011
The last time the two met, Rao Fei was wearing a straw hat and a pair of overall work clothes. Today, when they met again, the overalls on the other person had turned into a set of red wedding attire.
About three or four seconds passed in this mutual staring, and Su Ximu stood up from the small stool, wanting to greet the person across from him. They should be considered colleagues from now on.
But before he could speak, he cleverly reacted. The script prompt, Employee Rule No. 1: [During work hours, do not break character.]
Moreover, if he spoke now, wouldn’t that count as adding his own lines?
So, under the watchful eyes of everyone, the long-robed youth who stood up from the stool seemed to just be stretching after sitting too long. After a stretch, the youth lightly coughed, as if he hadn’t seen the farce in front of him, and strolled away with his hands behind his back.
His demeanor was like a son who happened to catch his father’s concubine engaging in petty jealousy—feeling awkward all over, so he pretended not to see and left the scene first.
The dull-colored long robe on the youth under twenty made him look prematurely aged, yet it also accentuated his extreme paleness.
Rao Fei was obediently pushed back into the courtyard by the old lady who chased after him. Before entering the door, he turned his head again, watching that seemingly harmless figure gradually walk away until it disappeared, finally exhaling the breath he had been holding.
A monster’s tenderness is always an illusion. Beneath every weird human skin hides something broken and violent.
A weird that was originally active on Wealth Avenue suddenly appearing in a C-level difficulty dungeon like this made Rao Fei unable to ignore the possibility that the Detection Team’s assessment was wrong and the dungeon had hidden difficulties.
That weird had just been sitting nearby, and with his strength, he hadn’t noticed it right away.
Fortunately, that weird had no intention of causing trouble. Otherwise, Rao Fei might really have been dragged down by the newbie next door today.
Sigh, in the Dungeon World, playing the saint father recklessly is indeed not advisable.
Rao Fei sat back down on the bridal bed, reflecting on himself.
On his third stroll, Su Ximu finally found the entrance to the Employee Canteen.
To avoid disrupting the overall harmony of the outer courtyard, the Employee Canteen was hidden inside the rockery in the western courtyard.
Inside the rockery, there were about ten four-person small dining tables. Against the left mountain wall were two large insulated foam boxes.
Su Ximu walked to the foam boxes, lifted the lid, and sure enough, they contained pre-portioned boxed meals.
In the Weird World, most weirds stubbornly maintained human forms and engaged in various social activities, including drinking water and eating. As long as their human skin wasn’t severely damaged, they could do so normally.
However, their survival didn’t depend on these, so the so-called employee boxed meals were only properly prepared at the Wang Family Mansion’s canteen.
Su Ximu picked up a boxed meal and glanced around. Seeing no one else in the canteen, he assumed the other employees weren’t hungry yet.
Not being greedy, besides the boxed meal, he only took a small cup of mung bean soup, then sat at a spot by the edge to start eating.
Perhaps to maximize the internal space, the rockery walls had been hollowed out thinly. While eating, he could occasionally hear footsteps and voices from outside.
Su Ximu didn’t mind and focused on his meal.
The Tourist Garden’s employee boxed meals were delicious: a small three dishes and a soup, with one even including braised large shrimp. Honestly, he’d never had such a good employee meal before.
Just as he was about to finish, two people finally pushed open the rockery stone door and entered the canteen.
Su Ximu glanced sideways—it was the two who had played the money-scattering attendants in the wedding procession today.
On the sightseeing bus, Blue 242 Leader had introduced them to him, saying there were only four such special-effect actor teams for wedding processions in the entire park. These actors had plenty of gigs, usually picking up brides at the Wang Family Mansion or escorting young ladies from the Li Family Courtyard—they were solidly high-salary earners in the park.
From Blue 242 Leader’s tone when mentioning them, Su Ximu felt there might have been a hint of envy.
At this moment, the two actors were still in festive attendant outfits. They seemed not to notice anyone in the corner, or perhaps didn’t care, and sat down at a central table on their own.
