Bao’er deflated, squatting down with a sigh. “What a mess.”

Mr. Ghost watched him, feeling something was off. “You…”

Jiang Chenyi was also taken aback. “What do you mean by a descendant of the Jiang Family?”

Though his surname was Jiang, he felt the Jiang Family Bao’er mentioned was different from what he understood.

Bao’er shook his head. “Nothing, really nothing. Alright, let me find it.”

The demon swiftly interrupted Mr. Ghost and Jiang Chenyi’s questions, jumping off the table to rummage through a small box behind him.

Jiang approached the counter. “Sir, what price will we pay?”

Bao’er didn’t turn around. “I don’t know either. You have to ask the one who can help you.”

Jiang Chenyi was puzzled.

Was there someone else here?

Bao’er rummaged around and pulled out a massive copper mirror, two meters wide and two meters high, from the small box.

The copper mirror was round, engraved with sun and moon patterns, and adorned with strange designs.

The center of the mirror was chaotic, as if something filthy had obscured its original brilliance.

With a clatter, Bao’er dropped the mirror outside the counter.

Fortunately, the mirror had its own stand, preventing it from creating a hole in the ground.

Having found what he wanted, Bao’er clapped his hands, lifted his long robe, climbed out from behind the counter, and walked to the mirror. Pointing at it, he said, “This is the yin-yang lumina mirror, an ancient artifact. Though it hasn’t developed an artifact spirit, it already has consciousness. It’s the only thing that can help you.”

“How does it help?” Jiang asked.

Bao’er stroked the mirror’s edge. “The yin-yang lumina mirror is an ancient object, older than me. Because it’s a unique artifact, its cultivation is difficult, but it knows many things. No one knows how much it knows. Some say that since its creation, it has known everything in the world.”

Bao’er flashed a cute smile. “So, if you can get it to speak, you’ll naturally know how to save Chenyi.”

“How do we get it to speak?” Jiang pondered, looking at the giant mirror.

Such a mirror didn’t seem like it could talk.

Bao’er laughed. “The yin-yang lumina mirror has another feature: it can create a world within the mirror. It’s a playful elder, enjoying watching people create various stories in the world it fabricates. It just told me that if you want it to tell you the method, you have to go inside.”

“Perform a story?”

“Perhaps, or maybe it wants you to create a different story, or even relive your life. It depends on its mood,” Bao’er said, caressing the mirror.

Mr. Ghost frowned. “What if it doesn’t let us out?”

Bao’er smiled. “It won’t. If you enter its illusion, though you’ll initially know nothing, the longer you stay, the more you’ll sense something’s amiss. You might even damage its essence. It won’t do such a thing.”

“What if one of us finishes the story?” Jiang Chenyi asked.

“You’ll wait for the other, and come out together,” Bao’er replied.