Monster Manicure Shop Operation Guide 19

Chapter 19

After a good night’s sleep, the most comforting sleep of his life, Ning Zhixia kicked off the blanket, stretched like a bow, and yawned contentedly.

He opened the door and saw Qu Banqing, wearing a bird-patterned apron, coming upstairs to call him for breakfast.

Ning Zhixia beamed: “Morning— Ouch!”

Before he could finish his greeting, he was kicked back into his room.

Qu Banqing snorted coldly: “Make your bed before coming down for breakfast.”

Ning Zhixia sniffled and pouted: “Yes, Mommy.”

Steaming shrimp dumplings and fish porridge filled the coffee table with a rich aroma. The kittens, led by Fatty Orange, squatted nearby, their fluffy paws raised expectantly.

“Hmph, no, you can’t have any! This is mine!” Ning Zhixia squeezed past them and sat down, dangling a dumpling in front of their faces, teasing them. “Smell it, hey, you can’t eat it. Smell it again, hey, still can’t eat it!”

Fatty Tiger, unable to bear it any longer, swung out its righteous paw!

“Ouch.”

Qu Banqing came out of the kitchen with a plate of pickles and saw Ning Zhixia with red scratch marks on his cheek, deliberately chewing loudly near the kittens’ ears.

Qu Banqing: “…” What’s wrong with him, doing ASMR so early in the morning?

Soon after breakfast, a customer with an appointment arrived. The girl was casually dressed, placing her toolbox in the corner, pulling a shark clip out of her pocket to tie up her long hair, and said to Ning Zhixia, “Hello, shall we start now?”

Ning Zhixia: “…” Who’s the one working here?

The girl had brought her own nail art design, drawn in detail, each nail featuring Tang Dynasty-style gold inlaid patterns.

“Hmm, I can do it.” Ning Zhixia studied the design for a moment, then asked, “But do you think we can make some changes? It’s too complex for all your nails, you’ll get tired of it easily.”

The girl frowned, displeased. This kind of talk was just an excuse for not being skilled enough, wasn’t it? She asked a bit sharply, “How do you want to change it?”

Ning Zhixia picked up his tablet and redrew the design. He changed the base color of the index and ring fingers to a translucent gold foil, and the intricate gold inlaid pattern to a classic four-leaf clover with a cross structure, adding smaller leaves between the larger ones, which could be achieved with willow-shaped studs and small metal beads.

With his changes, the overall design was more balanced and visually appealing, and he even thoughtfully labeled the techniques and materials next to the patterns.

“How about this?” Ning Zhixia tapped the screen with his stylus, showing her the effect of different layers, indicating that he could come up with other options, but if she insisted on the original design, it was perfectly fine.

What a capable and accommodating artist…

The girl bit her lip, mentally repenting her earlier judgment, and extended her hand towards him. Let’s start now, beauty can’t wait.

Qu Banqing’s customer had finished and left. He got up and brought over two glasses of raspberry juice.

The girl sipped her juice and answered a phone call. It was unclear what the person on the other end said, but her eyes lit up, and she started tapping her feet excitedly.

“Sorry, I just got a job.” The girl hung up, still a little excited. “Can you do it a bit faster? Or I’ll just do one hand.”

“It’s okay, we can manage.” Qu Banqing sat down and took her hand, working quickly.

The two of them worked together seamlessly, and the girl couldn’t help but praise: “Where did you find such an amazing partner?”

Ning Zhixia was a little smug: “Super rare hidden edition, impressive, right?”

The girl laughed along with him. After they finished, she opened her toolbox, which was filled with cosmetics.

She quickly applied her makeup, picked up her box, and waved goodbye as she left: “Bye, I’ll recommend you to my colleagues!”

Thanks to He Mingzhu’s video, his business was doing well, so Ning Zhixia smiled, not thinking much of it.

He stretched and realized the next customer’s appointment wasn’t for a while, so he took out his printer and started printing out recent photos to put in an album.

Although there were many ways to store photos now, he still preferred physical prints.

The photo album was from his grandfather’s house. No matter how well-preserved, it still looked a bit old, so Ning Zhixia bought a new one, sat cross-legged at the coffee table, and slowly took out the old photos to organize them.

It didn’t take long for the heavy new album to be filled with a stack of photos.

Most of the old photos were everyday snapshots taken by his grandfather. After transferring schools in the second semester of first grade, little Zhixia met the ostracized little Banqing. They had no other friends, always sticking together, their photos filling half of the album.

Qu Banqing had never liked taking pictures. His solo photos were few and far between, either hiding from the camera or blurred into a ghostly figure. Only when taking photos with Ning Zhixia would he smile and goof around for the camera.

One photo showed two children squatting by a bush, holding a transparent umbrella, their heads lowered, their eyes sparkling as they watched a snail crawling on a leaf.