Like Su Ximu in the corner, these two didn’t seem like the type to initiate chit-chat.
The canteen fell silent, filled only with the sound of chewing.
Until Su Ximu silently picked up the fourth large shrimp from his boxed meal, and suddenly, a clatter came from nearby. One attendant threw down his chopsticks.
He even flipped over the boxed meal in front of him in a very rude manner.
“Eight hundred years without preparing boxed meals, and when they do, it’s this crap. Is Blue 144 embezzling?” The chopstick-thrower growled viciously.
His companion across the table lost his appetite too and flipped his own boxed meal: “Let’s go check the Gray District for something edible.”
“This stuff, even dogs wouldn’t eat.”
The two flipped the meals all over the table and left the canteen with grim faces.
In the corner, sensing the glances from his two colleagues before they left, Su Ximu paused, belatedly wondering if this counted as workplace bullying.
The entire Wang Family Mansion was extremely lively during the day, with guests coming and going in the front courtyard, tireless, everyone wearing a smile.
Outside the mansion, nearby villagers feasting on the flowing banquet stuffed food into their bellies endlessly—roast chicken, roast duck, fish, steamed buns…
Everyone at the tables had bloated stomachs, as if they might burst at any moment, yet they remained tireless.
In Rao Fei’s courtyard—that of the Wang Family’s Ninth Concubine—as dusk fell, old ladies and maids bustled about, lighting one red candle after another, illuminating the entire room brightly.
The people inside seemed to step from a black-and-white silent film into a lively celebratory scene. All this was to welcome the Old Master’s arrival.
That night, the Old Master’s joy and warmth were all with the new Ninth Concubine, so the neighboring Sixth Concubine’s courtyard naturally turned cold and eerie. In the darkness, something unknown began to stir.
Finally, the outside guests began to disperse. Supported by servants, the drunken Old Master entered the warm and festive new bridal chamber.
He impatiently yanked off his new concubine’s veil, eager to see her face.
Even though beneath the veil was a man’s face, he—and all the servants in the courtyard—showed no abnormality.
Rao Fei also got a clear look at him.
It was a gaunt, emaciated weird wearing a skullcap, its outstretched arms like withered branches. The maid supporting it looked sturdier than it did.
It leaned close to Rao Fei, mouth not even opening, murmuring from some organ in its body like a fake human: “Feet… I want your feet… give me… feet.”
Rao Fei obediently lowered his head: “Yes, Old Master.”
The ‘Old Master’ was extremely pleased with ‘her’ obedience, taking an axe from a nearby servant and excitedly swinging to chop off those Three-Inch Golden Lotuses he adored so much.
Unfortunately, its skinny arms lacked strength and couldn’t sever a healthy adult man’s leg bone.
On Rao Fei’s foot, red blood seeped through the white sock.
In the neighboring courtyard, the ‘Sixth Concubine’—bound like a dumpling with her mouth gagged—wriggled from the bed to the wall. She pressed her ear against it, puzzled, listening to the faint sounds from the other side.
It sounded like chopping something. Once, twice, three times…
After being knocked out and waking up that afternoon, the now-calm Xu Mu carefully discerned the sound from next door.
Chopping wood?
The sound lasted five or six minutes; the chopper seemed tired, intervals growing longer until it stopped completely.
Meanwhile, Su Ximu, who had been picked up by the sightseeing bus back to the employee rest area, curiously asked Blue 242 Leader, who was handing him his dorm key: “Don’t the park’s other actors need to return to the Employee Dormitory to rest?”
There were fewer people on this bus than when dropping off new employees that morning.
Blue 242 Leader explained: “Some employees rest in the park for convenience.”
Others had even more special circumstances—the mansions in the park were their homes.
Surprised, Su Ximu asked if park mansions could be bought as homes.
Blue 242 Leader shook his head: “Some mansions already had owners. After the Park Chief took over the Tourist Garden, he reached agreements with them—renovated the mansions for free to match the park’s style, allowed them to stay, and let them work in the park.”
His tone was clearly proud of the Park Chief’s generosity.
He was unmistakably the Park Chief’s little fanboy.
Blue 242 Leader stubbornly insisted his subordinates call him by his full title, a mark of status in the Tourist Garden, just like the blue hat on his head.
He wasn’t always so forthcoming and amiable. On the contrary, many new employees assigned to him were stripped of all their money by him at opportunities, then devoured one by one.
If he could, he’d devour even his revered Park Chief without hesitation.
Gray hat, purple hat, blue hat—he had climbed up step by step like this.
Unfortunately…
Blue 242 Leader’s subtly greedy gaze swept over the new employee, knowing this wasn’t someone he could casually devour.
Since he couldn’t devour, he’d curry favor.
Using his authority, Blue 242 Leader assigned the new employee a dorm next to his own.
As Su Ximu took the key to check his dorm, Blue 242 Leader didn’t forget to take credit: “100009, I’ve already cleaned your dorm once. If you need anything at night, knock on my door—I’m right next door.”
By Su Ximu’s onboarding order, his chest badge was numbered Gray 100009, showing the immense scale of the Tourist Garden.
Though Su Ximu knew this was likely nepotism treatment, he wasn’t ungrateful and sincerely thanked Blue 242 Leader.
Unfortunately, penniless as he was, he could only offer verbal thanks. He’d have to see if he could help Blue 242 Leader with work later.
After some back-and-forth thanks, Blue 242 watched 100009’s departing back, scratching his head, feeling the other seemed off.
Whether speaking or acting, aside from being obedient, everything else was like a newborn substitute puppet weird from the neighboring Amusement Park—stiff and dull.
A weird living under a cover.
With that judgment, Blue 242 instantly felt his literary flair had improved.
Unable to figure it out, he chalked it up to big weird families raising kids like that.
When he became a prominent weird, he’d raise a little weird the same way.
Su Ximu, unaware that the previously friendly Blue 242 Leader had just badmouthed him behind his back, entered his single employee dorm. As promised, it was spotless—even the somewhat worn gray floor gleamed.
He just needed to lay out the bedding ‘Third Brother’ had brought him.
After washing his hands, while making the bed, Su Ximu received a call from ‘Third Brother’ Su Jianglou.
“Hello? Xiao Mu.”
Su Ximu held the phone, obediently greeting: “Yeah, Third Brother, it’s me here.”
The ‘Third Brother’ on the other end sighed: “Xiao Mu, at this point, I won’t hide it from you anymore.”
?
“Do you know why I rushed you to get this summer job?”
“To train me and keep me from messing around outside.” Su Ximu repeated ‘Third Brother’s’ recent words.
“No.” Su Jianglou’s tone sank. “Actually, it’s because last time you got drunk and did one more thing. You ruined one of Second Brother’s video tapes.”
“Vi-video tape?” Su Ximu did not quite understand, but he could tell from Third Brother’s tone that this was serious. “Can’t it be repaired?”
“It can’t be repaired. That was a treasure Second Brother bought at auction for 536,227,253$ last time.”
Su Jianglou spat out a string of numbers that felt especially unfamiliar to Su Ximu.
Su Ximu could hardly imagine it. If such massive destruction was really his doing, the psychological pressure on him right now would be immense.
Fortunately, he could still calmly ask one question. “Then what should I do now, Third Brother?”
Su Jianglou’s tone brooked no refusal. “Second Brother seems to be staying at home long-term this time. So you just work properly at the Tourist Garden. Don’t come home for a while. Third Brother will buy you a house outside to live in. Once Second Brother cools off, you can come back.”
“Big Brother and Third Brother will both help persuade him. Second Brother has a good temper. It shouldn’t take more than a year before you can return.”
Over five hundred million, for one year.