The next one showed them being bullied by other kids and called sissies. Little Zhixia’s eyes were filled with tears, trembling like poached eggs, stubbornly carrying little Banqing, whose head was covered in red marks, home. He was too small, and half of Banqing’s butt was almost peeking out of his shorts.

Ning Zhixia scratched his face and turned the page. There were photos of them pretending to dig holes like puppies under a tree, sitting on a rocking horse and eating popsicles, and…

Qu Banqing, munching on an apple, chuckled, saying that Ning Zhixia was adorably silly as a child, even holding a funeral for his lost baby teeth, burying them in a small box under a tree.

“Hee hee…”

Ning Zhixia chuckled, slightly embarrassed, and turned a few more pages, the two of them growing up in the photos.

They were no longer the little kids who were always getting into trouble and crying. The teenagers, wearing white T-shirts and school uniforms, carrying their art supplies, their eyes bright and clear, seemed full of youthful energy.

There were still some empty sleeves in the album. Ning Zhixia put in the new photos from recent years. Because of the distance during university, Qu Banqing’s appearances gradually decreased, and finally, even Ning Zhixia’s own photos became fewer, only new landscapes filling page after page, like a simple record of life.

“Do you have any photos?” Ning Zhixia held a stack of empty sleeves. “Let’s put them all in!”

“No, I don’t have many photos from university.” Qu Banqing paused and waved his hand dismissively.

“That’s because you didn’t go to the same university as me. Speaking of which, I still want to ask why you— Eh? What’s that?”

Ning Zhixia, mid-sentence, suddenly noticed a bandage peeking out from Qu Banqing’s sleeve.

“It’s nothing.” Qu Banqing rolled up his sleeve to show him, then slowly smoothed it back down. “I accidentally burned myself while frying lard yesterday.”

Ning Zhixia nodded, then reached out to touch it: “Did you apply medicine? Do you need any anti-inflammatory medication? You never took medicine as a child, and burns can be serious.”

“I applied medicine, it’s really nothing, it won’t leave a scar.” Qu Banqing pushed his hand away.

“How do you know it won’t leave a scar…”

Ning Zhixia mumbled, wanting to take another look, when his phone screen lit up. It was a call from his father. He turned his head and answered.

It was Qingming Festival, and Ning Zhixia’s father was still abroad on business, unable to return. He reminded Ning Zhixia to avoid visiting the graves on the actual day of Qingming and to choose another day to pay respects to their ancestors.

“I remember.” Ning Zhixia glanced at the calendar. Tomorrow would be perfect. He hung up and went upstairs to pack.

Qu Banqing called out for him to be careful on the stairs, and the next second, he heard him yelp in pain—

“Ouch, ouch!”

Qu Banqing shook his head and sighed, his gaze falling on the photo album. The little boy in the puppy hoodie was grinning brightly, completely oblivious to how silly he looked with his missing teeth.

He lowered his head and muttered softly—

“Even when they grow up, idiots are still idiots.”

The next morning, the sky was bright, a fine drizzle falling like mist. Ning Zhixia drove his car to the front of number 19 and put the prepared paper money and flowers in the trunk.

His hometown was in an old town on the outskirts of Yucheng. The roads there were winding, and there was no high-speed rail station. It would probably take four hours to get there.

In the past, Qu Banqing might have gone with him, but today there were several customers with appointments. Qu Banqing smiled and said, “I can’t leave the shop. When you’re back in town, stop by Grandma Meng’s and buy some yeerba.”

“Okay, I’ve been craving it.” The old shop was popular, and there might be a queue, but they had often bought it there when they were young.

Ning Zhixia obediently agreed, tossed his backpack into the passenger seat, and was about to get in the car.

“Wait a minute.” Qu Banqing suddenly called out to him.

Ning Zhixia turned his head. His friend was wearing new pajamas, his eyes gentle and smiling as usual. He was always meticulous, even when staying home, he would dress up every day.

“What’s wrong?” Ning Zhixia asked.

Qu Banqing fidgeted, then patted his head, turned, and went inside.

He quickly came back with a paper bag, chattering, “I made you a sandwich for the road. Remember to eat it at a rest stop. Don’t touch those random cold noodles or rice noodles, and don’t drive for too long without a break.”

Ning Zhixia was slightly taken aback. The familiar nagging made him chuckle and agree cheerfully, “I know, see you tonight!”

“Yeah.”

Just like every time they parted ways at the intersection after school, Qu Banqing smiled gently and said, “See you, Zhixia.”

And they would meet again at the same place the next day.

The gray electric car slowly drove past the familiar house. Ning Zhixia, holding the steering wheel, glanced at the rearview mirror.

Just like the year they parted ways at the train station after he went to university, the small figure in the mirror was still waving, gradually, gradually disappearing from view around the corner…

The old town hadn’t been developed into a tourist attraction and remained the same as in his childhood memories.