Su Ximu finally got a real sense of what Third Brother meant when he said Second Brother had a good temper.
If it had been a few thousand bucks, or even ten or twenty thousand, he could have worked hard, saved up, and tried to apologize to Second Brother on behalf of the original host.
But 536,227,253$ was truly beyond his capabilities.
So Su Ximu chose to heed Third Brother’s words. Relatives would not harm the original host, after all. “Okay, then I won’t go home, Third Brother. When will you come pick me up?”
“In a while.”
On the other end of the phone, Su Jianglou leaned back on the sofa and curled the corners of his mouth. After a busy day of work, fooling Xiao Mu made him feel a lot less tired.
Ever since Xiao Mu had drawn that painting because of him, he had decided to keep Xiao Mu by his side forever—until Xiao Mu could no longer provide him with inspiration.
At that point, he would properly collect and store Xiao Mu, letting Xiao Mu welcome the arrival of the next Xiao Mu alongside him.
After hanging up, Su Jianglou went to ask Su Xuanxiao, “Big Brother, when did you set your sights on the Tourist Garden?”
If he had not gone to send Xiao Mu there that morning, he would not have noticed the traces of Big Brother’s power in the Tourist Garden.
“Passed by it last time,” Su Xuanxiao said succinctly.
The thought that such a vast property with such booming business was not his own made every inch of Su Xuanxiao’s bones burn with itchiness.
Su Jianglou had long grown accustomed to Big Brother’s greedy nature and was not surprised. He had simply remembered it and asked offhandedly.
But the thought inevitably flashed through his mind.
Since he could so easily spot Big Brother’s power traces in the Tourist Garden, then what about Second Brother…
What if Second Brother happened to pass by the Tourist Garden, happened to notice Big Brother’s power traces, got curious as a result, entered the Tourist Garden, and finally happened upon Xiao Mu? Then Xiao Mu would be done for.
Su Jianglou thought this to himself and felt he was being overly paranoid. There was no way the world had so many coincidences.
Second Brother was not the curious type anyway. Cough. Weird one.
There was no need to go finding some place to hide someone over mere speculation. Too much hassle.
With that in mind, Su Jianglou yawned, rose to his feet, and headed upstairs to sleep.
He did not need sleep, but he liked it.
In the Tourist Garden Employee Dormitory,
Su Ximu hung up the phone. He could not help counting on his fingers to figure out how many digits were in 536,227,253$, and how much that would convert to in his original world.
It was probably an amount he could never save, even if he worked from the Stone Age onward.
Su Ximu had never been a child with particularly strong material desires growing up, but this string of numbers still hit him hard. Even brushing his teeth and washing up afterward left him feeling listless.
After washing up and changing into clean clothes, the young man bowed his head and slowly dried his hair.
As he dried it, he suddenly felt a cool breeze brush past him, sending goosebumps across his skin.
Ignoring the frantic danger warnings from his sixth sense, Su Ximu stopped drying his hair. He rubbed his arm and muttered, “Forgot to close the window.”
With that, he walked over to the dormitory window and reached out to shut the one left ajar.
In the midst of reaching, he glanced outside by chance and spotted Blue 242 Leader walking from downstairs into the dormitory building.
Blue 242 Leader looked up and saw him as well.
The boy leaning at the window immediately gave a polite smile and wave. Mindful that it was nighttime, he did not call out.
Blue 242 Leader, empty-handed, promptly returned an enthusiastic wave.
Two minutes later, after stepping away from the window, Su Ximu heard a knock at the door. He figured it must be Blue 242 Leader from downstairs.
He peered through the peephole, and sure enough, the person outside was Blue 242 Leader.
Blue 242 Leader held a basket in hand, which appeared to contain a large blue mushroom.
Perhaps due to the dim dormitory hallway lights making it hard to see clearly, when Su Ximu opened the door, he looked at Blue 242 Leader—who smiled at him first—and could not shake the feeling that the other looked even more handsome than he had during the day.