Of course, the bumpy mountain roads were the same too.

His grandparents’ tomb was another two mountains away. By the time Ning Zhixia arrived, his stomach was churning. He sat by the roadside for a while before carrying the box into the cemetery.

Distant green mountains were shrouded in mist, and the verdant pine and cypress trees were draped with transparent strands of rain. Hundreds of tombstones stood peacefully in the auspicious location.

Ning Zhixia found his grandparents’ shared tombstone and bent down to wipe it clean.

The paper money in the iron basin burned with an orange-red flame, reflecting in the young man’s closed eyes. He knelt down and kowtowed three times, then suddenly smiled and started chattering about recent events.

For example, how number 19 was actually a magical plane connection point, how Qu Banqing had returned to Yucheng, how he had met some non-human friends, and how the Bureau’s new director, Xiao Ao, loved sweets…

He finished telling his grandparents everything in one breath, and the paper money in the iron basin turned to ashes.

“And that matter… you don’t have to worry.” Ning Zhixia placed the flowers by the tombstone, looking down at his grandparents’ photo with a smile. “My life will definitely be more exciting than anyone else’s, and that’s enough.”

He lit incense and candles for the neighboring tombs, stayed by the tombstone for a while, gazing at the distant mountains and rivers, and when it was time, he carried the iron basin and slowly left.

The weather in the mountains changed quickly. On the way back, heavy clouds gathered in the sky, the windshield wipers swaying non-stop, quickly covered with water streaks.

The mountain roads were difficult to navigate in the rain. Ning Zhixia didn’t dare to continue driving. Coincidentally, there were several houses built by farmers halfway up the mountain, so he turned onto a small path and hurriedly got out of the car with an umbrella.

“Young man, are you here to visit the graves? It’s raining heavily, come inside and take shelter.” An old woman, seeing him drenched like a drowned puppy, called out from under the eaves in a local dialect.

“Yes, thank you.” Ning Zhixia thanked her, closed his umbrella, and huddled under the eaves.

The Qingming rain fell continuously. The moss-covered stone steps were washed clean and shiny, reflecting the dim light from the window.

Ning Zhixia glanced at the time, worried about whether he would have time to buy yeerba when he returned to town.

However, the rain showed no signs of stopping. Soon, a red three-wheeled vehicle stopped. A couple, looking vaguely familiar, shielded themselves from the rain with their hands and splashed through the water.

Ning Zhixia paused, then looked delighted: “Qu—”

They climbed the steps, took off their worn raincoats, and patted the water off, careful not to splash the young man beside them, muttering apologetically, “Sorry, sorry.”

The smile on Ning Zhixia’s face gradually faded. He looked at the middle-aged couple in confusion. Their demeanor was completely different from what he remembered.

And they seemed to not recognize him at all, like strangers meeting for the first time.

Ning Zhixia averted his gaze, his head lowered in bewilderment.

“Oh, don’t go in this heavy rain!” The old woman, who clearly knew them, brought out some umbrellas and plastic sheets.

“We have to go. The time is fixed, we can’t change it. We only see Xiao Qing a few times a year, we miss him very much.” The man muttered, gratefully accepting the items, and walked back into the rain, supporting his wife.

Hearing the familiar name, Ning Zhixia opened his mouth, wanting to call out, but didn’t know what to say. He turned to ask the old woman, “Do you know them?”

“Old Qu’s son and daughter-in-law, they used to sell wine in the neighboring town.” The old woman sighed. “Every year, they travel all the way back to visit the child. He died young, at seven years old. You young people don’t pay attention to these things, but they insist on visiting his grave at a specific time.”

Ning Zhixia’s eyes widened in surprise: “Died at seven?”

“Yes, such a tragedy. There was a flash flood over ten years ago, many children playing on the mountain were swept away. Old Qu’s family searched everywhere.”

The old woman sighed. “They were the only ones who found the body. They said a tall, kind person retrieved it. It was dark, and they couldn’t see clearly, so they didn’t get a chance to thank him properly. The other children, no one knows where they ended up.”

Ning Zhixia felt uneasy and asked urgently, “What was the child’s name?”

“Qu Qing, the ‘qing’ meaning green grass.”

The old woman paused for a long time before remembering. She went back inside, muttering softly, “They say common names are easier to raise, but it didn’t work for him.”

As the only exception in countless coincidences, Ning Zhixia felt a sense of relief he couldn’t explain. He glanced at the three-wheeled vehicle, but a shiver ran down his spine.

The old woman was still talking about the flood that year, but Ning Zhixia was frozen, unable to hear a word.

Because he saw the worn plastic sheet in the three-wheeled vehicle being pulled down, replaced by a new blue and white striped plastic sheet covering the back…

And covering the rain-soaked, black and white portrait.

Ning Zhixia’s throat was dry and bitter, the bubble of the parallel world illusion in his mind shattering.